Update on Progress

[LoSboccacc]

No, I am dumb and checking every sensor against every ship

and here I was, trying to carefully word my previous question to be the least confrontational as possible, but apparently someone is very territorial so I'll leave you be

[Steve Walmsley (OP)]

Just as well I am still testing. 3 years into the game and I was wondering why I wasn't detecting any NPR ground forces. So I went into designer mode to check and the NPRs didn't have any ground forces - aagh!

Ground forces generation was working for auto-create NPRs, but not those manually created. Fixed now and I will add the ground forces retrospectively to the current campaign.

[Steve Walmsley (OP)]

No, I am dumb and checking every sensor against every ship

and here I was, trying to carefully word my previous question to be the least confrontational as possible, but apparently someone is very territorial so I'll leave you be

Sorry, I've answered the same question, or variations of it, many times so I got a little snippy. I've been working with the detection code for about sixteen years, four of those in C#, so I have tried to optimise it during that time.

[Hazard]

Regarding sensors, while thermal/em/active sensors all tell you something specific and separate, transponders could tell all those things at the same time, and thus be run first and then let the transponder using ship skip the thermal/em/active sensor steps.

[MasonMac]

Honestly, I never figured out the point of transponders.

[Father Tim]

Honestly, I never figured out the point of transponders.

To advertise one's presence.  To be polite.  To avoid antagonizing others.  To not be mistaken for 'sneaking around'.  Traffic control.  Anti-smuggling & -piracy operations.  Keeping track of commercial shippping.

[TMaekler]

Honestly, I never figured out the point of transponders.

Just watch „The Expanse“ 😁

[MarcAFK]

They're for transponding obviously. Transponders gotta transpond.

[QuakeIV]

So that you can feel sneaky when you turn them off.

[Gerbil1]

Honestly, I never figured out the point of transponders.

Just watch „The Expanse“ 😁

Or better still, read the books

[Nori]

Or better still, read the books

The books are great, but so is the show. I love both.

[ExChairman]

Hmmm, transponders, does this make us able to "Cheat", lika a civillian transponder on a warship/Q-ship?

[Father Tim]

Hmmm, transponders, does this make us able to "Cheat", lika a civillian transponder on a warship/Q-ship?

No.

But yes, though probably not in the way you mean.  But no.

- - - - -

Currently there's no way to hide your class, or broadcast a different class, with your Transponder.  It's a flashlight in a dark room.

But it is a great way to tell everyone where you are, so it can be used to sucker folks into an ambush.  Just be sure you brought a big enough fleet that it's the other folks who get ambushed, not you.

[Marski]

A ship without transponder activated can't be confirmed to be anyone without accurate sensor reading. It could be potentially abused to strike at a rival faction without revealing yourself, thus leaving the culprit of the attack to remain unconfirmed. You'd have to be really, really careful about it thought, because if the ship used in the attack is identified and then seen flying your colours, the gig is up.

[Nori]

A ship without transponder activated can't be confirmed to be anyone without accurate sensor reading. It could be potentially abused to strike at a rival faction without revealing yourself, thus leaving the culprit of the attack to remain unconfirmed. You'd have to be really, really careful about it thought, because if the ship used in the attack is identified and then seen flying your colours, the gig is up.

So like old school privateers.