Stupid A.I Drivers

[Arma_Fan 10]

Hi everyone, I just signed up here a BI forums because I've been looking everywhere for help creating mission.

What the hell is wrong with the frickin A.I drivers in Arma2?!. I have Operation Arrowhead and Im making a convoy of HUMVEE's with the "cage" around the M2 go along this road in Zargobad or whatever it is and get ambushed by the taliban. BUT it takes literally forever for them to get where there suppose to be and they get out of place, keep bumping in to things and eachother, reversing ALOT at the start causing them to get out of order going of road, swerving stopping and going. MY GOD! You would think that they were on drugs. Seriously, what the hell is wrong here? Why cant I have them go in a straight (column) line on the road, directly to the waypoint (MOVE, with column, limited, and Safe settings) Is that so hard for them to do? Someone please tell me they fixed that crap with the patch. :mad:

[mia389 10]

Welcome to the forums! I have this problem to. I think if you put the waypoints closer it will help. Just wait until you try to put waypoints for the C130.

[Darkhorse 1-6 16]

It's normal. We have been dealing with that issue for 10 years, get used to it. :D

[MARINE 105 "Chumley" 10]

Yeah... It's perfectly normal. Just like that tank convoy mission in OA campaign. Took forever to get them back in formation, but I did it and finished the campaign. ^.^ I have set up a waypoint for a M113 to go in a square-like path around a building and it worked fine, but the humvees had some trouble turning right, haha.... :D

[Dogmeat of Finland 10]

There are some scripts for making proper convoys. Check out the scripts section at Armaholic.

[victim913 10]

Here's a couple things that I found helps me.

LONG STORY SHORT:

Make convoy vehicles ranked from private last vehicle(s) and Col (or as high as as many vehicles you have) The first car. Second thing, is on the first waypoint select formation column (compact), or put "this setFormation "file"; in the init of the group leader. That way they stay single file.

Than make any infantry get in the vehicles you want them to get in. Either use a waypoint exactly on top of the vehicle using the "get in" command. Then use "get out" where you want them to get out at, and the vehicle with "transport unload" command and sync them together.

That way, your convoy is clear ranking and infantry wont affect their position.

Also, each waypoint will make your units stop for a couple seconds, so use them wisely. It gives a chance for lagging units to catch up. Set speed to full and behavior safe for the smoothest ride, it will usually stick to street.

If you don't want them to stop, you can add triggers that tell it to switch to the next waypoint before it hits it's current one, that way it should never stop.

Also a tip i recently found out, if you like to team switch, and you select a unit as playable, never put him as "in cargo". It cancels the playable and can't switch to them.

SHORT STORY LONG..in case you need to know why

-First off, any infantry squad that has vehicles in it is a problem. It will pretty much be a 99% chance that AT LEAST one of your soldiers will get run over by it.

-The key is the squad structure. For this mission, specifically, individually pick each unit. Don't pick a preset squad.

-If you are like me and want your units in in specific positions, you need to not use "rank" as Their actual rank but as position. However, you probably want to keep it close. Because.....

-Your default formation is a wedge. Lead in front, then they all fall in according to rank, I believe they start on the right side then left, R, L, etc.. all the way down. So you need to use rank as a way for you to pick who gets what spot.

Using the USMC squad as example, there are 3 fire teams and you but in formation it's pointless because the fire teams do not stick together. Your first three spots will be sergeant, then corporols and last private. So You will likely have each fire team in random spots and if you need a private, he will be like 30 yards away. And when you try to send them off on different tasks, they will stay the same distance away from each other, which sucks.

-So what i do is make me the highest rank, then the 4 people on my squad will all be sgt., That way my team is always next to me no matter what formation. Then I pick opposites, then the other two fire team leaders get corporol, insuring that they are next in line and across from each other and not together, Then i pick the two auto rifles as corporol next so they go across from each other, then the same going down to privates etc. So now if I seperate them, they will all be lined up behind each other.

-For convoys I do the same thing. But Usually I will seperate infantry from vehicles because of the rank, they will always run into each other and hold up units that are behind them.

Now putting it together;

Give each car a seperate rank. That way each car has it's exact place in the convoy. If you pick "Major", for a humvee, that might make the driver a Major, but the gunner, will be a lower rank usually, like "Captain". And the car behind it may also be "Captain" but it will stay behind your the car in front because it has at least one higher rank. Your front car may be a col. He might not be Col. in real life rank, but it will stay first.

Because they do have lower ranks in the cars, they may be fidgetty, but nothing like you have now. If you have to, Start off with empty vehicles and use "moveindriver"/gunner/etc. command to a soldier. That way you can make sure everyone in the vehicle is the same rank. And if you go that route, and you want to use it grouped with infantry, either make the car the highest rank by itself or lowest rank by itself. That way if it's the only private, it will always stay last and lowers the running over % down.

Anyway, thats how i do it without using scripting.If any questions let me know. Or if someone has a better idea

[Arma_Fan 10]

Welcome to the forums! I have this problem to. I think if you put the waypoints closer it will help. Just wait until you try to put waypoints for the C130.

Thanks dude! :D im super stoked (if anyone even uses this word anymore lol) for help now! :D...ouch, Im afraid to haha

There are some scripts for making proper convoys. Check out the scripts section at Armaholic.

