Orbit Disabled...How it affects combat
Posted: Fri Jan 31, 2025 4:54 pmhello all.
i have disabled orbiting due to severe desync that completely destroys combat.
the ship positions in the server aren't even close to what the client is showing, and this causes troubles with many other systems, but really buggered combat.
with orbit disabled, we now have much better combat tracking, but visually it's really weird if you're used to live...kinda odd seeing ships just sitting there while shooting.
so, it's only the orbit part that is disabled. npcs will still warp into belts and to gates. they also warp away if no targets are within their sight range. (~5m timer).
they will move their ship for optimum range of their guns, and will chase you if you move away.
side note: their optimum range and yours hardly ever match, so there is (or can be) lots of movement still going on....but no orbiting.
chain-ratting still works the same. (and im still messing with the timers...right now it's kinda fast)
anomaly and deadspace rats are in position when you get there, so you won't see them warp in. they will still move to chase you. some will even run away.
i have tinkered with npc shield regen (our ships do, so theirs should too)...it was buggy so it's disabled for now. made for some tough rats...even rogue drones were a fight.
i also have disabled npc armor reppers, as this made rats even tougher.
i'll be tweaking both of these systems before enabling on main server.
head to a belt in empire high-sec (<0.9) to see what im talking about...and get used to this combat before heading into nullsec.
NOTE: make sure you pay attention to the optimal range for your weapons. while orbiting may be disabled, ships moving around will still have to calculate for proper tracking. this works very well and follows the info for your weapon. i.e. your large arty ain't gonna hit the lil drone frigate flying abeam 2500m away...but your missile will.
i still have more ideas to code and test for npc ai, including ships flying at tangents to avoid your fire. right now, they just move radial to your position.
speaking of missiles....be aware of shooting missiles too close to your ship. they do have an explosion/effect radius, and it dont care about you. if you're caught in it, you'll take damage also.
**UPDATE**
after implementing drones and coding (imo) an excellent ai system, i plan on applying this newfound knowledge to npcs next.
as npc code hasnt been touched in years, i have some major overhauls and improvements to do.
i *should* be able to have npc orbit gfx in client, and have the actual tracking in server hacked like i do for drones...this is the plan.
once i have current drone fixes and minor updates polished to where i like them, im gonna start on npcs...be aware.
i may have to adjust spawn classes for better grouping, but maybe not. right now, they're a bit on the tough side...and that's without reppers.
lemme know what ya think.
~me
i have disabled orbiting due to severe desync that completely destroys combat.
the ship positions in the server aren't even close to what the client is showing, and this causes troubles with many other systems, but really buggered combat.
with orbit disabled, we now have much better combat tracking, but visually it's really weird if you're used to live...kinda odd seeing ships just sitting there while shooting.
so, it's only the orbit part that is disabled. npcs will still warp into belts and to gates. they also warp away if no targets are within their sight range. (~5m timer).
they will move their ship for optimum range of their guns, and will chase you if you move away.
side note: their optimum range and yours hardly ever match, so there is (or can be) lots of movement still going on....but no orbiting.
chain-ratting still works the same. (and im still messing with the timers...right now it's kinda fast)
anomaly and deadspace rats are in position when you get there, so you won't see them warp in. they will still move to chase you. some will even run away.
i have tinkered with npc shield regen (our ships do, so theirs should too)...it was buggy so it's disabled for now. made for some tough rats...even rogue drones were a fight.
i also have disabled npc armor reppers, as this made rats even tougher.
i'll be tweaking both of these systems before enabling on main server.
head to a belt in empire high-sec (<0.9) to see what im talking about...and get used to this combat before heading into nullsec.
NOTE: make sure you pay attention to the optimal range for your weapons. while orbiting may be disabled, ships moving around will still have to calculate for proper tracking. this works very well and follows the info for your weapon. i.e. your large arty ain't gonna hit the lil drone frigate flying abeam 2500m away...but your missile will.
i still have more ideas to code and test for npc ai, including ships flying at tangents to avoid your fire. right now, they just move radial to your position.
speaking of missiles....be aware of shooting missiles too close to your ship. they do have an explosion/effect radius, and it dont care about you. if you're caught in it, you'll take damage also.
**UPDATE**
after implementing drones and coding (imo) an excellent ai system, i plan on applying this newfound knowledge to npcs next.
as npc code hasnt been touched in years, i have some major overhauls and improvements to do.
i *should* be able to have npc orbit gfx in client, and have the actual tracking in server hacked like i do for drones...this is the plan.
once i have current drone fixes and minor updates polished to where i like them, im gonna start on npcs...be aware.
i may have to adjust spawn classes for better grouping, but maybe not. right now, they're a bit on the tough side...and that's without reppers.
lemme know what ya think.
~me