I wrote a post here about saving A.I. settings with the ship:
https://forum.cosmoteer.net/d/6056-ai-saved-with-the-ship
Instead of that, why not an A.I. core that determines the behavior of the ship during fights? It could be implemented in a variety of fashions:
An A.I. core is probably a single tile item that controls an aspect of the ship. I've broken it down into these categories:
Distance
The distance kept away from the enemy ships. Also the behavior of which side to attack. Rear, Flank or Head on. A distance of 0M would indicate for future expansion to "RAM" the ship!
Weapons
What part on the enemy ship to weapon lock. From Heavy duty weapons, Large Cannons, Railguns, Lasers to defenses to thrusters. Maybe with drones you'd want to specialize in having different drones target different parts of the ship.
Tactics
Movement of the ship. Today it sways from side to side. They could implement a variety of these:
https://wiki.cosmoteer.net/index.php/Human_Player_Tactics_and_Strategies
- Ships may contain multiple A.I cores. At first thought I figured they MUST be set to the same behavior (see tactics). But then I thought, what about drones? Then I figured if it had multiple then it would alternate through behaviors periodically. Finish a tactic then try another.
- Might need a behavior to control explosions to detach drones.
- Putting them next to the control center boosts efficiency by 75%.
- Requires power obviously.
- Could replace the command center for a costlier, higher powered consumption option. Especially during battle.
Any who, I tend to just drop by and offload an idea as they come. Take it and run with it.
