Jump to content

Cannot stop AI escorts from attacking starstations.


CrazedOne
 Share

Recommended Posts

Here is my situation.

I have 3 carriers selected in PLV and F1 (escort/defend) This order works as it should except in certain situations.

When coming out of a jump, unless I use the PLV+F1 right before they enter normal space they tend to select the nearest star station and HJ to it which is instant suicide. Even though before they went NAV they were in Escort mode.

Also when I am in a system with an enemy starstation and my escorts select the nearest target attacking me, after that target is destroyed they automatically select the star station and HJ to it before I can even re-order them to F1 (escort/defend) the fighters are doing the same thing. And yes I have C&C at all times and all crew on-station.

Maybee I need to re-install? I am using my original install, then all the RC's up to 6 installed over each other, the saved games I am using in RC6 were new from RC4.

This is causing me to have to reload quite often as I keep losing carriers on suicide starstation attack runs, or is it that they despise my blueblood and background so much they waste themselves rather than take orders from me?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, use your head. If you have then in Escort or Defend mode and a threat (station) is targeting you, what did you expect them to do?

And the NAV you are seeing it NOT their orders.

The game works as designed, but sure, go ahead and re-install if you're bored.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yea, the same thing happens to me. As confirmed by SC above I just figured that was how the game was designed. It is quit annoying to be sure. It would be nice if FC's by default NEVER engaged stations since it is clearly a futile idea that only serves to piss away alot of galcredits having to buy new FC's and keeps the cloning modual warmed up.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks, understood.

I am not sure I would have figured that out for quite a while.

But why then, if I catch them with a quick TAB (PLV) and F1 right before they HJ for the Star Station they stay in Escort mode and do not re-attempt to HJ for Star Staion, this is happening well out of the Star Stations missle target range. They then travel through the system to the next jump point without re-attempting to HJ for the enemy ODS or SS.

It seems after the last designated NPC escort target is destroyed within the defending area that the NPC's go into SAD automatically and then HJ for the only target left in the system, which is the ODS or the SS.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My point still stands.

My escorts jump with me to the next system, as we come into the system the local enemy jumps to my location, the escorts correctly destroy the attackers. All attackers within 900,000 km are dead, the escorts then proceed to HJ to a SS that is 900,000 km away in same system. So does that mean that the correct behavior is that the escorts attack the Star Station because it "might" deploy more fighters?

And then "why" if I hit tab then F1 quickly, before they commit to HJ to the distant SS that they go back into escort mode and do not attack the SS while I spend the next hour doing nothing. I believe the NPC's are going into SAD mode on their own after the last "local" threat to myself is destroyed. Or is it normal behavior as SC specified that somehow the SS 900,000 km away is targeting me?

So AI cant be it as every time I have sucessfully

tab-F1 to reorder them to escort they always stay locked to me if I catch them before they HJ for a distant non-threat SS.

And I am referring to C&C Carriers and fighters not just fighters.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think I've noticed that when ships follow you though a jump gate they lose all previous commands and default to SAD. So your FC's drop in from the jump gate they need to be reissued an ESCORT order. The same seems to be true of any of the fleet following along with you through a jump gate. That's what I've seen anyway.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What the SC is trying to say I believe is that they are still in Escort/Defend mode when they attack the starstation. Let me explain it this way.

----

You give the order to the commander of another carrier the order to protect you. Then, that commander's AI takes over. He (it) decides how best to protect you. He sees the station targeting you (as shown by the TRK logo right by your tactical [radar] view down below). Since the station is tracking you, the commander decides the best way to protect you is to destroy the starstation.

So as you can see above, they are not in SAD mode, they are in escort mode. Were they in SAD mode, it wouldn't matter whether the station was targeting you or not, they'd attack it.

------

Now this next part is theory, and maybe SC can clarify if he feels like it.

The reason TAB-F1 works for you is because the carrier's AI needs to react to your orders. This means that when you re-issue the order, they need to go through that process again of thinking of the best way to protect you. Again, that's just theory.

Hope this helps.

-Gnowor

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ok, sorry if I was being a bit tedious, I have this thing where I must know the details of how and why. And that was a bit more clear. I now believe they are still in escort and carrying out their proper actions.

