Author Topic: 2.26 compatible (beta version) AI minimod  (Read 10907 times)

Offline Drawde

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Re: 2.26 compatible (beta version) AI minimod
« Reply #15 on: 18-06-2010, 21:06:23 »
The non-beta version of the 2.26 minimod is now reasonably close to being finished, though I'm still trying to fix a problem with German bots being unable to use the Geballte Ladung (they run up to tanks, then run away without dropping the charge; this didn't occur with 2.25). Anyone else getting this issue? And does it occur with any other AT charge/grenade weapons?

Also regarding the smoke shell issue, I didn't notice it earlier as I did most of my playtesting on North Africa maps -  tried playing Cobra as Allied and lost mainly due to Shermans firing smoke at enemy tanks + guns (the Germans don't have smoke rounds) rather than something actually capable of doing damage! I've now completely disabled smoke shell use for tanks and AT guns (infantry will still throw smoke nades, mainly at tanks and gun positions)

Similarly I've now stopped aircraft (except the Hurricane IID with its 40mm guns) from strafing medium + heavy armour, They'll still strafe unarmoured vehicles and light armour (halftracks, armoured cars, some light tanks)

I don't think there's any way of specifying a particular weapon (e.g bombs) to use against concealed targets... bots sometimes seem to know that a target's concealed, but this is presumably part of the hard-coded BF2 AI.

A few new issues:
Clearly an issue with ratios where increasing bot count above 32 dumps the remainder on allies. You can rebalance it by moving the ratio in the axis favor to rebalance, but its not ideal. Using a functional FH toolbox, you can go as far as 96 bots with the ratio slider @ 98% to get a 50:50 ratio, but higher and it will be impossible to fix the bias. 128 bots, and you can't even be in a squad along with 32 other bots.

Bots in halftrucks or APcs will never fire on open spots on enemy APCs eg. 2 hanomags or a hanomag and bren carrier.
Bots don't fire at hanomags any longer or at tank top mgs

Many vehicles with the mg34 used by bots have continued mg firing sound in between bursts i.e when the gun is not firing
 
German binocs dont spot in SP/COOP, no matter the kit its with. You can fire a spot at a target, but no remote cam is created. Allied binocs work though.

Not sure what's causing the bot count issue, it shouldn't be anything to do with the minimod as I haven't edited (or even included in the release) any files relating to this area.
Similarly I don't know what's causing the binocular issue as the minimod shouldn't contain any files (edited or otherwise) for binoculars.

I'll definitely look into to the issue with bots not firing at open positions, I suspect this is because bots no longer MGs/small arms at vehicles in the "LightArmour" category (as unarmoured vehicles now have their own category) and somehow aren't recognising the MG crew positions as exposed. I've tried giving the gunner crew positions a different armour category, but this just causes a CTD  >:(

The MG34 sound loop bug was also present in 2.25, I managed to fix the 2pdr + 88 sound loops but haven't yet managed to track down the source of the MG34 one.

Sorry it's off-topic, but I thought this might be of interest: http://www.battlefieldsingleplayer.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=15109

Thanks for the link - I'll definitely have a look at this, some of it at least might be usable in FH2 map AI.

Offline aserafimov

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Re: 2.26 compatible (beta version) AI minimod
« Reply #16 on: 19-06-2010, 22:06:48 »
Sorry it's off-topic, but I thought this might be of interest: http://www.battlefieldsingleplayer.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=15109

I think that it works, I have tested on Villers_Bocage and Lebisey...

Offline djinn

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Re: 2.26 compatible (beta version) AI minimod
« Reply #17 on: 23-06-2010, 15:06:29 »
The 2 biggest things that will totally conceal any other bots limitations are these:
/Working howitzers with greater range than mortars. I'm thinking if they either see from higher up, but alternatively and easier to do, if they saw from the current elevation but more foward i.e not directly above the gun. The idea is, the higher the perspective, the less likely it is to see units right next to you, the same for an inverted 'L' POV

/If rocket-planes could fire rockets.

