AI Help

[starsong]

I Need to know how to make Campaign or Custom AI. But when I go to Warcraft Tutorials, it ended up learn from the Blizzard AIs. So I couldn't be bothered to. So I have posted a new Thread for any other people with AI Problems. I ask this now, to people who had already HAVE experience on how to make custom AI stuff, I just want to know how to make a computer build stuff and make waves of units to attack the opposing team. I also want to know how to stop making computers having titles <while playing the game> such as Computer <Normal> Or Player 10.

 

[AceHart]

You could try the AI Editor.

Give it some name.
If you check "use player name", all players that use it will have that name.
Or set it on the players' settings.

Have a look at the "flee" options and check those you like.
Same for items.

Use "File / Add to map" to add it to your map.

Select a Hero order, and learning skills order on the Hero tab.

Building tab defines the build order.
Be very careful here.
A single mistake, like a building that can't be made because of techtree restrictions will block the script.

Blocked scripts usually tend to repeat the last action that worked...


The attack tab defines attack groups.
And the order they are used.
An attack group is a simple "two of this, one of that, all of those"...

The general tab allows the creation of general conditions.
Very useful.
For example, you have some unit that requires a Lumber Mill.
If you have that unit in your build order, but the comp loses his mill,
the script will stop there until the mill is back.
However, the next unit in the list might be a simple footman with no requirements.
Now, a condition on that unit checking the existance of a mill would solve that problem.
No mill? Continue with the next unit on the list.


Once done, use "AI - Run campaign script for player", at map init.


Quite frankly, it's not exactly the most obvious thing to use.
But, you can get great results from it.

Experimentation is your friend.

Good luck.




The only other way is completely triggering it.
Create the structures and units and use things like "Issue order targeting a point" to get them moving...

Or a bit of both, like having the build order as AI script, and doing researches by triggers...

 

[wonderpriest]

I always wondered...can you run an AI script for a user controlled player and have the computer handle your units? (I don't mean making an AI with triggers, because you can obviously do that)

 

[AceHart]

The little hint on "AI - Start ..." says: "This should only be used with computer controlled players".

Those hints are usually to be taken rather seriously.

For one, it doesn't really work.
Two, the comp would interfer with your ordering...

What does work though is having an actual computer player, and you're given shared control.