6 replies to this topic

[Agile]

Hi fellas,

I've been trying to get my AI to work properly for a little while now, but so far I'm just banging my head against the wall... very frustrating. I have it working, which is good, but it's just so idiotic it might as well not do anything. Here's what I'm trying to do...

I'm using special powers to deliver units to the battlefield, rather than a war factory or barracks. Think Bloodhounds or Orca Strike, same idea with the Special Power triggering the targetable OCL. Problem is the AI has absolutely no self-control when using them. At the start of every game they'll build everything they can afford and send it at you all at once, and when you shoot it down they just keep selecting the cheapest available special power and using it over and over (in this case delivering engineers). The second they have enough money for the cheapo engineers they waste it, immediately. This means after the initial spending-spree the AI only uses one special power/unit the entire game.

I did get them to use the second cheapest unit as well by editing the recharge times, I made it so the engineer's recharge takes longer than the second cheapest unit (the fighter jet), so when the AI has enough money for the engineer the special power isn't ready. So it what it's doing is waiting until either a) the engineer recharge timer is ready or b) it can afford the fighter jet (which is barely more expensive). With the current values b) comes first, so now the AI can have literally hundreds of only two units.

What I would like is for the AI to smarten up and select units based on what it needs, not what is cheapest. So far I've been unable to convince it to do this, at this point I'd happily take the illusion of taking what it needs - simply making random choices and throwing them out there. Instead it just spends its money way too fast.

I'd also like to have it target Tech Structures specifically, right now it simply throws everything at your units, which is fair, but the goal of the mod is to capture command points (just ovewritten tib spikes). It'd be phenomenal if I could get it to target those specifically and simply attack any units in their path, but with the end goal of reaching control points.

Also, I have another side that calls in aircraft and builds vehicles - once the OpeningMove is done it does the same thing (selects the cheapest specialpower and goes at it nonstop). Difference is it completely ignores building stuff from the factories and barracks. It just refuses to entirely, instead focusing 100% on cranking out specialpower units. It's weird, because I have the budgeting set at 50% Special Operations and 50% Production, but it just ignores the production aspect.

Thanks all, any help would be appreciated.

[Agile]

so... uh... nothing on this?

[CommieDog]

Have you tried using the MaxFrequency= attribute in your AISpecialPowerUpdate modules for your reinforcement powers?

[Agile]

I have, but it didn't appear to work. It changed nothing, so I'm wondering if I implemented it incorrectly. I took it from the Nod Radar Jammer, is there anything else I need to know about it? Have you ever gotten it to work on something?

[CommieDog]

No, I just saw it on the Radar Jamming Missile code and thought it was responsible for the fact that Nod AIs don't spam the ability.

[Stygs]

As far as I know, MaxFrequency has no effect.
I used it for the Nod clonig abillity, but no matter what values I use, the AI will overrun me with cloned units

[Agile]

Damn. Well I'm running out of ideas here, anyone have any last-ditch suggestions?