Author Topic: Update on Progress  (Read 252720 times)

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Offline SpikeTheHobbitMage

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Re: Update on Progress
« Reply #60 on: July 19, 2018, 09:03:06 PM »
I thought NPRs already did, they just go into limp home mode when they run out rather than becoming immobile.
 

Offline QuakeIV

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Re: Update on Progress
« Reply #61 on: July 20, 2018, 12:36:21 AM »
I had been pretty sure they had no mechanism for managing their fuel.  Either way this sounds like a pretty massive leap in that regard.
 

Offline Steve Walmsley (OP)

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Re: Update on Progress
« Reply #62 on: July 20, 2018, 03:48:48 AM »
Another small milestone last weekend. I have been creating games to test the AI code and monitoring each NPR as it plays through the first few days, including saving, closing and restarting the same game. In effect, these are 'test games', even though only the NPR is playing.

I will be running longer and longer NPR test games as I expand the AI code to cover more areas. So far, the AI will deploy combat fleets / patrol squadrons to key systems and populations, deploy jump point defence forces based on system value and recent hostile activity (the NPR remembers where and when your ships have been detected in the past), send scouts or patrol squadrons to investigate points of interest, decide where to stablise jump points and deploy construction ships, deploy terraformers based on which planets are easiest to terraform, deploy grav and geo survey ships based on system value and set up contracts to send appropriate installations to different colonies.

Each NPR operational group (fleet) is assigned a function, such as combat, patrol, survey, salvage, terraform, etc., Each ship estimates its own mission capability status, based on the mission of its parent fleet, taking into account damage to weapons, fire controls, engines, key components for the mission (salvage module, survey sensor, etc.), fuel remaining, ammunition, etc. Each fleet then determines its status based on a combination of the statuses of its constituent ships. This in turn influences the empire and system AIs when they decide on which fleets to deploy. As part of the 'mission status', there are sub-statuses for fuel, damage, ammunition, etc. at the fleet level. NPR fleets that are low on fuel will move to colonies with refuelling capability, taking into account the fuel required, the population stockpile and other fleets en route.

Once the NPR 'test games' seem to be working well, I will start a player race and begin campaign reports.

This mean NPR's will be using fuel in C# Aurora then?

Yes, they are using fuel and also retooling shipyards,
 
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Offline Steve Walmsley (OP)

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Re: Update on Progress
« Reply #63 on: July 20, 2018, 03:50:58 AM »
Delighted to see the amazing progress that you're making - CANNOT WAIT.

Didn't know you're a motorhead! I live in Douglas :-) Nice weather for the TT this year, unlike last.

Keep up the good work! Did I mention "CANNOT WAIT FOR THIS!!"

Thanks a million.

I lived in Derby Square until February this year, then moved out near Mount Murray. Still working in Onchan though at PokerStars. Weather has been amazing this year since end of April (apart from today!), which has not helped progress on Aurora :)
 

Offline MarcAFK

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Re: Update on Progress
« Reply #64 on: July 20, 2018, 06:32:39 AM »
I can't wait for the new Campaign. It's been a long time coming. What theme are you going for this time?
" Why is this godforsaken hellhole worth dying for? "
". . .  We know nothing about them, their language, their history or what they look like.  But we can assume this.  They stand for everything we don't stand for.  Also they told me you guys look like dorks. "
"Stop exploding, you cowards.  "
 

Offline Caplin

Re: Update on Progress
« Reply #65 on: July 20, 2018, 11:29:26 AM »
I'm delighted to see such intriguing progress. I wish I could mess with the game just to watch the NPRs, but I guess that's your privilege as a designer. :) I can't wait for more.
 

Offline Steve Walmsley (OP)

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Re: Update on Progress
« Reply #66 on: July 20, 2018, 11:45:42 AM »
I can't wait for the new Campaign. It's been a long time coming. What theme are you going for this time?

Possibly 1900-era with 6-7 player races or maybe some form of WH40k Great Crusade (so more WH30k) with a single player race. Or I may change my mind and go for something completely different.

I managed to find a copy of Conway's All the Worlds Fighting Ships 1906 - 1921, so that would be the basis of the first one. For the second, I would add some extra code to generate 'lost human' NPRs as well as the normal 'Xenos Scum'
 
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Offline Whitecold

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Re: Update on Progress
« Reply #67 on: July 20, 2018, 12:45:56 PM »
Possibly 1900-era with 6-7 player races or maybe some form of WH40k Great Crusade (so more WH30k) with a single player race. Or I may change my mind and go for something completely different.

