Author Topic: The Miraculous Space-Time Bubble  (Read 5485 times)

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Offline Steve Walmsley (OP)

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The Miraculous Space-Time Bubble
« on: February 23, 2010, 10:26:16 AM »
My current campaign is running slow at the moment, primarily because the Sol system has well over two hundred ships all being detected by five different races. Also because there is a huge number of civilian ships in the game, including NPRs, and because a lot of them have nothing to do, they are being checked for possible trade runs and contracts every increment. Most of the time this isn't really a problem but at the moment I am fighting a battle and even a 5 second increment is taking 10-20 seconds. Therefore I have introduced a very powerful but easily abused SM tool for the next version (currently v5.02) - the Space-Time Bubble!

It is very simple to use. You simply designate a system as being in a Space-Time Bubble by clicking a checkbox. Because of the powerful nature of the Space-Time Bubble this box will uncheck if you change systems or close the map. While a system is in the Space-Time Bubble, everything else in the universe will freeze in place and the only activity in the universe will take place in the Bubble. Elsewhere, ships will remain in place, so will missiles and mass driver packets and system bodies, etc. No detection will take place and no fuel will be used. The universe is reduced to the single system in the bubble. Time still passes in the universe as a whole but no one is aware of it. The time that passes does not count against fuel use, or reactor endurance, or even the 5-day increment clock. Contacts won't be lost outside the bubble because no one is checking to see if they are lost. No 5-day increment can happen while a bubble is in effect. When a 5-day increment it does happen, any time that passed while a bubble is active will not count toward production time. All transit orders will fail if a fleet tries to leave the bubble.

Obviously this should be used with extreme care. The intended situation for which you should use the bubble is when the game is running slow for some reason and you are fighting a battle with tiny increments. The amount of time for the battle isn't going to matter in the great scheme of things so isolating that system from the rest of the universe while you quickly resolve the immediate action should have minimal impact.

If you do encounter any strange bugs after using this function, please, please mention you used it when reporting the bug.

Steve
 

Offline welchbloke

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Re: The Miraculous Space-Time Bubble
« Reply #1 on: February 24, 2010, 06:31:33 AM »
Quote from: "Steve Walmsley"
My current campaign is running slow at the moment, primarily because the Sol system has well over two hundred ships all being detected by five different races. Also because there is a huge number of civilian ships in the game, including NPRs, and because a lot of them have nothing to do, they are being checked for possible trade runs and contracts every increment. Most of the time this isn't really a problem but at the moment I am fighting a battle and even a 5 second increment is taking 10-20 seconds. Therefore I have introduced a very powerful but easily abused SM tool for the next version (currently v5.02) - the Space-Time Bubble!

It is very simple to use. You simply designate a system as being in a Space-Time Bubble by clicking a checkbox. Because of the powerful nature of the Space-Time Bubble this box will uncheck if you change systems or close the map. While a system is in the Space-Time Bubble, everything else in the universe will freeze in place and the only activity in the universe will take place in the Bubble. Elsewhere, ships will remain in place, so will missiles and mass driver packets and system bodies, etc. No detection will take place and no fuel will be used. The universe is reduced to the single system in the bubble. Time still passes in the universe as a whole but no one is aware of it. The time that passes does not count against fuel use, or reactor endurance, or even the 5-day increment clock. Contacts won't be lost outside the bubble because no one is checking to see if they are lost. No 5-day increment can happen while a bubble is in effect. When a 5-day increment it does happen, any time that passed while a bubble is active will not count toward production time. All transit orders will fail if a fleet tries to leave the bubble.

Obviously this should be used with extreme care. The intended situation for which you should use the bubble is when the game is running slow for some reason and you are fighting a battle with tiny increments. The amount of time for the battle isn't going to matter in the great scheme of things so isolating that system from the rest of the universe while you quickly resolve the immediate action should have minimal impact.

If you do encounter any strange bugs after using this function, please, please mention you used it when reporting the bug.

Steve
Wow, now that is some seriously impressive quantum mechanical manipulation!
Welchbloke
 

Offline Beersatron

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Re: The Miraculous Space-Time Bubble
« Reply #2 on: February 24, 2010, 09:21:20 AM »
That is my all time favourite Staragate Epsiode  :D

"In the middle of my back-swing!?"
 

