Structural Basis For AI Docking

[Oblivion]

Pictures speak louder than mice eating cheese in the middle of the night.
-Confusius-



And a proposed Mobile Resupply and Refuel Capship (named by me as the LIHW Anvil), sorry, not textured yet. But look at the side docking bays. That's what I meant.

[klauss]

I already have an idea for AI docking - I call it the "docking pattern graph". Basically, a set of "approach leg" nodes connect to a set of "final approach" nodes, which in turn connect to a set of "docking ports", with a separate set of "holding patterns" which, at each waypoint, connect to an approach leg.

AI would follow holding patterns, and when reaching a waypoint checks to see if the connected approach leg is free - that means that the entire leg isn't being traversed, and that the connected final approach is also free - if so, it enters it. If not, it continues the holding pattern.

For a final approach to be free, the docking port has to be free as well as the departure leg (see later) - some docking ports, once they have a ship inside, remain occupied until the ship leaves, and some will "forget" they have a ship eventually (as in ships park internally in a separate place, so after a while the docking port itself is free again).

There are also "departure legs", which connect to docking ports. When a ship leaves, it takes the departure leg.

It would be part of creating models to define those graphs - it seems difficult, but it isn't that difficult. But... it involves some nontrivial work.

Anyway - it's just an idea. Implementation of the data structure is planned, but making AIs follow it is another matter - eventually, it would get done, but I wouldn't expect it anytime soon (because... you know... there's not much people working AI).

[Paslowo]

Stations should have something like entry/exit bays.

When a ship docks in the entry bay it temporarly disappears.
When launching, the ship is repositioned at the exit bay, and launches the ship out of it.

[Oblivion]

@klauss: So dock openings are both entry and exit points? I kind of like Paslowo's idea of a separate entry and exit. will make for easier AI, but would become a problem for modellers.

I'm relieved that there are plans for automated docking. I'm satisfied for now.