Question for your Yolo Programmers

[Venombrew]

Okay when game comes out in EA i plan on learning yolo to my best, i haven't played around with it in CA at all yet, because well it is a bit overwhelming to me. So I like to come up with ideas and pass it along to those that do know this language in the game to see if it is possible. I got a small list of things that I am curious about, and please feel free to give me as much detail on them as you see fit. Since i don't know this language I can't really debate it with anyone, nor really comment back on it, so i may have questions.

1. Can Yolo as of right now have any means of tracking an object?
2. Can an independant Network exist through the current Yolo code? An example would be a large player faction linking their own private information between stations, ships and capital ships, information that can be stored like a database and only accessed to those who can access the network(faction or company members).
3. I know a certain amount of basic AI can be done in since of repeated sequences like factory machines but is it possible it can do forms of prediction. For instance can a mining ship be programmed to use auto features that it can mine on its own but more importantly identify better nodes to harvest instead of just anything it comes across?(this one may be stretching it)
4. Is it possible to import your own code into someone else code. For instance is number 2 can be done, can players implement their own code into an existing code of another player still have function?

If you need to me elaborate more i will do my best, i will have more questions later on as time goes by. I know some of these may seem far fetch, but i dont know the system so what i think may be farfetched could be possible or vise versa. Any info is very much appreciated as well as debate between coders is extremely welcomed. Thank you!

 

[cranky corvid]

1. There's only a few devices suitable for detecting objects right now, and they're all ray-based and detect only at a single point. Yolol's 200 millisecond refresh rate is another issue, so objects can only be tracked in a limited capacity.

2. There is currently no way to connect information networks across long distances.

3. A material point scanner was recently implemented, and proof-of-concept automated mining ships exist, so this is possible. However, because players' clients are responsible for most calculations rather than the server, automated ships are limited to working within render range (1 km) of players. They also suffer from the game's other limitations related to hosting ships, communication and navigation.

4. This question is not 100% clear due to grammar, so please try to reformulate it if my response is not satisfactory. Yolol code is stored on chips with 20 lines of up to 70 characters, with an execution rate of 1 line every 200 ms. You can modify any Yolol chip you get your hands on, and have multiple ones share variables (by making use of other devices' device fields, including memory cards). However, because of the strict character limit, Yolol code is difficult to read, and everything that has to be executed in a specific sequence within the same Yolol tick has to fit into the 70 characters, putting a complexity limit on what can be implemented.

 

[Venombrew]

ok, my bad on the 4th one, re reading it i can see where it gets confusing. in a way you did answer part of it, i guess the remaining part would be can other players alter another player's yolo information without them knowing?

and what i find fascinating, number 3 was the one i believed to be more of a stretch and from what you said it seems to be the most viable. also for number 2, it was sometime last winter but i do remember players talking about this idea and one person thought it could be done by basically dropping antennas so many meter out to carry that information, now does any of that as of right now hold water?

also how you described how the yolo chips work themsevles, to make a database you would have to dedicate any entire room of chipsets to even have a chance to hold that much information, would that be a fair assumption?

and ty for you responses very much appreciated.

 

[cranky corvid]

ok, my bad on the 4th one, re reading it i can see where it gets confusing. in a way you did answer part of it, i guess the remaining part would be can other players alter another player's yolo information without them knowing?

With line of sight (subject to a distance limit) to a device connected to an information network, it is possible to mess with or spy on variables with the Universal Tool, and you can bolt on your own Yolol chips that can change or spy on variables if you have a physical access to a cable or duct to hook into. However, this only works outside safezones unless you're in a group with the player that owns it, and it's possible to implement security against it by isolating different parts of the network using memory relays. Changing the actual code on a Yolol chip requires direct physical access to the chip.

also for number 2, it was sometime last winter but i do remember players talking about this idea and one person thought it could be done by basically dropping antennas so many meter out to carry that information, now does any of that as of right now hold water?

Before the alpha launched, the game used to have transmitters for long range communication, but they were removed for a rework because the tech they were using turned out to not scale well or something like that. They aren't mentioned on the roadmap, so it's anybody's guess when and if they're going to come back, though they would certainly be useful!

also how you described how the yolo chips work themsevles, to make a database you would have to dedicate any entire room of chipsets to even have a chance to hold that much information, would that be a fair assumption?

