[WIP] IRAI (Intelligent Random AI)

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We rely on you TDW, I am 99% sure that one day you will fix at least the (now) useless coastal guns

As for the multi unit tracking problem, I think this something we can live with, but have you checked that aircraft under attack can track their pursuer wth their rear/waist/ventral turrets?

Most of the stock aircraft turrets are broken, but I can provide you with a bomber whose turrets are set correctly (during my tests they tracked sea targets).

[TheDarkWraith]

Originally Posted by gap

As for the multi unit tracking problem, I think this something we can live with, but have you checked that aircraft under attack can track their pursuer wth their rear/waist/ventral turrets?

Most of the stock aircraft turrets are broken, but I can provide you with a bomber whose turrets are set correctly (during my tests they tracked sea targets).

I haven't dove into how the weapons choose their target yet (haven't found the code for it yet). But I'm almost 99% certain that all the weapons of a unit will use the contact the unit is engaging since in the hierarchy the unit object is at the top with everything related to it under it and the unit currently being engaged is a pointer contained in the unit object. Furthermore since weapons are controllers and controllers are 'attached' to the object they belong to they (controllers) base everything they do off the pointer from the object they are attached to.

Like I said though I haven't found the code that controls the weapons yet so it's all pure speculation.

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Originally Posted by TheDarkWraith

I haven't dove into how the weapons choose their target yet (haven't found the code for it yet). But I'm almost 99% certain that all the weapons of a unit will use the contact the unit is engaging since in the hierarchy the unit object is at the top with everything related to it under it and the unit currently being engaged is a pointer contained in the unit object. Furthermore since weapons are controllers and controllers are 'attached' to the object they belong to they (controllers) base everything they do off the pointer from the object they are attached to.

Like I said though I haven't found the code that controls the weapons yet so it's all pure speculation.

Makes sense to me. The one doubt I have is: are engagements bi-univocal in game? In other words: if an unit is attacked, does it aumatically lock its guns on the attacker? This is probably of secondary importance for surface engagements, but crucial for aircraft turrets to be used correctly during dogfights

[TheDarkWraith]

Originally Posted by gap

Makes sense to me. The one doubt I have is: are engagements bi-univocal in game? In other words: if an unit is attacked, does it aumatically lock its guns on the attacker? This is probably of secondary importance for surface engagements, but crucial for aircraft turrets to be used correctly during dogfights

Didn't see anything in SHCollisions.act or SH5.exe that says once unit takes damage from something then lock onto that unit. The game engine is pretty simple in how it determines the unit a unit is tracking/engaging:
- derive list of active game units (some units can be excluded from this list)
- iterate over list of active game units derived:
-- iterate over all sensors of the current unit
--- iterate over all active game units derived for each sensor to see if sensor detects it
--- if sensor detects it then add to list of detected units

Check all detected units to see which one was detected the 'strongest'. Place pointer to this unit in unit's contact detected 'slot'.

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Originally Posted by TheDarkWraith

Didn't see anything in SHCollisions.act or SH5.exe that says once unit takes damage from something then lock onto that unit. The game engine is pretty simple in how it determines the unit a unit is tracking/engaging:
- derive list of active game units (some units can be excluded from this list)
- iterate over list of active game units derived:
-- iterate over all sensors of the current unit
--- iterate over all active game units derived for each sensor to see if sensor detects it
--- if sensor detects it then add to list of detected units

Check all detected units to see which one was detected the 'strongest'. Place pointer to this unit in unit's contact detected 'slot'.

If an unit can detect more than one target with its sensor, how will it decide which one to attack? The closest one maybe? Any idea?

[THE_MASK]

German taskforce incurring heavy damage against 2 polish DDs .
Using the latest sobers mega mod list including these mods . No ctds
FX_Update_0_0_22_ByTheDarkWraith
NewUIs_TDC_7_5_0_ByTheDarkWraith
OPEN HORIZONS II v2.4
SM_Wounded_Unit_Radioing
All the latest patches

[gap]

On an unrelated note: there's something I always wanted to ask you, but I never did. Let's say that (while using your ship radio patch) our u-boat is detected by a radio-equipped unit, and that it calls in for reinforcements. I already know that assisting units, on turn, must have fuctional radio equipment and they must be within a "Lost contact" travel time (at their max speed) for them to react. But what if there is an airfield/carrier in the vicinity? Do aircraft spawn from them based on "lost contact time", or rather they max range is taken into account (or both of them)?

Originally Posted by sober

Using the latest sobers mega mod list including these mods . No ctds]

[TheDarkWraith]

Originally Posted by gap

If an unit can detect more than one target with its sensor, how will it decide which one to attack? The closest one maybe? Any idea?

The one with the highest signal strength (not necessarily the closest one either)

Originally Posted by gap

On an unrelated note: there's something I always wanted to ask you, but I never did. Let's say that (while using your ship radio patch) our u-boat is detected by a radio-equipped unit, and that it calls in for reinforcements. I already know that assisting units, on turn, must have fuctional radio equipment and they must be within a "Lost contact" travel time (at their max speed) for them to react. But what if there is an airfield/carrier in the vicinity? Do aircraft spawn from them based on "lost contact time", or rather they max range is taken into account (or both of them)?

My patch says if unit detects contact then set the check airstrike timer to 1 (thus will cause check for airstrikes on next game loop iteration). When the game checks for airstrikes it will iterate over all the game units and if any game unit has the current game unit as a contact then the game will see if it can launch an airstrike on that game unit. So the game takes the max range of the airbase or carrier into account.

[gap]

Originally Posted by TheDarkWraith

The one with the highest signal strength (not necessarily the closest one either)

I see. So for aircraft to "see" their attackers and return fire, we should at least give them a visual range as wide as the train/elevation of their turrets.

