AI Enhancements Create Problems in Warfare?

[CEMaestro 10]

I have been using several mods (including ACE and the recently released zWarfare) to play games of Warfare, and I keep having the problem that friendly AI will bunch up and remain in the base for the duration of the game. No matter how I try to get them to move (i.e., telling them to capture towns, an explicit move command, ordering them to patrol an area, et cetera) they refuse to leave the base.

I have the same problem for v 1.14 and beta 1.15. All of my extended event handlers are the same versions required by the mod writers. Issue exists whether I'm running a dedicated server or hosting in-game.

If I am running a plain, un-modded version of ArmA, or if I am using some sort of mod that does not change the AI, the problem does not occur. I've found a handful of posts on the BI forums about people having the same issue, but have not found any solutions. I'm really at my wit's end, so if anyone has any suggestions, it would be greatly appreciated.

[draeath 10]

With just ACE, when an AI falls unconcious, the script goofs up thinking he is dead. That means the squad leader is effectively unable to do anything.

The solution is something like this:

http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?t=69646

http://dev-heaven.net/projects/show/doomguy-waco

Note that if you have ACE, you don't need all those addons he references.

[CEMaestro 10]

Thanks for the tip, but this problem happens long before the AI even comes into contact with something that could injure / kill them.

I have noticed that, while stuck at the base, the AI commanders do seem to be caught in a loop giving orders that are never carried out. I might look into the mods listed to see if there's a similar solution there, but this problem exists in mods other than ACE too.

[draeath 10]

Ah! I know what you mean now.

The other day I tried that WACO, and noticed a (forgot what it is... US Anti Air vehicle with a minigun). The gunner was non-stop spouting numbers, and the driver was deadlocked. I think the gunner was trying to order destinations so fast the driver never had a chance to start moving.

Looks like a race condition to me. I'm not too familiar with the game's internals, but I would hazard a guess that it may take intervention by the developers to help narrow down the cause, and outline a solution. Warfare may be to complicated for the AI to handle with these enhancements. Possible solutions I can think of:

1. Slow the AI order-giving process

2. Reduce the delay in accepting and acting on a given order (I bet if the driver just started moving, the gunner would have been pulled out of the deadlock)

3. Add code to specifically detect such deadlocks and act on it (ie, the AI tells itself to shut up and reset)

Edited April 14, 2009 by draeath
additions

[goldblock 10]

Maestro if you are running Warfare on a dedicated server log in as admin and check the server status with /#monitor. Play the game for a while (30 mins) and then check what the server fps is.

warfare+multiple AI mods can bring your computer to a grinding halt. It may just be overloaded. If you are away from the base the server diverts processing power to the AI around you (i.e resistance troops at whatever town you're fighting at etc) and your AI team members slip into a coma. :)

[draeath 10]

Maestro if you are running Warfare on a dedicated server log in as admin and check the server status with /#monitor. Play the game for a while (30 mins) and then check what the server fps is.

warfare+multiple AI mods can bring your computer to a grinding halt. It may just be overloaded. If you are away from the base the server diverts processing power to the AI around you (i.e resistance troops at whatever town you're fighting at etc) and your AI team members slip into a coma. :)

Doesn't sound like this is the issue, sounds like the AI is stuck issuing orders in a loop faster than they can be responded to by subordinates.

[CEMaestro 10]

Update:

After completely removing the game from my system and meticulously reinstalling everything from scratch, the problem has been resolved. I can only speculate, but I guess I must have installed a patch in the wrong order or something.