Ever see what happens when you miss the Ring...

Ouch!!!

Hoorraay... Now I'm a first Lieutenant. That second Lieutenant pay sucked! Though judging by the picture, I'll be lucky to collect any pay!

I have been looking at encounters only shortly but from what I've seen so far the behaviour of NPC's near the docking ring is not unusual. The part where they seem to hestiate and turn around and fly away. I believe this is due to the fact that the relief_time is not completed yet, so they turn and make another run.
At least for patrols I have noticed that they disappear by docking, either a station or a jumpgate. At least as lonmg as they are in scanrange. I think they simply disappear when they are out of scanrange and not targetted.

BuckDanny

That bit about the patrols not being completed is interesting. I have noticed some of the other ships fly off in the direction of a jumphole located some distance away. I followed them and they do use it. Another concern of mine though is that the corsairs in the area seem to take no notice of them and let them pass with impunity, while I, on the other hand, am engaged in a pitched battle every time I go near the place... by design, I might add. I have placed a zone there for the defense of the area by said corsairs but why they only attack me is a wonder and amazement to me. Likewise I have other jumphole zones that have both corsairs and bounty hunters in it, who battle mightily but the bounty hunters always seem to win leaving only them in the area... in great numbers I might add, though I have a limit of lawfuls in the area to only 4, and have reduced the faction weight from 10 to 4 while leaving the weight of the corsairs at 10. I wonder what I would have to do to give the corsairs a winning opportunity in those areas. I would like to fight them myself, but the bounty hunters horn in and if I hit one of them they all turn on me like infuriated wolverines and I have to kill them all then load a save game so as not to permanently have them as enemies. Perhaps in the first instance it is because the original zone which supplies the traders is from the planet which has no mention of corsairs in it, while the zone from the wormholes that have battles with the corsairs and bounty hunters describes both as either attackers or defenders in its own code. I will try to modify the one by the planet to include defense of the zone by the corsairs (can there be opposing defenders since there are bounty hunters there too on defense). I wish I knew more about the rules of engagement and the limits of permission of overlapping zones.

Ok... I modified the code listed above to include attacks by the corsairs and they do indeed attack around the planet. The trouble is they are using Legionaire fighters which are woefully inadequate for that area. I went back into the code and tried kicking up the "toughness" from 1 to 18, though I don't really know what that does, and then looked for some other sign to tell me why they are using Legionaires instead of Titans like the rest of the corsairs in the system. The original code is related to Manhattan but I do not see what in it causes them to have lesser ships than the rest of the system. What could it be... What have I missed... Anyone?

First of all you need to tell us in which environment you have set the encounters. I mean is it an zone area (sphere or ellipsoid), tradelane or path. Then you have to tell us which encounter you use for the corsairs.

BuckDanny

Hi again BuckDanny...

I, er, that is, well, posted the code I used which appears on the first page of this thread. It is a sphere of 7000 diameter. The encounter code is listed in its entirety except for the addition of the corsairs. I will post that as changed and with my commented sections removed for clarity below.

And here it is...

[zone<===this was, of course, a closed bracket!
nickname = Zone_JSG03_001_Planet_JSG03_01
pos = -33794, 0, 30648 ;-32261, 0, 32181 is the planet itself
rotate = 0, -135, 0
shape = SPHERE
size = 7000
comment = Hesperion ;was Manhattan
sort = 1
toughness = 18 ;<===was 1, trying to get titans instead of legionaires to fight
density = 12
repop_time = 10
max_battle_size = 4 ;<===was 8 too many low level corsairs
pop_type = gd_z_grp, base_cluster_law ;was pop_type = li_p_grp, base_cluster_law
relief_time = 10
;faction_weight = li_p_grp, 12
;faction_weight = li_p_grp_prisoners, 4
faction_weight = gd_z_grp, 12
faction_weight = co_be_grp, 10
faction_weight = co_hsp_grp, 10
faction_weight = co_kt_grp, 10
faction_weight = co_me_grp, 10
faction_weight = co_nws_grp, 10
faction_weight = co_ni_grp, 10
faction_weight = co_os_grp, 4
faction_weight = co_rs_grp, 10
faction_weight = co_shi_grp, 10
faction_weight = co_ss_grp, 10
faction_weight = co_vr_grp, 8
faction_weight = gd_bh_grp, 3
faction_weight = fc_c_grp, 12 ;<===added this to get a fight in the area
density_restriction = 4, unlawfuls
;encounter = area_defend, 1, 0.070000
;faction = li_p_grp, 1.000000
encounter = area_bh_defend, 1, 0.030000
faction = gd_bh_grp, 1.000000
encounter = area_assault, 1, 0.240000 ;<===added this to see if corsairs will attack the area
faction = fc_c_grp, 1.000000
;encounter = area_armored_prisoner, 1, 0.020000
;faction = li_p_grp, 1.000000
nickname = area_trade_trader, 1, 0.120000 ;<===added this to see if docking ring will work
faction = gd_z_grp, 1.000000 ;<===added this to see if docking ring will work
encounter = area_trade_freighter, 1, 0.090000
faction = co_hsp_grp, 0.260000
faction = co_me_grp, 0.260000
faction = co_ss_grp, 0.260000
faction = co_vr_grp, 0.210000
encounter = area_trade_transport, 1, 0.120000
faction = co_be_grp, 0.100000
faction = co_hsp_grp, 0.100000
faction = co_kt_grp, 0.100000
faction = co_me_grp, 0.100000
faction = co_nws_grp, 0.100000
faction = co_ni_grp, 0.100000
faction = co_rs_grp, 0.100000
faction = co_shi_grp, 0.100000
faction = co_ss_grp, 0.100000
faction = co_vr_grp, 0.080000
encounter = area_trade_armored, 1, 0.020000
faction = co_os_grp, 1.000000
encounter = area_lifter, 1, 0.030000
faction = co_me_grp, 0.500000
faction = co_ss_grp, 0.500000
encounter = area_repair, 1, 0.030000
faction = co_me_grp, 0.500000
faction = co_ss_grp, 0.500000

