[ian-reeds-games] Re: helping players to help the AI
- From: "Allan Thompson" <allan1.thompson@xxxxxxx>
- To: <ian-reeds-games@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 1 Apr 2013 15:27:24 -0400
Hi Carlos,
That is interesting, but I know the AI already has an internal priority list.
Maybe we can use the range as a means of getting skills used instead of it
being an obstacle.
So what about this.
In the starship maps I have ships that can launch shuttles and fighters. the
problem is that sometimes, these get launched way to early to be of any good.
It would be better if the AI r released these later, and get more effective
firepower that way.
So how about this. A detection flag. It would detect an enemy unit, and at that
time it would activate the appropriate skill indicated in the flag.
So for my case it would look like this.
"Detect_enemy=3|launch_shuttle"
The 3 would be the number of tiles from the unit, and the pipe, of course,
cause it looks cool, and the skill to be used when that enemy is detected. Then
throw in that priority list you mentioned before so that it would be like
this...
detect_enemy=3|launch_shuttle,3|disruptor
So that would mean that it would launch shuttles first, and then if able, it
would use the disruptor. Otherwise, it could be reversed so that the disruptor
was used, then the shuttles released.
For Freddy in Tomb Robber (By the way, are you still working on the next level
with the robots and stuff?) it be like this...
Detect_enemy=2|gun,1|punch
So Fred would , if something is two spaces away, shoot, but otherwise would
punch, or reverse it, and I think the AI is smart enough to move forward if you
want Fred to punch when detecting like 3 spaces away for example, and for
whatever reason.
al
"The truth will set you free"
Jesus Christ of Nazareth 33A.D.
----- Original Message -----
From: Carlos Macintosh
To: ian-reeds-games@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Monday, April 01, 2013 1:49 PM
Subject: [ian-reeds-games] helping players to help the AI
was thinking about different ways the implement the random skill selection
and decided we could probably expand the topic into an AI help thing, not
just for skill choice though that would be most of what was covered.
1. Perhaps a flag in the unit file. Random skills would be given in groups,
the most important ones first, for example, if you look at my 4th tomb
robber map it might go something like, for Freddy
random_skills=eat_food,panic,attack|mini_pistol|open_door,move,defend
The comma would be a group separator. If the AI determines that skills can
be performed in the first group from the left that help, it performs them.
If not, it moves to the next group, and does the same. Pipe symbols separate
the choices in each group. The AI would choose randomly between each of
these. Of course the range issue is a problem, because, unless the AI gets
into range, for example, he has no choice but to use the mini pistol skill
in the tomb robber example; he can't use attack because he's too far away.
You could ether have him attempt to move into range, or us not use the skill
and continue fighting using ranged attacks.
2. Currently AI isn't too smart about getting past an allied unit into
range. For example, most AI units won't go around a ranged unit so that they
can get in range to attack or perform curses or debuffs. So basically the
enemies end up coming up in waves when it would be a lot more disconcerting
to have them launch a concerted attack upon you all at once. An AI
difficulty setting, settable by the map maker as wel as, perhaps, the
player, might be in order. Of course the tougher the setting, the slower the
turn for the AI is, and it already uses a lot of thought in its turn, hence
its increased slowness
3. the choice of buffs and curses: the AI is actually extremely mart about
dishing out curses in my experience. It does, however, have some trouble
when it comes to buffing units, especially when more than 1 unit fits on a
tile at a time. Victorious enemy knights have a peculiar problem where they
outrage over and over again if a second unit occupies the square where they
are on because they think that they can outrage that other unit instead of
it automatically hitting them. It causes them to waste tons of movement that
they could be using on moving or attacking.
Any comments? Suggestions? Additions? Please sed them along. I am excite to
hear from you
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