One last question (sorry for bothering you with so many questions at once ). Do you think it possible to give an unit more than a visual sensor, and to link some of its sensors to the barrels of its guns? This way aircraft would always look at the direction their guns are currently pointing to (+/- sensor's range in degrees), and if a turret is destroyed, the plane will become blind at some angles

Originally Posted by TheDarkWraith

So the game takes the max range of the airbase or carrier into account.

Is it the max range of its/her aircraft? (to the best of my knowledge airbases and carriers don't have any range setting).

[TheDarkWraith]

Originally Posted by gap

I see. So for aircraft to "see" their attackers and return fire, we should at least give them a visual range as wide as the train/elevation of their turrets.

One last question (sorry for bothering you with so many questions at once ). Do you think it possible to give an unit more than a visual sensor, and to link some of its sensors to the barrels of its guns? This way aircraft would always look at the direction their guns are currently pointing to (+/- sensor's range in degrees), and if a turret is destroyed, the plane will become blind at some angles

Is it the max range of its/her aircraft? (to the best of my knowledge airbases and carriers don't have any range setting).

The AI_Visual sensor and my AI_Visual sensor in my uboat_sensors file covers a sphere as large as the max range. Think of the max range of a visual sensor as the radius of a sphere. Wherever that sensor is located on the object defines that center of that sphere. This assumes the min and max elevations are set to a maximum value.

You can define certain bearings that the sensor can only 'see'. It's a property of the sensor (SensitivitySectors).

The game iterates over a maximum of 16 sensors for each unit object. Whether you can define more than one type of sensor (visual, radar, etc.) for each unit object I'm not sure. I'd have to watch it in debugger to see if game recognized more than 1 type of certain sensor per unit object. Same goes for attaching sensors to gun barrels and such.

Max range of the aircraft stationed at the airbase/carrier.

[TheDarkWraith]

I just discovered I have an error in my units must use radio patch. It's not an error per se but rather almost all units are not being checked as to whether they can receive radio

I just learned a whole lot about how game deals with contacts today. Let's say unit detects a new contact with it's sensors. If unit previously had no contact detected then the game engine will iterate over all the game units defined to give ONE of them that is the same side (axis, allies, or neutral) the same contact (it's actually the first one it finds in the list). Note I said ONE of them. I thought it iterated over all and gave all with the same side the contact but I was wrong.

If the iterated unit receiving the contact is game unit type <= 4 or a 10 or a 11 then it's radio was being checked else it's radio is NOT being checked. I am updating the units must use radio patch to correct this.

I'm also developing a way to have the game engine while iterating over all the game units for the same side to give each one of them the contact instead of giving it to only one (the first one it finds).

[gap]

Originally Posted by TheDarkWraith

The AI_Visual sensor and my AI_Visual sensor in my uboat_sensors file covers a sphere as large as the max range. Think of the max range of a visual sensor as the radius of a sphere. Wherever that sensor is located on the object defines that center of that sphere. This assumes the min and max elevations are set to a maximum value.

You can define certain bearings that the sensor can only 'see'. It's a property of the sensor (SensitivitySectors).

Yep, I know. You can even set a sensitivity factor for each arc. This is of little use for ship visual sensors: with many watchmen supposedly on deck, and looking at every direction at any given time, your 360x360 deg AI_visual is fairly suited to surface units. Nonetheless, detection arc settings have (at least in theory) an interesting application with aircraft, whose visual awareness should be limited by the cramped space onboard, and by the exiguous crew complement. If possible, my idea was to equip planes with a visual sensor for each crewman (each sensor with a limited detection arc, and reduced sensitivity at its extreme ends). If the sensors are linked to objects with indivdual damage boxes, destroying the box would "kill" the virtual watchman connected with it, thus reducing airplane's visual

There is a "but" though. If, during an air-to-air or or air-to-sea angagement, a plane with partial visual coverage temporarily loses contact with her current target (due to a sharp turn, for instance), will she forget about the opponent?

Originally Posted by TheDarkWraith

The game iterates over a maximum of 16 sensors for each unit object.

Good to know

Originally Posted by TheDarkWraith

Whether you can define more than one type of sensor (visual, radar, etc.) for each unit object I'm not sure. I'd have to watch it in debugger to see if game recognized more than 1 type of certain sensor per unit object. Same goes for attaching sensors to gun barrels and such.

Could you please check it?

[gap]

Originally Posted by TheDarkWraith

Let's say unit detects a new contact with it's sensors. If unit previously had no contact detected then the game engine will iterate over all the game units defined to give ONE of them that is the same side (axis, allies, or neutral) the same contact (it's actually the first one it finds in the list)

...

If the iterated unit receiving the contact is game unit type <= 4 or a 10 or a 11 then it's radio was being checked else it's radio is NOT being checked. I am updating the units must use radio patch to correct this.

I'm also developing a way to have the game engine while iterating over all the game units for the same side to give each one of them the contact instead of giving it to only one (the first one it finds).

Well spotted! I suppose that fixing that, would drastically increase the difficulty in game. I wonder what devs had in mind

[TheDarkWraith]

Originally Posted by gap

Well spotted! I suppose that fixing that, would drastically increase the difficulty in game. I wonder what devs had in mind

I constantly ask myself that same question as I'm looking over the code in the debugger

[THE_MASK]

Originally Posted by TheDarkWraith

I constantly ask myself that same question as I'm looking over the code in the debugger

I guess the dev team didn't have the resources or time to finish the game by some deadline . Last ditch effort gave us some limited modding tools . Still the best submarine game now