Will the AI be able to board ships?

This forum is the ideal place for all discussion relating to X4. You will also find additional information from developers here.

Moderator: Moderators for English X Forum

Post Reply
Warnoise
Posts: 674
Joined: Mon, 7. Mar 16, 23:47

Will the AI be able to board ships?

Post by Warnoise » Fri, 13. Jul 18, 04:28

I imagine this would make pirates a lot more realistic and makes the game more immersive since smuggling boarded ships is also a big economy in the game.

So will the AI be able to board ships?

User avatar
Axeface
Posts: 2939
Joined: Fri, 18. Nov 05, 00:41
x4

Post by Axeface » Fri, 13. Jul 18, 06:13

I doubt it. It would be great, but I would be amazed if that feature gets added.

Alan Phipps
Moderator (English)
Moderator (English)
Posts: 30368
Joined: Fri, 16. Apr 04, 19:21
x4

Post by Alan Phipps » Fri, 13. Jul 18, 10:54

There may be some slight chance though. From the X4 devs' Q&A Index Sticky:

Q. How will boarding work now that the player isn't limited to a single ship?

A. Boarding is still under development, but yes there are more ways for us to approach this now.
A dog has a master; a cat has domestic staff.

Falcrack
Posts: 4929
Joined: Wed, 29. Jul 09, 00:46
x4

Post by Falcrack » Fri, 13. Jul 18, 13:52

It would be great if this evolved beyond a "player only" mechanic.

In my opinion, the more type of actions that are available to both AI and players, the better. When certain aspects of the game are "player only", it makes me feel like it is one step short of being a true game.

User avatar
MegaJohnny
Posts: 2195
Joined: Wed, 4. Jun 08, 22:30
x4

Post by MegaJohnny » Fri, 13. Jul 18, 13:59

I know Xenon_Slayer said in a stream (might even have been the X3 one) that the boarding scripts have been un-playerised. So there's hope, maybe?

CBJ
EGOSOFT
EGOSOFT
Posts: 51740
Joined: Tue, 29. Apr 03, 00:56
x4

Post by CBJ » Fri, 13. Jul 18, 15:38

This is one of those cases where the decision is about gameplay, not technical limitations. There's no particular technical reason why boarding can't be done by the AI in X4. The question is whether we can make a good gameplay experience out of being on the side being boarded. This would not be a trivial exercise, so the limiting factor may simply be the time available.

User avatar
JSDD
Posts: 1378
Joined: Fri, 21. Mar 14, 20:51
x3tc

Post by JSDD » Fri, 13. Jul 18, 16:29

add a kind of space suit to the game, add an option to the player to eject into space if an enemy comes up and wants to destroy you. if you yield your ship, the enemy (pirate?) transfers into your ship and flies away, leaving the old ship without equipment behind for you ... add an option for player controlled ships o that pilots hired by player can do the same under editable condotions ...
To err is human. To really foul things up you need a computer.
Irren ist menschlich. Aber wenn man richtig Fehler machen will, braucht man einen Computer.


Mission Director Beispiele

Slashman
Posts: 2514
Joined: Tue, 12. Oct 10, 03:31
x4

Post by Slashman » Fri, 13. Jul 18, 17:25

Honestly I'm just happy if pirates act like pirates and steal or extort cargo from other ships.

In terms of boarding, it's not a deal breaker, but it would be interesting if your other ships can be boarded but not your own for gameplay reasons.

The fun gameplay aspect might simply be how you outfit your ships with internal defense equipment and personnel.
If you want a different perspective, stand on your head.

Warnoise
Posts: 674
Joined: Mon, 7. Mar 16, 23:47

Post by Warnoise » Fri, 13. Jul 18, 17:32

Slashman wrote:Honestly I'm just happy if pirates act like pirates and steal or extort cargo from other ships.

In terms of boarding, it's not a deal breaker, but it would be interesting if your other ships can be boarded but not your own for gameplay reasons.

The fun gameplay aspect might simply be how you outfit your ships with internal defense equipment and personnel.
This. Ships piloted by the player doesn't have to be boardable but all other ships (including owned by the player) are boardable. That i think will add a new layer of upgrades and thinking.

User avatar
Vandragorax
Posts: 1183
Joined: Fri, 13. Feb 04, 04:25
x4

Post by Vandragorax » Fri, 13. Jul 18, 17:35

CBJ wrote:This is one of those cases where the decision is about gameplay, not technical limitations. There's no particular technical reason why boarding can't be done by the AI in X4. The question is whether we can make a good gameplay experience out of being on the side being boarded. This would not be a trivial exercise, so the limiting factor may simply be the time available.
With the boarding implementations from previous X games in mind, I can't honestly see it as a good idea letting the AI board the player ships. I'm imagining most cases of me (as a player) being boarded by the AI would just be super annoying and most often result in loading the last save game :P

There are only 2 ways I can think of that would make "being boarded" a tolerable action against the player by AI, in terms of gameplay.