Other aspect I would love us to tackle include, constant dashing when not engaged (like humans), repairable destroyable guns i.e as in multiplayer, bots that can follow orders, a fix to commander assets, stuka divehorn, spotting etc... But for me, I'm convinced that howitzers firing and rocket planes is top, top priority.

Also, I think the nebelwerfer fires short. It clearly sees targets, but always fires short, even in volleys.

Offline cannonfodder

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Re: 2.26 compatible (beta version) AI minimod
« Reply #18 on: 24-06-2010, 10:06:13 »
...constant dashing when not engaged (like humans)...
Err...I dunno about, the battle would play out alot quicker, but it'd look really weird.

It might be ok if there's a way to get them to run when they're more than a certain distance from a flag, and walk when they're within that radius... :-\


Quote
...bots that can follow orders...
This is my main gripe...even though Drawde got them to jump in and outta vehicles of their own free will, they still don't listen... :(

Offline djinn

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Re: 2.26 compatible (beta version) AI minimod
« Reply #19 on: 24-06-2010, 11:06:34 »
There's no bot code with the new commo-rose. They did listen in 2.0

Offline cannonfodder

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Re: 2.26 compatible (beta version) AI minimod
« Reply #20 on: 24-06-2010, 12:06:14 »
Yeah, my point is it needs to be fixed... ;)

Did 2.0 use the same commo-log thing that we have atm?

Offline djinn

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Re: 2.26 compatible (beta version) AI minimod
« Reply #21 on: 24-06-2010, 13:06:57 »
No. It used vanilla's with vanilla's voices

Offline Drawde

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Re: 2.26 compatible (beta version) AI minimod
« Reply #22 on: 24-06-2010, 18:06:59 »
Howitzers/Nebel are now finally working, sort of at least! (See my new thread on the subject). Not much progress with plane rockets, though I've been working on this over the last few days. It ought to be fixable somehow, rockets are just direct-fire weapons so bots should be able to use them with no problem.

This is my main gripe...even though Drawde got them to jump in and outta vehicles of their own free will, they still don't listen... :(

I'm definitely going to look at this issue in future... in fact I've been intending to for ages, but haven't got round to it due to other bugs needing fixing (map CTDs in particular). In theory it shouldn't be too hard, all of the code needed should be in the vBF2 commo rose files, and just needs integrating into the FH2 code.

Offline djinn

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Re: 2.26 compatible (beta version) AI minimod
« Reply #23 on: 24-06-2010, 20:06:23 »
Remote chance of getting just the howitzer code for now? :-D

I think bots being able to at least shell the frontlines should work for attackers, and for strong defender counterattacks.

Noted the purple heart lane ctd also? Approaching the 88.

Offline Drawde

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Re: 2.26 compatible (beta version) AI minimod
« Reply #24 on: 25-06-2010, 21:06:17 »
Remote chance of getting just the howitzer code for now? :-D

I think bots being able to at least shell the frontlines should work for attackers, and for strong defender counterattacks.

Noted the purple heart lane ctd also? Approaching the 88.

Working on a temporary "patch" with the howitzers and Nebelwerfer (and slightly updated mortars) which should be ready in a few days.

I haven't played PHL much, not one of my favourite maps as I get sick of being repeatedly picked off by bots hidden in the hedges (bots can see through foliage much better than humans, also very noticeable with the 88s on Totalize ;D ). I haven't had much time lately to actually play FH2, as opposed to just testing out mod tweaks, and when I do I usually play on maps that have vehicles/weapons I want to test!

Offline General_Henry

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Re: 2.26 compatible (beta version) AI minimod
« Reply #25 on: 29-06-2010, 13:06:18 »
I would like to say WOW to this mod, I haven't downloaded it myself, but a server is running it, and I joined due to the lack of players in the regular servers.

