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Bot Hunt


X69RZX

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I've been working on this for a little while now. The first go around, I scripted this for just one AI player. Since then, I have re-scripted the whole thing from scratch, and added two more teams. Ideally, I would like to have a total of six enemy teams, but the script is rather extensive, at least the programming of it, and so, at this point, I only have three teams. I really need some input on playability before I take the time/trouble to put it on other maps. I would also like to hear which maps people would like to see this on, if any :P . Below is a description of what the AI bot will do.

3 independant fire teams

1 tango each team in easy - tot 3

3 tangos each team medium - tot 9

5 tangos each team hard - tot 15

the teams will follow infinate random paths around the map untill either you or they are dead

they will not venture to the roof of the embassy, yet :devil:

however they will enter any building, and climb to the top of the embassy if they see you, or think you are there.

they may flank you

they may team up and assault

I found the contact points to be very similar to those in real MP games, play the map several times to experience different scenarios. As I said, this is only on one map, for this small test, so take that into account. I am also working on some other logic strings to help the ai be a little more interesting. I am planning to release this, as well as the raw script and instructions on what must be done to use it. I am also willing to divulge any info on exactly what it is they do, if anyone is interested. I'm not doing this for personal glory, it's for love of this game, and my interest in AI and fuzzy logic. There is a dev block that can be enabled by simply opening your command map, not the quick map, and toggled off by simply placing a waypoint, which you can then right click and delete. This will toggle on shadow, run, and names. If so requested, I could modify the dev block to show the enemies on the map as well, so that their behavior can be studied more closely. As it stands, this can be played in coop.

183kb Bot Hunt pre-Beta

:o=

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As this is a very early test, I am only using the embassy map for this release. The reasone is, I don't want a bunch of unfinished versions floating around, so I figure with just one map, maybe some peeps will test it out, and give me some feedback, so that I can improve upon it, then I will put it on all the maps that are requested(or as many as I can) for a full release. The script is almost pure, which means it can be imported to other maps, and then tweaked for that map. Like I said, once the script is done, I will release it with instructions that even the noobiest of noobs should be able to follow to add the bots to their own or favorite maps.

*just a quick clarification; This is not a game type file. There is really no way to make the AI behave as they do in this mod as a gtf. Instead, there will be a mission for each map. The key is the ease with which the script can be added to a new map, and the random behaviors which create human-like scenarios.

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Thank you. I do have the bots set to a more careful pattern at this point. Let's see what any other peepl say, and if only you play it, I'll set it to w/e you like. Depending on the various variable settings which actually control thier bahaviors, they can act all together differently. I would of course be happy to help you set your own version of the mod to behave as you wish, that info will be available with the full release.

*things I will be adding;

map specific options for the enemies to assault/investigate at random, such as the roof of the embassy, certain interior areas, and any other out of their basic play area, areas ( :huh: ) that I want them to check out. (the definition of "their basic play area" is available upon request)

more complex combat logic inculding strings to prevent the teams from clustering up at one location, but instead to go a different direction and thus create the potential for a flanking type manuver.

and anything else the testers suggest that is workable.

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pretty cool , might be better if they would spread out in teams of 3 maby so they aren't all clumped togather, as it is right now a couple well placed nades can take all of them out, so having them split up and spread out more would be good, the ai of the enemies is great though, alot more challenging

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Thnks all, @GRT, the dev mode is only in there now sos you can follow them around some, to see how they behave, I will certainly be taking that out. @Jay316 there are three fire teams, 1 enemy each team in recruit, 3 in vet, and 5 per team in elite. I am currently scripting two new strings that will deter them from a) choosing the same path as the pther teams, they may still do it, but it will be by the numbers :pirate: and b) not clump in battle, I am adding a flank script that will over-ride their tendancy to clump as they do when engaging an enemy if there is already another team in that position, and they feel like it, of course. :starwars:

also, since this is a map with closer spawns, I'm going to make thier movements and what not a bit more agressive, that should help with the catching them all near the spawn issues. I plan to adjust these numbers and settings for each map individually anyway.