Offline Shinanygnz

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Re: The Miraculous Space-Time Bubble
« Reply #3 on: February 24, 2010, 01:58:07 PM »
Quote from: "Beersatron"
That is my all time favourite Staragate Epsiode  :D

Mine too.  I might have to go and watch it again now.  Win!

Stephen
 

Offline sloanjh

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Re: The Miraculous Space-Time Bubble
« Reply #4 on: February 24, 2010, 02:11:38 PM »
Quote from: "Shinanygnz"
Quote from: "Beersatron"
That is my all time favourite Staragate Epsiode  :D

Mine too.  I might have to go and watch it again now.  Win!

Especially the part where he looks at his watch, turns in his retirement papers, then ....  :-)

John
 

Offline ShadoCat

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Re: The Miraculous Space-Time Bubble
« Reply #5 on: February 24, 2010, 05:54:34 PM »
Quote from: "Steve Walmsley"
My current campaign is running slow at the moment, primarily because the Sol system has well over two hundred ships all being detected by five different races. Also because there is a huge number of civilian ships in the game, including NPRs, and because a lot of them have nothing to do, they are being checked for possible trade runs and contracts every increment. Most of the time this isn't really a problem but at the moment I am fighting a battle and even a 5 second increment is taking 10-20 seconds. Therefore I have introduced a very powerful but easily abused SM tool for the next version (currently v5.02) - the Space-Time Bubble!

It is very simple to use. You simply designate a system as being in a Space-Time Bubble by clicking a checkbox. Because of the powerful nature of the Space-Time Bubble this box will uncheck if you change systems or close the map. While a system is in the Space-Time Bubble, everything else in the universe will freeze in place and the only activity in the universe will take place in the Bubble. Elsewhere, ships will remain in place, so will missiles and mass driver packets and system bodies, etc. No detection will take place and no fuel will be used. The universe is reduced to the single system in the bubble. Time still passes in the universe as a whole but no one is aware of it. The time that passes does not count against fuel use, or reactor endurance, or even the 5-day increment clock. Contacts won't be lost outside the bubble because no one is checking to see if they are lost. No 5-day increment can happen while a bubble is in effect. When a 5-day increment it does happen, any time that passed while a bubble is active will not count toward production time. All transit orders will fail if a fleet tries to leave the bubble.

Obviously this should be used with extreme care. The intended situation for which you should use the bubble is when the game is running slow for some reason and you are fighting a battle with tiny increments. The amount of time for the battle isn't going to matter in the great scheme of things so isolating that system from the rest of the universe while you quickly resolve the immediate action should have minimal impact.

If you do encounter any strange bugs after using this function, please, please mention you used it when reporting the bug.

Steve

Just a thought but you could make the time bubble effect somewhat automatic.

If you designate a combat pulse that is shorter than the normal time increment, then it only checks the current system (and combat events) at each combat pulse.  It only checks for other stuff if the combat runs over a normal time increment.  

Thus, things like civilian activities don't need to be checked every 5 seconds, they can be checked every normal time pulse.  No organization can make decisions that fast anyway.  

The main issue will be deciding which activities need to be checked during combat.

Offline waresky

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Re: The Miraculous Space-Time Bubble
« Reply #6 on: February 25, 2010, 05:46:28 AM »
O.M.G.!!

 :mrgreen:
 

Offline Steve Walmsley (OP)

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Re: The Miraculous Space-Time Bubble
« Reply #7 on: February 25, 2010, 05:59:04 AM »
Quote from: "ShadoCat"
Just a thought but you could make the time bubble effect somewhat automatic.

If you designate a combat pulse that is shorter than the normal time increment, then it only checks the current system (and combat events) at each combat pulse.  It only checks for other stuff if the combat runs over a normal time increment.  

Thus, things like civilian activities don't need to be checked every 5 seconds, they can be checked every normal time pulse.  No organization can make decisions that fast anyway.  

The main issue will be deciding which activities need to be checked during combat.
I like this idea in principle, although I might have to give some serious thought to how to implement it. I don't think it can be as simple as combat related because I would have to load everything and check it to find out if combat was going to happen. Once everything is loaded I may as well run the increment. I also don't want some things moving in a system but not others.