I'll be sure to give that a try bud :) Quick heads up though, how would I go about installing these scripts? Do I just drag the folder that the script is in into an Arma directory?

Here's a couple things that I found helps me.

LONG STORY SHORT:

Make convoy vehicles ranked from private last vehicle(s) and Col (or as high as as many vehicles you have) The first car. Second thing, is on the first waypoint select formation column (compact), or put "this setFormation "file"; in the init of the group leader. That way they stay single file.

Than make any infantry get in the vehicles you want them to get in. Either use a waypoint exactly on top of the vehicle using the "get in" command. Then use "get out" where you want them to get out at, and the vehicle with "transport unload" command and sync them together.

That way, your convoy is clear ranking and infantry wont affect their position.

Also, each waypoint will make your units stop for a couple seconds, so use them wisely. It gives a chance for lagging units to catch up. Set speed to full and behavior safe for the smoothest ride, it will usually stick to street.

If you don't want them to stop, you can add triggers that tell it to switch to the next waypoint before it hits it's current one, that way it should never stop.

Also a tip i recently found out, if you like to team switch, and you select a unit as playable, never put him as "in cargo". It cancels the playable and can't switch to them.

SHORT STORY LONG..in case you need to know why

-First off, any infantry squad that has vehicles in it is a problem. It will pretty much be a 99% chance that AT LEAST one of your soldiers will get run over by it.

-The key is the squad structure. For this mission, specifically, individually pick each unit. Don't pick a preset squad.

-If you are like me and want your units in in specific positions, you need to not use "rank" as Their actual rank but as position. However, you probably want to keep it close. Because.....

-Your default formation is a wedge. Lead in front, then they all fall in according to rank, I believe they start on the right side then left, R, L, etc.. all the way down. So you need to use rank as a way for you to pick who gets what spot.

Using the USMC squad as example, there are 3 fire teams and you but in formation it's pointless because the fire teams do not stick together. Your first three spots will be sergeant, then corporols and last private. So You will likely have each fire team in random spots and if you need a private, he will be like 30 yards away. And when you try to send them off on different tasks, they will stay the same distance away from each other, which sucks.

-So what i do is make me the highest rank, then the 4 people on my squad will all be sgt., That way my team is always next to me no matter what formation. Then I pick opposites, then the other two fire team leaders get corporol, insuring that they are next in line and across from each other and not together, Then i pick the two auto rifles as corporol next so they go across from each other, then the same going down to privates etc. So now if I seperate them, they will all be lined up behind each other.

-For convoys I do the same thing. But Usually I will seperate infantry from vehicles because of the rank, they will always run into each other and hold up units that are behind them.

Now putting it together;

Give each car a seperate rank. That way each car has it's exact place in the convoy. If you pick "Major", for a humvee, that might make the driver a Major, but the gunner, will be a lower rank usually, like "Captain". And the car behind it may also be "Captain" but it will stay behind your the car in front because it has at least one higher rank. Your front car may be a col. He might not be Col. in real life rank, but it will stay first.

Because they do have lower ranks in the cars, they may be fidgetty, but nothing like you have now. If you have to, Start off with empty vehicles and use "moveindriver"/gunner/etc. command to a soldier. That way you can make sure everyone in the vehicle is the same rank. And if you go that route, and you want to use it grouped with infantry, either make the car the highest rank by itself or lowest rank by itself. That way if it's the only private, it will always stay last and lowers the running over % down.

Anyway, thats how i do it without using scripting.If any questions let me know. Or if someone has a better idea

Well, im kinda lost but the idea in the second to last paragraph is an excellent Idea, I shall give that a try. Thankyou! :)

[Dogmeat of Finland 10]

I'll be sure to give that a try bud Quick heads up though, how would I go about installing these scripts? Do I just drag the folder that the script is in into an Arma directory?

I have used a script called "AI Convoy Script". It can be found from Armaholics script section. There should be instructions and the script comes with a demo mission if I remember correctly. Just follow the instructions or see how it's done in the demo mission. You also need to create your own init.sqf which is done by just creating a notepad file and renaming it to init.sqf.

Edited July 8, 2010 by Dogmeat of Finland

[Arma_Fan 10]

Actually, you know what dude, I solved the problem DRAMASTICALLY. What you do is you give them each, separate waypoints not to far from each other, but far enough so they have some space in between them. You set the speed to "Limited" and omg, I was gunna cry because it worked out so beautifully. :). Seriously go and try it, its frickin incredible haha.

So I had 3 HMMVW GK M2 or whatever those are lol in a column to start where I wanted to start my convoy. Gave them all "MOVE" waypoints with the "Limited" speed setting at the other end of town on a road, but the waypoints were i'd say 2" away from eachother (if you were to take a tape measure and slap it on the screen) going along the road. I hit "Preview" and I was literally amazed at how well it worked. No joke. They ALL started off into a column and went to that waypoint on the road at limited speed, on the right side of the road. Not hitting anyone or anything THE WHOLE WAY and not stopping and going, etc. Only moving around objects like if a tree were to close to a road, they would go around it and back to how they were. Incredible.

Edited July 8, 2010 by Arma_Fan