FlexiAI (WIP) discussion

[fabrizio_t 58]

Hi,

Let me share some info about a WIP project i'm working upon on the last 2 months.

It's a infantry AI set of scripts, featuring a somewhat better AI behaviour.

Nothing good enough to be shown currently, but here is a list of the planned features for this set of scripts:

[*] better situational awareness: depending on evaluation of opposing force the AI group will decide whether to (1) hit the ground and observe threat, (2) assault, (3) engage carefully, (4) advance stealthy, (5) keep position or (6) tactically retreat;

[*] AI group does not rush into enemy, unless it's outnumbering the opposition;

[*] Better group cohesion: AI units try to cover each other and work as a group;

[*] Groups communication: AI group leaders share informations with nearby friendly groups;

[*] Groups cohordination: AI group leaders try to cohordinate action with other nearby groups;

[*] Support: AI group issues calls for artillery strikes or CAS;

[*] Logistics: AI group requests pickup / extraction;

[*] Better formation handling: AI group chooses afitting formation depending on direction and size of the opposing force and/or environment;

[*] Better unit speed and stance handling: speed and stance depend on enemy numbers, size and distance of opposing force;

[*] Minor feature: AI group deploys smoke when falling back;

[*] Minor feature: AI units leave depleted AT weapons on the ground;

[*] Minor feature: Group command automatically switched if leader is heaviliy wounded or hurt to legs;

Some basic features are rawly done, but still a lot of work has still to be done.

I hope to be able to post a video later ;)

Edited October 11, 2009 by fabrizio_T

[Kristian 47]

Whoa, How will the CAS system work? Does the mission maker have to add helos etc? or will there be some script inclued that gives AI ability to call CAS?

If there is enemy AA nearby, will AI still call in ar support?

Sounds very cool, what features have been done and tested? :P

[fabrizio_t 58]

Whoa, How will the CAS system work? Does the mission maker have to add helos etc? or will there be some script inclued that gives AI ability to call CAS?

If there is enemy AA nearby, will AI still call in ar support?

Sounds very cool, what features have been done and tested? :P

CAS system utilizes vehicles/helis/planes that have been "reserved" to the task by the mission maker. These vehicles stay idle till a CAS request of support by a AI group is issued to AI HQ, acknowledeged and accepted. Then the assigned vehicle will fly to the CAS zone, where the AI group is waiting to direct the fire (NO laser designation, sorry).

AI will have built-in ability to request CAS.

It will call it on its own, if threatened (as well as it will eventually call for an artillery barrage).

Scripts handling CAS will be included in the set, but mission maker won't need to care about them.

Nearby AA units will be taken in account (but that's out of the scope of the first release). CAS support, artillery strikes, groups cohordination and AI HQ simulation have been only partly implemented and non tested at all.

I am actually focusing on AI situational awareness and tactics.

It's a huge and slow work.

More details to come.

Edited October 11, 2009 by fabrizio_T

[KeyCat 131]

Sounds great Fabrizio! Will follow your work closely but I also hope BIS will fix/improve stock AI in forthcoming patches since I kinda expected a bit more for this "Game 2 AI" than what we currently have...

/KC

Edited October 11, 2009 by KeyCat

[Flash Thunder 10]

Sounds great Fabrizio, will follow your work closely but I really hope BIS will fix/improve stock AI in forthcoming patches since I kinda expected a bit more for this "Game 2 AI" than what we currently have...

/KC

Quoted for the Truth, BIS should've this already in the AI.

The script sounds nice but this is BIS job. :cool:

[jackass888 0]

good to know that someone is focusing on the ai that has so much unused potential:)

Have you considered also house search and taking positions in builidings scripts? The ai is pretty good now at moving inside buildings... they just have to be told to do so.

[nikita320106 0]

sounds very interesting)

[fabrizio_t 58]

Quoted for the Truth, BIS should've this already in the AI.

The script sounds nice but this is BIS job. :cool:

Agree :(

However, after much testing, let me say that if properly helped with some basic scripting, current AI can be brilliant at times.

