how to make AI leave an objective and attack?

[topeira 10]

this is a noobish question since i dont know anything about scripting and init' commands and diving into the manuals didnt help me with what im looking for.

now perhaps the existing AI in arma2 is already doing that but still i'd like to ask how to do this:

is there a way (either write something in the ini line or just certain waypoints do that) to make the AI leave their objectives (if it's a move order or sentry order or any way point for that matter) to attack the enemy , chase him around and hunt him down?

say i tell a group of AIs to "move" with a way point. if i attack them on their way to the waypoint, will they (by the default AI of the game) leave their route and try and intercept me?

if so, when will they return to their route to the "move" way point?

if they wont intercept me than how can i make them do so?

also if i have a unit (or a group, of course) that reached their destination, what will they do if they encounter an enemy unit? will they leave their place to engage or will they stay close to the destination area (the waypoint area) and just engage from there without moving much?

how can i make them leave their area and dedicate themselves to search for the enemy?

i hope u can help me. thanks :)

[MortenL 10]

Normally the AI will intercept and possibly flank the enemies that they have seen, and then they will return to their original waypoint once the threat has been destroyed.

[Sgt.Spoetnik 10]

Hi, yes, units and groups will engage enemy when going to or defending waypoints, and you can give different waypoints for several tasks;

Hold: unit will hold waypoint for as long if you want,

Guard- unit will guard waypoint and will engage and chase off enemy,after will return to waypoint to guard,

Cycle- puth this as you last waypoint and place it over your first waypoint and it will make unit go back to first WP to start his patrol again so he keeps going,

then there is some simple scripting for units to react to when triggerd etc.

Hope it is some help,cya later

Edited June 9, 2009 by Sgt.Spoetnik

[topeira 10]

first - thanks a lot. im glad to hear the AI will engage enemies when they see them and not just stay where they were in their last WP.

MortenL - u wrote "they will return to their original waypoint once the threat has been destroyed." how does the AI know when the threat is destroyed so they get back to their business?

questions -

i read explenations about what each way point is doing but didnt really get the differences between some of them:

HOLD - what do u mean "hold" a WP? meaning the AI will stay there for time period i can set? that's it?

GUARD - i know this is supposed to be attached (linked in init line, right?) to an object so the AI will defent it? is that currect?

can the guard WP be done easily by just linking it somehow to another unit? i dont really get how it's done.

SENTRY - what is the difference between sentry and guard and hold?!

seek and destroy - as far as i could tell it just means that when the AI get to that point then they just kind of walk around it's vecinity looking for enemies. is that all or is there more to it? can i define how far from the way point they will go to seek enemies?

CYCLE - good to know . didnt know that one.

DESTROY - i assume this means "destroy and object". how can i tell the AI what to destroy?

TAMPLATES' AI:

In arma2 i can use tamplates of editor mission where the game places the AIs for me but i can move them around. is there a difference between the tamplate AI grouns and any AI group i set mylsef with a "move" or "hold" W.P.?

p.s. - what are the lines i need to type to get units to use suppression fire?

THANKS GUYS! :)

Edited June 9, 2009 by topeira

[NeMeSiS 11]

http://community.bistudio.com/wiki/ArmA:_Mission_Editor#Waypoints_Mode_.28F4.29

Information on all waypoints. (And more basic editor functions)

[CarlGustaffa 4]

Speaking of waypoints. Is it now possible to cancel a dismissed waypoint?

[topeira 10]

Thanks nemesis but i still have a few questions that this guide didnt answer:

1) GUARD - i know this is supposed to be attached to an object so the AI will defent it but i dont know how to link a guard WP to anything. the WP dont "snap" to units or anything :\

2) same with "destroy". how can i tell a unit to kill another unit on the map?

3) TAMPLATES' AI (i dont remember this avilable in arma1) :

In arma2 i can use tamplates of editor mission where the game places the AIs for me but i can move them around. is there a difference between the tamplate AI groups and any AI group i set mylsef with a "move" or "sentry" W.P.?

4) what are the lines i need to type to get units to use suppression fire?

5) how can i tell a mission to be over (trigger, i suppose) if a certain unit dies? i looked for this one up but i didnt find an easy answer. probably bad searching since im sure this is explained somewhere in a clear manner.

[NeMeSiS 11]

Just make the waypoint with your mouse hovering over the unit. (So create it on top of it, creating it and then dragging it on top of the unit does not work)

If you still want to acces the unit after creating a waypoint on top of him you can hold shift, this enables you to select the unit while leaving the waypoint alone.

(And you shouldnt attach a guard waypoint to an object, you can but its useless)

[topeira 10]

thanks, nemesis. i always tried putting a WP and dragging it over a unit.

when u say i shouldnt attach a guard waypoint on an object, by object u mean an AI too or just something like an APC or a HOUSE?

now, i understand that a guard squad will guard another unit\AI. in theory i know what that's supposed to mean - they will follow that unit. attack whoever is attacking at unit, if that unit is escaping or flanking than the guarding squad will follow the flankers etc, BUT how does this WP really work in practice?

what is the difference between "guard" and "join"?

[NeoArmageddon 958]

1) GUARD - i know this is supposed to be attached to an object so the AI will defent it but i dont know how to link a guard WP to anything. the WP dont "snap" to units or anything :\

There is no need to "link" it with somethink. Its enought to place it somewere. If the WP is over a unit, the group will guard the unit. If its over nothing, the group will guard the place around the WP (maybe a camp or city).

Guard means, that the group stay at the waypoint but move out, if an enemy approachs ("hold" will make the group to stay there).

2) same with "destroy". how can i tell a unit to kill another unit on the map?

Just place a "destroy" over an enemy (!) unit.

3) TAMPLATES' AI (i dont remember this avilable in arma1) :

In arma2 i can use tamplates of editor mission where the game places the AIs for me but i can move them around. is there a difference between the tamplate AI groups and any AI group i set mylsef with a "move" or "sentry" W.P.?

I dont know exactly what you mean, but mission templates and group-templates are there already since OFP. There is no difference between editor placed units and tpl-units.

4) what are the lines i need to type to get units to use suppression fire?

Its seems that the suppressed fire is still "work in progress". Lets wait for the next patch^^

5) how can i tell a mission to be over (trigger, i suppose) if a certain unit dies? i looked for this one up but i didnt find an easy answer. probably bad searching since im sure this is explained somewhere in a clear manner.

Thats easy! Place a trigger and choose in the "type"-drop-down "End1" (or another End or Win).

In the "Condition"-field you can find an "this". This means, the trigger is triggered, when the conditions above (Side: None, present etc) are true. But you can replace this, with your own condition. Just replace "this" with "NOT alive Unit" and replace Unit with the name of the unit, which souldnt die during the mission. You can connect more conditions with "AND".

Condition

NOT alive player AND NOT alive hisbestfriend AND NOT alive hiscat AND (player distance HOME > 500)