1.0.5.0 Maybe a pattern in the colonization bugs?

[mordachai]

Okay - so I've seen the logic screw up repeatedly in the past couple of games the exact same way:

Manual colonization on
Pause game
Select two worlds you want to colonize & mark them for colonization in the New Colonies tab
NOTE: I normally select ones that need the same race to reduce the likelihood that these algos will totally f-up the order down to merely probably...
Go find two worlds to build colonizers at to fulfil those orders
NOTE: normally this works - on pause- select targets & schedule builds & the game engine will - sub-optimally - fill those two colonizers and send them on their way (maybe crossing paths in the process due to foolishing grabbing the first ready rather than the nearest to target)...

But now, the bug: One of those colonizers will be loaded & dispatched properly, but the other one will be sent to load some other race that has nothing to do with the two targets you chose.

I'm fairly certain that the 2nd one is always the suspect one - and that it seems to grab something off of your potential colonization list - probably whatever your algo deems "priority" while ignoring the approved targets you-the-player chose.

It seems to respect your choices for that first colonizer consistently - but it's the 2nd one that it just decides it don't GAF about your orders - and does whatever mindless fool thing it wants to...

Hopefully this will be a useful hint in looking at your code.

It's done this maybe 5 times in the past two games - always with the above pattern (but sometimes it gets it right - enough that I think there's a chance it will get it right this time, only to have this bug hit me again).

I wish I had something more concrete - and repeatable. But the bottom line is that:

* this algo doesn't respect the player's list of authorized colonization targets.
* this algo by your design and description never will -- you've set it up to forever fail by running off to load colonists without an authorized destination -- this is only ever going to lead to failure cases forever.

[elliotg]

I've fixed some issues with this in the next update.

However an important point to keep an eye on: colony ships will not attempt to colonize targets when they are dangerous locations, i.e. when there are pirates, creatures or other enemies at the location. This is so even when the location is queued for colonization.

When a queued colonization target is a dangerous location, it will be skipped and when no other queued colonization targets exist then automated colony ships will select the next non-queued colonization target, assuming it is above the minimum colonization suitability threshold.

Anyway, the next update will have some improvements in this area.

[mordachai]

I appreciate the improvements

That said, my sense is it's going to continue to be confusing and frustrating if the button to colonize a location is enabled - but will be ignored because of a threat.

seems like it should then be disabled / grayed out / deselected to indicate that no, this is not possible now.

I wouldn't mind having a setting to say "damn the monsters, go anyway" as a global automation setting. I'd definitely choose that - I'd rather lose the very rare colonizer than to have it ignore my orders.

Similarly I really wish if there weren't any authorized targets, that there was a way to cause automation to respect the manual colony target selection and just keep those colonizers idle until I found new targets for it. Another setting I would use in a heartbeat.

Thanks for notification and the update. I'm looking forward to playing with the newer code, for sure.

I've fixed some issues with this in the next update.

However an important point to keep an eye on: colony ships will not attempt to colonize targets when they are dangerous locations, i.e. when there are pirates, creatures or other enemies at the location. This is so even when the location is queued for colonization.

When a queued colonization target is a dangerous location, it will be skipped and when no other queued colonization targets exist then automated colony ships will select the next non-queued colonization target, assuming it is above the minimum colonization suitability threshold.

Anyway, the next update will have some improvements in this area.

[elliotg]

That said, my sense is it's going to continue to be confusing and frustrating if the button to colonize a location is enabled - but will be ignored because of a threat.

seems like it should then be disabled / grayed out / deselected to indicate that no, this is not possible now.

I wouldn't mind having a setting to say "damn the monsters, go anyway" as a global automation setting. I'd definitely choose that - I'd rather lose the very rare colonizer than to have it ignore my orders.

Similarly I really wish if there weren't any authorized targets, that there was a way to cause automation to respect the manual colony target selection and just keep those colonizers idle until I found new targets for it. Another setting I would use in a heartbeat.

I understand what you are saying, it is a bit of a subjective call.

But on balance I think most players would want their automated colonizers to avoid potential suicide missions even when they have manually queued a colonization target. When they get to the location the colony ship will flee from any threats anyway (default tactics). So better not to send them until danger is clear.

The new colonies list indicates dangerous locations (red lightning bolt + tooltip) to notify the player. Even then, you can still queue the location so that once any threats are cleared it will be colonized.

If you turn Colonization automation to manual or suggest then new colony ships will not be auto-built for non-queued colonization targets, nor will existing colony ships auto-assign colonization missions for non-queued colonization targets.

But new colony ships will still be auto-built for queued targets, and they will then auto-colonize those queued targets.

So maybe you just need to disable automated colonization and simply queue any colonization targets you want?

[mordachai]

But new colony ships will still be auto-built for queued targets, and they will then auto-colonize those queued targets.

So maybe you just need to disable automated colonization and simply queue any colonization targets you want?

Is there any other settings?
I've been trying to do exactly that - Manually Queue Colonization targets...

colonization automation settings.png (114.22 KiB) Viewed 468 times

[elliotg]

I've made an additional change in the next update so that when Colonization Automation is manual then automated Colony Ships no longer load colonists except for queued colonization targets.

Along with some other fixes in the next update, I think this behavior will match what you are after.

Thanks
Elliot

[mordachai]

I've made an additional change in the next update so that when Colonization Automation is manual then automated Colony Ships no longer load colonists except for queued colonization targets.

Along with some other fixes in the next update, I think this behavior will match what you are after.

Thanks
Elliot

SQUEEE!!!

Yes! I think that should make me a very happy camper! :yay:

[mordachai]

Okay - so I think I'll swing for the fences

Might colonizers be allowed to grab citizens at the world at which they're created if that world has *more-than-sufficient* population to do so?

personally, "more-than-sufficient" could be defined as 10x the amount needed...

so a colonizer that needs 100M colonists would be allowed to load at the world at which it was created if that world

• has a race needed
• has at least 1,000M in population

Currently, the algo seems to send a colonizer to a world with the most of that race? Or selects a world which is maxed out for that race? Not sure the exact criteria it uses - but it will ignore a world with say 4Bn Ackdarians in favor of one with 8Bn 2 hops away, which seems sub-optimal, no?

If the world it's at has what it needs (in spades)... use it?

I mean, it could even search for the nearest world with sufficient population, in general, and use the closest...

[vaaish1]

But on balance I think most players would want their automated colonizers to avoid potential suicide missions even when they have manually queued a colonization target. When they get to the location the colony ship will flee from any threats anyway (default tactics). So better not to send them until danger is clear.

But new colony ships will still be auto-built for queued targets, and they will then auto-colonize those queued targets.

I don't post much here, but I just wanted to say that it depends on the type of threat when colonizing. Many Many times I will have a system flagged as threats present (like an independent where pirates like to refuel) and my colonizers will merrily run away even though I know that by the time any threat gets close enough to damage them they will have already finished colonizing.

I tend to find the game is far too conservative when avoiding what I'd classify as temporary threats, so I end up setting my colony ships to only run if they are directly attacked rather than see an enemy ship.