Pretty much. Memory chips can hold 10 variables each, Yolol chips can hold a lot more internal variables but will need specialized code (subject to the Yolol refresh rate) for input/output if used for data storage.

 

[Venombrew]

okay so with the information you giving me so far, its about 50/50 in ideas. where as the approach is viable but the capabilities not quite there. a lot of these ideas at this point, cause you been very knowledgeable, seem less like pipe dreams and more like, "place it on the back burner for a couple months cause were not quite ready". would you say that is a fair way to look at it sir?

and what would be some things you hoping to see changed or added to the yolo system that they will be improving on in either q3 and q4? i assume one of them would be increase the size of of the data that can be placed on these chips. but if you got any ideas of what we could hope for in the next wave of improvements for yolo, or maybe you would prefer to see change please let me know. TY

 

[cranky corvid]

The range of what can be accomplished using Yolol will certainly expand as more devices are added, or new features added to old ones. Radiation detectors that can detect ships carrying active reactors or certain rare ores from potentially hundreds of kilometres away are a confirmed upcoming feature. Transmitters are a more hypothetical example, another potential one the devs have mentioned is the ability to measure a ship's orientation and velocity using device fields.

 

[Venombrew]

with the transponders i know they said we could use others as a way to hide who you are, has there been any method yet to counter that?

 

[cranky corvid]

I'm not sure whether putting other people's transmitters on your ship retains the misleading data right now, but there are no specific counters to it yet either.

 

[Hunter]

There's only a few devices suitable for detecting objects right now, and they're all ray-based and detect only at a single point. Yolol's 200 millisecond refresh rate is another issue, so objects can only be tracked in a limited capacity.

This would be a bit counterintuitive, but couldn't you slap a few on in each axis and have their "pings" spaced out? I.e. 4 sensors spaced out evenly, allowing for 50ms between pings.

 

[cranky corvid]

Based on what I've read, it seems like all Yolol chips on the same ship (or host?) probably execute at the same time (in random order) every 200 milliseconds, and you can't space the timing out.

 

[Venombrew]

Based on what I've read, it seems like all Yolol chips on the same ship (or host?) probably execute at the same time (in random order) every 200 milliseconds, and you can't space the timing out.

why im hoping the future improvements that are on the roadmap will address these areas.

 

[Klaes]

Is it technically possible to make a tracking missile with yolol?

 

[cranky corvid]

Yes, but the lack of efficient sensors in the game is an issue, and they will technically be small ships, which means they are limited to the same maximum speed as ships. There are torpedoes as a discrete weapon type, which can be directed using a laser designator and can use Yolol for guidance, but their maximum speed is even lower (they're primarily intented to be used against stations and capital ships, which are stationary).

Disambiguation: There is also a weapon type the game calls "missiles" but they're actually just unguided rockets.

 

[Klaes]

Yes, but the lack of efficient sensors in the game is an issue, and they will technically be small ships, which means they are limited to the same maximum speed as ships.

What do you mean by maximum speeds? If you strip out a ship to its bare bones, won't it have less mass and hence accelerate faster? Or is there a hard limit to the speed of any ship? If there's a hard limit, what was the reason behind this design choice? IMO, there are more possibilities if there is no cap to the speed and shouldn't exist unless I'm missing an important game breaking reason.

 

[Dustmuz]

What do you mean by maximum speeds? If you strip out a ship to its bare bones, won't it have less mass and hence accelerate faster? Or is there a hard limit to the speed of any ship? If there's a hard limit, what was the reason behind this design choice? IMO, there are more possibilities if there is no cap to the speed and shouldn't exist unless I'm missing an important game breaking reason.

the maks speed is 150m/s if i remember correct
i think its hardcoded into the game

 

[CalenLoki]

2. Is actually possible, within limited range. You can use laser designators and torp sensors to communicate between two ships.
It's very limited, as the sensor will just tell you if it found the signal it was searching for, and it's relative location. Also it can see other people's signals only up to 300m, possibly due to a bug.