Will somebody please fix the Auto-Pillok !!!!

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apricotslice
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Will somebody please fix the Auto-Pillok !!!!

Post by apricotslice » Sat, 14. Jan 06, 05:05

This call for help was brought to you by the Apricot Mapping Service.

We at Apricot are so frustrated at the suicidal nature of the so-called auto-pilots currently fitted in ships, that all ship movements have been cancelled until further notice.

Further, we recommend extreme caution to anyone attempting to use them and seriously recommend you rip the god-damned thing out of the ship altogether and only fly manually until the problem is rectified and the perpetrator brought to justice.

Have a nice day.

Kitch
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Post by Kitch » Sat, 14. Jan 06, 05:40

Customers are reminded that autopilots bought with ships from this station are sold without warranties...

Maybe consider purchasing the best-selling info manual:

"Autopilot and You, How to have an Easier and Longer life."

In summary the passages of particular relevence are in the "Do's and Don'ts of automated space flight" section:

Do make things easier for your autopilot. As it mainly comprises an Argonian Gerbil in a box with a rough sketch of the sector, some bits of string and a Sinclair Spectrum ZX81, anything you can do to ease your flight will help. Good examples are to head up above the ecliptic plane thus avoiding the majority of other traffic and spaceborne hazzards such as the fearsome Huge Magnetic Rocks of Death.

Don't ask your autopilot (gerbil) to navigate a dynamically changing asteroid dense area at full throttle whilst avoiding incoming pirate laser fire. Not that you can't, just you shouldn't as the gerbil will throw a wobbler and he has a better union than you.

Do remember, the autopilot disables for a reason. When it cuts out as it approaches a gate or other large object, this means that manual control is advised for greater accuracy and not, as some believe, a cause to sigh and hammer the "autopilot on" button again.

Do try and simplify the route. You can autopilot to near objects and use them as "stepping stones" to your intended destination which may provide a clearer, more trouble free path. The straightest route isn't always the best and is rarely the safest. Your gerbil has no windows in his box, so may not be aware that there are several large asteroids with spaces between that a smaller than the beam of the ship you're in.

Do bear in mind that gerbils as a race have no fear. They also believe that as alien races such as the Xenon and Khaak have not waged war against gerbil-kind that travel through their sectors will be uneventful.

Don't forget to feed and maintain you autopilot (gerbil) and replace every 2 jazura maximum.

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apricotslice
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Post by apricotslice » Sat, 14. Jan 06, 06:01

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

That was wonderful :)

Exactly what my post needed to be followed by !!!

philip yarde
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Post by philip yarde » Sat, 14. Jan 06, 10:03

Gerbils?, Gerbils?

Thats where your going wrong, the Boron use Hampsters :P

666Villain666
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Post by 666Villain666 » Sat, 14. Jan 06, 10:06

there's your problem right there. Using gerbils as navigators. Perhaps you misunderstood the man who sold you the rodents when he said with a evil smile: "Yeah, gerbils are good for getting to dark places..."

Dungeoncrawler
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Post by Dungeoncrawler » Sat, 14. Jan 06, 10:39

:lol:

DC

liquidthunder
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Post by liquidthunder » Sat, 14. Jan 06, 11:47

i love auto pilot, it feels like being on some trippy roller coaster, when it get 10m from a station before trying to avoid it,

as the ai use the same auto pilot its so funny to see a wing of pirate novas chasing me plow in to a astoroid. :wink:

Darth Malice
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Post by Darth Malice » Sat, 14. Jan 06, 11:54

I wondered what that smell was in the cockpit, nobody mentioned that you have to feed the auto pilot. I have been somoking all those little black pellets thinking they were space weed, no wonder those pirates laughed when I tried to sell them some. Anyway I am off to Tkr's Deprivation to buy another auto pilot from Richard Gere's Petshop :D
Get out of my head

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apricotslice
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Post by apricotslice » Sat, 14. Jan 06, 13:51

I think we should demand the end of gerbil servitude immediately and get them relaced with a proper computer.

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Chips
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Post by Chips » Sat, 14. Jan 06, 18:44

lmao at whole topic.

Is the issue that the autopilot is the same as it ever was, just that a lil more physics has been brought in? This way, when it turns, the ship keeps "sliding", and autopilot is incapable of taking this into consieration?

philip yarde
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Post by philip yarde » Sat, 14. Jan 06, 18:52

It all depends on what "size" ship you buy

S: Dung beatle
M: Gerbil
L: small yapping dog :P

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apricotslice
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Post by apricotslice » Sun, 15. Jan 06, 02:13

Chips wrote:lmao at whole topic.

Is the issue that the autopilot is the same as it ever was, just that a lil more physics has been brought in? This way, when it turns, the ship keeps "sliding", and autopilot is incapable of taking this into consieration?
Actually I'm glad one of my topics has become funny instead of battlegrounds :)

The issue is ......

a) The auto-pillok over-reacts. X2 1.4 solved this problem, by detecting possible collisions sooner and reacting less. X3 goes backwards, the pillok reactes extremely late and by doing 90 degree rapid turns.

b) There is so much extra junk. All the added asteroids (and complex connectors) means that once the evasion has begun, the pillok sends the ship towards another collision, and then radically alters couse to avoid that one. And over and over until it gets to some clear space, or the ship hits something.

