[OPEN BETA] [SP] bCombat infantry AI Mod

[Jackson Snow 10]

I still cannot run jar unfortunately. Is it not possible to edit bcombat's different settings through a text editor or is it just not recommended?

Totally possible and not un-recommended - edit the config.sqf in the @bcombat folder (ideally using Notepad++ or something similar so that it makes it much clearer).

[Man0fRen0vati0n 10]

Alright, I'm pretty familiar with editing bin and text in arma, just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing anything. Thanks for the help! :)

[gatordev 219]

Check the bCombat settings then. When using Gliptal´s .jar go for Tab "other Options" and look what u have activated there. Check if you have the "remove NVGoggles" option active

The version I have (original .16) doesn't have any the .jar stuff. Just configs. I'll dig around to see, but I haven't really changed anything.

Ok, please let me know the exact error message, so i can check it.

Will do. I tried last night, but apparently the screen grab I thought I had was just a dark screen. I'll try again tonight.

[blackthorne556 10]

Hey all. Thanks very much for all the work on the mod.

It came recommended when I asked elsewhere about fixing the ridiculous fatigue problem. However, I still seem to have soldiers that can't run more than 150 meters without slowing from a run. I, as a heavy smoker, who does no PT at all, can run farther than these wimps. My dad, at 55, could still pass his annual PT test before he retired, which included a 20 some KM run. And he was armored corps, spending much of his day sitting.

Now, I don't want fatigue to disappear completely - it should still have an effect on weapon sway for example - but is there any way to simply do away with the "slow to a walk" feature entirely? Perhaps I'm missing something in the .jar that might help me?

Please keep in mind that my programming skills are nil. So spoon feed it to me folks. Small words. :P

[kremator 1065]

Your problem with fatigue lies with BIS not with Fab_T. Please find the fatigue ticket, upvote it and job done.

[dayglow 2]

A little confused by the remove nvg option. Does bcombat normally add nvg's to all units? If I want to play as the mission designer intended, ie pre-placed nvg's do I run with that flag true or false?

[gopr0ne 10]

"Quote Originally Posted by Dr@gon View Post

Okay from my observations this is what I see regarding the friendly AI in my squad;

3) If the Team AI detects the enemy, they frequently engage even when I have given the "Hold Fire". Once shooting starts the Team AI begin combat maneuvering and don't stay in formation unless the "All Stop" command is given. This makes Ambushes totally impossible. Silently moving up on an enemy camp and getting the Team AI into position also is a problem since the friendly AI engage almost immediately once they are within a certain distance (100 meters or less perhaps).

Nothing in bCombat forces AI to direcly act as per your points. However increased awareness may deliver some over-reaction.

That's just a few cases in my opinion (at least i've isolated a few) and i'm targeting these into v0.17DEV.

About HOLD fire: please consider that -speaking of vanilla ArmA3, not even bCombat-, it does not mean NEVER fire. AI units are always automatically cleared to fire whenever they feel they've been detected by enemy. Since bCombat enhances situational awareness this mechanism may trigger sooner than you'd expect."

Thank you for your reply, appreciate that you took the time to read and respond to my posts.

With respect to point #3 above, since Never Fire isn't a command I can issue from the Action Menu, just Hold Fire, is there a way to add that as a feature in your mod for ambush scenarios?

thanks

Dr@gon ~ http://www.armaholic.com/page.php?id=22380 has a great "fire on my lead" command that has worked really well for me. My squad just won't fire until I open up first. A few other useful features in it that I use as well. It's a small mod that just gives you better command control and I don't think there are any compatibility issues with bCombat. I've only recently started using bCombat and am replaying campaign right now running both mods. So far, so good. I think bCombat is the best AI enhancement I have ever run across for Arma. In the short time I've played with it, immersion is much better with some great firefights!! Anyway, hope that helps your issue.