Yesterday a made a few tests with a mission featuring 8 (max. skill) SF units opening their way through a 26 men strong (min. skill) opposing force, towards a final destination.

It was just a 360° test for AI capabilities, no realism involved.

Enemy was organized in 5 different groups, so SF units had to progress through these steps:

1) a initial 8 vs 10 frontal clash

2) a simultaneous sides aggression by 2 enemy groups (4 men strong each)

3) a rear enemy attack by 1 group (4 men strong)

4) a final frontal defense line (4 men strong) break

I've run this mission many times to compare vanilla AI vs improved AI.

Needless to say vanilla AI had enormous problems in withstanding the very first clash, due to its "rushy" behaviour.

All in all it failed 5 missions out of 5, losing all its units each single time.

Causalties ratio was in average 1:0.75, in favor of enemy.

Morale: skill had simply no effects against numbers.

On the contrary mproved AI succeeded 3 times out of 5, with a average casualties ratio of 2:1.

What's more important is that improved AI was focusing on reaching its destination, rather than hunting any single enemy on the field.

Morale: high skill + better tactics may defeat numbers.

---------- Post added at 10:24 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:47 AM ----------

Let me add a screenshot showing the results of a different test.

You can see the path taken by a 8-men SF group ordered to go from point 1 (start) to point 8 (destination) through a simple MOVE waypoint.

Along the path these wonderful 8 men (100% skill) were able to kill 31 enemies out of 32 (20% skill), losing 1 man due to enemy fire and 1 due to friendly fire. It was the only lucky case i registered a win with a 15,5:1 casualties ratio by a group outnumbered by a 4:1 ratio :)

Notice how AI group changed its path dynamically according to situation, instead of progressing straight towards destination.

[*] Green markers show points where AI group was HOLDING fire (combatMode=GREEN)

[*] Yellow markers show points where AI group was ENGAGING (combatMode=YELLOW)

[*] triangular markers mean AI group was in AWARE mode

[*] circular markers mean AI group was in COMBAT mode

[*] blue crosses are friendly casualties

[*] red crosses are enemy casualties

LINK: http://img122.imageshack.us/i/aa2win.jpg/

Edited October 12, 2009 by fabrizio_T

[El Kostlivec 10]

This mod seems to be very promising. Altough I think AI of Arma 2 is quite good(in comparsion to Arma 1) there is always some way to make it better;)

[mrcash2009 0]

Well going by your description and the pathway taken, holding then engaging throughout ... and all this from a simple move way-point, this already is taking shape to be something very interesting indeed.

I agree AI is better in arma2 but the whole "rush" and its a splatter fest with pure AI teams does need work and your doing just that. Keep it going, a few youtube camera overview clips would be good to see at a later date :)

Kind of reminds me of the "patrol script" (now for arma2) that gave more AI control but simply applied with patrolling AI (another keeper). This one would be for combat AI instead.

[Flash Thunder 10]

Does anyone know if Dynamic AI Creator Script work with Arma II thats the script that would make the AI very immersive to play against. I downloaded it thinking it was from the A2 section when I looked up AI scripts and found out it was Armed Assualt, and Im a COMPLETE NOOB at Modding Scripting etc, and dont really know how to make it compatible if it can be done on Arma II.

BIS needs to be working on the AI right now it does hardly anything unless Scripted when on the back of the box it says Advanced AI.

If DAC doesnt work Im looking forward to your script Fabrizio T

[Herbal Influence 10]

Fabrizio - interesting work.

I like AIs of BI very much and I like them to get even better as they are now.

One question:

Do your scripts ask for more cpu-performance than normal AIs?

[fabrizio_t 58]

Fabrizio - interesting work.

I like AIs of BI very much and I like them to get even better as they are now.

One question:

Do your scripts ask for more cpu-performance than normal AIs?

For sure they need some more performance, since these scripts run on top of regular AI.

Best way would be to code them as FSM, but i lack the knowledge to do it and i fear the bugs.

In order to reduce CPU overhead scripts run with a 1-2 seconds (configurable) timeout and are applied to group leaders only.