I managed to find a copy of Conway's All the Worlds Fighting Ships 1906 - 1921, so that would be the basis of the first one. For the second, I would add some extra code to generate 'lost human' NPRs as well as the normal 'Xenos Scum'
The colonial wars are dead? I would have loved to see some of it in C#
 

Offline Steve Walmsley (OP)

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Re: Update on Progress
« Reply #68 on: July 20, 2018, 01:00:14 PM »
Possibly 1900-era with 6-7 player races or maybe some form of WH40k Great Crusade (so more WH30k) with a single player race. Or I may change my mind and go for something completely different.

I managed to find a copy of Conway's All the Worlds Fighting Ships 1906 - 1921, so that would be the basis of the first one. For the second, I would add some extra code to generate 'lost human' NPRs as well as the normal 'Xenos Scum'
The colonial wars are dead? I would have loved to see some of it in C#

Ended, the Colonial Wars have :)

While the data has been transferred into the new C# database and I have been using it for testing, it would be a major task to pick up again after more than two years. Besides, I want something on a smaller scale for testing purposes. Longer-term, I will go back to something on the scale of the Colonial Wars. One of the reasons for the rewrite is to make huge games much easier.
 

Offline Kurt

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Re: Update on Progress
« Reply #69 on: July 20, 2018, 04:15:03 PM »
I can't wait for the new Campaign. It's been a long time coming. What theme are you going for this time?

Possibly 1900-era with 6-7 player races or maybe some form of WH40k Great Crusade (so more WH30k) with a single player race. Or I may change my mind and go for something completely different.

I managed to find a copy of Conway's All the Worlds Fighting Ships 1906 - 1921, so that would be the basis of the first one. For the second, I would add some extra code to generate 'lost human' NPRs as well as the normal 'Xenos Scum'

Hmmm...one of the ideas I'm developing for my next campaign is a 1900's campaign.  I'm not sure if I'll use that one, though.  While it has an interesting start, its hard to see how it will progress.  There are others I'm more interested in right now. 

Kurt
 

Offline Steve Walmsley (OP)

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Re: Update on Progress
« Reply #70 on: July 20, 2018, 04:28:34 PM »
I can't wait for the new Campaign. It's been a long time coming. What theme are you going for this time?

Possibly 1900-era with 6-7 player races or maybe some form of WH40k Great Crusade (so more WH30k) with a single player race. Or I may change my mind and go for something completely different.

I managed to find a copy of Conway's All the Worlds Fighting Ships 1906 - 1921, so that would be the basis of the first one. For the second, I would add some extra code to generate 'lost human' NPRs as well as the normal 'Xenos Scum'

Hmmm...one of the ideas I'm developing for my next campaign is a 1900's campaign.  I'm not sure if I'll use that one, though.  While it has an interesting start, its hard to see how it will progress.  There are others I'm more interested in right now. 

Kurt

I already did some setup work for this a while ago. It would be a fairly standard multi-race start but I get to use a few more interesting factions. Imperial Russia, Imperial Germany, a rising Japan, British Empire, United States, Italy and France. Decided against Ottomans and then split up the rest of the world between the factions (assuming they got TN and took over everyone else), which allows me to provide some more population to some factions. Even so, they would still be relatively small populations adding up to 1700m in total.

I am more likely to go for a single race start with NPRs I think for the first one. More about testing than creating a huge game.
« Last Edit: July 21, 2018, 03:55:40 AM by Steve Walmsley »
 

Offline Kurt

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Re: Update on Progress
« Reply #71 on: July 20, 2018, 10:12:55 PM »
I can't wait for the new Campaign. It's been a long time coming. What theme are you going for this time?

Possibly 1900-era with 6-7 player races or maybe some form of WH40k Great Crusade (so more WH30k) with a single player race. Or I may change my mind and go for something completely different.

I managed to find a copy of Conway's All the Worlds Fighting Ships 1906 - 1921, so that would be the basis of the first one. For the second, I would add some extra code to generate 'lost human' NPRs as well as the normal 'Xenos Scum'

Hmmm...one of the ideas I'm developing for my next campaign is a 1900's campaign.  I'm not sure if I'll use that one, though.  While it has an interesting start, its hard to see how it will progress.  There are others I'm more interested in right now. 

