Civilian Shipping and LP points

[xeryon (OP)]

Unsure if this is a bug, something that isn't implemented yet or I am just too new and don't know how to fix it.

So, how do I get a civilian shipping line to use the LPs in my Quadrinary system?  Via LPs the transit from inner colony to outer colony takes ~20 days.   The way the civilians are going is currently 3230 days till arrival.   I found what I thought would have been a band-aid work-around as I can designate planets as banned sites but I cannot ban a body with my own population on it.

[Thiosk]

Nope, you're hosed.

I am so sorry.

The logic for civ fleets to use LPs does not exist.  Hell, do ANY AI fleets use LPs?  I don't think so.  I use them to juke aliens all the time.  (oh look, the civ fleet is running away PLONK oh look who is strafing you with his point defense cannons! lolololol)


All I can say is that at least you should be happy that YOU have LPs to use.  That your civilians are retarded and spend 10 years making the 1 way trip is something else entirely.

[xeryon (OP)]

Thanks for the quick reply.   I pretty much assumed it was a lost cause and rerolled a new system and started over.

Even if the ability to use LP points isn't ultimately added due to complexity it would be nice if I could specify a trade route.   In modern day civilian navel shipping the local authorities specify viable shipping routes that the civilians are supposed to use.   It would be completely in-character for the empire to designate trade routes to and from certain systems and areas for the safety of the public.   For systems where route management isn't needed simply do not specify any routes and civilian traffic system-wide uses the standard path generation it does now.

After browsing through quite a few posts it looks like some updates to handling civilian shipping lines are planned but overdue.   The inability of the AI to update it's fleet, or retire them at the very least was a bit depressing.   Will make late(r) game play tedious with needing to use exploits and SM to edit the fleets to force them to update.

[Nathan_]

They won't use hyperdrives either. There are 2 potential "solutions" for you:
1)move the trade profit center away from these two colonies(or more specifically away from the really far out one)
2)There is supposedly a way to use a tractor beam on civ ships(which turns the ships over to you), have a hyperspace tug go grab the civilian and bring it back to somewhere where it can be put to productive use.

[Owen Quillion]

Hell, do ANY AI fleets use LPs?  I don't think so.  I use them to juke aliens all the time.  (oh look, the civ fleet is running away PLONK oh look who is strafing you with his point defense cannons! lolololol)

It's been some time, but I'm fairly certain the same thinking got my favorite captain exploded by Precursors. I believe Steve's Soviet vs NATO campaign also has NPRs using an LP. On the other hand, I did use them to completely dodge a Swarm Queen, but that's hardly a noteworthy feat. I could be misremembering on both counts.

Even if enemy AI does it, I would imagine that civilian shipping ignores it due calculating the pathing regularly (similar to how they only path to colonies within four jumps).

[sloanjh]

I believe Steve's Soviet vs NATO campaign also has NPRs using an LP.

I have a vague recollection of the computer using an LP in Steve's fiction too - probable was Sovs vs. NATO.

John

[TheDeadlyShoe]

Yeah, there was some LP use in the fiction. And ships heading to LPs, iirc. I don't recall ever seeing an NPR use one in game.

The inability of the AI to update it's fleet, or retire them at the very least was a bit depressing.

Well, why would they? It's not like commercial ships have maintenance costs. And most of the cost is engines at any rate.  I don't think I've ever refitted a commercial ship.

[xeryon (OP)]

I just finished reading that campaign as well.   I know the LP's were being used but they may have only been used by PC races and not NPR's.   At the minimum only NPR's military used them and not civilian which would make me think the two use different pathfinder logic.

Seems like a very unfortunate feature to not yet be implemented.   Bi, tri and quad systems add a lot of flavor to the universe and it makes me sad to have to work to avoid all that available real estate.

[sloanjh]

I just finished reading that campaign as well.   I know the LP's were being used but they may have only been used by PC races and not NPR's.   At the minimum only NPR's military used them and not civilian which would make me think the two use different pathfinder logic.

Seems like a very unfortunate feature to not yet be implemented.   Bi, tri and quad systems add a lot of flavor to the universe and it makes me sad to have to work to avoid all that available real estate.

IIRC, only the earth-based empires were played by Steve.  The non-humans were NPR.

John

[Steve Walmsley]

NPRs, including the spoiler races, will use LPs. I don't think Civs do though. That is more due to laziness than design. I'll take a look at it when I get back to some serious work on Aurora. There are no LPs in Newtonian.

Steve

[xeryon (OP)]

Not having LP points wouldn't be an issue provided there is some reasonable means to visit or explore those outer bodies in multi-star systems.   For me, not having to perform all the extra task force navigation clicking to enter LP's and exit LP's would be welcome.   That was why I was so disappointed when my civs took the direct route.   I was really hoping they would deliver the resources and installations needed via contract so I could be lazy.

Thanks for taking my issue into consideration.

[ollobrains]

Simple AI might be AI Civvy entering local destination more than x distance LP to LP closer use LP to get to destination.

Hopefully steve can come up with an elegant design solution to it