AI Triggers

[LUCASWILLEN05]

Does this mean that I can order an assigned group , for example a platoon r a company to counter attack in the event a certain position falls to the enemy. And, ifI understand this correctly it would be possible to set up something quite sophisticated involving multiple groups. For example if I triggered No 2 Company to counter attack I can set up a trigger to have a tank platoon move to a specified position to givecovering fire. And, if the opposing player moves to a position that might interefere with these actions I can set up further triggers in which a specific unit (say another tank company will move to meet that threat?

[Glubokii Boy]

Yes...this will ALL be possible

One additional feature to the current trigger system that ought to be possible to implement in the not to far future would be a slight variation of the TERRAIN OBJECTIVE trigger...

Right now they are triggered when a unit (friendly or enemy) enter the TERRAIN OBJECTIVE..

If we could also have the option to set of the trigger for the same TERRAIN OBJECTIVE if a unit does NOT enter it at the SPECIFIED TIME (perhaps the 2nd time in the 'exit between').

This would also allow us the reiforce a failed AI advance for example...

Ex...

A platoon is ordered to advance to a farm but commes under enemy fire and is bogged down...When the times run out on the TERRAIN OBJECTIVE at the farm (not been touched variant)...An other platoon is triggered to attack the same objective...either by the same route or by an other route (trying to flank/bypass the enemies that are firering at the first platoon)

[LUCASWILLEN05]

Interesting. So let's suppose I want to set up an anti tank kill zone using, for example a Soviet Infantry battalion's anti tank battery reinforced by the three batteries of the Soviet Anti tank battalion. This is a "Cat Trap"

I want to se up a classic L shaped ambush to giive the cats a nasty dilemma.

In the version of the AI plan I want I would paint the objective area representing my Kill Zone, give group orders to the battery I want to initiate the ambush. This might be one of the batteries placed on the long end of the L facing into my kill zone. Since I don;t want to spring the ambush to soon I set orders to "Ambush Armour 600 meters" I could then set appropriate triggers to have the other three batteries to open fire against armour if it is wihin a suitable range and the battery that triggered the ambush has fired.

Thus prresenting the German armour with a fiendish problem. Do they turn toface one threat exposing their side armour in the process or do they back out.

And this in turn could trigger a Soviet armoured counter attack. Ouch!

[womble]

You just have to remember that these "wait until x" orders will be the only orders that those AI groups will have. So if you want to respond to 2 different eventualities, you have to split your reserves between them, however you chain the orders from one another. Sometimes that will be just fine, since the responders will be doing a job just sitting where they were, but not always.

[LUCASWILLEN05]

You just have to remember that these "wait until x" orders will be the only orders that those AI groups will have. So if you want to respond to 2 different eventualities, you have to split your reserves between them, however you chain the orders from one another. Sometimes that will be just fine, since the responders will be doing a job just sitting where they were, but not always.

So I am not likely to have too many issues doing this wih a PAK screen tasked to overwatch a Kill Zone(call it "Kill Zone 1 but,I would not be able to set up a second kill zone further down a valley for example. Having said that I might not actually need to do so anyway as the anti tank guns will by now be engaging the enemy and will continue to do so until the AI calculates this is no longer neccessary.

Presumeably also, if the attacker were to decide to send more tanks into the same Kill Zone (yes I know it might be a stupid thing to do ) then the AI trigger would be triggerred again unless I give instructions to thecontrary in the AI Plan.

However, I would not be able to have, for example a tank company select one of two or more options such that if enemy is spotted in Area A then do X otherwise do Y. There may be a way BF will be able to allow for this in the future of course but here our AI plans would be getting really complicated:D

[ASL Veteran]

Once an AI trigger has been activated then that's it. There is no way to deactivate a trigger once it has been activated and then have it re trigger.

[LUCASWILLEN05]

OK I think i am starting to grasp the concept and capabilities of triggers. Will have to experiment with this over the weekend. They seem like a very useful tool

[sburke]

Interesting. So let's suppose I want to set up an anti tank kill zone using, for example a Soviet Infantry battalion's anti tank battery reinforced by the three batteries of the Soviet Anti tank battalion. This is a "Cat Trap"

I want to se up a classic L shaped ambush to giive the cats a nasty dilemma.

In the version of the AI plan I want I would paint the objective area representing my Kill Zone, give group orders to the battery I want to initiate the ambush. This might be one of the batteries placed on the long end of the L facing into my kill zone. Since I don;t want to spring the ambush to soon I set orders to "Ambush Armour 600 meters" I could then set appropriate triggers to have the other three batteries to open fire against armour if it is wihin a suitable range and the battery that triggered the ambush has fired.

Thus prresenting the German armour with a fiendish problem. Do they turn toface one threat exposing their side armour in the process or do they back out.

And this in turn could trigger a Soviet armoured counter attack. Ouch!

I do not believe you can set a trigger to open fire. Triggers are essentially interruptions to initiate a move. In your example above those look to be fixed locations - AT guns. In that instance the best I think you could do is have armor ambush settings. If you want to present a dilemma, the trigger would have to be to cause a force to move, say a tank platoon and have it crest the ambush point on a flank.

[Pete Wenman]

You can create what I call the AI ambush.

Possible spoiler

order 1 Hide for 51 minutes mean Grp 16 will remain hiden for 51 minutes unless the RA2 trigger is tripped.

order 2 Grp 16 does not move but changes from hide to Ambush Armour 75m.

As such Grp 16 will stop hiding and ambush armour if the RA2 is tripped or 51 minutes elapse which ever happens first.

Note there are no AI zones painted for either order and so grp 16 will always sit in the location chosen in the editor in this instance, indicated by the yellow box.

P

[mjkerner]

sburke is right, Triggers are tied to AI orders (either tied to an AI order your side initiates, or to a "painted" terrain area that the enemy moves into), and therefore involve movement by one side or the other. I suppose a person could paint the Trigger Order zone in the same location as the unit's set up zone--so the AT guns don't actually move--and have the order for that trigger be a change of the Ambush range. Why someone would want do that though, is hard imagine.

EDIT: Never mind, Pete's the expert, I'm a slow typer, and pics are worth 1000 words.

[sburke]

Hell I just learned something new. Thanks Pete!