Waypoint Priority vs. Proximity Trigger + Command Formation vs. Command Attack Area

[SAS_Storebror]

Hi ME experts,

 

I've been playing around with vehicle columns and individual vehicles a bit lately and hoped that I could answer this question myself from testing, but so far I cannot come up with reproduceable results.

Following situations:

 

1. I have two independent tanks, one red, one blue, driving towards each other.
   If I add a proximity trigger to check nearby enemies and issue a "command formation" with "panic stop" formation selected on detection, I get a somewhat predictable "jump aside and start to fight" behaviour once the tanks see each other.
   However if I leave the proxi trigger and command formation out, and instead just set the waypoint priority to "low" or "medium", the result is somewhat less predictable.
   What's supposed to happen under these circumstances?
   And what does "nearby" enemy mean when I set the waypoint priority to "low" or "medium"? 100m? 1km? 10km?
    
2. Same thing with two tank columns, things get chaotic quite soon.
   With proxi trigger and "panic stop" command it's somewhat less chaotic than without, but still...
   Tanks run into each other, most likely when some dead tank is in the way, and shoot into friendly tanks when they stand in the line of fire as if they weren't there.
   What's the recommended way to setup two fighting tank columns?
    
3. My most tricky thing so far is this: I'd like to have a column of transport trucks, escorted by two AA equipped trucks inside the column.
   The column will pass a group of enemy tanks at about 1.5km distance but should not stop and start fighting them (other friendly AI tanks shall take care of this).
   The column will also pass a few enemy artillery objects at about 1km distance but should not fight them.
   The column's AA should of course defend the column from any attacking aircraft, but the column should not stop and wait forever just because some enemy aircraft is circling above them.
   So far I've added the proxi trigger and "panic stop" command, and after a 30sec. timeout I re-issue the waypoint command to keep the column going, however my AA trucks keep shooting at enemy tanks when they drive by, and if I raise the waypoint priority to keep them from doing this, they don't defend themselves from enemy aircraft anymore.
   What's the recommended way to get this job done?

 

Mike

[coconut]

Regarding 3, have you tried using hi prio way points with a huge attack area - air targets only covering the whole road trip? When an enemy plane approaches, panic stop, trigger attack area. When enemy is gone, form up again, reactivate waypoint. This means you need to keep track of what is the next waypoint to trigger only that one after each strafing run. It's doable with activate/deactivate triggers connected to waypoints, let me knot if you have difficulties with that point.

[SAS_Storebror]

I don't think keeping track of the next waypoint is really necessary because the "Continue Moving" Formation command is supposed to let the vehicle(s) proceed to their next waypoint automatically, whatever waypoint that is. That part works well for me so far.

Problem is rather that once I issue the "panic stop" command and let the AA trucks attack air targets, they randomly decide to attack nearby ground targets instead...

 

Mike

[coconut]

Just now, SAS_Storebror said:

is supposed to let the vehicle(s) proceed to their next waypoint automatically, whatever waypoint that is

I expect that will no longer work once you trigger the attack area command. Every entity can have at most one command active at any time.

 

1 minute ago, SAS_Storebror said:

Problem is rather that once I issue the "panic stop" command and let the AA trucks attack air targets, they randomly decide to attack nearby ground targets instead...

Yep, that's because you can't specify what you want them to attack. Makes sense to attack any target in range, then.

[SAS_Storebror]

Oh well... that'll become messy then lol 

Funny to see how AI makes up their mind on their own when you don't want them to, yet when you wish them to be a bit proactive (i.e. defending a certain area using AI tanks) they just stand still and wait to get killed 

Aynway, thanks for your response coconut, perfectly fits my observations.

 

Mike