NPCs AI and fun battles!

[Cunnah]

FIRST THIS DOESN'T WORK FOR MP

 

ok alot of ppl have been posting stuff like 'NPCs just sit there' or the equivilant. The reason for this is because the AI needs to know where to go before it goes

 

First add some waypoints:

 

You got to look at your level as a load of paths, you've got to think where you want your NPCs to run about, Waypoints are like corners of the paths. The NPC will run directly towards a waypoint sooooooo if you got a wall in the way then the NPC will get stuck if there, if you got a cliff in the way then you NPC will commit suicide.

 

first set up your waypoints along your map, do this by making a waypoint and giving it a target name of W, then press space to duplicate it as many times as you want, this way you get w,w1,w2,w3,w4....etc automaticaly........done that?

 

OK....now you done that you need to draw the paths, to do this you need to work out wich waypoints the NPC can walk to from the one you have selected. for example you have a crossroad with a waypoint in the middle, you can travel North, South, East and West. the closest waypoints in these directions are w1,w2,w3 and w4 so you have to make the waypoint your on target those points do this by using the TARGET command

type target first and give it the value w1, then type TARGET2 and a value of w2, do this so you have all intended points targeted

 

NOTE:

 

to add extra targets after target put the target number in front starting at target2 then target3,target4,target5....etc

 

now compile and run your map.

 

'HEY THEY STILL DON'T RUN ABOUT!' I hear you cry

 

ok ok, so your NPCs don't run about, why? Well because the AI may know how to get around the map but it doesn't know why it wants to. This is is where the COMBAT POINT comes into use, place these any where you want your NPCs to run to, this means if you want em to run up and hide behind a crate put a combat point there, if he looks a little stupid standing up check the DUCK flag and he'll duck behind cover. If you want the NPC to run off if the going gets tough then put a combat point in a suitable hidey hole with the FLEE flag checked, do this any where you want to stage a fight, with practice you can make some realy intresting battles, with troopers running for cover, or running for support

 

'OH GREAT NOW THERE RUNNING OFF AND JUMPING OFF CLIFFS!!!!!!!!!'

 

hehe...........easy go to your textures system directory and select the DO NOT ENTER tex.........then stick it anlong the cliff edges, the NPCs will not enter there unless pushed (and normaly pushed to there doom )

 

So thats it I'm gona be messin with scripts once i got that sorted ill post it

[AKPiggott]

Nice one mate.. that's tied a few ends for me....

[Cunnah]

your welcome

[Imran]

could it be..the Great Anthony Piggot of the TOAM and BOAM fame!

 

 

Good Tutorial Cunnah

[nuetz]

for some reason, when i try this with an atst, it still just stands there, if i shoot at it, it comes after me, not the combat point.

 

 

when i make a combat point, do i need to target it like i did the waypoint?

 

or just put it inbetween the npc and the waypoint that it is targeted to?

[AKPiggott]

Originally posted by Imran

could it be..the Great Anthony Piggot of the TOAM and BOAM fame!

 

The very same my son....

[Cunnah]

ok i don't think i made how combat points work clear, this is a bit confusing but bare with me.

 

Combat points work like the end of a waypoint path, its like a goal for the NPC to reach. An NPC will not use a waypoint path unless his AI follows the player OR he has a combat point to move to. A good example if the stormtrooper armed with a fletchet, he'll try to get close to the player where the gun works best so he'll move to the CLOSEST COMBAT POINT, this may be 3 miles away but its still the closest combat point, he may run towards the player once he has reached the point but if the path to the player is too complex or the player moves far enough away from the trooper then he'll return to the combat point

 

best way to think of this is that the combat point is the destination and the way points are how to get there you don't need to target combat points, i figure the NPC works out which combat point he needs to use and then uses the waypoint paths to work out how to get there, once an NPC gets close enough to a combat point he'll run directly towards it, bare in mind that in tests the AI doesn't recognise cliffs as obsticals in the way of the combat points leading to premiture death so make sure you use those 'DO NOT ENTER' texs along your cliffs

 

one more thing NPCs will some times 'chain' combat points so will run from one combat point to another this can be used to make the NPCs move with a little more inteligence rather than just run head on into fire

 

 

 

AS FOR THE AT ST

 

I'm not sure, the AT STs are prety dumb to start off with there more controled with scripts in the game so it seems.

