Scenario Editor AI

[Thunda]

Has anyone yet managed to create a decent offensive AI?

The main thing I'm finding is A to B movement is where the problem lies. If I set an Order to go from A to B and the AI runs into enemy troops - they just run through the middle of them (albeit stopping and shooting enroute). I was kinda expecting that the AI would see the Zone set up in the Order as a mini-objective and the AI would do what was necessary to achieve that objective. But it doesn't (or seems not to) - it just runs straight towards it regardless of whats in the way.

The only way around that is to set up a whole load of mini-orders where you anticipate contact would occur such as :

Run to Bocage line and wait for 5 minutes.

Cross Bocage and run to next line of Bocage .. wait 5 minutes.

Thats all well and good, but if the Player hasn't got any enemy in the way - the AI is just sitting around needlessly when it could be pressing forward unopposed.

In the scenario I was wanting to create, I'd set up a situation where an engagement would take place between 2 Combat Patrols. I'd set a number of Objectives that each Patrol would have to "Touch" and then the necessary Orders for the AI side to go from one to one. The idea being that eventually the 2 patrols would cross (I'd set it so there were a number of potential hotspots depending on how fast or slow the Player would move).

Worked fine ... until the 2 opposed patrols came into contact with each other .. While me, the player controlled side, would do the necessaries, the AI would fire a few shots off and then just run away following the next order and I'd have to chase them across the map ..... Not exactly what I had in mind ..

I'd have thought something simple would have existed within the AI that said "enemy contact established - interupt current order, engage, then continue with current order when successful".

But no. Which is either a shame .. or .. I'm doing something soooooooo wrong somewhere ...

Anyone any idea which it is?

[SlowMotion]

That's what scenario makers are waiting for: that you could use many kinds of triggers in AI plans. Now the only trigger is time.

[Thunda]

That's what scenario makers are waiting for: that you could use many kinds of triggers in AI plans. Now the only trigger is time.

As it stands all that can be done is set up a static defence which, at its heart, is really just a maze for the Player to navigate and shoot things up on the way .. with various Plans, you can make that maze different a few times .. but its still just a maze.

I'd figured of the few scenarios I'd played in the campaigns so far that when I was on the defence it was a bit "easy" - looking at the scenario editor with the way it works, I can now see why.

Has Battlefront suggested triggers are coming or is it just wishful thinking on the part of players / scenario makers?

[SlowMotion]

There has been lots of discussion about this, but I have no idea what the current status is. I don't think we'll see triggers added to CMBN.

[MengJiao]

That's what scenario makers are waiting for: that you could use many kinds of triggers in AI plans. Now the only trigger is time.

You can trigger support fire. It tends to go off a bit early since it starts as soon as you spot the support fire target.

[YankeeDog]

There has been lots of discussion about this, but I have no idea what the current status is. I don't think we'll see triggers added to CMBN.

Yeah, I doubt we'll see them added to CMBN as I think this would definitely quality as a "major feature" and therefore something that will be added with a new title release (CM:Bulge, CM:Bagration, etc.), not with a patch or a module to CMBN.

But IIRC Steve did make some comments a while back that adding contexual triggers options to the AI plans is "on the list" for improvements, so hopefully we'll see them eventually. Whether this means with the next major title release (which from what I understand will be CM:Bulge), or something further down the line, we'll just have to wait and see; I doubt anyone at BFC could tell us for sure even if they wanted to.