Recruiting for an AI Editor

[~Sypher_5~]

West.

I'm in town everyday atm doing my course on Queen Street.

[~Rattus~]

Slightly off-topic: Hey, I just noticed there are now 3 people from New Zealand I know in the RA2/YR modding community: Mooman, Sypher_5 and me (yeah I'm British but I live here). Going on the assumption that Sypher_5 is from NZ. Where abouts in Auckland do you live Sypher_5? For all I know, you might see me every day B)

Sleipnir too...

[DCoder]

Could someone please (*pokes Moo*) email me one of these conceptual spreadsheets, to give me an idea of the sort of thing going on here?

I was rolling the idea in my head to put that thing up for download at my site, but I figured I'd refine it and make it nicer and easier for others to understand. I have holidays from tomorrow to Apr 3, so I should be able to set it up nicely. Stay tuned.
And no, this was not related to the program you have been begging for.

And, at Sypher's idea ... that would be unique.

[Whiteboy]

*is staying tuned*

[Entith2290]

would you be able to give me the aimd.ini? just to see how it looks, and to follow along with tutorials (will get YR again in a few days, maybe even today)

[Whiteboy]

OK, PM me your email address and I'll send you a raw, unedited aimd.ini file.

[Entith2290]

ok, i got it. Seems simple enough, but now to get those tutorials

[Whiteboy]

Tutorials are at PPM, Deezire's ini editing guide, and several other sites. Just search around the community, it's not a difficult thing to find really.

And thanks Entith. I mean it. Heck, if you come up with some basic AI that can build my mod's new units, you'll be the main man of the mod - next to me of course

[Entith2290]

ok, wen the beta comes out, e-mail me the files without the mod launcher (at least the ini files. if you can, lable each new unit in the rulesmd.ini, so that i will know what it is )

[Whiteboy]

Will do

Looks like I'll have to start making a list of the new infantry and vehicles. By the way, some new vehicles may be totally pointless for the AI to build - e.g. the Aid Chopper. There's no way the AI is smart enough to build that, fly it into an allied base and deploy it, and then that base destroy it and claim the crate.

But that's another discussion. For now, I need to figure out just how many new units and infantry I have...

[Entith2290]

yea, good idea. specify which ones the AI shouldn't make (or maybe just which ones the AI should make )

[Whiteboy]

OK. I actually plan for the beta mod to be downloaded by the testers (that means you) at a "secret" location. More about that in the Beta testing forum.

So you can get that, but I'll also send you the rules file. I think that's the only one you need. I'll also send you a separate txt file with all the new units/infantry names. Do you need strcuture names as well?

[CannisRabidus]

There's no way the AI is smart enough to build that, fly it into an allied base and deploy it, and then that base destroy it and claim the crate.

I wonder if the deploy animation could be made to damage and destroy the chopper automatically.

Doesn't help the AI I know, it's just a thought.

BTW, if it is using the same DeployToLand= logic as the siege chopper, the AI can't fly it to a location and deploy it anyway.

Back on topic -

Do you need strcuture names as well?

What he needs in this regard he does not know, because he's just starting out. What he needs is a complete [BuildingTypes] list with the proper structure numbers laid out, which he should be able to see using DCoder's AI editor. Then he needs to know how your structures are appended to the list so he knows what building numbers they will use. This is necessary for script actions if you want the AI to target the new buildings specifically rather than them only doing it based on opportunity and/or threat logic.

[Whiteboy]

If the chopper did the MAD tank thing and blew itself up like that, it would ruin the game a little. See, the chopper deploys into a crate inside a metal cage. This structure, when destroyed, turns into a proper money crate (the transition is smooth enough to make you see the metal cage being destroyed, not the structure itself). Money crates only stay around for a short time so I want the player to manually blow up the caged crate so as to not miss the money crate.

EDIT: how do you know what this unit is anyway Cannis? Only Mooman, Renegade and I know... but you don't have to talk about this unit anymore, it doesn't matter.

Aaaaaanyway... the important part... what do you mean by the proper structure numbers? You mean the order they are in on the buildingtypes list in rules? Well that doen't matter much anyway, as you said, AI Editor can sort that out.

But what do you mean by this statement: "Then he needs to know how your structures are appended to the list so he knows what building numbers they will use"? I thought you already said that he will see what numbers they will use thanks to AI Editor.

I'm confuzzled :wacko:

[DCoder]

Then he needs to know how your structures are appended to the list so he knows what building numbers they will use. This is necessary for script actions if you want the AI to target the new buildings specifically rather than them only doing it based on opportunity and/or threat logic.

No, he doesn't
http://dcoder.cannis.net/images/screens_ai/0_68_2.jpg (not hotlinked to avoid screen resize)
It can translate building name <-> building index automatically B) Including those magic numbers (65534,131072,19960, if you know what they mean. Of course, you need to have rulesmd.ini. Since your rules are still in progress, Whitey, don't shuffle the BuildingTypes around, only append new stuff to the very end. Including your own structures, don't shuffle them after adding them. Else you'll have to rewrite the ai to fix that.
So, shortly, send him your rules, and he can get working easily. And give him new versions if they contain new buildings or the countries/sides relation is changed.