Make a line of AI tanks WAIT on spawn

[NickThissen 10]

Hi,

I am trying to set up a 'tank base' where some tanks are waiting until they will be called on later in the mission. I have set them up in a line in the editor, grouped together, but with their Formation set to None (I tried various things here). Then I have a waypoint right in front of them (formation LINE) which is synced to a trigger (later in the mission this trigger is activated and the tanks will move).

I just want the tanks to remain in the position where I put them in the editor when the mission starts. Instead, they start driving around randomly, even hitting friendly soldiers and even exploding in extreme cases. WHY???? Just stay put!! The AI is so bad sometimes, why can't they just remain where I put them?

I can't figure out what I'm doing wrong, they are told to stay in a line, yet they immediately start driving to other places, not just moving a few inches to get in line behind the next guy but overtaking each other and really driving long distances away from the camp.

How can I just make the tanks stay put until I need them (activated by a trigger)?

[ProfTournesol 956]

Try to put them in COMBAT mode.

[codarl 1]

Remove the fuel? And fuel them once they are allowed to move?

[NickThissen 10]

Try to put them in COMBAT mode.

Made no difference.

Remove the fuel? And fuel them once they are allowed to move?

Hmm I could try that.

I think I found the problem though; they are trying to follow the LINE that I told them to, but the orientation of the line is not how I set them up in the editor, but rather something like a 45 degree angle to the road. So they have to move around to get in that orientation, and there's all kinds of stuff in the way so they keep bumping into each other and exploding.

How can I let them line up with the road, like they would do when they are driving?

[ProfTournesol 956]

What you are trying to achieve isn't a line formation but a column.

[NickThissen 10]

What you are trying to achieve isn't a line formation but a column.

Hmm, you must be right, but they do the same with column formation :(

The fuel thing doesn't seem to work properly either. They no longer move at the start, but they also never move again even after I refuel them and trigger the waypoint..?

[ProfTournesol 956]

So i just tried it without any problem : i did select a vanilla tank group with F2, put a move WP on the leader and select "column", then preview : the tanks are in column and don't try to move anyhow.

[tryteyker 28]

Make sure each of them is set to "IN FORMATION" in the unit window. They should automatically spawn in a column formation on the road. Set behaviour to SAFE. If they still move, add this line:

{_x disableAI "MOVE"} foreach units group this;

;

In the first WP (on activation). On deactivation, add this:

{_x enableAI "MOVE"} foreach units group this;

[NickThissen 10]

I ended up using the disableAI approach, that seems to work ok-ish. They still bump each other when they are finally allowed to move but they got to their destination in one piece a couple tries in a row so I guess that will have to do. Still no idea why they don't behave properly though... But thanks!

I should mention that disableAI does not work on a tank, instead you have to call it on the driver:

{ (driver _x) disableAI "MOVE" } ...

[Grumpy Old Man 3540]

{dostop _x} foreach units group this;

the next triggered waypoint should get them moving again

[NickThissen 10]

Here's what happens when I put a squad of tanks and give them a waypoint with a trigger (which is not activated in this clip!), and tell them to go to Column formation:

They do eventually line up in a column, they just seem to think they are in reverse order or something and go out of their way to get to "their" position. In this clip they have plenty of room to do it so not really a problem, in my actual mission that room is not available and they just crash through everything...

[Grumpy Old Man 3540]

try the dostop command I posted earlier and make the waypoint a "HOLD" one and make sure the synced trigger is set to "SWITCH".

the highest ranking unit should be the first in the convoy, you might need to adjust that too.

[ProfTournesol 956]

the highest ranking unit should be the first in the convoy, you might need to adjust that too.

Yeah, this. They are ordered by rank in the column.