Mapmaking - Paths for IA

[Havoc40k]

I'm busy working on some IA maps, just for $#!ts and giggles, and maybe to post online (but i'll cross that bridge when I get there).

I've got some maps up and running, but i have OOONNEEEE small problem... The enemy vehicles are following the paths set by the map that I seeded them off of. They bunch up along the side of a valley wall, trying to scale a near vertical climb, and sit there for the whole game. Can any body explain to me how to change this so that they catually follow the new map's terrain features, and not the old one's?

Also, as a sidenote, I've made an enhanced version on the IA Dunes, with the map borders and the hills in front of the basesmore lumpy and not flat, and with more dunes, making it more Dune-y . I'm not sure who to ask to get it online, but if you do want it, just PM me with your aaddy and I'll shoot it off to you.

Havoc

[Red Spot]

3 things;

-or your cliffs are too steep or to shalow
(do also note that if you make like a very square object and than want the AI to go to the other side theu have a hard time getting around, blend the edges so it gets more round and the AI generally has an easier time pathing across a map)

-you ended up with some pathpoints in/under/ontop of a hill
(if a stage/hold point is where a hill is units wont do anything untill they reached the stage/hold point, wich they never will ...)

-or this may perhaps be usefull if implemented;
http://www.bzuniverse.com/forum/index.php/topic,6698.0.html



G

[Havoc40k]

My problem would be under your second option:

-you ended up with some pathpoints in/under/ontop of a hill
(if a stage/hold point is where a hill is units wont do anything untill they reached the stage/hold point, wich they never will ...)

the seed-map (IA-Canyons) was relatively flat. The new map is set on Venus, with 100m+ cliffs, and you battle in the valleys and ravines caused by erosion. so I'm thinking the path-points are sitting +-80m UNDER the surface of the terrain. The Scions just klump against a canyon wall, sit there, mill around abit, and generally have an attack of the stupids. What I was wondering is how do I move said unreachable pathing points so that the units travel AROUND the canyon walls and not try go through them...

[Red Spot]

when you've activated the editor (note; you dont have to be in it, it just needs to have been activated) press "shift+F9" and a the editor will switch to a yellow/blue editor wich allows you to move/add/remove paths.

press 1 than 2 than you can select a path or make a new one, once one has been activly selected you can remove it by pressing delete
every map should have a few paths to work wich are;
-Recycler
-RecyclerEnemy
-stage1 (to 3)
-hold1 (to 4)

optional are
-tank1 (to 3)
-tankEnemy1 (to 3)
-turretEnemy1 (to 3 or 4)
-gtow1 (to 5)

additionally you can spawn extra human and AI units/buildings by using the following;
mpic#_fvscout_ivscout
or
mpiC#_vscout

# -> a number used only once meaning if you have 2 mpic2 paths only 1 would work and it may break any other spawn-paths
use c/C (or h/H for the human team) to specify exact units/race or use the capitalisation to spawn a "general" unit

make sure that the paths are all at relativly flat terrain and in such a position the AI wont stage an attack facing a huge wall dead-center ...

you may wanna first of all read the "netvars.rtf" documents in your root BZ2 folder ...
(its basicly a much better explanation of what I tried above ..)



G

[Lizard]

I think I'll make this thread sticky aswell while I'm at it.


I dunno how many times I've had to explain path points and shift-f9 to folks.   

[Havoc40k]

HEy, Thanks Guys. It's still buggering me around, but I HAVE got them to move around the terrain. I'll fool around with it some more and try fix the rest of the problems. 

Also, I've uploaded  my modded Dunes map. Here it is:

http://savefile.com/projects/1073374

Hope everyone likes it. Feedback would be appreciated 

[Red Devil]

From the 1.3 Changelog:

- Added more AIP stages for mapmakers. Previously, 'stage1' 'stage2'
and 'stage3' were available. Now, 'stage1' thru 'stage32' are available,
with the game counting the number available at map load time. Any break
in the order stops the search, so a map with stages 1,2,3,4,6 would only
use 4 stages, 1..4. [NM]

[GreenHeart]

