Question about modifing sensor length
 

Hi I am new here.

Recently I pick up Star Wolves 3 and try to modify data of carcasses and modules and stuff searching for some new fun. I want battles in this game focus on launching missiles from far away like modern air combat, so I expand the <sensor_length> of almost all kinds of ships and fighters in carcasses.xml and start a new career to test it, but I found that AI of both side still don't turn and come to fight each other when their enemy are in expanded sensor scanning range until they get close enough like in the original game(actually a little bit longer than in the origin, but still shorter then the sensor length I set).

Did I miss any other data that needed to be modified? I also use myself to test by setting sensor length of the very beginning cargo ship I fly to 1000(which origin is 80), but I can only see other ships in 250 while the scanning circle in Tab map is big enough as 1000, I guess the ability of a pilot also do the job but it's only a guess.

My best guess would be that you should check out AI.ini in Data\AI

Potentially related values:
ChaseDistance
CloseCombatDistance
distanceToReportAggressiveBehaviour
ExpandDistance
possibleDistanceToEnemy
targetNotificationDistance

and probably anything else regarding distances, Im afraid I don't know much else that can help you on this matter.
Hope it helps!

It really helps! Thanks a lot!

I did a lot of test about the values in AI.ini and now computer pilots can not only engage enemy with LRM as I expected but also fire torpedo against enemy which is beyond the scanning range but detected by friendly force! And when a fighter squad is fighting, the distant friendly squad will come and join the fight instead of keeping on patrol like nothing happened, this is more realistic though may also make the game harder, but I like it~

Another little question, I want to change view control key from up down left right to WSAD, but it seems that no file can support the change, not even controls.cfg in Data\GUI, or I just haven't found it?

Glad it helped.

Im afraid if its not in controls.cfg, theres no way to change it to WASD, or atleast not a way I can think of right away.

Pity that this can not be changed...

Another question. I found out that not all the AI fighters will use missiles when they have them, usually not until the squad leader run out of missiles or die and only one itself left, some AI fighters even won't use their missiles and finally be killed after a long time dog fight.

I tried to look for the code in \Data\Scripts\AI but it's really hard for me because I don't know programming. Can you help me with this?

And is there any way I can decide which module should or shouldn't be used by NPC fighters? I want some modules being used more frequently and some never appear on those AI fighters, thanks!

you must not know programing, i think. There are files like shipdescription.xml, where you can define, which modules will be set for every ship. You can check script for generating flights - create_flight.script, there are set roles too. It is possible, that pilots with other roles than attack and defend temporarily not uses rockets, if their role not allow it.
At least i can see it in SW1, in mod Expansion for CW can be difference. If some script is deciding, which modul will be set into fighter in dependency on difficulty and stage of progress, there must by find and checked such one. But this is just my rough estimation, i do not play nor mod Expansion, nor SW-CivilWar.

You can't really influence the AI's decision making as far as I know.

But you can configure its Equipment in ShipDescriptions.xml as Oxy said.
Try to find what ship descriptions to edit via some help in create_flight_2.script

That script contains many huge tables which resemble available Flights and their Ships INSIDE the ShipDescriptions.xml

Ship Descriptions are XML Entries which contain the Ship to use (Carcass from Carcasses.xml) and then some Equipment (Modules from Modules.xml including rockets and stuff)