I must say this mod makes the single player much more challenging than original FH2, in original FH2, bots are like idiots that you massacre them with ease (especially the bots don't fire HE at you). On totalize my firefly got shot by a bot tank! Pity is that the bot planes are still easy to shoot down with my tank cannon. (they fly too slow when strafing, which makes them sitting ducks)

Carry on with your good work and I hope you'll be joining the FH2 mod team for SP developments. You know how to make bots act right!


note: that 88 in totalize is pretty much lame for a human player that can't see through the vegetations. Could bots not be doing "wall hacks?", as a human you could hardly see through vegetations so I think that won't nerf the bots much.


Coop, though entirely different from the regular multiplayer, is actually not a bad place to learn about teamwork and coordination. Especially in your mod, without teamwork humans are not likely to be going anywhere.

Offline Drawde

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Re: 2.26 compatible (beta version) AI minimod
« Reply #26 on: 29-06-2010, 22:06:38 »
note: that 88 in totalize is pretty much lame for a human player that can't see through the vegetations. Could bots not be doing "wall hacks?", as a human you could hardly see through vegetations so I think that won't nerf the bots much.
Thanks for the kind comments!
I agree regarding the 88s on Totalise (you wait till you see the Nebelwerfer firing too...) but there doesn't seem to be much that can be done about this - lowering the AI view range for this map would also stop bots firing when they have a clear view of the target. The only positive side is that bot-driven Allied tanks can see through the vegetation just as well as the Germans can!
PHL is similar, only with infantry... bots can see you through hedges so you're always getting sniped by enemies you can't see.

A couple of small improvements I've made recently (not specifically AI-related in this case) - the Ford GPA can now drive in water (it does have amphibious code in the .tweak file, but it doesn't work - I just replaced it with the Schwimmwagen code), and howitzers have HE shells as the default selection. This is intended to help the AI as they should be using HE most of the time anyway, but is also helpful for human players.
 
If I don't manage to crack the plane rocket bug after another week, I'll release the current version of the mod as it is, and leave fixing the plane rockets for the next version. Still don't know what the cause is, it's definitely not the missile lock code, nor is it the "deviation" settings in the weapons.ai.

Offline Devilman

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Re: 2.26 compatible (beta version) AI minimod
« Reply #27 on: 30-06-2010, 07:06:07 »

I agree regarding the 88s on Totalise (you wait till you see the Nebelwerfer firing too...) but there doesn't seem to be much that can be done about this   

Clone the problem vehicles/weapons and give their AI template a lower
weaponTemplate.maxRange .......
add the cloned objects to the problem maps GPO file

Offline djinn

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Re: 2.26 compatible (beta version) AI minimod
« Reply #28 on: 30-06-2010, 07:06:51 »
Personally, I think the range is fine

Offline djinn

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Re: 2.26 compatible (beta version) AI minimod
« Reply #29 on: 30-06-2010, 08:06:14 »
I think its time we took the rocket issue to battlefield singleplayer forum. Be sure to just slip in the wonderful breakthroughs first, gets everyone taking you serious.

Devilman. Any thoughts on how to make the rockets work?

@ drawde,
Any word on solutions to any of these:
/Repeating mg34
/Bots never using deployed .30cal
/Ctd in purple heart lane, approaching the 88
/German bot binocs not spotting
/Nebelwerfer firing short
/Bots being able to fire at open positions, esp. At The halftrucks
/Planes focus on infantry and emplaced guns in strafing... Could planes with rockets be made to see them in like capacity as bullets?
/heavy Mgs not firing standing
/Can we make at rifles also fire only when prone. I think it will work, and give the pzii and halftruck a fighting chance. Also, makes the rifle less effective than a zook, as it should be
/I also think mobile AT guns work better when bots cant move them as before, or like someone suggested, moved very slowly.
 /Armored cars and arty focused more on infantry

I really hope winterhilf would share some of his wisdom with us. I know there are some things we are stuck on which functioned in 2.2. even bizness if he's lurking somewhere. And I'd really just die if bots used the stuka divehorn...