Pawn pathing - Monster pathing - tests, etc.

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Nelsona
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Pawn pathing - Monster pathing - tests, etc.

Post by Nelsona » Fri Sep 27, 2013 1:00 pm

Assuming a bit of interest for a challenge against PC controlled Pawns in other words A.I. we can speak about basic things related to general behavior of pawns, travel, etc.

Monster (we presume a normal sized monster SkaarjGunner or whatever such pawn) might use NavigationPoints, InventorySpot, and other small things to find a way to enemy, find a best shot position or to find a way to eviscerate enemy through melee attack. If we have minimum of skills in Bot Pathing, normally shouldn't be a problem for monster such a path if we respect a few conditions, I mean lower conditions shouldn't be used:
- JumpSpot might be denied at once with TranslocDest - even if the monster has ImpactHammer or Translocator he won't follow such path, will attempt to hunt or to use an alternate method to reach at enemy. JumpSpot is bitching other pawns than players because simply is an add-on in BotPack to increase Bot skills not Monster Skill - just BotPack;
- BlockMonsters is blocking ANY computer controlled pawn except if I'm coding a pawn with ability to ruin that trash directly - so this one shouldn't be added anywhere;
- Paths done only for players shouldn't be used;
- Paths slaped in small and heavy geometry working at limit for Bot has all chances to be denied by Monster.
- OneWayPath is also a bit heavy to be placed corectly - should not mess up with it;
- very High Cost return a path denial the mostly;
- different dumb craps expecting magic won't work if you don't know what you doing.

Why a path which works at limit for Bot is denied by Monster ? Read question again if you misunderstod something. Pawn finding path need to be sure about the way - Will deny small places with risk to get stucked and also who need major changes in current locomotion method (switch to fly if pawn cannot fly - path denial). You can adjust height of path if is a special purpose for a certain category of pawn. I adjusted for pupae and worked.

Pawn can follow a number of paths if he even need to reach to an AlarmPoint not only directly.
Pawn can follow paths if is chicken and wants to run at Home.
Pawn can travel through teleporters if you don't mess up placement - Proved, tested.
Pawn can follow paths to reach at an OrderObject.
Pawn will act well in maps where is not encountering more than 1000 paths to target and maps where number of actors is in a decent limit closer to Original Epic style not other style a la 2012 2013 expecting unexistent magic from an old engine.
Last edited by Nelsona on Fri Sep 27, 2013 1:47 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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Re: Pawn pathing - Monster pathing - tests, etc.

Post by Nelsona » Fri Sep 27, 2013 1:31 pm

Monsters and Lifts
Depending on what we need (how looks the action - more or less messed) we just need to setup paths and even to try how they work.
Copying Bot behavior - waiting nice in Lift. Assuming we can try to setup a bStatic=false for an AlarmPoint closer to Lift Center making pawn to wait a bit more than total time for lift movement. Pawn will wait in AlarmPoint, Lift will move, Lift is stopping, Pawn won't have NextAlarm and will hunt enemy. Tags need to be announced properly.
Native Behavior - simply pawn will run in Lift attempting to reach at the other LiftExit even if lift is still moving looking like cleaning walls or such idiotic things.

Usually monsters are using paths when are triggered by players or other pawns in purpose to fight with them. Breaking this aggressivity might be completed with Alarms performing different triggers (ProximityType) animations, sounds.
Other case in following straight paths is Patroling. Patroling state is acting based on PatrolPoints (not as done by cool dudes with 0 pathing skills and 0 PatrolPoints). Is necesary to set NextPatrol if we want monster to continue patroling or to return at first patrol. Also pawn might start patroling later if is triggered.
Patroling is based on the same native functions so Big pawns in small places won't ever patrol returning only errors.

Mover might be triggered by monster if is set properly, else by default is done for humans and Bot as aditional option (not always). Pawn indeed is a bit curious about a mover if is able to open doors.

Certain spots can be combined with small kickers when is necesary.

I'll study Navigation and small things in order to see if other tricks might be used.

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Re: Pawn pathing - Monster pathing - tests, etc.

Post by Nelsona » Thu Feb 06, 2014 1:40 am

If you don't like my explanations and if you wanna see how is your stuff, I mean how much are messed your maps, look at something original and see if these default rules are respected, else Epic couldn't follow sometimes their own rules.
Small extract here:
AI.zip
Now you can see some SP and Coop stuff if match reality.
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Re: Pawn pathing - Monster pathing - tests, etc.

Post by EvilGrins » Fri Feb 07, 2014 8:21 pm

While you are primarily the only UT-person I know of to go on about monster-pathing, on a random note I tried googling it and discovered the many games with monsters in them, people that edit/make maps for them do monster-pathing.

Although even with google, you remain the 1 person UT-related to discuss it.

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Re: Pawn pathing - Monster pathing - tests, etc.

Post by Nelsona » Sat Feb 08, 2014 6:06 am

Now you understood why good people left UT?
Each time when in a forum a guy spoke something about whatever bit of action, all low skilled supposed players jumped very high findiong pathetic excuses, they wanted only stuff for player and nothing for monsters encouraging 0 sport and 0 skill. I was wander if this game is still recognized as shooter, or is just another version of PacMan hybrid ported to UnrealEngine - or not, because Apples aren't used too much, right ?

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Re: Pawn pathing - Monster pathing - tests, etc.

Post by EvilGrins » Mon Feb 10, 2014 6:16 pm

...and now you have me thinking of a Pac-Man gametype for UT.

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