I had a similar idea, but I'm not 100% on the details of it.
we currently have ways to augment the AI mechanics of entities such as ships specifically, that is kind of organic really in nature, and that is done through the BOBBY module. this block makes you able to run the entity in several automated modes which mainly right now consists of only attack modes. it allows you to set the entity to attack hostiles, and that is pretty much it.
but, that all was done before we even had the fleet mechanics. so that didn't get much functionality which was really integrated into the way the BOBBY module could be used. I would like to suggest something which mite help evolve that mechanics a little.
mow, what I do suggest, is an addition to the BOBBY module. As the block already exists in the game, it simply makes sense. but, What i would like to see, is some additions to this system.
I had a really crazy idea which if considered, would add in something to the game a lot of other Sci-FI genres tend to add in their universes. TRUE AI. A mechanic that adds in a Virtual representati0on of the entity I'm trying to create. Now, I,m not saying make the BOBBY act like an AI and control entities like NPC characters. I'm suggesting add in an additional block which integrates the fleet mechanics into the BOBBY. have a new Core type which the player can interact with that sets the Entities AI or Automated tasks. think of it like an AI computer that you plop down and interact with the bobby and tells it what its Passive or non combat behaviors are.
the BOBBY is a combat AI, that's pretty much all it controls. It tells entiities its connected to how to act in hostile situations. It has attack modes that can target astronauts, it has modes that act like a drone, and some that act as turrets. these can be used in a defensive way, but, only as a retaliatory sense.
So this new block would handle things like using those currently useless blocks the Astro-Techno beams. currently these are never used much as when damage is done to a ship to the point of losing blocks we tend to just repair them in shipyards rather than take time to go and repair the only slightly damaged blocks. then rebuild the missing parts. right now, most people tend to build their shipyards and do all of their building using the EASY MODE fix it in the shipyard and go back out once they have the shipyard to do so, which is fine. it works.
But, say I cant get to the shipyard, I need to repair in the field til I can. well if I could set some drones like those Mining Drones to just go and repair those blacks that are damaged and not destroyed then I could just carry on getting back home to make full repairs in my shipyard. right now you cant do that, because the BOBBY doesn't know how to use those passive blocks. if we could set it to target damaged and seek out those damaged blocks, then this would be possible.
So that is exactly what I suggest doing. let the BOBBY do thing other than ATTACK with its given weapons. It needs to understand what its using, right now, it only understands hit this thing with this weapon.
