What's everyones stance on groupai's such as the MetalMaker AI and Central Build AI?
Also, whats everyones wishlist for new GroupAI's?
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My Wishlist:
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1.Scouting AI (i.e. simple search behaviors split between multiple units to find enemy units)
2.Intelligent Targeting and Defense AI (i.e you set specific patterns for your defensive units which will in the event of an attack allow you to provide coverfire outside of visual or radar range for choke points or other critical areas).
3.Enhanced Metal Maker AI: Let the metal makers use the rate at which you use metal determine whether or not they are turned on in addition to power constraints to maximize the amount of excess energy you have.
Stance on GroupAI's
Moderators: hoijui, Moderators
I don't think people are all that huffy about AIs like Central Build and Metal Maker. The thing about these two is that they don't take the initiative, they aid you in dealing out menial commands, but it doesn't make decisions for you. Something like a scouting AI (unless it was made to routinely scout markers you designate) is a different ball of wax though, it's been argued over before.
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incidenta5
- Posts: 37
- Joined: 15 Mar 2006, 00:40
I had a few ideas about the scouting AI. Perhaps it could be assigned to a factory. That way, it could make new 'scout' units and automatically send them on missons every so often to cover areas of recent enemy activity or specifically to seek out the enemy base.
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Somewhat unrelated, but:
Would it be unbalanced to try a 'skipper-torpedo' approach to scouting? Whereas the scouts cloak and decloak when the change direction (i.e. like the skipper torpedo from Wing Commander).
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Somewhat unrelated, but:
Would it be unbalanced to try a 'skipper-torpedo' approach to scouting? Whereas the scouts cloak and decloak when the change direction (i.e. like the skipper torpedo from Wing Commander).
the way it works is this, when you have everyone grouped together, when you select the group, the buildmenu shows the buildings that everyone (anyone actually) in the group can build. If you order building X to be built, the AI will choose one unit that can build unit X to build it. It also commands all other units to assist it. If you queue up more buildings while the one is being built, they will be distributed evenly between all the builders that are capable of it, and all the other builders assist. Each time a builder or assister becomes idle, the AI checks to see if there are any other buildings queued that it can build (and sends it to build it), or if there aren't any, if there are any buildings in progress (and sends it to assist). It basically centralizes the and automates how units build and assist in building. Unfortunately, you can't set up a specific build order (build X, then Y, then Z). Also, if you select one of the builders in the group to build something normally (as in, not through the GroupAI), it will act on its own as you told it, no builders will automatically assist it, and once it becomes idle again, it will be redirected by the GroupAI to work on orders still queued for the groupAI.
I didn't learn this from looking at the code, I learned this from observing CBAI in action.
I didn't learn this from looking at the code, I learned this from observing CBAI in action.
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Felix the Cat
- Posts: 2383
- Joined: 15 Jun 2005, 17:30
I think that a scouting AI that simply traces a bar pattern all the way across the map at it's visual range would be good, simply reducing the ammount of micromannagement required without actually issuing anything approaching an inteligent command:
IE.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>|
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|>>>>>>>>>>>>>>|
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just that, so it would mostly only apply to flying units, but I can't tell you how many games I've been in where I've issued that EXACT flight pattern to radar/sonar planes in the mid->late game to try and find hidden enemies, new mobile bases, etc.[/list]
IE.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>|
|
|<<<<<<<<<<<<<<|
|
|>>>>>>>>>>>>>>|
|
|<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
just that, so it would mostly only apply to flying units, but I can't tell you how many games I've been in where I've issued that EXACT flight pattern to radar/sonar planes in the mid->late game to try and find hidden enemies, new mobile bases, etc.[/list]
hum.. play core, and you will see your post is mistaken, sometimes, some metal makers are off and some on, not all on at the same time.SinbadEV wrote:I think the metal maker AI should be smarted... turning on and of individual items... also... someone needs to make it so the ON and OFF states of the metal makers is more apparent...
If you really need the metal, turn the metal makers on again.
They will turn off again only when you reached 30% low.
Rough description on using Central build.
note, central build only works for the host atm, or at least in my tests.
I believe the stats SJ used to balance metal in and energy out in the metal maker AI arent true anymore since NTAI values where used, after I suggested moho mexes be added straight from the NTAI code, since NTAI's metal maker routines are 99% identical to the groupAI but with additions to rpevent errors that occur in the AI that have no way of showing up in GroupAI's (e.g. checkign thru an empty container in NTAI would crash whereas it would never ahve the chance in a grouPAI cus the thign would be destroyed as soon as it had no untis in it...)....