Kurt

I already did some setup work for this a while ago. It would a fairly standard multi-race start but I get to use a few more interesting factions. Imperial Russia, Imperial Germany, a rising Japan, British Empire, United States, Italy and France. Decided against Ottomans and then split up the rest of the world between the factions (assuming they got TN and took over everyone else), which allows me to provide some more population to some factions. Even so, they would still be relatively small populations adding up to 1700m in total.

I am more likely to go for a single race start with NPRs I think for the first one. More about testing than creating a huge game.

Aside from the time frame, that is substantially different from the campaign I was putting together.  Mine would be set around 1900 and was based on the War of the Worlds, where the Martians used TN tech to get to Earth and for their war machines.  Not all of them died off from the disease, and several nations were able to convince the survivors to explain at least some of their tech for us.  It would be very limited at first, as none of the human nations really had ever thought about space travel before, so although TN tech could get them out of the atmosphere, it was really beyond their comprehension.  I'm sure I'll use this campaign at some point, whether its the next one or not is the question. 

Kurt
 

Offline MarcAFK

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Re: Update on Progress
« Reply #72 on: July 23, 2018, 12:51:34 AM »
I'm with Kurt, I plan on testing how the new version runs with heavy tech restriction, similar to my current low TN games are, but with heavy use of the new ground mechanics. Maybe steampunk starship troopers/WH 40k/ something about space marines anyway. Or Alien? Weyland-Yutani VS the new spoilers (new AI anyway)
" Why is this godforsaken hellhole worth dying for? "
". . .  We know nothing about them, their language, their history or what they look like.  But we can assume this.  They stand for everything we don't stand for.  Also they told me you guys look like dorks. "
"Stop exploding, you cowards.  "
 

Offline Steve Walmsley (OP)

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Re: Update on Progress
« Reply #73 on: July 28, 2018, 09:27:10 AM »
More AI code has been added.

The NPR will design ground forces according to its theme and technology, including 'planetary defence regiments' with STO and CIWS and will start with suitable proportions of each type. Ground tech is now part of the design theme tech progression. Once a month, the NPR will assess the ground forces that should be assigned to each population and move available forces around using troop transports to meet that requirement.

Once per month, the NPR will assess shortages and excesses of mines and automated mines, according to population mining score (affected by number of minerals, accessibility, deposit size and which minerals are in demand) and available population. It will then move available mines / AM by freighter as required. Mines are made available by those populations with a falling mining score.

Once per month, the NPR will assess shortages and excesses of construction factories, depending on population mining score, available mines (needed to supply minerals for construction), colony cost and available manufacturing population. The NPR will then move available construction factories by freighter as required. Other installation types, such as research facilities or ordnance factories, are built once the number of mines and construction factories has reached the required level.

Once per month, the NPR will assess shortages and excesses of tracking stations, according to population value, and move available tracking stations by freighter as required.

Twice a year, the NPR will reassess all system bodies it has previously surveyed (but which do not have an NPR colony) and recalculate the mining score, to check if any previously low-scoring bodies are now high scoring due to resource shortages. If so, a population will be created so it can be assessed by the population AI code.

When a population is deciding what to build, it will take into account the demand for installations by colonies and the available supply.
« Last Edit: July 28, 2018, 09:57:22 AM by Steve Walmsley »
 

Offline Kof

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Re: Update on Progress
« Reply #74 on: July 31, 2018, 05:28:10 PM »
Ah the leafy suburbs, nice.

Quarterbridge road twice a day must been something though. You might wanna consider this:

Thankfully the weather's been smeg of late, so progress should be blistering :-)

CANNOT WAIT! Hint, hint....

 ;D

Delighted to see the amazing progress that you're making - CANNOT WAIT.

Didn't know you're a motorhead! I live in Douglas :-) Nice weather for the TT this year, unlike last.

Keep up the good work! Did I mention "CANNOT WAIT FOR THIS!!"

Thanks a million.

I lived in Derby Square until February this year, then moved out near Mount Murray. Still working in Onchan though at PokerStars. Weather has been amazing this year since end of April (apart from today!), which has not helped progress on Aurora :)