this considers only targeting modules (weapons, ewar, RR)
now the modules on your ship have 3 states : active, not active, stopping.
A module inactive is not activating.
A module active is assigned a target and has started a cycle on it, will activate again at the end of the next cycle if possible.
A module stopping has activated agaisnt its target and will not activate again at the end of the next cycle.
I propose to the preload state.
a module preloaded is assigned a target or will be assigned a target when one becomes available, has not activated agaisnt its target yet, and will be activated ASAP
If you have no target it’s the same as present preload : when you click a weapon, it preloads, and when you acquire a target it automatically tries to activate against that target.
New cases are added :
if you try to activate a module outside of its range (eg a grappler, scram or a neutra), if you had a target, the module becomes preloaded and acquire that target. That means, once you are within range it activates.
if you stop a module, you can activate it again and if the target is different it becomes preloaded (while finishing its cycle). if the target is the same, then it becomes activated again.
if you get out of range of the target, the module becomes preloaded against that target instead of becoming inactive. That means, if you are 1km out of reach and you correct your distance, it will automatically activate again.
If you are out of ammo, nothing changes you still need to refill and re activate the module against a target.
BTW, a module that gets preloaded keeps its OH value, eg if the web was OH and the target gets out of range, the web becomes preloaded but remains OH so once the target is in range of the OH web, the module will activate again.
Modules activate when you have a valid target. If you don’t, then why should they sit around waiting? All you’re doing is tying up the module if you change your mind.
Let’s say you target your Web on an approaching Cruiser. Your Web goes into prep status, waiting for the Cruiser to get in range. But in the meantime, a Frigate burns in faster and you decide to take that out first.
Ordinarily, your Web would have failed to lock onto the Cruiser, and it would be immediately ready to lock onto the Frigate instead. But now you’ve got it in prep mode, so you have to turn it off and then back on again to lock the Frigate. Instead of 1 click failing, and 1 click to reactivate on the new target, you’ve got 1 click still basically failing (at least until the Cruiser gets closer) and 2 clicks for the new target. Your idea doesn’t save time, it takes more time.
They activate when the server considers you are in range. Which is very different. I often have my scram activate on a target that is outside of scram range, because I know between last and next tick I will be in range
yes, exactly. That’s two short click if your next target is already selected.
where is time in that ? You talk about click then about time ? In your example if you double click instead of simple click it works the same.
Assuming that your double click is properly interpreted by the server. If not, then only one click registers, and the module simply turns off. Then you have to wait to see the status and then click again to actually make it engage this time. So you’re wasting time watching to see if the status wore off, or the clicks went through in sequence, when you could stick to what we have now. Where the module is off, and a single click turns it on. One and done.
The root of the issue is the desynch between the client and the server. : you don’t know if the module is activate until the next tick.
So of course this is interpreted by the client, not the server.
PVP should have an AGRESSIVE AUTOPILOT option. Upon activation Bjorn Bee gets hold of my ship and does my PVP because im too lazy to activate my modules when needed. So he would remotely activate my modules and all i have to do it Choose my target and activate AGRESSIVE AUTOPILOT. Bum.