---------- Post added at 21:11 ---------- Previous post was at 20:38 ----------

Fabrizio_T, I just want to take a minute to thank you for this fantastic mod. Although I've only played a few missions in the SP campaign with it so far, I can tell this is what I've been looking for and I am so thankful I found bCombat. I have always been somewhat fanatical about the whole immersion thing since Arma 2 and always toying with mods that help bring the game to life in a more realistic fashion. One of the things that always drove me crazy in Arma is the unrealistic feel of firefights. Either open area or CQC, it's always felt "unnatural", over too quick and/or my squad is wiped out in the first minute because of idiotic behavior. I think bCombat has really provided the best experience I have found to date. You mentioned in a previous post that you were looking into something to address how AI stand around in formation, or something to that effect. That's another thing that gets under my skin and really breaks the immersion, so I look forward to that and whatever else your diabolical mind comes up with next!!

And likewise Gliptal - thank you for the awesome control menu for bCombat and with your help in getting it up and running correctly for me. Again, another much appreciated work. I'll be grabbing the same for TPW's mod as well. I hadn't realized that was available until I found this thread.

My appreciation for gentlemen like you (and the whole Arma community in general) is beyond words.

[dr@gon 118]

"Dr@gon ~ http://www.armaholic.com/page.php?id=22380 has a great "fire on my lead" command that has worked really well for me"

Excellent, thank you for your tip with this GoPr0ne, I'll download it and give it a try.

thanks

....Interesting, I used to use this mod but I can't remember why I stopped. I remember liking many of its functions. Anyway, I will try using it again.

Edited July 28, 2014 by Dr@gon

[fabrizio_t 58]

Hi people.

Thanks for the appreciation.

Within the last 2 days i finally got the time to publish a couple important fixes on v0.17 DEV branch.

These fixes solve some (sneaky) bugs that were hindering situational awareness in CQB.

Now AI units are supposed to be even more faster in reacting to threats, more "trigger happy" in CQB.

CPU load should be slightly higher in average, due to these fixes including an improved targets scanning routine.

If you're interested in testing it, please grab latest v0.17 DEV build here:

https://github.com/fabrizioT/bCombat/tree/master

Keep in mind that's still an experimental, unstable build.

By the way, i'd like to collect feedback on v0.17 DEV firing accuracy, since it needs to be fine-tuned.

So far it's a tad higher compared to v0.16, but in my limited tests it plays well.

---------- Post added at 20:25 ---------- Previous post was at 20:20 ----------

A little confused by the remove nvg option. Does bcombat normally add nvg's to all units? If I want to play as the mission designer intended, ie pre-placed nvg's do I run with that flag true or false?

bCombat does not add any NVG.

It simply provides a setting (bcombat_remove_nvgoggles) which removes any NVGs from units (even from spawned ones) when set to true.

---------- Post added at 20:27 ---------- Previous post was at 20:25 ----------

Hey all. Thanks very much for all the work on the mod.

It came recommended when I asked elsewhere about fixing the ridiculous fatigue problem. However, I still seem to have soldiers that can't run more than 150 meters without slowing from a run. I, as a heavy smoker, who does no PT at all, can run farther than these wimps. My dad, at 55, could still pass his annual PT test before he retired, which included a 20 some KM run. And he was armored corps, spending much of his day sitting.

Now, I don't want fatigue to disappear completely - it should still have an effect on weapon sway for example - but is there any way to simply do away with the "slow to a walk" feature entirely? Perhaps I'm missing something in the .jar that might help me?

Please keep in mind that my programming skills are nil. So spoon feed it to me folks. Small words. :P

Fatigue is disabled by default in bCombat. It's simply too clunky at the moment, in my opinion.

Of course you can re-enable it at will, by setting bcombat_allow_fatigue = false;

The issue you're experimenting is not bCombat related, it's just a vanilla glitch.

Edited July 28, 2014 by fabrizio_T

[kremator 1065]

Grabbing latest Fab, and will test it out now.

[LSD_Timewarp82 21]

When removing NVGS from all Units, how affects it in the dark, would the AI spot me like with NVGs or is there a huge difference?

[Tonci87 163]

Very huge difference. Test it.

[LSD_Timewarp82 21]

I did, but all units had nvgs on, my config says nvg_disabled=true

[tpw 2315]

Fab_T, does bCombat immediately run code on spawned AI?

