Triggers - Interesting Use of

[Jack Ration]

Just getting my head around triggers and the AI component of scenario building generally. Thought it might be interesting to share a few ideas on utilising, what I think is, the most interesting addition in the CMx3 upgrade, ie triggers and the AI module generally.

Any clues for budding scenario builders out there?

[kohlenklau]

I consider myself a budding scenario builder and have found it useful to look at a small stock scenario in the editor and go into the AI plan part and see what was programmed. See what triggers what. Then go and play the game in scenario author mode in WEGO of course and watch it play out and see the timing. AI orders 99% always starts on the full minute, top of the turn. You will see the trigger event happen and then on the next full minute turn start, you should see the reaction order happen. Then rename the file and see if there is anything you might do differently. Play around with it and see how it goes. If you do attempt this, change frequency of the plans so you are only dealing with one plan at a time.

One thing I saw as useful is using triggers of human player units to have the AI move into positions with LOS to that area of the trigger. Or to just come out of hide and already be in LOS.

Have fun and jump in with both feet and make a small scenario with just a platoon.

Oh, and use every one of the 16 AI groups!

[Pete Wenman]

Various threads have covered this in the past including this one

http://www.battlefront.com/community/showthread.php?t=114694

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.

[Juju]

I'm new to this as well and this is probably a really obvious one:

I've been using enemy touch triggers for individual squads to relocate to fallback positions as soon as an attacker gets too close for comfort. If you can afford to have each squad assigned to its own group, so each can respond to different threats and hopefully even cover eachother's retreat, then all the better. Seems to work well for urban defense situations.

Another thing I found is that HQ's (and other small teams) tend to be a little quicker in executing their movement paths than a full squad does (these leap-frog their teams and therefor take a lot longer to get where they're going). This means your HQ's have this tendency to lead from the front, which is something you usually don't want. Having a platoon HQ in its own group allows you to trail after the rest of the platoon by having them wait for the squad(s) to start a specific order before running ahead and getting their heads blown off.

[Jack Ration]

Thx for the links and advice.

It is a whole new ball game playing via the AI.