1) If I could choose to run away/evade the boarding encounter before it had even begun. e.g. in Rebirth if I could shoot down the boarding pods, or out-run them to escape.

2) If there was the possibility that I would be able to switch the boarding around and actually take over the enemy ship instead. This could lead to an interesting and rewarding outcome and would be a worthwhile decision to make for the player.



At the very least, if the scripts now allow AI to perform these actions, it could be something that we see AI do to other AI? Leaving the player out of it but giving the AI more options is not a bad thing and would undoubtedly be a lot less work :)
Admiral of the Fleet.

Alan Phipps
Moderator (English)
Moderator (English)
Posts: 30368
Joined: Fri, 16. Apr 04, 19:21
x4

Post by Alan Phipps » Fri, 13. Jul 18, 19:25

The interesting game aspect of this is that if one of your ships was being boarded, in an advanced enough game situation you could decide to take the risk of teleporting to it or to one of its escorts and then manage the anti-boarding or retaliatory operation yourself rather than leaving it to the AI.

Of course should you teleport to a ship that was then successfully boarded then it would be game over. :D
A dog has a master; a cat has domestic staff.

ZaphodBeeblebrox
Posts: 1823
Joined: Mon, 10. Apr 06, 20:35
x4

Post by ZaphodBeeblebrox » Fri, 13. Jul 18, 20:39

Oh, I think a cut scene of you being sold off as a slave in a pirate station would be in order, before they showed game over.
It was a woman who drove me to drink... you know I never went back and thanked her.

Don't try to outweird me, three-eyes. I get stranger things than you free with my breakfast cereal.

koyuka
Posts: 168
Joined: Sun, 4. Feb 07, 20:31
x3

Post by koyuka » Fri, 13. Jul 18, 20:55

Turn one of the turrent mounts for the player ship into an internal laser defence point, which has to fight off incoming objects trying to reach the bridge. By this I mean the player actually takes control of the 'turret'. I recall something similar with X2, though I could be imagining this!!

At least then the player themselves would have some impact on if there ship is boarded as all others AI boarding's would likely boil down to a percentage/roll chance I would assume.

User avatar
spankahontis
Posts: 3242
Joined: Tue, 2. Nov 10, 21:47
x4

Post by spankahontis » Fri, 13. Jul 18, 22:21

Falcrack wrote:It would be great if this evolved beyond a "player only" mechanic.

In my opinion, the more type of actions that are available to both AI and players, the better. When certain aspects of the game are "player only", it makes me feel like it is one step short of being a true game.

Not just Pirates taking ships, but whole Stations as well.
They could take Hostages in exchange for money, resources etc.
Ragna-Tech.. Forging a Better Tomorrow!

My most annoying Bugs list 6.0 Beta 4 + [All DLC]
--------------------------------
Nvidium Worshop Animation Enlarge Broken :(
Building Modules causes low frame rate :o
Massive Framerate drops freezing game! :doh:
Save Corrupted Fixed the Crash! :-D

Slashman
Posts: 2514
Joined: Tue, 12. Oct 10, 03:31
x4

Post by Slashman » Fri, 13. Jul 18, 22:27

spankahontis wrote:
Falcrack wrote:It would be great if this evolved beyond a "player only" mechanic.

In my opinion, the more type of actions that are available to both AI and players, the better. When certain aspects of the game are "player only", it makes me feel like it is one step short of being a true game.

Not just Pirates taking ships, but whole Stations as well.
They could take Hostages in exchange for money, resources etc.
+1

As I said before: Boarding or no boarding of player owned ships, please make pirates do more pirate-like stuff instead of random psycho-killer stuff which makes no sense for someone trying to make a living outside the law.
If you want a different perspective, stand on your head.

User avatar
Axeface
Posts: 2939
Joined: Fri, 18. Nov 05, 00:41
x4

Post by Axeface » Fri, 13. Jul 18, 23:54

'Gameplay' goes further than just 'player does x' in my opinion.
Gameplay can be 'player presses X and X happens' but it can also be 'game is engaging because its realistic'. Anything that adds to realism (within the confines of the universe in question), believability and increases the number of possible interaction adds to gameplay in my opinion, so in regards to this specific feature - I think it should be in the game simply because it would be something that happens in the x-universe, the player does it so the AI should do it.
Star Citizen is attempting to approach game design like this, if it would happen in 'reality' (reality of the universe in question) its probably going to be in the game or at least attempted - within reason.

So, basically, why not? (other than dev time).

User avatar
spankahontis
Posts: 3242
Joined: Tue, 2. Nov 10, 21:47
x4

Post by spankahontis » Sat, 14. Jul 18, 01:51

Slashman wrote:
spankahontis wrote:
Falcrack wrote:It would be great if this evolved beyond a "player only" mechanic.

In my opinion, the more type of actions that are available to both AI and players, the better. When certain aspects of the game are "player only", it makes me feel like it is one step short of being a true game.

