Problem statement
Combat between ships will often drift from the centre of a combat zone, and out of the range of ship sensors. This makes it difficult for players to find the next target in a fight.The process for this occuring is by ships "jousting" and so random walking away from the centre and dragging attacking ships with them. Once outside sensor range it requires careful observation of the skybox for the tell-tale signs of combat (laser beams, explosions or engine exhaust glow).
The problem is made worse by ships that have a high combat speed (such as Thargoids) where the length of the random walk is comparable to the sensor range of a player's ship.
Two possible changes are suggested to help counter this. There may be other viable approaches that can address this.
On random walks
A phenomena that occurs when the straight line motion of something is interrupted by an impulse that makes it move in a random direction. The straight line motion then continues in the new direction until the next impulse.Brownian motion of particles in a liquid is an example, also dust motes dancing in a beam of sunlight.
Random walks in Elite Dangerous combat
For ships in Elite the closest equivalent to a random walk is a straight line boost (dragging an enemy ship along as part of a chase), followed by a change of direction in order to attack the enemy. While probably not completely random it does have the effect of walking the fight in a largely random direction. Thargoids will travel for a certain time before changing direction again, and the enemy will try and follow closely.The more opportunities to undertake a random walk then the further the fight may wander from the centre. The faster the ship the further it can travel before changing direction again.
Player ships can typically fly with a sensor range of between 4km and 13km, depending on engineering. For a Thargoid with a top speed of around 500m/s this distance can be covered in a matter of seconds, so losing sight of the enemy ship.
Here's an example of the problem I'm describing (apologies for my simplified artwork).
Furthermore, if you're caught in your own fight (and also jousting) then a separate fight can move in a different direction. This is the basis for "losing" enemy ships in a combat zone that can stall progress until they are found again.
Here's a picture showing an example in-game. I've just killed a Thargoid interceptor and need to return to base for repair. The fight has walked 30km away from the base. There is a second interceptor nearby, but it could also be a large distance away from the base in a different direction.
If I can't find this interceptor again then how can I progress the mission?
Possible solutions
Two possible ways to address this might be introduced, each dealing with a separate use case.1) If the fight is over and there are no enemies nearby to attack then start flying back to the centre of the combat zone. If too damaged then jump out and allow the combat session to progress.
2) If there is a fight a large distance away then place a marker on the skybox to show the direction to fly. This would help players find that ongoing fight and join in (lore: the ship is picking up local combat chatter and pointing out on the HUD where it is coming from).
Note that this applies to combat zones that involve human NPCs as well: it's not just a Thargoid problem.
Also worth noting that just reducing the time in boost won't make the problem go away. The random walk away from the centre gets worse over a longer and longer period of time.
Thanks for listening!