*I updated the file at the above link. I have added the script to try to eliminate the teams grouping up in one area too much, as well as decreased the probability that they will end up on the same path, please let me know if they continue to clump. The individual fire teams will clump however, this is due to thier pre-programmed AI, I have them locked to scattered formation, I don't think there is more that I can do there. I can only effect the way the seperate fire teams react to each other and to the player.

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i was surprised that they were all "Ghosts" skins, and they all used those silence M4's, which made it really hard to tell where fire was coming from(Don't know if that is good or bad). The other thing is, at some point i found 3 of them waiting around in the street in front of the embassy, not moving or looking around at all. Other than that, good.

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Thank you for your input. To clarify;

The bots are indeed wearing camo and are armed with silenced m4 and frags. Because of thier vast limitations, I added the silenced weapon, and boosted the actor stats to create a more challenging game. They actors are set to ghosts since this is supposed to be a MP simulation.

Here is a brief description of thier behavior patterns, to help explain them waiting in the middle of the street;

Thier main thought processes are two, assert, and assert combat.

1) Assert will call them to choose a random direction from the four available directions, north, south, east, or west. If they reach the end of thier path, (the corresponding base) they are called to assert a new direction at random from the other three choices. When they select a plan, they also set a random time, (which is one of the varibles that can be adjusted to control their behavior) when this timer runs out, they will pause, for a random time(another variable adjustment), and then re-assert. They will continue this behavior until you or they are dead, effectively causing them to scour the map. The random travel times, and pause times, create more human-like movement patterns. Because they may move 1/4 of the way across the map, then change directions, only to be repeated infinite times, they are completely random, and so are thier paths. They have a single path point placed at the far poles of the map(bases), the geometry contained within these poles defines their "playable area". The main drawback, and the thing that causes them to sit in the middle of the street is, when they pause to re-assert. they do not have the commands to find cover, or to even cover thier flanks, it is unfortunate, but a shortcoming of the AI. I have tried several different things to try and eliminate this, and will keep working on it. It is a rather tricky task considering they are never in the same spot twice, and you never know where they will stop.

2)Assert combat is looped over all the enemy actors, and will disengage them from any path plan they may have been assigned. It will set them to basically be free to attack or behave however they are programmed to according to the commands of the preset plan, which of course, can be set and or changed to your desire. They are triggered into "combat mode" when they hear or see any member of the player team. There is a timer that is set to a random number(once again, a variable that will control their over-all behavior patterns) and when it expires, it will query if the team still sees or hears the player, if they are not in direct contact, the team will be removed from "combat mode", and called to re-assert, basicallly sending them off in one of four directions(in turn enabling them to return to combat mode at any time).

The actors will toggle back and forth between these two modes indefinately, or untill you or they are dead. By adjusting the plans, of which there are only 8 total(4 path plans, 1 combat plan, 3 pause plans), and the various random times, the teams can be set to exhibit various behaviors. For example, by setting the movement timer to a longer period, they will move much farther before they pause to re-assert, causing them to cover the map much faster, and thus be less cautious. Also, by adjusting the pause times, one can lower the chance that the player will come across the bot running away from or toward them, and increase the probability of the bot catching the player moving instead(except for the fact they like to stand out in the open :/). I have also been adding some strings to effect the way the teams interact with each other. For instance, a string providing back-up if another team is in a conflict, and the current team is available, and of course if the odds are right. Also, a string to remove a path plan from assertion if any two teams have already died while on that path plan, effectively removing the possibility of all three teams rushing the player spawn, this is not to say they won't still do it if in combat mode. :blink:

To be honest, I think your best gameplay will be from the recruit setting. That way, there is only one actor on each enemy team, and they seem to function alot better that way. I'm pretty sure I may go ahead and add some more teams, the scripting is just pretty intense, and since there is not much interest in this, it doesn't seem, I may just keep tinkering with the three teams for my own enjoyment, we'll see. :shifty:

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X69RZX,

This is one of the best ideas I've read so far. I hope you do not drop this. Please continue to explore and eventually release this as a finished version. I hope the finished version will be able to use other characters besides Ghosts.

