Development Updates

[peirzac1]

Thank you developers for the work you have been doing! I greatly enjoy what you have made so far and am excited to see what is to come!

[Raf1394]

The U-boat flooding and new damage system looks interesting.

[Usurpator]

Hello everyone!

Axel is still working on AI behaviours for escorts. Oscar is working on the map system and Einar is modeling assets.

[Raf1394]

Thanks for headsup !

[Usurpator]

Hello everyone!

This week Oscar's continued working on the new map system and Axel is working on AI behaviours. Einar is modeling assets.

[Usurpator]

Hello everyone!

Axel is still out due to covid/influenza, Oscar is still working on the map and world navigation. Einar is modeling assets.

[Fidd]

Many thanks. If ever you feel able to expand on the improvements to AI, I for one would be most interested to read what's being worked on!

[Raf1394]

Thanks for the info!

[PL_Andrev]

What happened to playable corvette?
Since two month no info at all about that.

[Fidd]

As I understand it, playable escorts require some changes to legacy code, which is still in progress. There are other things in the road-map queue before playable escorts. Although I'm extremely keen to see this too, we have to accept that with a tiny dev crew, these things are going to take time. It'll come eventually, but it will take months and years, rather than weeks and months?

[Usurpator]

Originally Posted by Fidd

Many thanks. If ever you feel able to expand on the improvements to AI, I for one would be most interested to read what's being worked on!

Most of the work on the AI right now is getting AI navigation and obsticle avoidance to work well, both in a global and a local context.

There are several tiers of AI systems working in tandem. Right now most of the work is being done on local groups of ships, but we are also working on a stratetic AI that will handle global decisions.

We will also need to add AI for new unit types, such as aircraft, aircraft carriers and patrol boats.

[Usurpator]

Originally Posted by PL_Andrev

What happened to playable corvette?
Since two month no info at all about that.

Progress is being made with the playable corvette, mostly modelling at this point.

We will add an alpha version of the corvette after the network patch is bug free and on the main branch. At this stage it will be incomplete, and new systems will be added to it as they get finished. This will mostly be for testing though, since to get the most out of the corvette, we need dedicated servers. Without dedicated servers, the host can simply quit the game when he is about to lose, which will be a very frustrating experience for everyone involved.

Many of the systems for the corvette can be lifted straight from the u-boat with little to no modification to the code, such as guns and steering. The more unique systems, such as radar and active sonar/depth charge systems will have to be implemented from scratch, so they will take a bit longer to put in.

So, the playable corvette is still very much on the table and will be progressively implemented after the patch we are currently working on is out on the main branch. A proper pvp mode, however, will be implemented once we have dedicated servers working.

[Usurpator]

Hello everyone!
Axel is now back from sick leave and is back to work on AI behaviours and navigation.
Oscar is working on making the wave simulation and other physics systems work in a global context.

[Fidd]

Originally Posted by Usurpator

Most of the work on the AI right now is getting AI navigation and obsticle avoidance to work well, both in a global and a local context.

There are several tiers of AI systems working in tandem. Right now most of the work is being done on local groups of ships, but we are also working on a stratetic AI that will handle global decisions.

We will also need to add AI for new unit types, such as aircraft, aircraft carriers and patrol boats.

That's good to hear. Will there be any possible player-controlled AI? What I mean by that is an allied-player able to direct AI escorts within the convoy to go to positions and execute tasks (suitably bounded initially by constraints of movement to prevent exploitation of the known usual positions of u-boats 15-25 minutes into the game? This seems to me to be a really good first step towards players being able to move between escorts, with the AI doing directed tasks in the meantime. In other words, using the AI for the dull repetitive tasks, but positioning them according to a human brain's intelligence, rather than an AI algorithm; and then allowing human players to do the fun/fine judgement stuff such as asdic searches in contact and DCing - until called back to the convoy or replaced with a faster escort as they fall astern of the convoy...?

This approach to mixing human play with AI - and occasionally swapping between them, would also permit a smaller number of allied players to have an effect disproportionate to their numbers, which would be especially useful in the absence of dedicated servers?

See:
https://www.subsim.com/radioroom/sho...&postcount=118

[Raf1394]

Originally Posted by Usurpator

Hello everyone!
Axel is now back from sick leave and is back to work on AI behaviours and navigation.
Oscar is working on making the wave simulation and other physics systems work in a global context.

Thanks for info, and good to hear Axel is back.