I thought traffic is supposed to avoid you in the new 1.2.2 patch or at least follow some semblance of maritime rules... In a greenpeace mission, where you had to identify the oil slick tanker I believe, the SMALLER coast guard boat was heading toward me as that new Rainbow Warrior III, and it promptly ran right into me... My Rainbow warrior integrity shot to orange and began to sink deep in the water and I had to limp to dock nearly decks awash.
So if traffic is supposed to avoid you I guess its somewhat random?
M
First, let me make the distinction between “avoiding†and obeying COLREGS:
AI ships will attempt to avoid you, if possible, under some circumstances.
They do not follow COLREGS because they don’t make the same distinction between the “stand on†and “give way†vessels. Depending upon the command they were given, they are either always the “give way†vessel or always the “stand on vessel.
The behavior of AI ships in that regard depends upon the commands given them by the mission creator.
If the AI ship has been given a command to travel at a specific speed, perhaps during a pilot transfer, it will not slow for traffic. If it has been given a “preferred speed†it will slow for traffic, but only within the its capabilities—it can’t come to a screeching halt.
Regardless of the speed condition, it will change course to avoid if possible. However it may be under an “ignore object†command so that the pilot boat can come alongside without causing a course change. If the pilot boat crosses the AI bow while approaching or leaving, it may get t-boned.
The correct management of AI is something that mission creators need to learn and apply. Even in the best missions, there are limits to what the AI can do in a deliberate game of chicken.
AI is very expensive in resources in SSE compared to SS08, were it was bad enough. In SS08 AI was guided by paths drawn by the creator. In SSE there are no paths. Each AI ship is proceeding toward a point under autopilot, choosing its own path to avoid obstacles. This makes AI much more computationally intensive. AI should not be used simply as moving scenery, but only as a part of the mission story.