I swear, anyone with a heart condition should never fly above 400 through most sectors on seta. The stress of watching to see if you crash into everything on the way through is almost heart attack provoking.

I watched 3 mamoths going through Cloudbase SW. It was hopeless. It took them 10 times the time it should have becuase they were always avoiding asteroids and doubling back on them selves.

I also dogfought through the middle of my complex, and watched a Buster hit a connector and lose half its shields before it could be turned around. And that showed me what my freighters were doing wrong as well and why I keep losing them.

The auto-pillok wasnt quite up to the task before the 1.3 patch. After, it was a disaster.

I think the physics of it, and sliding as you turn, is insignificant next to the fundamental problems.

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Hppswzd
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Post by Hppswzd » Sun, 15. Jan 06, 04:52

oh yeh, a fix would be nice. I can see that big astriod there, why can't the computer. But the autopilot aims straight for it, THEN does a u-turn, straight at the same astroid again. THEN again, again, again, untill it slowly inches its way around the damn thing.

Meanwhile all other ships traveling in formation are going haywire, some even hit me or other ships. With all the time and damage wasted on autopilot, It's only used when I know it's a straight shot.

Kitch
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Post by Kitch » Sun, 15. Jan 06, 05:58

Hmmm... does anyone think it might be intentionally bad? You know, in a way to make people fly manually more. Was there a perceived problem that people would flawlessly fly around the whole universe on autopillok (tm - great phrase apricot) ot that good path plotting was too risk free or too time / resource / gerbil intensive to include?

I can't see why, as mentioned X2 had it much better under 1.4, here's hoping X3's 1.4 does the same.

If it is intentional, what justification is there for it? Those interested in exploring will fly manually out of preference so as not to miss things. Those who like a little more risk will spend more time in less friendly space, or just trust the current autopilot... in an Elephant... in Savage Spur...(you're tempted now, I can see, go try it :) )

"Hey! Mr Egosoft... this gerbil's BIOS is out of date!"

Fun-X
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Post by Fun-X » Sun, 15. Jan 06, 07:49

I thought it was odd that I was only having a problem with my Boron Super Freighter. Then I figured it out. The gerbil is having trouble with the Boron ship, because the I think the Boron ship is filled with water or some other fluid, and thus the gerbil drowned. :cry:

I tried to contact one of the Boron ships to find out if that was the problem, and they kept saying, "The Boron don't require communication."

Sheesh, you would think the Boron would wise up and use a goldfish instead of a gerbil. :D

666Villain666
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Post by 666Villain666 » Sun, 15. Jan 06, 09:55

i've had a think about it....and, err....ummm, read some material....and i see another part of your problem. Other than my fore-mentioned post (Up the page people.), i see that you people are buying fresh, off the shelf gerbils.
This is a clear mistake. A brand new gerbil, fresh from the shop, has no idea where it is going. You need a seasoned vetern to understand the complexities, and indeed the dire nessessity, of navigating a dark region of space (Note: i did not say "A region of space that is dark." That's just childish and might draw the attention of a few of the smarter moderators.).
So stop shopping at R.Gere's Pet-O-Rama and go around to the guys house and raid his personal stash. If you happen to be the guy who gets there after the guy before, then steal R.G's dvd collection to watch between gates.

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apricotslice
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Post by apricotslice » Sun, 15. Jan 06, 12:58

Kitch wrote:Hmmm... does anyone think it might be intentionally bad? You know, in a way to make people fly manually more. Was there a perceived problem that people would flawlessly fly around the whole universe on autopillok (tm - great phrase apricot) ot that good path plotting was too risk free or too time / resource / gerbil intensive to include?
The term wasnt mine, I just picked it up and ran with it :)

It is just so expressive of the situation and what we all feel :)

Re intentional, I'd hate to think so, but since so many other good X2 1.4 things were sabataged for X3, one has to consider it. :(

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apricotslice
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Post by apricotslice » Tue, 17. Jan 06, 14:35

Well, with the beta version of 1.3.1 out, I thought maybe that gerbil servitude may be a thing of the past.

Alas, they gave the poor little thing a window, but it still cant see where its going.

Not only does my Mammoth continue to be suicidal, but now the auto-pillok on my own ship just smacks me into asteroids about 1 in 5 times now instead of 1 in 50 before.

Well they did warn it was a beta. I guess now I either uninstall and reinstall to 1.3, or I uninstall and leave it until someone actually guarentees the auto-pillok is fixed. :(

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Dgn Master
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Post by Dgn Master » Tue, 17. Jan 06, 14:45

It would be nice they added better avoidance to the game, however it's a non-issue to me as i never use auto-pilot; i prefer point and dock by way of docking computer when within 5k of target. As for wingmen, i never use them unless they add the ability to have them auto refuel because i jump around alot.

BTW i think the gerbil fetish some of you seem to have is rather unhealthy, Besides they are clearly using guinea pigs :lol:
Could the parents of the little Argon girl, Suzie, please claim her sealed jar of remains?
She didn't mind the gap and ended up vapourized!

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Post by WarmMachineME » Wed, 18. Jan 06, 01:08

Dgn Master wrote:BTW i think the gerbil fetish some of you seem to have is rather unhealthy, Besides they are clearly using guinea pigs :lol:
I'd say based on the fact that my errand running is twice as dangerous as my bounty hunting trips to pirate sectors, that the autopillok is obviously powered by lemmings.

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