Units are running

[President_Elect_Shang]

During my testing I built a light cruiser with a shuttle bay in it. I didn�t bother with the shuttle just an empty bay. I then went to the simulator and sent it against 2 lighter units (destroyers). The two smaller units ran away. I tried it with ten lighter units and they ran away. Then I tried it with a light cruiser against a light cruiser. They ran away from each other. I have searched through the strategies and can�t figure out what to change to stop this silly running away! If I remove the shuttle bay all units engage as expected. The weapons the units mount are able to target shuttles but as I said at the start I have never loaded a unit with shuttles. What needs to be adjusted to get them to beat the heck out of each other again?

[Suicide Junkie]

You need to create a new strategy.

The defaults have garbage orders for the "shuttle carrier" type of ship. Which essentially means "don't get hurt" strategy.

When you add a new unit type (called, "XYZ" for example), the strategies get two new entries;
1) XYZ
2) XYZ Carrier Ship

You'll have to edit the default strategies.txt to include something for those two in order to get sane results
You can also delete your existing strategies and then create new ones in an existing game; the new strategies will have entries for the new unit types.

For reference, I had to have the following lines in GGmod's strategies:
Code:

---

Target Type 11 Name                         := Militia Carrier Ship

Target Type 11 Engage Distance              := Medium Range

Target Type 11 Damage Amount                := 100%

...

Target Type 15 Name                         := Ground Base Carrier Ship

Target Type 15 Engage Distance              := Medium Range

Target Type 15 Damage Amount                := 100%

...

etc

---

[President_Elect_Shang]

Oh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That�s why I didn�t see the lines! Man now I feel dense! That one was right in front of my nose the whole time. I even edited the Strategies.txt. Man SJ you wouldn�t like to know how dense I feel right now!

[President_Elect_Shang]

Now that I have had a look under the hood I must agree; the default strategies really do suck. Now I think I will write off to Aaron and ask him if we can get more control over the �Engage Distance�. A formula would be really nice for that section.

[se5a]

give us a chance to hit thingy in the engage distance

[Suicide Junkie]

Don't worry, it took me ages to figure it out the first time too.

[President_Elect_Shang]

I added Target Type 36 �Shuttle� and 37 �Shuttle Carrier� last night before bed, ran a test battle, and the DD still ran from the LC. I will take a look at setting them into order later today. Another thing I am wondering about is how the game is using that file. The LC and the DD are both to Short Range Strategy and are set as attack ships; even the LC with its single shuttle bay.

[President_Elect_Shang]

The default strategies for an empire are created when the empire itself is generated; either by the player or the mods creator. So if we want our adjustments to take (such as my Shuttle Carrier or your Militia Carrier Ship) we have to build the empire for the player or delete all empires forcing the player to take our modded Startigies.txt file.

Now I need to copy this thread into the Knowledge Base sub-forum. I can�t admin here can you move the whole thing there SJ? If not I will do it the old fashioned way, copy and paste with credit given.

[President_Elect_Shang]

Ok, I have completed the Strategy file. At this rate I will no longer be able to call it a mod; a total conversion. I will try to copy all this to the Knowledge Base later tonight.

[Suicide Junkie]

You can also delete your existing strategies and then create new ones in an existing game; the new strategies will have entries for the new unit types.
If you want to fix an existing game, just delete and add new ones in the empire options.