SB etemp issue: case closed...?

[Dave Ahn <ahn@vec.wfubmc.edu>]

Well, d4sand, swasey and I tried to uncover the SB etemp bug only to conclude
that this "bug" is probably a misunderstood feature.  I had known about this
feature for a long time but didn't realize that it was obscure knowledge.

Facts:

1. SB cool rate is -4 (i.e. goes down 4 points per sec), which is
   lower than all other ships by a big margin.

2. Cool rate for all ships adjusted by current ships speed.  For the SB,
   w1 yields -4+1= -3 effective cool rate, w2 yields -4+2= -2.

3. T/P adjusts cool rate by +5, so an SB @ w0 will gain etemp at +1/sec.

4. *** SB etemp cool rate is adjusted by a multiple of the number of ships
   docked and the SB's current ship, i.e.:
      etemp += (0.7 * (sb_speed * num_docked_ships))

   This means:

	SB Warp		# docked	effective cool rate
	-------		--------	-------------------
	   2		   0		  -2+0 = -2/sec
	   2		   1		  -2+1 = -1/sec
	   2		   2		  -2+2 =  0/sec
	   2		   3		  -2+4 =  2/sec
	   2		   4		  -2+5 =  3/sec

	   1		   0		  -3+0 = -3/sec
	   1		   1		  -3+0 = -3/sec
	   1		   2		  -3+1 = -2/sec
	   1		   3		  -3+2 = -1/sec
	   1		   4		  -3+2 = -1/sec

	   0		   0		  -4+0 = -4/sec
	   0		   1		  -4+0 = -4/sec
	   0		   2		  -4+0 = -4/sec
	   0		   3		  -4+0 = -4/sec
	   0		   4		  -4+0 = -4/sec

  Note that at w0 or w1, SB will always cool (w/o t/p), even if slowly in
  some instances.  However, at w2, SB will not cool at all if 2 ships are
  docked, and will actually gain etemp if 3 or 4 ships are docked.
  Also, the 3rd docked ship (relative to others) is extremely expensive
  for the SB in terms of engine cool rate.  Also, SB @ w2 + 4 docked + t/p
  results in engine overheat at 3+5 = 8/sec!


Considering these facts and other observations (SB in clue games are
more likely to have more docked ships compared to SB in pickup; SB in
clue games will t/p more than in pickup), it's possible that some people
are mistaking the docked ship cool rate penalty for an actual bug with
the server in INL mode.

There could be a real bug somewhere, though, but we were unable to reproduce
it.

Dave
-- 
Dave Ahn <ahn@vec.wfubmc.edu>        |  "When you were born, you cried and the
                                     |  world rejoiced.  Try to live your life
Virtual Endoscopy Center             |  so that when you die, you will rejoice
Wake Forest Univ. School of Medicine |  and the world will cry."  -1/2 jj^2