AAI 0.63 released (win + linux version included)

Erom · Post by **Erom** » 25 May 2006, 05:49

So... right now, near as I can figure, the default AAI install only supports one mod from the default spring install- that being XTA v0.66 SE. I've tried to make my own CFG's, and they always fail. What's the right way to get some more configs for current versions of mods?

Specifically, I'd be really interested in a cfg for the current AA.

Targon · Post by **Targon** » 25 May 2006, 08:54

what do you mean when you say "they fail"?

submarine · Post by **submarine** » 25 May 2006, 11:25

there are configs for nearly all popular mods (except nanoblobs) included in the current release. in case the version changes, its usually sufficient to rename the file

Erom · Post by **Erom** » 25 May 2006, 19:53

Yeah, I got it. I wasn't renaming the correct varient of the file from 144 to 146.

But hey, while I'm here... two feature requests...

1) Choose Start Position game mode. I know making the AI make intelligent choices about start positions is hard, but if you could make it pick a start position from the standard ones from that map at random, that would at least allow it to play in Choose Start mode.

2) Com suicide... why is it that both AAI and NTai run their commander to it's doom every game sometime during the L1-L2 transition? Seriously, it's like I get one HLT built and it's time to suicie the com rushing it. Every game. If you could make a "panic run away" com behavior, that might improve it... although you don't want to always run... because you end up bombing yourself if you try to run at too low health...

But at least make the com scared of HLT's might improve the AI somewhat.

AF · Post by AF » 25 May 2006, 20:12

The problem is that once the commander runs away it gets to the next thing it needs todo which usually involves it going back again and running away a second time....

Soulless1 · Post by **Soulless1** » 25 May 2006, 22:05

maybe it could regard the comm as extremely vital and never go near a dangerous area? I mean, yeah it'd suck at using it offensively but TBH it normally does anyway, and at least that would prevent the commbomms

Demezriel · Post by **Demezriel** » 29 May 2006, 02:08

I tested AAI against NTAI (XE 8.0) several times on Altored Divide and AAI dominated and won nearly 100% of the time, except for a couple of times where NTai rushed it with a few Kbots. Makes for a very entertaining battle, and although NTAi defends itself well and expands fast, it just doesn't produce enough offensive units and is much too passive. AAI on the other hand keeps a steady production of tanks and Kbots up and pressures the enemy through constant attacks. AAI seems to like hovercrafts alot though, dunno if it's a good thing on maps with no water. Thanks for this good ai !

submarine · Post by **submarine** » 29 May 2006, 23:16

short update:
AAI v0.67
- AAI now handles anti air/assault units, bombers and fighters with different groups (requieres a little bit of learning to work properly)

- Added new category SUBMARINE_ASSAULT to improve aais behaviour on water maps (also added MIN_SUBMARINE_WATERLINE statement to mod.cfg)

unpossible · Post by **unpossible** » 30 May 2006, 00:42

oooh, organised airforces!
<grins>

IceXuick · Post by **IceXuick** » 30 May 2006, 02:01

sweeet!

any idea when you can release this puppy :D?

submarine · Post by **submarine** » 30 May 2006, 19:17

tbh i wanted to release it this week - my plan was to send a test version to all beta testers by the end of the weekend - however university needed more time than expectetd and additionally my flat is being renovated/refurbished atm... sorry for the delay

bamb · Post by **bamb** » 30 May 2006, 22:16

Have you been able to crush some crash bugs? It often crashes when I attack massively in AA. Have you included the latest configs (EE?)? Are you including some learning files?

submarine · Post by **submarine** » 31 May 2006, 14:44

i want to include learning files. but yet im not sure if the buildatble version is final (for the next release)

hmm there have been some bugs in0.63, that have been fixed. apart from that i just dont get any when testing atm. so i cannot fix them :)

IceXuick · Post by **IceXuick** » 02 Jun 2006, 15:11

how is the beta-testing going?

im sorry to be lazy, but, does anyone have a changelog link?

Soulless1 · Post by **Soulless1** » 03 Jun 2006, 04:02

submarine wrote:i want to include learning files. but yet im not sure if the buildatble version is final (for the next release)

hmm there have been some bugs in0.63, that have been fixed. apart from that i just dont get any when testing atm. so i cannot fix them :)

btw, do you let spring catch exceptions or not? I know AF advises disabling that for NTai since it has its own thing...

submarine · Post by **submarine** » 03 Jun 2006, 11:34

no aai doesnt cath exceptions itself. tbh i prefer a crash, since it clearly shows that something is wrong

though it's running very stable for me, hope it will be the same for other players

AF · Post by AF » 03 Jun 2006, 12:35

A crash caught by exceptions can also give more information if you do something with the exception variable it returns, also allowing you to tell the user WHERE the crash occurred to some general degree to help you start looking, and the whole things gonna go down anyways wether you have exception catching in spring turned on/off if the AI has no exception handling at all....

Ideally

"It said there was an exception in Update() then went all funny"

Is much better than "It went all funny then crashed"

shihan · Post by **shihan** » 03 Jun 2006, 19:50

I only found TASpring a couple of days ago, and its awesome, nice work guys!!

Anyways, i started a game with the default everything after getting a local server running (currenlty on the go a far bit with work, so quite often missing a connection). The default install of spring seemed to cause this error "cannot load general config file..." eventually i found out XTAPE.cfg didnt exist somewhere, but there was one called XTAPEv5.cfg... I updated AAI with 0.63 just in case before that too.

Now it seems to startup ok, and the bot even does things (if i run over there, its building stuff, and once it sent some attackers after me). But, it doesnt seem to live very long. After reading one post, i decided to get AA 1.48. And after changing the name of the cfg (AASpring144S.cfg to AASpring148S.cfg) file again im still getting the same fairly random crashes. Longest the games lasted is about 10 minutes. Doesnt seem to be any pattern to the crashes as such, happens in all the maps i've got (default ones) and kills off the client.

The error is that "unhandled exception..." error. Any suggestions on what i might of done wrong to cause it to be crashing so frequently?

submarine · Post by **submarine** » 03 Jun 2006, 20:01

assuming you try to play small divide:

there's a bug in 0.63 that crashes aai on small maps when max_mex_distance is greater than the map size

you could either lower the value in the mod cfg file or play bigger maps (which i highly recommend)

shihan · Post by **shihan** » 03 Jun 2006, 20:39

submarine wrote:assuming you try to play small divide:

there's a bug in 0.63 that crashes aai on small maps when max_mex_distance is greater than the map size

you could either lower the value in the mod cfg file or play bigger maps (which i highly recommend)

Ahh, yes, this is exactly what it was! thanks Heaps!:)

Spring RTS Engine

AAI 0.63 released (win + linux version included)