1.3 Requires the following paths

ENEMY'S TEAM
---------------------------------
RecyclerEnemy
turretEnemy1
turretEnemy2
tankEnemy1   
tankEnemy2   
tankEnemy3 

hold1     // Enemy Turret Hold Point 1
hold2     // Enemy Turret Hold Point 2
hold3     // Enemy Turret Hold Point 3
hold4     // Enemy Turret Hold Point 4

gtow1
gtow2   
gtow3 
gtow4 
gtow5

stage1 
stage2
stage3
thru 'stage32' are available,    //  (1.3


PLAYER'S TEAM
---------------------------------
Recycler     // Player's Recycler

tank1     // Tank 1
tank2     // Tank 2
tank3     // Tank 3



EXTRAS:
---------------------------------
edge_path  // MAP EDGE
power1     // POWER UP 1
power2     // POWER UP 2
power3     // POWER UP 3


Also i usually add the following paths to the GreenHeart mpi maps. (Not Required)


GreenHeart Style Custom Paths:
---------------------------------
mpic1_fvturr_ivturr_  //Scion & ISDF Turret

mpic1_ibmtow1  // ISDF Mortar Tower
mpic1_ibagtow1  // ISDF Assault Tower
mpic1_fbspir_ibagtow1 // Scion GunTower & ISDF Assault Tower
mpic1_fbstow_ibstow1  // Scion & ISDF Rocket Tower

[Lizard]

while I think about it I may aswell copy the fleshstorm path point data from the other thread and put it in here so that all this stuff is in the same place:

Path points for Fleshstorm ( all modes IA and MPI ) :



Swarm :

RecyclerEnemy - resequencer


leech1
leech2
leech3
leech4    -  leeches
leech5
leech6

sfact -  gestator

sresp - respirator


Gtow1
Gtow2
Gtow3 - protectors
Gtow4
Gtow5

scortex - cortex

splice - splicer

nclust -  neural cluster

infu - infuser


BlackDogs :



recBD - Recycler


powBD1
powBD2 - power generators
powBD3

factBD - factory

bunkerBD - com bunker

armoBD - armoury

serviceBD - service bay

gtowBD1
gtowBD2 - guntowers

techBD - tech center



Scion :


recs - Matriarch

kiln - kiln

antenna - antenna mound

stronghold - stronghold

dower - dower

spire1
spire2 - Gunspires
spire3


Mechana :


M_Fact - producer

M_Pow1
M_Pow2 - power generators
M_Pow3

M_Com - com building

M_GT1
M_GT2
M_GT3
M_GT4 - guntowers
M_GT5
M_GT6
M_GT7


EDF :



rece - recycler

power1
power2 - power generators
power3

factory - factory

bunker - com bunker

armory - armoury

servicebay - servicebay

gtow1
gtow2 - guntowers

techcenter - tech center


additionally if you wish to make more maps like the mechana one you will need the following extra path points for the EDF :

power4 - power gen

train - training center

bomb - bomber bay

gtow3 - guntower




maps will also need several stage points.



for the player the path points :


Recy - recycler

Cons - Phaer Rhan Overlord

are also required for IA.



and in MPI:


mpih_pvcons - Phaer Rhan Overlord

Recy - recycler



and that's about it.

[Avatar]

Really?  You manage with that few Fleshstorm path points?   



lol

-Av-

[Lizard]

Really?  You manage with that few Fleshstorm path points?   



lol

-Av-

yeah, I kept it pretty simple.

[Avatar]

Well, it's barely four pages worth if I print it out... I don't know how you squeak by with that few...

God, I suck at sarcasm, don't I???   

You must've gotten AWFULLY tired of making maps, placing that many points on each map...  and I cringe at the thought of the Scriptor script...

-Av-

[Lizard]

if you make a blank map with all the paths already in it all you then need to do is move them around a little, import a new terrain and away you go .


the DLL wasn't too complicated a lot of the work was done by the aip's, but I kept them simple aswell with no switching or any crazy stuff like that, the simpler something is the less there is to go wrong with it.

[K-Chan]

I have one question. What to the Stage point mean? Like stage1, etc?

What are these paths used for?

[Avatar]

That's where the AI will send units to wait to attack you.  As it makes Tanks, for instance, they'll bunch up and then head for a staging point.  They'll sit there for a bit and then come attack you.  This way not all attacks come from the AI Base, where you could easily bottle them up.

Use this to have them go somewhere, then hit the human base from an unexpected direction.

-Av-