So at the moment the CPU footprint is reasonably low and i am willing to keep it like that ;)

Edited October 13, 2009 by fabrizio_T

[nicolas_br 0]

This sounds great, can't wait. I think the Arma 2 AI has a lot of potential for greatness, which it shows sometimes, it just needs a little push to make it perform.

[nikita320106 0]

anymore info???

maybe private alfa??? test??? video??? show??? presentation with buffet???

))

[fabrizio_t 58]

anymore info???

maybe private alfa??? test??? video??? show??? presentation with buffet???

))

:) weekend worker here!

I bought yesterday gamecam to be able to record some movies (problem is they are huge even in divx format).

[AliMag 0]

Hi,

What you're doing reminds me of another set of scripts I think called Group Link by KeyCat (I think). But, if I remember correctly, it was only for the enemy AI. They were able to call backup and things like that...

Great idea by any means.

Cheers

[fabrizio_t 58]

Nothing fancy, but a rather simple video demonstrating AI ability to hit the ground and "collect information" on enemy before opening fire.

Nothing scripted (in mission), AI group is given a simple MOVE waypoint 1 km away.

I'm sorry for both video and audio poor quality ;)

@AliMag

Group Link I and II were/ are 2 excellent and inspirational addons.

Edited October 15, 2009 by fabrizio_T

[nikita320106 0]

very interesting))

waiting for any_alfa/bata_condition_addon' check))

[mrcash2009 0]

So in that video your a team member but the rest is AI including the leader right?

Looks impressive, more of a clean execution than a AI ramble :) Nice scoot and shoot and flanking going on, and tidy and together too. Im a massive fan of the Stay crouched position in A2.

Im keeping my eye on this thread from now on.

Edited October 17, 2009 by mrcash2009

[Alex72 1]

Im a massive fan of the Stay crouched position in A2.

Same here! Its fecking superb. :D

Fabrizio:

Looking good man! Will be great to test this when its done (or beta hehehe :) )

[fabrizio_t 58]

Hi.

I am too a fan of crouched position ;)

Today i mostly worked on teaching AI groups how to stealthily outflank enemies, since vanilla AI has no clue on how to do it.

I think it's an important missing feature, good for AI led specop-type / infiltration missions, guerilla scenarios and sniper tactics.

I'll post some screens and/or vids later.

Shame i can't figure how to get gamecam audio working decently!

It's just too early for alpha/beta release, but i'll keep you informed.

In the meantime let's hope BIS is sorting at least the spotting and skill-related issues.

[mrcash2009 0]

The vid quality you posted is good enough to demonstrate your point, wouldn't worry about it too much.

Yes .. stay crouched, I think one day I will open the game and all my men will be off the field in moments due to fatigue and back pain :)

Today i mostly worked on teaching AI groups how to stealthily outflank enemies, since vanilla AI has no clue on how to do it.

Thats one of the best lines ive read on this forum since it opened :)

[froggyluv 2135]

Also eagerly awaiting this one.

Can anything be done with tactical withdraw or hide when a unit ie. Rifleman has no chance against another unit ie. tank, that can persuade him to just hide and stay put or try to get out of there?

[fabrizio_t 58]

Also eagerly awaiting this one.

Can anything be done with tactical withdraw or hide when a unit ie. Rifleman has no chance against another unit ie. tank, that can persuade him to just hide and stay put or try to get out of there?

Have AI hold ground can be coded easily (already done), what's very tricky is have an AI group make a successful withdrawal.

"Hiding" will be an option when "findCover" and "setHideBehind" will finally work. At the moment AI holds ground, but can't be told to actively look for cover.

Options for outgunned goups will eventually include many different possibilities: stealthy flanking, call for support if available (artilllery, CA or reinforcement groups), holding ground, tactical withdrawal.

The idea is group will choose an option based on many parameters, including ROE (rules of engagement), distance, consistence and position of enemy. Being or not undetected will be a crucial parameter.

The hard part is obviously making this idea work on the battleground :)

I hope that with enough patience (=time) and hard work that would be partly feasible.

I'm not hurrying it ;)