Can I prevent my auto-ships from entering Guardian space?

[PaulWRoberts]

My empire surrounds the Ancient Guardian homeworld on three sides. They're nice enough neighbors, but they don't like it when my military ships park in their system. The problem is that they're basically sitting on a highway my commercial ships use, so my escorts (on auto-pilot) are always passing through.

Just now my relationship with the Guardians spiraled down to Furious when they attacked an escort and my other escorts (naturally) zipped in to defend their buddy.

I suspect that part of the problem is that my commercial miners keep wanting to build in Guardian space, so the escorts are parking nearby. (I don't know if moving ships trigger the "Leave our system" warning or not.) Is there a way to declare a system off-limits to ship traffic, or at least to building?

[Cauldyth]

Is there a way to declare a system off-limits to ship traffic, or at least to building?

Sadly, no. The game really (really, really, really) needs the ability to specify certain systems as off-limits.

[Erik Rutins]

This is on our wish list Paul, but right now there's no way to do it automatically. There is one thing you can do, which is build a space port in space near but outside the Guardian system. That will encourage most of the trade to route to the space port instead of going through their system.

Regards,

- Erik

[MasterChief]

Ahhh man... I just had to jump on this one again and keep it alive! We soooo need to be able to identify off limits areas THAT THE AI WILL RECOGNIZE!!

I would think a restricted planet, system, and sector sphere would give us the best control but would settle for at least a system restriction ability!!

Addition: just saw your response Erik and thanks. You all put so much effort into building an incredible AI and a major "feel" of this game is allowing your empire to be as automated as you want... telling your AI ships were they can't go is an important consideration!

[StarWolf]

What about introducing a simple waypoint system that the gamer could use to create a priority movement route segment that the AI would then follow as a higher priority over their usual routing? You could then just put down 3 or 4 waypoints to route around problematic systems. Any of your ships coming within a certain radius of one of the waypoints would then have the AI prioritze using that segment rather than the normal AI routing. Just an idea.

[Data]

And a good one, I strongly second it.

[Fideach]

Something easy as a temporarily work around for this would just have the ancient guardians by default, or be able to, give us military refueling rights.
So our patrols being in there system to refuel or sit ideally, or escort private sector wont cause conflict.

[Sarissofoi]

It will be nice if you can mark Quarantine zone where any of your AI ships cant enter.

[freeboy]

no fly zones.. war zones  restrictd shipping lanes all diplomatic and ai comerce related.. so this is not just adding it but testing how it all relates..
great ideas though.. kinda sux having your civilians piss off the sleeping giants.. "oh no is that a " trasnission interupted[:D]

[MasterChief]

ORIGINAL: freeboy

no fly zones.. war zones  restrictd shipping lanes all diplomatic and ai comerce related.. so this is not just adding it but testing how it all relates..
great ideas though.. kinda sux having your civilians piss off the sleeping giants.. "oh no is that a " trasnission interupted[:D]

yeah that's why I was thinking to limit the scope only apply to your ships...seems that would be easier to implement. However, longer term, perhaps DWII, being able to set restricted areas (perhaps you are rehabing a world destroyer you don't want anyone to know about), unrestriceted warfare zones (I am blockading this planet and will destroy anything ...friend or foe that comes near), quaratines (for Silvermist or plaque systems) or protective enclacves (we are protecting this independent colony planet so stay clear). You get the idea.

StarWolf... the waypoint idea is great.

[2ndACR]

We really need a way to keep our military ships out of areas. I just had the ancient's go on a spree on my shipping because I would have to spend every moment just micromanaging my ships to keep them out of their space. Heck, I just moved 17 warships out of their space and had another 20 go right back in not 2 min later. This is killing the game for me.

It is bad enough they plant mining bases on some of the best resource locations around.

[Neotheone]

Perhaps they could create an anti-traffic satellite that the player could place in the area and then all player controlled ai ships would not go there? You could turn them on or off and if they were off then the players ships wouldn't go there. Would be something the player/ai would have to build and distribute either automated or manually. Could create another commodity Navigation Satellites for sale.

[Erik Rutins]

ORIGINAL: 2ndACR
We really need a way to keep our military ships out of areas. I just had the ancient's go on a spree on my shipping because I would have to spend every moment just micromanaging my ships to keep them out of their space. Heck, I just moved 17 warships out of their space and had another 20 go right back in not 2 min later. This is killing the game for me.