I've spent the last few weeks trying to optimise TPW SKIRMISH, which spawns enemy and friendly squads around the player. I noticed that every time a squad was spawned, there was a few seconds of annoying stuttering. I went over my own code with an electron microscope and managed to optimise some of my spawning routines. However a lot of the stuttering still remained. When I (reluctantly) disabled bCombat 0.16, 95% of the stuttering went away, which led me to think that bCombat is scanning for new AI and assigning various bCombat routines to them, and this is causing the CPU to spike. If my assumption is correct (and maybe it's not), is there some way to minimise this effect?

[fabrizio_t 58]

Fab_T, does bCombat immediately run code on spawned AI?

I've spent the last few weeks trying to optimise TPW SKIRMISH, which spawns enemy and friendly squads around the player. I noticed that every time a squad was spawned, there was a few seconds of annoying stuttering. I went over my own code with an electron microscope and managed to optimise some of my spawning routines. However a lot of the stuttering still remained. When I (reluctantly) disabled bCombat 0.16, 95% of the stuttering went away, which led me to think that bCombat is scanning for new AI and assigning various bCombat routines to them, and this is causing the CPU to spike. If my assumption is correct (and maybe it's not), is there some way to minimise this effect?

How many units are you spawning?

On bCombat v0.16 there's no more on-spawn / immediate unit initialization.

Instead there's a loop running each bcombat_features_clock seconds (default = 3), which takes care of initializing any spawned units, as well as handling advanced features (CQB, grenade handling).

Take a look into loop.sqf.

That's not supposed to lag, unless for "armageddon" case: a lot of units (> 1 hundred) fighting within a small radius (< 1000 meters) and having player nearby them.

In that case units number, CQB routines , hearing routines and player proximity are supposed to generate the maximum overhead.

I think that's an avoidable scenario though: if hundreds of units are supposed to converge into the exact same spot then it would be better to disable altogether CQB and hearing routines, as these would trade overhead for a marginal advantage (the more the bullets flying by, the less AI routines will make the difference).

That said, wildlife / animals currently add up to general units count within loop.sqf, potentially generating some unneeded overhead.

These are normally a few, they will be filtered out within v0.17.

---------- Post added at 09:05 ---------- Previous post was at 09:03 ----------

I did, but all units had nvgs on, my config says nvg_disabled=true

The setting within config.sqf should be:

bcombat_remove_nvgoggles = true;

in order to have NVG removed.

Please let me know if that's misfunctioning.

---

Now a small insight on a v0.17 new feature, the minimum enforced unit skill setting for player group (bcombat_min_player_group_skill).

Many people asked to apply a wider range of AI improvements to units belonging to a player (led) group.

Unfortunately that's not feasible, as those automatic improvements would end up reducing the degree of control player has on its subordinates, which is undesirable under many circumstances.

So i've drafted an optional feature: you're allowed to specify a minimum skill setting being automatically applied to player led units, whatever their original skill.

This will help filling the survivability gap between AI led units and player led units, if desired.

Edited July 30, 2014 by fabrizio_T

[tpw 2315]

How many units are you spawning?

On bCombat v0.16 there's no more on-spawn / immediate unit initialization.

Instead there's a loop running each bcombat_features_clock seconds (default = 3), which takes care of initializing any spawned units, as well as handling advanced features (CQB, grenade handling).

Take a look into loop.sqf.

That's not supposed to lag, unless for "armageddon" case: a lot of units (> 1 hundred) fighting within a small radius (< 1000 meters) and having player nearby them.

In that case units number, CQB routines , hearing routines and player proximity are supposed to generate the maximum overhead.

I think that's an avoidable scenario though: if hundreds of units are supposed to converge into the exact same spot then it would be better to disable altogether CQB and hearing routines, as these would trade overhead for a marginal advantage (the more the bullets flying by, the less AI routines will make the difference).

That said, wildlife / animals currently add up to general units count within loop.sqf, potentially generating some unneeded overhead.

These are normally a few, they will be filtered out within v0.17.

Thanks Prof T

By default within a 1500m radius of the player TPW MODS spawns up to 5 enemy squads of 2-8 units, up to 5 friendly squads of 2-8 units, a handful of civilians if near habitable buildings, a handful of civilians in boats/cars, and 15 or so animals. I'll be interested to see how v0.17 behaves!