I have downloaded your pre-beta. I will gather some Phoenix Soldiers together to do some testing of your highly valuable AI work (my opinion :thumbsup: ).

I will post our comments/finding here.

The talent found in this modding community never ceases to amaze me.

silent_op

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Thank you for your kind words. The actor that is used for the bots is placed in the actors folder of the mod, and simply named "enemy_bot.atr". Open IGOR and then select the actor editor from the tools dropdown. Browse and open the file, and check out the setup. You can load any actor you would like to use, and then save it over the existing enemy_bot. Be sure to adjust the properties accordingly, or as you see fit, they will of course effect gameplay. As I progress on this, I will add more acotrs, perhaps even some custom ones(hint, hint, if anyone wants to help), and have them scripted to be placed at random thoughout the teams, much like the opposing_force actors work.

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My preliminary thoughts on the pre-Beta Bothuntv2

I did some preliminary testing on my own first...

I likened myself to the point man in your AI groups. He always seems to go check the corner then seemingly tell the others it's clear.

I have one word to sum up my first impressions...

CREEPY

This is the best AI I have ever seen attempted in GR. I love the way you can see them hunting you down. I turned on the Dev mode and sat up and the embassy roof top with a sniper. It was so very creepy to watch them move around in formation looking for me. They didn't seem to notice me or even come up to me until I took a few shots at them. Then I found myself with guys rushing up the stairs. I was able to hold them off since it was a choke point.

I then tried again, this time moving around on the ground (with the Dev mode on). They move so almost life like, at least compared to standard GR tangos. I followed them around as close as I could. Much like humans they were at times (not always) easy to sneak up on, while using the shuffle key (Left ALT).

The one thing that seemed to throw them off balance was when I used an SD M4 on them. Off balance may be a slightly strong word to use. When they had friends near by, I usually began to take fire on my position fairly quickly (depending on how exposed I was).

I could only imagine what sort of damage they would have put on me if they had support weapons, frags, GLs, ATs. Since I really wanted to watch them, I always had the Dev mode on.

X69RZX, please do not stop your exploration on this project. I see a world of potentional. I love this pre-Beta version and look forward to the final product.

The current AI condition, is enough to begin using them as advanced training tools. I have to show this to my Phoenix Soldiers Tactics Instructors and get their take on your work.

I will now report my findings to my fellow Phoenix Soldiers and gather a team for some serious testing. They are going to be so floored by this pre-Beta version.

silent_op

Edited by silent_op
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:) I'm glad you may find it usefull Silent_Op. I have updated the file here. The updates are as follows;

I added some catches to a few strings that may have been causing some wierd behavior, namely extra added to periods of sitting still.

I also adjusted the plans some, and now the AI seems alot more likely to throw thier frags, as well, I took them out of locked crouch, so they are a bit less stealthy when moving, but they will cover more ground. This was only for the N,S,E,W plans, so basically when they are on the move. They are still free to assume w/e stance they like during combat.

I adjusted some of the times to make them move a bit further, and to pause a little bit less time. Basically just trying to make them a bit more agressive.

I added a condition I called adrenaline rush. Basically, when there is only one guy left on the enemy company, his stats are boosted, and ammo refilled, as well his spotting distance is increased some. This is to simulate the adrenaline rush I think we all get when we are the Lone Ranger, or LMS for our team.

I noticed that when playing against the teams, they can still get very lodged up in certain areas sometimes, especially on this map, I am trying to work on that for the future. Silent_Op, you are basically the only person following this(if u still are), so let me know of your thoughts on these changes, and what other map you would like to try this out on.(just one for now, pleez) :thumbsup:

note*

(There are some debug messages still in there, they are there to call out certain situations, if you encounter them, messages saying something to the effect of, "X was determined to be a bad idea, ect.", just make a mental note, and let me know it occured. It is a little query to improve the overall gameplay, it will come into play much more on larger maps, I believe.) :ph34r:

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X69RZX,

I was afraid you had stopped.

