AI Discussion (dev branch)

[Maxzy 12]

Is there a way to force AI heli pilot to hover at a designated height? I mean earlier not only in A2/OA but also in A3 all I needed to do for it is place in init line something like this setPos [getPos this select 0,getPos this select 1,500]; this flyInHeight 500. And it stayed at 500 metres, no muss, no fuss. But now it just gets down (or up) to 47 metres above ground. Is it another broken thing? Or it was intended to work that way? Is it even an AI issue =))?

[devilslayersbane 28]

You could try setting the waypoint height to 500 meters. Other than that I have no ideas

[SilentSpike 84]

In my experience flyInHeight does exactly what you think it should

[Maxzy 12]

2 devilslayersbane :

You don't need a waypoint at 500 metres - if you set heli to fly somewhere, it flyes at a designated height even if waypoint is set on the ground. But I can't make it stay at that height if it stops. And if you set a waypoint above ground - well, try to do it yourself, just for lulz =)).

[maturin 12]

Another mission today ruined by the broken Careless/Safe setting.

My squad walked into an enemy patrol at 75 meters, in an open field, on a perpendicular heading. Over the next five minutes we blithely shot them all to death. First we dropped the last three men, but the leader and one subordinate just keep walking nonchalantly down the road. I was breathing heavily, and found it difficult to draw a bead. So every 30 seconds or so I would hit the team leader with a round, he would fall over, stand back up, and continue walking. This happened THREE TIMES. In the end he just sidled off.

A positively damning indictment of ArmA 3's body armor and combat state "system."

[Kerc Kasha 102]

Careless means the AI ignore everything and will never enter combat mode nor engage enemies

[Variable 322]

Careless means the AI ignore everything and will never enter combat mode nor engage enemies

What is the use case for that?

[mr_centipede 31]

What is the use case for that?

Helicopter pilots to unload troops

[CameronMcDonald 146]

What is the use case for that?

Ever authored a mission? The "careless" mode has a myriad of uses, namely for preventing AI from doing stupid stuff. If "careless" were removed, it would be a major PITA.

Blame the mission maker for not setting them to "safe", where they can engage enemies. If "safe" is preventing them from going to combat mode, then that's a bug. Leave "careless" out of it.

[Variable 322]

Ever authored a mission? The "careless" mode has a myriad of uses, namely for preventing AI from doing stupid stuff. If "careless" were removed, it would be a major PITA.

Blame the mission maker for not setting them to "safe", where they can engage enemies. If "safe" is preventing them from going to combat mode, then that's a bug. Leave "careless" out of it.

Been years since I authored a mission... Thanks for the explanation (I was really curious, I wasn't cynical).

[Grumpy Old Man 3546]

Is it possible to get the AI and fatigue fixed anytime soon?

As of right now AI soldiers are getting maximum fatigue with default loadouts, letting them crawl at 6km/h after 400m of movement.

Slow-mo AI units everywhere.

[Jona33 51]

Is it possible to get the AI and fatigue fixed anytime soon?

As of right now AI soldiers are getting maximum fatigue with default loadouts, letting them crawl at 6km/h after 400m of movement.

Slow-mo AI units everywhere.

If you're making the mission then stick thirty second timeouts on each waypoint, they should wait there which means they should recover a bit.

[Furret 0]

What is the use case for that?

It's a band aid for the poor AI that helps force them to perform tasks.

[Grumpy Old Man 3546]

If you're making the mission then stick thirty second timeouts on each waypoint, they should wait there which means they should recover a bit.

Last time I was using waypoints when making missions was back in 2009 I think.

Mission makers should not need to make ridiculous amounts of workarounds for recently introduced AI issues.

Maybe new issue found:

AI somehow stop moving after a certain amount of time.

They still have their expectedDestination set to the last move order, but they cease to move, as if I disableAI "MOVE" them, very weird.

Same is happening when you issue them to "Treat yourself", they use the FAK but then they're unable to move at all.

No chance of making them to move again, even with using enableAI "MOVE" or assigning new move orders.