Can you see any errors? What makes them fly Legionaires instead of Titans?

The little NPC Legionaire guys and gals are a plucky bunch! They will attack and destroy several heavy lifters and other ships even with their underpowered guns and shields. The bounty hunters in the area will also engage them and with me in the mix flying a Galaxy Freighter armed with my own Tempest and Railgun cannons they have NO CHANCE! Poor things! However, as soon as I leave this area and go to, say, one of my jumpholes where there are a gaggle of Titans to be found, also in a sphere encounter zone, it is more of a fight. They are no less aggresive but somewhat harder to relieve of their lives and fortunes. Here is an example of that code, in case you should be interested to compare it:

[zone
nickname = zone_JSG03_pop_JSG02_hole
pos = -21090, 0, 24160 ;hole at -22000, 0, 24181
shape = SPHERE
size = 4000
sort = 5
toughness = 18
density = 9
repop_time = 10
max_battle_size = 6 ;was 4
pop_type = wormhole
relief_time = 15
faction_weight = fc_c_grp, 10
density_restriction = 4, lawfuls
encounter = area_defend, 18, 0.240000
faction = fc_c_grp, 1.000000
encounter = area_trade_trader, 18, 0.410000
faction = fc_c_grp, 1.000000

Does the "sort =" reference have anything to do with it? I am afraid I am also clueless about the numbers that appear after the "encounter =" designation.

Now, looking at the code snippets one after the other, I notice I changed the "toughness" designation to 18 from 1 in the planetary code, but did not change the "encounter =" part from 1 to 18, though I am just guessing that they are related. Hmmm! I will try that and see what happens. Be back soon!

Well... that was interesting! The area is now fraught with Titans, requiring a somewhat more protrated and vigorous defense, much to the dismay of the other NPC's in the area who have not had their code changed. Still, no one lands. Of course now there is no one to land, seeing as how the Corsairs in Titans in the area have eliminated... no, obliterated them, they (the other NPC's like bounty hunters, traders etc.) still exhibiting level one ships and behaviors!

I had not changed that stuff before because I saw a thread somewhere warning against it. Who knew?

Perhaps I should go back and adjust the code for those, umm, people as well... in the interest of fairness, you understand, so as not to cause too many widows and orphans in the lawful NPC community. If I make them equal, however, they always seem to win. I want to leave a small advantage to the Corsairs so I can fight them. Does anyone have any idea what kind of spread in skill level (I'm guessing after that experiment that that's what the first number after the "encounter =" represents) will give me the desired result? I still don't know what the second decimal fraction represents though. Anyone know? Also, since the "toughness" and "encounter =" numbers seem to be related, how high can I set them. It seems like it would be an invitation to a crash to make the toughness figure lower than the encounter one, but not the other way around. Do the NPC's have the same level capabilities as the player (represented by Trent in this case), or is there an NPC limit I am unaware of?

Ooops! I mispelled protracted in the above reply. Sorry to all the English majors out there. My clumsy typing aside, does anyone know the answers to my questions?

For now, I suppose I should go back to my planet Hesperion to attend the funerals of all those NPC's whose deaths I have caused with my recent experiments, after which I should change the level of the defenders of the area so as to give them a chance to survive. Still... some of those NPC widows are kind of cute! Perhaps they will require consolation. A gift, perhaps, of consumer goods or some other commodity. Maybe I am being too hasty in changing their levels... but no, it would be evil. Yet... those widows are cute! Maybe if I just engage in conversation those widows who have wandered into the bar..?

I didn't know programming would entail a moral dilema.

Right...I'm about to look at your mod and see what's wrong.

Leader of the Republic Mod Team. http://republicmod.proboards32.com
"Criminal Organisations don't just spring up overnight. It's a conspiracy" - overheard on a a Liberty comm frequency