Bot Route Layout

[Suprasta]

What is the best way to plot waypoints while setting up a bot route on a map?

 

I have tried to set up bot routes on a few maps and have successfully saved the route file, but sometimes the bots still jump around - altho not as much as without a bot route...

 

One really weird thing happened too. I set up a bot route for a duel map and saved it. I start the map up and set it for a maximum of 4 players. Two bots start fighting and it looks perfect like it should. Then I join to fight one of the bots and the bot starts jumping. Why would it fight the other bot normally but then go jump happy on me?

 

 

I wish someone (a couple have figured it out apparently) would write up a walkthru or guide on how to add bot routes properly. And don't give me a link to this:

 

http://jk2ed.jediknightii.net/botroute.htm

 

I've been following that and it still doesn't work right.

[Grets Sirob]

Good! I'm not the only one who can't use this document. I'll bump this for you so I can see the answer too.

 

*eagerly waits for answer*

[NarthX]

I don't know what might be causing your first problem (other than that your waypoints may be too far apart), but I can solve that duel problem. Iv'e been waypointing all my favorite new maps, and it seems that whenever everyone in a level "dies", like when a duel map is wiped clean after a win, the botroutes don't load again. The only way to fix this that I know of is to unzip the level's pk3 and add the botroutes in their own folder. The botroutes you make are stored in the game's "base/botroutes" folder. Just make a folder named "botroutes" for the level, put in your wnt file, and zip it back into a pk3. I use Pakscape for this. It's a really small, simple program that you can get here: http://planetquake.com/bubba/files.html

[Suprasta]

Thanks to Grets Sirob for bumping this thread.

 

And thank you VERY much to NarthX for responding. You were right. Just saving a bot route in the 'base/botroutes' directory only allows bots to work properly on FFA maps (team FFA and Jedi Master too I think) but not Duel Maps. Once I did as you said and saved the bot route within the map file itself, everything was fine on Duel Maps.

 

I believe the 'sorta jumping, sorta not' bots I talked about before were a result of poor waypointing as you also mentioned. I think a failed to get the bot routes close to some of the bot's spawn points. So the bots would jump a bit until they found part of the bot route. Then they would settle down. So, good call on that one.

 

I also noticed something that might be helpful to someone else making bot routes. Any time you have an object on a map that a bot route goes by, there is a tendancy for the bots to get stuck on that object every now and then. Take a pillar for instance. If you have a pillar on your map and a bot route that runs by the pillar, it seems better to have the bot route surround the pillar and then continue on. So basically, toss some waypoints all around that pillar, Imperial Shuttle, cargo, whatever. It seems to cut down on the instances of a bot getting stuck. That is particular infuriating during bot matches since you're stuck watching the bot run in place.

 

The next thing I'd like to figure out is how to stop another stupid thing I've seen bots do. Sometimes, a bot will be on a elevated level above an oppsoing bot. It would be easy for the bot to jump down to the lower level and face the bot. Instead, the bot above runs around the upper area he is on until he can find a walkway down to the lower level and the opposing bot. I want to find a way to signal to the bot that if he sees another bot below, that he can just jump off the ledge and join him. Now I figure I'll need the 'bot_wp_addflagged j' command to do this, but the tests have not been so good so far. I put the waypoint down, but the bot frequently ignores it and continues running around the top level. Any ideas anyone?

 

Thanks again to those that responded.

 

Mapmakers, please put bot routes on your maps. If a punk like me can make a passable route, think what you can do. Heh. If nothing else, adding bots makes your maps more professional.

 

Supra