[fabrizio_t 58]

Thanks Prof T

By default within a 1500m radius of the player TPW MODS spawns up to 5 enemy squads of 2-8 units, up to 5 friendly squads of 2-8 units, a handful of civilians if near habitable buildings, a handful of civilians in boats/cars, and 15 or so animals. I'll be interested to see how v0.17 behaves!

So it's up to (5+5) * 8 = 80 units, plus civilians and animals, within 1500 meters.

Theoretically it should not even lag onto v0.16, at least i can run 150+ editor placed units at once within that radius (on my notebook).

Maybe the simple fact units are spawned consumes more resources for their initialization.

Care to check what happens with bCombat hearing and CQB features off ?

EDIT: by the way, bCombat debug balloons / overlays were off, right? They're performance killers.

Edited July 31, 2014 by fabrizio_T

[tpw 2315]

Hi Fab

I forgot to mention that the various squads are spawned every 15 seconds or so, only as needed. 80 combat units really is a worse case scenario!

In any case the only lag I see is when units are spawned - once they are all on the map the performance is fine with or without bCombat. I'm keenly aware that the act of spawning and assigning waypoints is a CPU spiker, so my spawning code tries to alleviate this by spawning each squad member 0.2 sec apart rather than all at once.

I have no bCombat debugging enabled. I'll try turning the hearing and CQB off and will let you know. Thanks for your help mate.

[gatordev 219]

A little late, but here's the error. Sorry for the delay, but it was a busy last few days.

http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561197968612487/screenshots/?appid=0&sort=newestfirst&browsefilter=myfiles&view=imagewall&privacy=14

[fabrizio_t 58]

Ok, so we're talking about hundreds of units within a confined space, which basically fits the "Armageddon" situation. There are solutions though.

Speaking of bCombat, i'd say you'd better disable CQB features (bcombat_cqb_radar = false) and hearing routines (bcombat_allow_hearing = false).

I think this will help performance alot, if bCombat is the culprit.

---------- Post added at 07:54 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:46 AM ----------

A little late, but here's the error. Sorry for the delay, but it was a busy last few days.

http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561197968612487/screenshots/?appid=0&sort=newestfirst&browsefilter=myfiles&view=imagewall&privacy=14

Thanks i'll doublecheck that.

Edited August 1, 2014 by fabrizioT
edited, since i added some very wrong calculations! Need more coffee ... ;)

[LSD_Timewarp82 21]

The setting within config.sqf should be:

bcombat_remove_nvgoggles = true;

in order to have NVG removed.

Please let me know if that's misfunctioning.

That worked great, thanks. But AI still has Xray eyesensor, i mean when hiding in buildings it´s very hard to get the first shot, always funny how the AI is pointing for your head when you try to peek a little. Hope that someday this AI "knows all" ability will be gone, this Game would be so much better when you could hide with sense and stuff. Actually when i´m hiding it´s like "pah, no need to be ambitious in hiding, they will find you and propably kill you" ^^

[serjames 357]

Gliptal is your config thing-a-ma-jig ready to use with R17 ?

Or only R16 ?

Let me know, Cheers

SJ

[gliptal 25]

If no new parameters were added to the .sqf with R17 the GUI is already compatible.

Yay!

[serjames 357]

hmm, I've downloaded R17.

Put your Executable Jar into the root of the bCombat folder but when i run it (which has to be right click/Open with/ Java etc) the fields all say "ERR"

Sorry I've not been following this closely so I assume I'm not the first lol

It seems to work when It's run from with the Executable folder I downloaded from the Github... not sure that it actually edits the right Config then though. only the one in the Executable folder I assume so I copied it to the main folder and.... no go.

SJ

[gliptal 25]

hmm, I've downloaded R17.

Put your Executable Jar into the root of the bCombat folder but when i run it (which has to be right click/Open with/ Java etc) the fields all say "ERR"

Sorry I've not been following this closely so I assume I'm not the first lol

It seems to work when It's run from with the Executable folder I downloaded from the Github... not sure that it actually edits the right Config then though. only the one in the Executable folder I assume so I copied it to the main folder and.... no go.

SJ

Ok I found the problem: "CORE bCombat FEATURES" and "CORE bDetect FEATURES" sections had the order they appear in the .sqf inverted in R17 as opposed to R16. I'll provide you with an R17 version as soon as possible.

Yay!