I don't think that would be too difficult. I have fleet orders implemented programmatically, so there is a lot of flexibility. We could do your waypoints idea but have a separate fleet order called "Exploration" which recalculates its course every turn based on the unexplored systems in range. Below is the current API for a Fleet Order.



A fleet order can override any of those members, so there are a lot of cool orders we could implement. Players will also be able to script their own orders in C#, which will be compiled dynamically at runtime. You could also extend existing orders. So if you wanted a different Explore order for your big capital ships that would engage enemies rather than avoid them, you could extend the ExploreOrder class and override the WillEngageHostiles member.

Oh, this is a bit off-topic, but as I was writing this, all of my MSDN stuff came in. I have more software than I know what to do with now.

Load up Visual Studio 2005. Good stuff . By the way, if you want a good book to learn .NET and C#, check out Jeffrey Richter's . Even a seasoned developer can learn a thing or two from this book.

I'll have to order it, thanks.

Got another question on movement :p

How is intercepting ships going to work? I have a few thoughts on it, but I'm curious to see what you have in mind/established already.

I figured I could create an InterceptOrder class that derives from the FleetOrder class that I posted above. When the InterceptOrder::OnTurn() method gets called during each turn, it could examine all fleets nearby looking for an enemy fleet moving in the approximate direction of your territory. It could then plot an intercept course and store the other fleet's identifier as a private variable, in case it needs more than one turn to catch up (that way it knows which fleet it's tracking). The two would engage in battle, and assuming your fleet survived, it would then try to intercept another fleet (or the same fleet, if it heads for your territory again).

Perhaps to expand on that a little bit, the player could actually target enemy fleets to intercept. When a player selects the intercept command, they now have the option to target an enemy fleet in scanner range. If targetted, the taskforce will make every attempt to intercept that fleet for as long as the fleet is visible/detectable. If you just want to give the fleet a broad intercept order that will attack anything that comes in range and near your territory, then simply click intercept and rightclick or somehow cancel out of the select enemy fleet process.

This adds a bit more flexibility, and helps alleviate the trouble of intercepting enemy fleets in neutral/enemy territory. Ever get frustrated trying to gun down enemy fleets flying around just outside your space? I have. It also makes pretty logical sense - if a ship is detectable, then you should be able to intercept it assuming you can catch it while it is detectable.

If the ship falls from sensor detection (out of range, cloaks, etc), then the ship's intercept order will get canceled automatically and will not take further action (other then engage hostiles that enter the sector it is currently in.)

Note: just for clearification, I'm thinking that any enemy vessels that are detectable from anything (scanners, science vessels, other ships) can be capable of being targeted by the intercept order. Once the ship disappears from view on the galatic map, the intercept order is canceled.

I think it's a pretty solid idea, allows for a bit more realistic interception, and shouldn't be too difficult to include.

I think the Pursue order pretty much does what you're describing. Give the masterplan another read over and see if that's the case.

Perfect, I didn't see that the order the first time through. Thanks.