Way to prevent group units to share information?

[5133p39 16]

I would like N units being members of the same group, but i want them to behave like single units.

I don't want them to share targets once one of them detects one, etc.

Some command like <span style='color:blue'>[_unit1,_unit2 / _group] groupInfoSharing false</span> would be nice, unfortunately it seems there is no command like this.

But maybe someone discovered that by using some other commands it is possible to achieve this or simmilar effect?

Maybe it is not even possible due to how the game is programmed - maybe a unit needs to be part of a center and thus also part of a group to be able to detect targets etc.,

so even if i could disable the in-group info sharing, it would result only in the units inability to detects any targets.

I don't know, i am desperate and as such i am looking for any options, no matter how stupid it may seems.

[Pirin 0]

Could you give us more details about what specifically you're trying to do that isn't working?

[johnnyboy 3797]

You could make all the units not members of a group, but to "group" them so they move together, you could use a follow script found here:

http://www.ofpec.com/forum/index.php?topic=28711.0

You could have all units follow one unit, but they would not be in the same group.

You should describe the exact scenario and behavior you want to achieve, and then we can have a better chance of giving a good suggestion.

[5133p39 16]

Ok, i wasn't specific enough, so you don't understand what i want.

I want units to be members of the same group, allowing me to spawn more than 144 units per side (144 or so, is the maximum number of groups any side can have).

Lets say i need to have 300 units.

So i make three groups of 100 units, but that would not work for my purpose.

I cannot make more than one unit member of one group, because as it is now the group members are sharing information about targets, danger, etc., and i need all of the 300 units to behave independently - meaning, when unit1 detects enemy or some danger, the rest of the units shouldn't know about this and they should continue like if nothing is happening.

I need this for my zombies, and civilian population.

[johnnyboy 3797]

Sound like it will require scripting. These commands could prove useful:

<table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td>Code Sample </td></tr><tr><td id="CODE">unit disableai "TARGET";

unit domove [x,y,z];

dostop unit;

unit disableai "MOVE";

Disableai "TARGET" doesn't stop a unit from shooting a nearby known enemy, but it does stop him from breaking formation and engaging targets. This should keep a unit from running to the other side of town because another group member spotted an enemy over there.

domove seems to move units independently, ignoring other group orders.

dostop will stop a unit, until commanded to move again.

disableAI "MOVE", when combined with disableAI "TARGET"; is guaranteed to keep a unit in a fixed position.

Managing the movement and behavior of individual units that are in a 100 unit group, sounds like a tough task though...

[5133p39 16]

Sound like it will require scripting. These commands could prove useful:

<table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td>Code Sample </td></tr><tr><td id="CODE">unit disableai "TARGET";

unit domove [x,y,z];

dostop unit;

unit disableai "MOVE";

Disableai "TARGET" doesn't stop a unit from shooting a nearby known enemy, but it does stop him from breaking formation and engaging targets. This should keep a unit from running to the other side of town because another group member spotted an enemy over there.

domove seems to move units independently, ignoring other group orders.

dostop will stop a unit, until commanded to move again.

disableAI "MOVE", when combined with disableAI "TARGET"; is guaranteed to keep a unit in a fixed position.

Managing the movement and behavior of individual units that are in a 100 unit group, sounds like a tough task though...

I am glad you are willing to help me, but you are still missing the point:

I dont have problem with managing the units (ordering individual units to move and do things) even if they are in one group.

What i need is to stop them sharing information about targets and danger - enemies, dead bodies, etc.

For example:

Unit1 finds a dead body -> fsmDanger is run, it will find the type of danger, which is a dead body, and will make Unit1 to perform appropriate tasks (go to the body, inspect it, check for weapons and ammo, and take them if it can benefit from them - if the weapon on the dead body got more ammo, etc.).

Now if i do this while Unit1 is in the same group as other N units, those other units will also know about the body, because Unit1 will share this information among the group, but those other units can be miles away from that body - ok, their FSM will check the distance, decides that they should not know about the body, and won't perform the "inspect body" tasks, but when they came to this body later, they will not inspect it because they already know about this body and thus the game will not start their fsmDanger.

Simmilar situation when the danger is an enemy soldier (a zombie, to be exact).

Unit1 will detect the zombie, and let all other group members know about it, resulting in the same problem - fsmDanger is run when danger is detected, and only once for the same danger (until the unit "forgets" about it, then on the next encounter it will activate again even for the same enemy soldier).

The result of this will be, that when Unit1 detect the zombie and starts fleeing, the other far away group members will not start fleeing (i will prevent it, because they are too far away and in reality they shouldn't have a clue about the zombie) and when these units really encounter this zombie, they will not flee, because they already know about this danger, so their fsmDanger won't be run.

I already finished all scripts and FSM files, everything works perfectly, but it is not possible to use more than 144 civilians, because each of them must have also his own group - not shared with any other civilian.

The same limit also aplies to the zombies, i can have only 144 of zombies.

For island of size as is the Sara, or even SaraLite, it is very few civilians. Even the North pole is more populated than this (now i am exagerating, but you get my point).

[nikita320106 0]

what about

<table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td>Code Sample </td></tr><tr><td id="CODE">enableRadio false;

enableAttack false;

[5133p39 16]

what about

<table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td>Code Sample </td></tr><tr><td id="CODE">enableRadio false;

enableAttack false;

No, that won't work.

<span style='color:blue'>enableRadio false</span> only prevents showing and hearing of radio messages, but it won't stop any communication.

And <span style='color:blue'>_x enableAttack false</span> will only prevent leader of the group to issue attack commands, but informations will still be shared.

[maddogx 13]

I am afraid what you are asking is not possible. Units in the same group will always share info. Even if you disable a unit's AI he will still report your position to the rest of his group when he spots you, even though he can neither move nor shoot.

I had a similar problem a while ago and actually asked Suma whether it was at least possible to somehow stop AI from reporting enemy positions to the rest of their group, but he said this is currently not possible.

[sickboy 13]

Like MDX notes, I also don't believe it to be possible.

Even checked the FSM's for any sign of this, but it seems to be really hardcoded.

I guess you already have some ideas about workarounds...

However, a few suggestions:

[*] Create own targeting and target sharing system, and disable the normal FSM (keep to kind of cilian FSM)

[*] Use 2 sides (RES + West, or RES + East)

[*] If you don't need AI attacking the zombies (which I doubt you don't want ;P), you could set them on the civilian side, and from the civ side set all other sides enemy.

[*] I'm not sure if you can spawn stuff on this side, or change side somehow, but it might just add another 144 extra slots: http://community.bistudio.com/wiki/sideEnemy