However, the point about civilian activities is a very good one. One simple option might be no checks for trade runs if the increment unless the increment is above a certain size, say an hour. I'll implement this right away. Another time saver would be no default order checks (for civ colonization, etc) for short increments but that is tricker because I will often set a survey ship default order then increment time by 5 seconds, so I don't think this woud work. Idea! Perhaps I only check civilian and NPR fleets for default orders if the increment is greater than 1 hour but player race default orders get checked on every increment. That would save some time.

Steve
 

Offline Steve Walmsley (OP)

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Re: The Miraculous Space-Time Bubble
« Reply #8 on: February 25, 2010, 06:00:54 AM »
Quote from: "Beersatron"
That is my all time favourite Staragate Epsiode  :D

"In the middle of my back-swing!?"
Also my favourite episode!

Anyone watched Stargate Universe? I don't know about anyone else but all I keep thinking is "What did they cancel a great series like Atlantis for this dreadful attempt to emulate Battlestar Galactica?" It doesn't even feel like Stargate.

Steve
 

Offline boggo2300

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Re: The Miraculous Space-Time Bubble
« Reply #9 on: February 25, 2010, 03:41:04 PM »
Quote from: "Steve Walmsley"
Quote from: "Beersatron"
That is my all time favourite Staragate Epsiode  :D

"In the middle of my back-swing!?"
Also my favourite episode!

Anyone watched Stargate Universe? I don't know about anyone else but all I keep thinking is "What did they cancel a great series like Atlantis for this dreadful attempt to emulate Battlestar Galactica?" It doesn't even feel like Stargate.

Steve
Am I alone hoping that all the characters remain stuck out there, because they're all bastards?? (except for the one played by a certain Scottish Guy, I like him)

Matt
The boggosity of the universe tends towards maximum.
 

Offline welchbloke

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Re: The Miraculous Space-Time Bubble
« Reply #10 on: March 01, 2010, 08:59:22 AM »
Quote from: "Steve Walmsley"
Quote from: "Beersatron"
That is my all time favourite Staragate Epsiode  :D

"In the middle of my back-swing!?"
Also my favourite episode!

Anyone watched Stargate Universe? I don't know about anyone else but all I keep thinking is "What did they cancel a great series like Atlantis for this dreadful attempt to emulate Battlestar Galactica?" It doesn't even feel like Stargate.

Steve
I agree, not my favourite SF series by a long chalk. It appears to have been picked up for a second season though. The season break before Christmas really killed any enthusiasm I might have had for SG:U.
Welchbloke
 

Offline Shadow

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Re: The Miraculous Space-Time Bubble
« Reply #11 on: March 12, 2010, 04:46:11 PM »
So, did this feature make it into 5.02? Can't find it there.
 

Offline Steve Walmsley (OP)

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Re: The Miraculous Space-Time Bubble
« Reply #12 on: March 18, 2010, 06:12:07 AM »
Quote from: "Shadow"
So, did this feature make it into 5.02? Can't find it there.
It is well hidden at the bottom of the Contacts tab. I put it there temporarily when I added it and forgot to move it someone more obvious :)

Steve
 

Offline Shadow

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Re: The Miraculous Space-Time Bubble
« Reply #13 on: March 18, 2010, 07:09:29 AM »
Quote from: "Steve Walmsley"
Quote from: "Shadow"
So, did this feature make it into 5.02? Can't find it there.
It is well hidden at the bottom of the Contacts tab. I put it there temporarily when I added it and forgot to move it someone more obvious :cry: :P
 

Offline Steve Walmsley (OP)

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Re: The Miraculous Space-Time Bubble
« Reply #14 on: March 18, 2010, 07:19:28 AM »
Quote from: "Shadow"
Quote from: "Steve Walmsley"
Quote from: "Shadow"
So, did this feature make it into 5.02? Can't find it there.
It is well hidden at the bottom of the Contacts tab. I put it there temporarily when I added it and forgot to move it someone more obvious :cry: :) My son and I are getting my Paladin and his Warrior to 80. Pal is 79.5 at the moment :)

Steve