An opponent has an inbound gift of a sub containing only an Inspector. The gift is from another opponent who was eliminated after the gift was sent. Before it gets there, it momentarily crosses a small spot not covered by my sonar. Sometimes, while I'm trying various combinations of launches on that outpost - which means running the time forward and back, the gift stops making it across the dead spot. So, not noticing at first, I set up a schedule that would win the outpost, only to come back later to check and find I lose the outpost.

Since I no longer have time to make up the difference, I'm a bit cross.

I don't think it looks like a bug. Just a time machine thing. The gift isn't suppose to be seen after the dead spot, because i goes into it. Your not suppose to see it after it comes out.

So for what ever reason some things happened:

1) You could see the gift going through dead spot (not good)

2) Time machine corrected number one

3) Gift got into a dead zone, you waited to long, time machine correctly gave you a loss due the inspector charging the shields because you already have information on it's arrival time.

Probably number 3. You could have just calculated its time to arrival (14 hours we assume).

If you can get there before 14 hours and win the inspector is yours.

I too think this is no bug. The gift goes in an unseen area and you don't know what happens there. It could get intercepted or something so the time machine doesnt show it after it entered unknown waters.

Actually, I think what happened is that when I fill my sub, the other sub is not visible - being in the blind spot. From that point on, it presents my future as if the other sub never existed. It never reappears on the other side and my future is calculated as if it never existed. I'm the winner.

Still, if I relaunch the app, and run the time machine again, the other sub is visible, disappears, and reappears, and my sub is now defeated by the extra sub.

I understand what it thinks it's doing, but there has to be a more graceful solution than relaunching the app, or paper and pencil. It means every time I set up a schedule, I have to check it by quitting and relaunching. Maybe there should be some sort of refresh? Maybe the time machine should inexplicably blink red? Maybe every time the time machine is closed, it should reset, and turn orange if you have a scheduled lose?

I just resist the thought that the normal operation of an application should include its constant exit and relaunch. Too much time in QA and tech support, I guess.

If a sub temporarily goes into a fog-of-war patch it doesn't make much sense for the time machine to disappear it from the future.

I think it would make more sense for the time machine to take into account any information you've seen in the past, not just the currently visible present. That would be more in line with the way the time machine works more generally---it makes projections based on information currently available to you.

More generally, things displayed in the time machine come under two categories: known facts, and uncertain projections. Why not allow subs to be projected into and through the fog of war, given that the projection is already uncertain to begin with?

It's possible that as soon as the sub enters the fog, it's destroyed by an enemy sub.

I think having the sub disappear when leaving vision makes more sense than assuming the sub is still around.

What happens if the sub is actually destroyed while out of vision? Would you see it disappear then?

therealben wrote:It's possible that as soon as the sub enters the fog, it's destroyed by an enemy sub.

Yes, and it's possible that your own sub will suddenly be waylaid by pirates the moment it enters the fog of war, but the time machine doesn't simply assume that, does it?

The basic principle of the time machine is that it assumes all enemy subs you can currently see will continue on the courses they are currently on. Why should this principle be violated here?

therealben wrote:What happens if the sub is actually destroyed while out of vision? Would you see it disappear then?

Obviously not. You wouldn't know it had disappeared until it failed to reappear on the other side of the fog.