I'm still very intered in your project. As a matter of fact all the guys at Phoenix Soldiers are interested. I was going to do some pre-BetaHuntbotv2 testing this weekend, but I just noticed that we have a lot of stuff going on (internal co-op mission tournament, staff meetings).

I will test this new version on Friday, at least with 1 or 3 other members. Later today I'll make sure to post the new download link on our forum and get everyone up to speed.

There have already been quite a lot of members who have downloaded your previous version and tried it out. They all liked it a lot. I still will hold a formal testing session, but next weekend. I want to compile and give you some good solid feedback.

As for another map...

How about another day mission? m03_rrbrige map would be good to test out the AI's new groud covering abilities. Plus, they will have a little more cover to mask some of their natural (so far) pausing habbits.

-and or-

A night mission would also be a good test for them. I think MP02_NIGHTBATTLE would be a good map to test them on. The cover of night and ample cover will give them an extra edge.

Thanks X69RZX :thumbsup: ,

silent_op

Edited by silent_op
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This project is just what should have been included in the commercial release of GR , if that is an indication of how much good i think about this

Keep up this great work, it is really awesome.

Even late in the GR lifespan, modders can produce surprising and superb work.

:thumbsup:

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Thank you all for your support and encouragement. I own almost every other FPS that is supposed to be "the new thing", and I still prefer the gameplay of GR over all of them. GR was my first modding experience, and I have always loved it's moddability. The biggest thanks, I think, should go to Rocky and the staff here at GR.net, without whom, this game would probably be completely dead, and it would've happened long ago. This is a bit of a pet project, I'm just glad some other folks are finding it interesting/usefull. I have always hated the standard AI games in GR, firefight ect, even the ones like assualt and defend are limited by the lack of random movement by the AI. I will continue working on this as time allows, and continue to try to refine the logic that I have designed. Your suggestions and recaps are immensely helpfull in trying to determine what works and what doesn't. It's a challenge to create robust code to deal with various odd, but possible circumstances, while still preserving smooth operation, but then, that's the fun. ^_^

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I own almost every other FPS that is supposed to be "the new thing", and I still prefer the gameplay of GR over all of them.

You could almost be quoting me. I agree wholeheartedly, right up to and including the latest greatest shooters to hit the shelves in the last week or so. For my money, what sets GR apart is the three seperate player controlled and habitable fire teams - and this is the very feature they've abandoned for GR2 :sheep:

The biggest thanks, I think, should go to Rocky and the staff here at GR.net, without whom, this game would probably be completely dead, and it would've happened long ago.
A big DITTO there :yes:

Anyhoo, I concurr with the others X69RZX - I really enjoy this mod. Can't wait for you to do more maps. Great stuff :o=

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Hello 1madcow,

Just unzip the file to a folder, then go into that folder, which should be named by default to bothuntv2, and copy or cut the bothuntv2 folder there in, into your mods folder in the GR directory. Once that is done, you can start up GR and you should see it in the list. At this point I am still in developement so it is only on one map(not for long :devil: ), but it will show up as a mission. This can be played in co-op, and has been tested by myself to work. Some of the end messages are still uninitialized, hehe, but I'll fix all that. You can turn on respawns that way, and since the game is scored by kills, that way, the bots have a better chance of wining by score, even if they all die. And we all know how much that hurts.

Thanks a lot for your encouragement Jack57, you deserve thanks too, yourself and Chavez were always very helpfull to me in my early days of learning the IGOR scripting, and still provide insight if I ask, for that I am gratefull. I'm starting to think VBS1 sounds pretty good. At first the price scared me, but the I thought of the rides at the fair, like you must be this tall to ride, and like, how much is worth to be able to play a good game for a change? I think I'll be in there pretty soon, hehe, I wanna get my nugget wrapped around some of that scripting. :shifty:

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