11 replies to this topic

[LarkinVB]

Give hime feedback if you want to see something special to help AI modding. He seems responsive.

New tool under development

Edited by LarkinVB, 10 March 2006 - 10:21 AM.

[thudo]

This sorta sounds like Gnairf's amazing AI tool I use to quickly integrate mods. Takes a fraction of the time it used to. Gnarif is improving the tool constantly based on my feedback but it basically allows the following:

Builds the following files
1) customstats.ai <SBPS name + Max size - default set to Melee = TRUE - can be manally set to False)
2) buildbasestrategyinfo.ai <gets costs for all buildings, research, addons, and units and places them as if they were being used in our buildprogram - very cool and saves tons of time.
3) Squad limits for <faction name>buildbasestrategy.ai <finds squads or units that use either squad/support caps.. doesn't work for Orks.. yet!)
4) Unitstats.ai <this one is major! It builds an exact replica of the unitstats.ai for the faction AND.. best part, adds the weapon upgrades each unit has PLUS sorts the AP values for each of those weapons. Makes a massive difference in seeing what weapon for each unit does to better create the file>

The other thing amazing about Gnairf's tool is I run a specific script and when used with an older build I can compare the two so when a new mod build is released I can quickly see the new changes and apply them. Before it would take a whole day what I can now do in minutes.

New features coming..
o Scans mod for "valid buildings, units, research, addons.. etc" then builds all the above. Problem with most mods they are saturated with "left over and dead" files that were used in the construction of the mod. The tool will scan the \attrib folder and using what buildings can create, will determine valid items.

Other features he can probably code but if anyone wants to see this app let me know and I'll provide a quick tutorial and the "maxi-scripts" I use to make my job 1000x easier.

[LarkinVB]

Great ! I why wasn't it made available for others ? I could use such thing for month.

[thudo]

Its still in testing but I think now its ready... let me get it ready...

We'll need feedback. Would be most appreciated for code upgrades and fixes to the app.

[LarkinVB]

let me get it ready...

When ? I desperatly need a tool which is doing the unitstats for me.

EDIT: I found gniarfs AEP tool but it does not base the effectiveness on 0-10 max which is required afaik.
Also it has no rating value.

Edited by LarkinVB, 14 March 2006 - 11:40 PM.

[thudo]

I prepare it for tomorrow..

No it cannot do WeaponEffectivenessValues from 0 - 10 because mod teams don't use those values. They use from 0 - 100+ as those are regular AP values.

Now.. Perhaps we can help Gnairf create a system to re-calculate values so the values can be "normalized". Ideas on how to do this without skewing the unit's effectiveness thus disallowing the AI from building other viable units in the same class? This is where I come in to do it manually and it works much better.

[LarkinVB]

Excedrin has a tool which does normalize the values but seems reluctant to give it away. At least I get no reply. Perhaps you have more luck.

[Excedrin]

I already posted here all of the details about my tools. It's simply not user-friendly...

http://forums.revora...ndpost&p=258471

Edited by Excedrin, 20 March 2006 - 01:28 AM.

[LarkinVB]

Sorry, I missed that.

[thudo]

Gnarif just handed me a new update to the AI tools. It will allow someone to "filter out" unused or invalid items in a \attrib folder (ie. sometimes mod teams will place units or research items, for example, that were once used but now omitted yet the .rgds still remain..). This will allow the app to filter those out based on what the existing buildings can build. Problem is: some buildings MAY also be invalid or unused so its hard to check for validity on those.

[LarkinVB]

If you can make him scale the effectiveness from 0 to 10 I would like to have a copy !
I also like to see rating and other missing values.

[thudo]

Again.. how can you scale values based on other weapon effectiveness values comparing other unit's weapon values as well? The whole thing is to ensure the AI builds all the units in the list and NOT to alienate other units being built from the same buildings. (ie. Eldar AI always build Wraithlords because its effectiveness values are greater than the other vehicles Falcon and Vyper. Prisms are excluded since they are Tier4). The challenge is NORMALIZING the values and both Exedrin and Gnarif would need to work together to do that. I'm all for that though.

As for Ratings.. Hmmm.. How to do that? How would the AeP app Gnarif be able to calculate that? The program would have to be made aware what Tier the unit is made to assign rating values. Thats tough.