AI Scenario Editor

[Deriuse]

Hi is there any guide to AI scenario editing? my problem is this i like to create my own scenarios using quick battle maps and just purchasing the units i want have more time to end the battle etc but red units dont deploy in a very smart way IE in a urban area they deploy the units out of the buildings and too cluttered etc etc how can i change this? in the AI section of the scenario editor ive seen something like lower floors upper floors etc how does this work to make em deploy propretly?

[Thomm]

In an urban area they deploy the units out of the buildings and too cluttered etc etc how can i change this?

I am by no means an expert on editor matters, but I would like to suggest that you paint only the buildings' footprints as deploy zones. Then the AI should have no choice but to deploy in the buildings.

Best regards,

Thomm

[Deriuse]

thx a lot so i paint in yellow the buildings but what do i have to put in the rest? dismount no dismount exit before cautious normal active? also do i only have to edit plan 1? and assing units to groups?

[Jonny(FGM)]

You only need 1 AI plan, if you want them to set up in different zones randomly then do more than one plan.

If you just want the troops to sit there and defend then all you need to do is change the behaviour "ambush, hide, active" etc

[LongLeftFlank]

Don't try to make the same defenders both move about AND defend fixed locations -- it never seems to work. Start some folks to be the front line cannon fodder, others in overwatch. And then bring in reinforcements and have them sweep in various directions.

FWIW

[Paper Tiger]

Deriuse

I'll offer you a couple of pointers if you don't mind. First, I would recommend that you don't use QB maps to start with but create a very, very basic one in the editor first, say about 240mx240m. Put a couple of buildings on it and paint one as an AI set up zone. Buy a very small formation fom the editor and place them in the set up zone.

Once you've done that, give them an order to move from the set up building to the other and then you can play around with the AI orders and watch what they do. Use SCENARIO AUTHOR mode to do this. Try varying the types of movement orders, DASH, QUICK, ADVANCE etc and also try changing the Exit Before/After times and see what happens. Make notes if it helps.

Since your map is so small, it will load up very quickly and you can do several experiments in 15-20 minutes. Once you've got a handle on what's going on then you can progress to two AI groups, 3 etc and even add enemy units for them to interact with. You will even know what questions to ask when you need help rather than very general 'how does the editor work'

That's how I learned to use the editor and I had a lot of fun discovering its workings myself. I still do this when I am trying out something new.

Anyway, good luck with your experiements.

[hoolaman]

thx a lot so i paint in yellow the buildings but what do i have to put in the rest? dismount no dismount exit before cautious normal active? also do i only have to edit plan 1? and assing units to groups?

The manual might be a good place to start, though it explains this stuff very poorly imo.

I'm not a guru by any means and some of my understanding might be wrong, but to explain the basics, an AI order is part movement and part deployment.

For each order you have a movement setting which changes the way the units move TO the setup zones for that order. This is Assault, Dash etc. the meanings of these are in the manual. Be aware that assault orders will cause the AI to move by the "Assault" move order which sucks sometimes.

When the unit arrives at the setup zones, they will deploy as you set the options for floors of buildings (only if they are in a building obviously) and they will dismount if you tell them to. Active, cautious, ambush represent their fire discipline so you can tell them to hide, or ambush when they reach their zones.

The Exit Before/Exit After are the timings for the scripting. For each order including setup, these timings will allow you to set the time at which the units will leave that setup zone and move on to the next order. The manual sort of explains what the two times mean, but I think the idea is that the units in that group start moving at the exit after time and try to complete their move before exit before time.

[Deriuse]

Thx for all the answers i managed to make em what i want to do

[zwobot]

Deriuse

Use SCENARIO AUTHOR mode to do this.

What exactly is the scenario author mode and how do I activate it (could not find anything in the manual about it)?

I suppose it lets me play the scenario in a kind of god mode seeing both sides to see how the AI plans work out?

I'm playing around in the editor and don't want to place spies and whatnot on the map only to be able to see what the AI does.

[Jonny(FGM)]

When you go to play the scenario it is one of the difficulty settings.