1. Why not add PID behavour to bloody everything?
2. Why not give all PID parameters some predictability?
3. Why not let all PID parameters deviate from their starting conditions over time?
To point 1:
This is mainly to simulate the complex inner workings of components in a cheap way. The reactor needed to power your recreational doomsdayweapon of choice won't be flicked off and on like a lightswitch. It might need winding up time to avoid failure on critical components or the positron slag generates an excess of energy before cooling back down to operation temerature.
Same with the engine. It might be a sharp snappy beast that tops out at 110% thrust in the first two seconds only to drop back down to a reasonable pace. Or 'da egngin in da bak' strapped to your piraty junkbucket of a ship is not even able to hold constant thrust and keeps sputtering like a shitty PWM instead.
In a nutshell if it is to be controlled, add PID behavour.
To point 2:
Using this as a foundation, what I'd like to see is having AI agents from the same region a somewhat similar action style, be it flying, shooting or trading.JoshParnell wrote: ↑Sat Oct 14, 2017 12:59 pmI'm definitely all for pushing the complexity into the PID controller. I also really like the thought that we can tune constants differently based on AI personality/skill (less skilled pilots might have a low Kd / Kp ratio, for example, causing them to oscillate sometimes instead of nailing the damping just right.)
Same goes for technical appliances. The Boshmens Pro powershield should behave similar to the Elite version, not in total power but the way it activates.
To point 3:
Things change over time, either due to a known descrete cause or seemingly randomly.
Taking AI maneuvering as an example, an agent could stem from a peaceful region dominated by trading and therefore inherits the flight characteristics common for that region. After a time he decides to join a military group in the system. Part of the military training is a flight school. All the flightschool does is push the relevant PID parameters of the AI closer towards those common and desired for that school. Chooses the AI to leave the school, will the parameters deviate over time away from those of the school.
in a similar fashion does machinery deviate further and further from the original state. Steering grows sloppier. The engine won't give you as much power as quickly. All dampening becomes softer. I actually would like to have the thruster start rumbeling and squiking after month of intensive use.