Eddie, have you looked at any AI middleware out there? I haven't done any research in this area, but if all those different physics middleware thingies (Ageia, Havoc, etc.) are available for free for non-commercial purposes, you may be able to find an AI middleware package free of charge too.
Quarto: Hmm, I've got the physics (collision detection and response) mostly down. But here's a sketch of where I'm going.
First, detect the situation. Am I being chased, is a missile after me, am I attacking a capship, am I damaged, etc. What situation I am in.
Then, based on some weighted score, pick which maneuver to use. The
maneuvers in Prophecy and some thoughts are here.
A big problem is defining what these maneuvers look like. And when is a good time strategically to use them. That's something I wish someone in the community could help with. Just drawing the maneuvers on paper.
Now the parts that will be scriptable are things like, add to attack list, add to defend list, add to ignore list... things for chosing targets. Or things like dock to.
I'm definitely open to suggestions.