Not just Pirates taking ships, but whole Stations as well.
They could take Hostages in exchange for money, resources etc.
+1

As I said before: Boarding or no boarding of player owned ships, please make pirates do more pirate-like stuff instead of random psycho-killer stuff which makes no sense for someone trying to make a living outside the law.

The X Economy needs a Black Economy on the side.

I've mentioned this before but, bring in 'Mobile Factories' Imagine a Pirate Base that is really a XL Ship (Orca/Mammoth etc.) designed to work as a Trade Hub for illegal wares, but also demands raw materials for the construction of Small/Medium Pirate Ships built from materials stolen by larger Pirate ships, Pirates have their own Economy.
That their Mobile Bases say "We're wanted by the Authorities, we are are always on the move.".
A Helpless little Pirate Base made of junk pieces from other ships never made much sense to me in all X Titles.
Why have an illegal operation somewhere that the Argon Navy are going to blow out of Space the moment their sensors detect you.
Pirates should be on the run, unless they have a stronghold in some lawless part of of Space like Sectors near Maelstrom in X3 TC, areas you wouldn't dare go in without an Armada.

But yeah, you could have Player Captains that Mutiny and take the Ship you bought for them to make you money; they mutiny and flee into Pirate Territory where you can't get them.
That would make a fun Storyline, hunting traitors, like those Bulletin Board missions where "business partners betray them" You could be the Betrayed one this time making revenge the more sweeter.

But yeah, how many Sci-Fi programs have we seen where Pirates Board the Hero/Victims Vessel with an armed crew, either killing the crew and taking the Ship or taking Prisoners as Slaves or Hostages?
We see it all the time in South American Countries and Somali Pirates.
This creates a whole new economy in Counter-Piracy (Trained Marines, Weapons, anti-piracy defences/software). To ensure your cargo reaches it's destination, you need to pay the right price for protecting your vessels, the larger that empire you might skimp on your defence budget for ships (At your Peril!).
Axeface wrote:'Gameplay' goes further than just 'player does x' in my opinion.
Gameplay can be 'player presses X and X happens' but it can also be 'game is engaging because its realistic'. Anything that adds to realism (within the confines of the universe in question), believability and increases the number of possible interaction adds to gameplay in my opinion, so in regards to this specific feature - I think it should be in the game simply because it would be something that happens in the x-universe, the player does it so the AI should do it.
Star Citizen is attempting to approach game design like this, if it would happen in 'reality' (reality of the universe in question) its probably going to be in the game or at least attempted - within reason.

So, basically, why not? (other than dev time).
Totally Agree.

When things are predictable? They get boring.

To fly your ship and find on the other side of space, one of your trade ships is being raided by a Pirate boarding party and you have a short amount of time to get there before that ship is either ram-sacked or stolen.

Not just that method, to have a more 'sophisticated thief' steal resources right from under you by hacking a ship/station right from under you.
Being robbed is frustrating, but it's fun when you know that it's real and you can hunt down that thief and make them pay with a timed side mission, to which they are gone if you fail to respond in time.
Ragna-Tech.. Forging a Better Tomorrow!

My most annoying Bugs list 6.0 Beta 4 + [All DLC]
--------------------------------
Nvidium Worshop Animation Enlarge Broken :(
Building Modules causes low frame rate :o
Massive Framerate drops freezing game! :doh:
Save Corrupted Fixed the Crash! :-D

Rei Ayanami
Posts: 3333
Joined: Wed, 6. Nov 02, 20:31
x4

Post by Rei Ayanami » Mon, 16. Jul 18, 16:50

We known in X:Rebirth capital ships/large trading ships can get their weapons destroyed.
In the case of pirates, how about when one of your capital/trading ships loses all weapons in a fight against pirates, the pirates have a high chance of contacting you "Hey, give us X amounts of credits or we'll take your ship" (or the ship captain contacts you "Sir, we're under fire and our ship is disabled. They demand X amount of credits and threaten to destroy us. What should i tell them?") and a low chance of just destroying/boarding the ship without contacting you (some pirates are psychopaths).

If the pirates contact the player and the player says "yes" : Player loses credits. Then the pirates have a high chance of leaving the ship alone (some pirates have honor) and fly to another zone. Low chance of the pirates, destroying or boarding the ship despite your payment (some pirates are greedy liars).

If the pirates contact the player and the player says "no" or ignores them : Pirates will either destroy the ship, board it or have a low chance to ignore it and flee to another zone (some pirates are cowards who just talk big but run away easily).

In the case of boarding a mini mission starts : If the player can't destroy the pirates in Y minutes they'll take the capital/trading ship for their own.

Walton Simons
Posts: 42
Joined: Fri, 6. Jan 06, 23:10

Post by Walton Simons » Mon, 30. Jul 18, 20:54

Could work if AI pirates take into consideration the strength value of the target and type of ship.
I mean it should be obvious that they shouldn't try this "hmm huge battleship with more turrets than we can count and probably chock-full of marines,yeah me and my 3 crew mates should do it" but a player freighter depending on the strength value(if they kept this) could be a target for them.

Post Reply

Return to “X4: Foundations”