Do you have any idea why your military ships are going into the Ancient Guardians' system? I haven't had that issue with them with the Return of the Shakturi storyline turned on. Do you have a save file that shows your ships heading back there on a regular basis?

Regards,

- Erik

[2ndACR]

I bet I can find the last auto save. I have no clue, every once and awhile I see one escorting a civilian ship there. I am not sure of the attraction. I know I have a save that should show a flood of ships flocking to a Guardian mining station for same danged reason. 

[Grotius]

I've been turning my military ships around manually. Well, I was, until I lost all my remaining ships.

But yes, I agree, it would be very helpful to have an automated way to avoid such places.

[Bingeling]

Why the AI does that? I wondered about that as well.

I was looking at those stupid frigates, and the move vectors are really nice to see strange stuff by the AI. As far as I see, the frigates got the "move to" order. Or the "no order". There is nothing of mine in the guardian system at this time, apart from a bunch of frigates. I have seen them busily head for the other side of the gas giant they were currently at.

I think that what may go on is the AI wanting to respond to perceived threats. And the guardians got a whole lot of contested mining bases, which the AI sometime suggests we should try blow up with a spy. So they annoy the AI.

I have seen some crazy move vector action going on if the AI got a fleet at a contested mining base (but not the guardians, other empires). 10-20 automated frigates it seems, all heading to the spot. It is like "I really want to send a fleet here, but since the stupid human has no automated fleets for me to use, I will just send 20 frigates, pretending they are a fleet!".

So what if... The guardians got a little fleet at their contested mining base. Some AI frigates gets the "move to fleet order" because such blatant provocation should have a response. Either before or after they reach the target fleet, the target fleet moves back home to refuel at the gas mine. The approaching frigates get (or create) the modified order "move to point in space where the gas mine is" (because that is where the fleet is at). But when they get there, the fleet is long gone.

And what does an automated frigate with no work do? It sits around. Does it care where it sits around? Apparently not. So it sits around in the guardian system annoying the guardians. And the guardian starts sending diplomatic demands of "remove forces from system". What should an automated frigate with no order do? I suggest it should "refuel at nearest space port" to make it go home. I usually do that with colony ships that finds their target already colonized. For automated military ships it would be better to "refuel at nearest empire owned fuel source", but given the new military refueling rights, refueling to nearest fuel source would probably work too. If not empire owned, it is owned by a good friend. If frigates with no work tend to end up sitting besides my gas mines, I would think if that as a good thing. That is often where they will be needed.

[Upuauta]

Hello,

In my current game I have the same issue.
Single ships are flying into guardian territory to a guardian station and try to refuel there (without refuel-rights of cause). The Guardians are annoyed of this and ask me to move my ships out of the system. I could provide a save-file if someone could point me where to find the file as I wasn´t able to find the safe file.
An Option to mark systems as off-limits would be really usefull.

Edit:
Ah, finally I found the safe file (Grml, why are games nowadays not saving in it´s directories anymore... )
Here is a link to the file:
http://www.file-upload.net/download-392 ... D.dwg.html
Take a look in the message history there you find some examples. Also in the guardian system "Yurn Scut" you can find an explorer ship. It has no mission now, but had a refuel mission before and tried to refuel at the guardian station. If you play for a while I´m sure more ships will show up in that system.
Hope this helps.

Edit2: Oh and btw, don´t laugh about my puny little empire.

[Upuauta]

Hi,
This issue get´s worse. Now every second ship needing to refuel flies straight to the guardians and tries to refuel at their base. And the Guardians slowly but surely get mad at me. I think if this can´t be solved war is the next step. I really don´t want to go to war with them - they are much stronger than me.
I would really be glad to get an option to declare no-fly-zones or declare a system as forbidden.

[colonyan]

Before this gets fixed, are there any way getting lid out the Ancient Gurardians?
Seems like they don't do anything significant from what I've played so far.
If they are gone, this problem is half solved for time being....

[Bison36]

Why is the SOI not the mechanism to cause ships, state or civilian, to by pass a system where there is not a treaty in place, such as refueling, military, free trade?