So if I jump into a system and my escorts target a Star Station but I catch them before they HJ with TAB-F1 it makes them "rethink" their actions so to speak, meaning their AI is low.

So the NPC carriers start out with a low AI and that low AI allows them to target Star Stations which is suicidal, so when their AI gets higher these actions should take place less often?

And SC please feel free to let others of the community respond to my NOOB questions as I may have a few of these, I "honestly" do not want to be wasting your time, thatÔÇÖs time that could be going towards more important work.

Thanks for the replies.

OUT

Link to comment
Share on other sites

quote:


Originally posted by CrazedOne:

And SC please feel free to let others of the community respond to my NOOB questions as I may have a few of these, I "honestly" do not want to be wasting your time, that?s time that could be going towards more important work.

Thanks for the replies.

OUT


Understood, no worries. After all, this is the n00bie forum.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

quote:

Originally posted by CrazedOne:

So the NPC carriers start out with a low AI and that low AI allows them to target Star Stations which is suicidal, so when their AI gets higher these actions should take place less often?


Here's some more theory. I don't believe that a higher AI for the carriers will make them no longer attack stations. Reason being, regardless of how stupid it may seem to attack a station, their processing of the order dictates "Kill anything that is trying to kill the thing I'm escorting" They believe the stations are trying to kill you because the stations are tracking you. A higher AI isn't going to change the fact that the stations are tracking you. A higher AI might just go ahead and make them attack the station FASTER. The theory behind that is simply that because their AI is higher, they figure out what to do faster. In this sense, it might be smarter on your part to have dumber carriers.

Again, purely theory (since I don't even know how I might check the AI of a carrier escorting me).

-Gnowor

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ok so anything that targets your ship via TRK is going to be attacked while in (escort/defend) regardless of AI. I am thinking that the initial SS TRK is what triggers the AI escorts to attack it, then if I use TAB-F1 since the TRK is still in place it does not "re-trigger" the AI to attack. Hmm I should use the cloak to test that, the SS would lose TRK then right?

Yes it would be nice if a higher AI (friendly) carrier used its cloak, I will have to wait and see.

I do believe that the ESCORT order should "I may be wrong" have a defined range as escorts HJ-ing 500,000 to 900,000 km to assault an SS means close to 5 minutes before they could return to whatever they are escorting. As has already happened to me once, the 3 carriers jumped for a distant SS, then an enemy carrier uncloaked w/ 2 fighters and HJ to my location, regardless of the fact my three NPC carriers were already dead at that point, they had no way to defend what they were escorting, as they were in HJ would have to recharge HJ engine then HJ back to my location.

So ESCORT will basically seek all threats in an entire system regardless of distance.

PS: I know it is the way it is and my views differ. I just dislike the loss of control over my kamikaze battlefleet. I am sort of stuck on Escorts should not leave what they are escorting.

So which order will keep a "tighter" battlegroup?

Patrol? And yes I am going to test them all out.

Click

EDIT: Oh yeah, I have 2 dead prisoners that are stuck in detention, I am probably just supposed to jettison them right? I only stopped at 2 Blue SS was not sure if a Green SS would be interested in them.

[ 03-02-2004, 08:01 AM: Message edited by: CrazedOne ]

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If I remember correctly the SC once wroted that the DEFEND order will keep the escorting craft thighter to their target.....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I personally don't deploy fighters to escort me while I am sector-hopping, I generally take stock of the situation in the new sector and decide whether I am going to be hanging around or pressing on. If you are simply passing through the sector, it is this commander's opinion that having the fighters escorting you is of little tactical value.

If you insist on doing this, however, perhaps issuing a halt order to all fighters prior to making the jump, then issuing an escort or fly to (command craft) order once in the new sector may produce the desired result for you.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, I generally leave all fighters in the bay while hopping, It was the Carriers in the fleet that were troubling me.

Yes the "halt" command is working great, and using different escort targets other than myself helps, as I am the first to jump into a system and get targeted by the SS, I have 2 carriers escort another carrier that escorts me, so I usually only end up having to watch 1, plus I make it hj quick so it can not go running off, till it's engines are recharged.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Using Hold command from command menu in the tacops gives you time to give them new escort order to avoid them attacking stations.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...