 

first they won't follow you if your not on the same level as them (altitude wise).

 

If its not that its either

 

1) the waypoint paths/combat points are too close to walls or to ceilings (remeber AT STs are big!)

 

2) the waypoints/combat points aren't set up right

 

3)REALY REALY DUMB AI WICH COULD BE THE LOVE CHILD OF THE MP AI THAT MAKES BOTS JUMP MONKEYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

 

.....er sorry for that outburst

[Cunnah]

BUMB

[AKPiggott]

So in essence, it makes a world of a difference if the combat points are placed along the waypoint paths?

[Cunnah]

Yep in away you can script a dynamic battle this way with minimum effort

 

don't think the waypoints are redundant, the difference is that Combat points don't have to be every where just where you want to stage a fight

[MilesTeg]

Hi

 

I have a little problem:

Actually the way and combat points are working fine with my Stormtroopers. But I can´t get the mouse droids using them. They just stand still and if I jump on them they try to get to the northern east of the map (although there is nothing they can aim). Is there a special KI script for them?

[Cunnah]

OK THIS MAY NOT WORK BUT.............

 

 

try waypoint small

 

also put a Combat point with the flee flage checked i think the droid may run there

[Markana]

Thank you Cunnah! You have been a BIG help!

[FEXX]

How come when I try to add the entity WAYPOINT and POINT COMBAT to my single player map they are selected, but if I press the Esc key they disappear! And if I clone one, it moves and no copies are created.

 

My NPC Tavion still stands still till I attack her. Maybe you all are doing this in a MP map?

[patchx]

i it sounds like you havent got them selected as showing in your view , show menu option.

 

-patch

[FEXX]

Thanks a lot patch, that was it, I did not have Waypoint/point_combat showing. Now to try to get Tavion to move...

 

[AKPiggott]

I didn't think the Dark Jedi enemies used waypoints... I spawned a load of Reborn and Shadowtroopers in my level before I even added them and they acted as normal....

[Cunnah]

i think that darkjedi work like bots they only use the waypoint paths to hunt you down as far as they are concerened YOU ARE THE COMBAT POINT

[FEXX]

That is strange, because I have Tavion all the away across my map, far across, and she just stands there stiff. I have her waypoints and added combat points, and I move, and she won't attack me (run down the catwalk and come get me).

 

If I shot a blaster at her and nail her, she will start to run at, as if she is "activated', otherwise she won't do anything less I get real close and attack her. Why is this so hard to do?

 

My map is SP, not MP.

[Cunnah]

Tavion may need scripting to get her to work..........ill check it out and see what i come up with

[FEXX]

Thanks, I'd like that. She is just a stiff brick till you swing at her.

 

I will try to swap it out with other NPCs and see if there are some that work and some that do not - like Reborns.

[Caster Troy]

Well, think about how they work in the normal game. When you fight Tavion, she just stands there until you make a move, then the AI kicks in. The same with the reborn.... They are all really dramatic, and don't move until you do (for the most part). So, I think they are made to not use waypoints because they don't need them. I'm having a few problems just getting my stormtroopers to move, so I'll probably be back here pretty soon, posting a question....

[Cunnah]

if ANYTHING is going to follow you, you need waypoints. Don't get me wrong a big cube will probably won't cause probs but complex paths will

[patchx]

my doods arent folowing waypoints at all

 

do i have to target them to the first waypoint?

 

-patch

[FEXX]

Well in the game, a reborn will come and get you, if you get so close. Maybe there are tiggers in the level, but I have see Reborns stand still and if I get a bit closer, they draw their saber and attack me.

 

The reborn I have does nothing till I am very very close.

 

There is clearly more control to NPCs for SP maps. The trick is how to do it. My waypoints do nothing for them, nor combat points - for Tavion or Reborns. Stromtroopers don't really do much either till they see me. And some won't attack me till the Reborns are killed! Strange stuff.