fix mutually canceling orbits

src/lib/ecs/component/MovementIntentComponent.h

@@ -11,4 +11,7 @@ struct MovementIntentComponent
     bool      active = false;
     QVector2D target;                   // straight-line destination, or orbit center when orbitRadius_tiles > 0
     float     orbitRadius_tiles = 0.0f; // 0 ⇒ go straight to target; >0 ⇒ orbit target at this radius
+    QVector2D orbitCenterVelocity_tpt;  // velocity of the orbit center (0 for a static center); the orbit
+                                        // sense is resolved relative to this so a moving target's own motion
+                                        // does not bias it
 };

src/lib/ecs/system/MovementIntentSystem.cpp

@@ -52,8 +52,9 @@ void MovementIntentSystem::tick(EntityAdmin& admin)
             QVector2D destination = intent.target;
             if (intent.orbitRadius_tiles > 0.0f)
             {
-                const float sign = OrbitMath::resolveOrbitSign(pos.value, intent.target,
+                const float sign = OrbitMath::resolveOrbitSign(
-                                                               body.velocity_tpt);
+                    pos.value, intent.target, body.velocity_tpt,
+                    intent.orbitCenterVelocity_tpt);
                 destination = OrbitMath::computeOrbitDestination(
                     pos.value, intent.target, intent.orbitRadius_tiles, sign);
             }

src/lib/ecs/system/ai/AttackExecutor.cpp

@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 
 #include "AttackBehavior.h"
 #include "BehaviorKind.h"
+#include "DynamicBodyComponent.h"
 #include "EntityAdmin.h"
 #include "ModuleOwnerComponent.h"
 #include "MovementIntentComponent.h"
@@ -27,12 +28,17 @@ void AttackExecutor::execute(EntityAdmin& admin)
             const entt::entity t = *attack.currentTarget;
             QVector2D center = pos.value;
             float     radius = 0.0f;
+            QVector2D centerVelocity;
             if (admin.isValid(t) && admin.hasAll<PositionComponent>(t))
             {
                 center = admin.get<PositionComponent>(t).value;
                 radius = attack.orbitRadius_tiles;
+                if (admin.hasAll<DynamicBodyComponent>(t))
+                {
+                    centerVelocity = admin.get<DynamicBodyComponent>(t).velocity_tpt;
                 }
-            intent = MovementIntentComponent{true, center, radius};
+            }
+            intent = MovementIntentComponent{true, center, radius, centerVelocity};
         });
 
     // Weapons: assign the behavior target only if it is within this weapon's range.

src/lib/ecs/system/ai/OrbitMath.h

@@ -18,24 +18,32 @@ namespace OrbitMath
     constexpr float kOrbitLeadAngle_rad = 0.6f;
 
     // Returns the orbit sense (+1 counter-clockwise, -1 clockwise) that matches
-    // the ship's current movement around `center`, so steering reinforces the
+    // the ship's movement around `center`, so steering reinforces the motion the
-    // motion the ship already has. When the velocity is nearly radial or near
+    // ship already has. The sense is taken from the ship's velocity *relative to
-    // zero (e.g. a head-on approach or a freshly spawned ship) the sense is
+    // the center* (`centerVelocity`): for a moving target this both removes the
+    // target's own motion from the decision and dissolves the degenerate case
+    // where two ships orbiting each other translate in a straight line — there
+    // their shared velocity cancels, leaving ~zero relative velocity. When the
+    // relative velocity is nearly radial or near zero (a head-on approach, a
+    // freshly spawned ship, or that mutual-translation case) the sense is
     // ill-defined; this is an unstable point the ship leaves within a tick or
     // two, so a deterministic fallback of +1 is returned.
     inline float resolveOrbitSign(const QVector2D& shipPos, const QVector2D& center,
-                                  const QVector2D& velocity)
+                                  const QVector2D& velocity,
+                                  const QVector2D& centerVelocity = QVector2D())
     {
         const QVector2D radial = shipPos - center;
+        const QVector2D relativeVelocity = velocity - centerVelocity;
         const float radialLength   = radial.length();
-        const float velocityLength = velocity.length();
+        const float velocityLength = relativeVelocity.length();
         if (radialLength < 1.0e-4f || velocityLength < 1.0e-4f)
         {
             return 1.0f;
         }
 
-        // z-component of radial x velocity, normalised to sin(angle) between them.
+        // z-component of radial x relativeVelocity, normalised to sin(angle).
-        const float cross = radial.x() * velocity.y() - radial.y() * velocity.x();
+        const float cross = radial.x() * relativeVelocity.y()
+                          - radial.y() * relativeVelocity.x();
         const float sinAngle = cross / (radialLength * velocityLength);
 
         constexpr float kRadialEpsilon = 1.0e-3f;

src/lib/ecs/system/ai/RepairExecutor.cpp

@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 #include "RepairExecutor.h"
 
 #include "BehaviorKind.h"
+#include "DynamicBodyComponent.h"
 #include "EntityAdmin.h"
 #include "ModuleOwnerComponent.h"
 #include "MovementIntentComponent.h"
@@ -27,12 +28,17 @@ void RepairExecutor::execute(EntityAdmin& admin)
             const entt::entity t = *repair.currentTarget;
             QVector2D center = pos.value;
             float     radius = 0.0f;
+            QVector2D centerVelocity;
             if (admin.isValid(t) && admin.hasAll<PositionComponent>(t))
             {
                 center = admin.get<PositionComponent>(t).value;
                 radius = repair.orbitRadius_tiles;
+                if (admin.hasAll<DynamicBodyComponent>(t))
+                {
+                    centerVelocity = admin.get<DynamicBodyComponent>(t).velocity_tpt;
                 }
-            intent = MovementIntentComponent{true, center, radius};
+            }
+            intent = MovementIntentComponent{true, center, radius, centerVelocity};
         });
 
     // Repair tools: prefer the behavior target if it is within tool range.

src/test/BehaviorSystemTest.cpp

@@ -1260,3 +1260,22 @@ TEST_CASE("OrbitMath: orbit sign follows the ship's tangential velocity",
     // Zero velocity (e.g. freshly spawned) → fallback +1.
     REQUIRE(OrbitMath::resolveOrbitSign(shipPos, center, QVector2D(0.0f, 0.0f)) == Approx(1.0f));
 }
+
+TEST_CASE("OrbitMath: orbit sense uses velocity relative to a moving center",
+          "[orbit]")
+{
+    const QVector2D center(0.0f, 0.0f);
+    const QVector2D shipPos(5.0f, 0.0f);  // radial points +x
+
+    // Two ships orbiting each other can translate in parallel: the ship and the
+    // center share the same velocity, so relative velocity cancels → fallback +1
+    // (both ships agree on the sign and break into a real mutual orbit).
+    const QVector2D sharedVelocity(0.0f, 3.0f);
+    REQUIRE(OrbitMath::resolveOrbitSign(shipPos, center, sharedVelocity, sharedVelocity)
+            == Approx(1.0f));
+
+    // A moving center's own motion is removed: the ship is stationary while the
+    // center drifts +y, so relative motion is -y → clockwise → -1.
+    REQUIRE(OrbitMath::resolveOrbitSign(shipPos, center, QVector2D(0.0f, 0.0f),
+                                        QVector2D(0.0f, 3.0f)) == Approx(-1.0f));
+}