When AI moves after/before orders are ignored

[nik mond]

Just wondering what the cause is for "move after" times to not work in AI routines. I have a reinforcement vehicle arrive after 5 minutes on map. I set a move after 5 minutes on the setup and a move after 2 minutes on the 1st destination but the delays are ignored and it procedes from order point to point without delay.

[mjkerner]

nik, do you have "exit before" orders, too?

[nik mond]

nik, do you have "exit before" orders, too?

you would be correct even with sarcasm , because I meant EXIT before after orders (not move). Ya these exit times don't seem to be working in this case.

[mjkerner]

nik, no sarcasm was intended at all. I had to look up the correct term myself, 'cause I couldn't remember, but the question was serious. Since you did use that order, I'm stumped!

[nik mond]

Does this halftrak have to be near an HQ I wonder? Considering its just a lone reinforcement. Doesn't seem to matter if I increase Exit times, or which order sequence.

[mjkerner]

I read in an older thread something about if reinforcements are attached to an active on-board command, they'd stay put and not follow the AI orders for that command...or something like that. Sgt Schultz, LongLeftFlank, FredRock, FM Blucher or some one with alot of editor time will surely know.

[nik mond]

OK, well thanks then. Just thought I'd put it out there, I can work around it.

The AI Order locations are not ignored and it certainly takes off and follows the path OK. But the Exit times are totally ignored. Also it has its own unique group number.

[A Canadian Cat]

Aren't the times all absolute from the start of the scenario? If so then your times would have to be move 5min and 7min (or 10min and 12min depending on if you want it to wait for 5 more minutes in its starting location) instead of 5min and 2min.

[George MC]

Not too sure what is meant here so I’ll start at the beginning – apologies if this is teaching ya to suck eggs.

AI Order Plans are a bit of a Black Art for sure. A few points to take into consideration when creating AI Plans.

The TACAI is separate from the Strategic AI i.e. your AI Plan. The TACAI will tend to do ‘stuff’ in reaction to threats real or perceived on the battlefield. For this reason micro-managing the AI Plan is not always a good thing. Carefully crafted timings can easily be upset by enemy activity. Sometimes less is more i.e. simple AI Plans with broad bandwidths of time for the AI to undertake your orders.

‘Exit After’ and ‘Exit Before’ times relate to the game clock e.g. an ‘Exit After; time of 00:05:00 means that the AI unit will leave that painted position on the map when the game clock is 5 minutes in. ‘Exit Before’ time of 00:10:00 means it will then endeavour to reach the next painted spot before the clock reaches ten minutes. This time is relative to the start of the scenario.

Now depending on the behaviour you allocate to the AI unit will depend on how fast and in what degree of alertness it travels. So in this case allocating ‘fast’ would mean the AI unit would sprint to that next spot, taking less care (spotting or engaging) any enemy unit en-route. Giving it an ‘assault’ behaviour would mean the AI unit would move it’s constituent elements (assuming it’s more than one vehicle or section etc) in a staggered manner keeping an eye out for any enemy and engaging them if need be.

So when creating your AI Plan you need to take into account how long it may take an AI unit to travel over that specified piece of ground (and take into account any enemy action and what effect it may have on the AI unit). If you don’t give your AI unit enough time rather than sit at the next point it will tend to barrel onto the next painted waypoint and so on until it’s back on ‘target’ with the timings.

As you can see with all the possible variables creating effective AI Plans does involve some trial and error. Also you do need to take into account the limitations of the AI Plan routines. There is little or no point in trying to create grandiose and complex AI Plans that are put out of kilter the moment the AI encounters any enemy.

So my top tips:

• keep it simple
  
• use sweeping ‘brush strokes’ rather than small detailed strokes

Doing this generally allows the TACAI some scope for choosing it’s own routes and reacting to enemy activity thus introducing some elements of uncertainty for the opposing human player.

[nik mond]

Thankyou ian and George MC. Its relative to the game clock not the unit entry. I realize now I have never coordinated exits on reinforcements before, only ingame units and it really threw me off this time. I can work with this. Good advice on movement, I actually pasted this to my notes.