Can anyone reproduce this?

Edited August 19, 2014 by Grumpy Old Man

[Jona33 51]

Last time I was using waypoints when making missions was back in 2009 I think.

Mission makers should not need to make ridiculous amounts of workarounds for recently introduced AI issues.

How's sticking one extra line in a waypoint script or typing an extra couple of numbers in "ridiculous amounts of workarounds", obviously it would be nice for the AI to handle it themselves but it's not an unreasonable workaround for now.

[Grumpy Old Man 3546]

How's sticking one extra line in a waypoint script or typing an extra couple of numbers in "ridiculous amounts of workarounds", obviously it would be nice for the AI to handle it themselves but it's not an unreasonable workaround for now.

because you have to add it to each waypoint for each group for every mission, and even then, it's not a good workaround at all, since you can't prevent the AI from moving under fire/in combat mode. That's the reason AI units are walking in slow-mo all the time, except you disable fatigue for AI which gives them another advantage above the player.

[Variable 322]

I'm seeing more and more cases where the AI is slowly moving with their weapons up in bore-sight, even in aware state, and I'm starting to lean towards letting go of SP completely because of it. For the love of god, fix that already. It should be high priority!

[mr_centipede 31]

Why not just their speed to LIMITED instead of NORMAL? When they go in COMBAT mode, they will run/sprint as needed

[Variable 322]

Why not just their speed to LIMITED instead of NORMAL? When they go in COMBAT mode, they will run/sprint as needed

I don't edit, I just play SP missions made by the community.

[Grumpy Old Man 3546]

Why not just their speed to LIMITED instead of NORMAL? When they go in COMBAT mode, they will run/sprint as needed

That's no fix either, because as soon as they start running/sprinting it takes around 60 seconds until they're fully fatigued and go into slow-mo again.

All while using default soldier layouts.

[bullet purveyor 85]

The AI is now useless. They get stuck everywhere not only at roads but near buildings, just standing in place running.

Not even diamond formation will get them to keep up, if they run near or on roads it's a total slow down. Navigating through towns are impossible.

And BTW the take cover command that broke early beta, is still not fixed. If you order your units to change stance the take cover command is broken for the reminder of the mission.

It's really annoying to micro manage all your units into cover for the whole mission.

[Bouben 3]

The AI is now useless. They get stuck everywhere not only at roads but near buildings, just standing in place running.

Not even diamond formation will get them to keep up, if they run near or on roads it's a total slow down. Navigating through towns are impossible.

And BTW the take cover command that broke early beta, is still not fixed. If you order your units to change stance the take cover command is broken for the reminder of the mission.

It's really annoying to micro manage all your units into cover for the whole mission.

You will have to be more specific than that. Especially with the "take cover" command. What exactly and how is broken?

[bullet purveyor 85]

Don't you see that in the video? First attempt at find cover command, every unit goes prone and take cover.

After the change stance command is used, it brakes find cover. They just stand upright, not attempting to find cover or go prone if there is no cover nearby.

added a ticket a while back.

http://feedback.arma3.com/view.php?id=17392

[Bouben 3]

Don't you see that in the video? First attempt at find cover command, every unit goes prone and take cover.

After the change stance command is used, it brakes find cover. They just stand upright, not attempting to find cover or go prone if there is no cover nearby.

added a ticket a while back.

http://feedback.arma3.com/view.php?id=17392

Well, unfortunately, that is not a bug but a feature.

What you present in the video is a correct behaviour. The AI subordinates just change their positions to the terrain and in order to be closer to some obstacles. They are unable to change their stances because you forced them to be standing no matter what - that is what the "Stand Up" command does.

If you want them to take cover as usual, use the "Copy My Stance" command and things should be fine again.

[haleks 8212]

Bouben, the "Copy my stance" order never worked fine in my experience; and the fact is : once you started messing with their stance, there's no option to make your soldiers go back to default behaviour, forcing you to micro-manage them for the rest of the game...

Why include this feature in the first place?