Skynet AI

[z3n]

This is an AI overhaul that aims to improve every aspect of the AI (campaign and battle) it possibly can, in a non mod specific way, using these principles. As long as you credit myself and EBII feel free to use and or modify it.

Downloads available:

Normal version google drive.
Bloodthirsty version google drive.

Installation -
Short instructions for mods:

1) Extract the folder you're reading the README in onto your desktop
2) Copy the data folder on your desktop
3) Navigate to your mod directory (e.g. c:/M2TW/mods/EBII)
4) Paste the data folder into the mod directory
5) Agree to the overwrite


Short instructions for vanilla:

0a) Navigate to your equivalent of C:\m2tw\tools\unpacker
0b) Use the unpack_all.bat file (a command prompt appears and starts to execute unpacking all the files into the c:\m2tw\data directory from your c:\m2tw\packs)
0c) Note this will take up more space on your harddrive as the data won't be packed anymore (however it enables you to mod vanilla, if you do mod vanilla, make backups of your files)
1) Extract the folder you're reading the README in onto your desktop
2) Copy the data folder on your desktop
3) Navigate to your mod directory (e.g. c:/M2TW/mods/EBII)
4) Paste the data folder into the mod directory
5) Agree to the overwrite
6) Navigate into m2tw/data/world/maps/imperial_campaign
7) Rename descr_strat.txt to descr_strat1.txt (this will be your new backup)
8) Rename NEW_VANILLA_M2TW_descr_strat.txt to descr_strat.txt
9) Play the game


For long instructions
1. Read the README file carefully
2. Extract onto your desktop and copy/paste the files (or parts of the file) you want in manually.


Have fun!

[Lifthrasir]

It looks interesting
I hope to find the time to try it. And thanks for sharing this.

[KEA]

There is a map.rwm with 0 KB inside the download (possible the culprit of the long wait time when launching the first campaign). Is it intended?

[Junaidi83 de Bodemloze]

Hahaha skynet AI, do i see terminator movie here

[z3n]

@KEA Yes I mentioned it in step 10.

@Juandi Possibly.

[Coderguy325]

Hi, I was just attempting to install this mod for Third Age Total War 3.2 (Vanilla apart from a mod that adds units to Gondor), however, I've come upon a problem.
In your instructions for installations it says to check that there isn't anything in export_descr_advice (.txt I assume), however, in Third Age there is. In that case it says to
"simply copy and paste the AdviceThread part in my export_descr_advice that you just downloaded in the zip into the very top of the file", but I cannot find a export_descr_advice
file anywhere in your file.

I'm not sure if I'm doing or interpreting something wrong, or if it's something wrong with your file. One thing I did notice was that you have download links allegedly from both dropbox
and depositfiles, but both link to the same dropbox file. I would appreciate any help you may be able to give, as I'm quite interested in your mod.

[z3n]

It's located in the Battle Scripts folder, there is also a readme file which explains what each type of script is for. I will update that part of the instructions as it was made before I created two seperate versions one for custom battles and the other for campaigns, thanks.

If you upload your campaign script file located in world/maps/campaign/imperial_campaign I can add the script for you or make sure it was done properly.

[Coderguy325]

Oh okay, I just realised what it was. In the readme, it mentions there are two different versions of the battle scripts. I thought this meant that you used one or the other.
(Campaign or Custom Battle), so I deleted Custom Battle. After looking at it in the original file I realised it's completely different. I think I can handle setting it up now, thanks.

[z3n]

Please remember to delete any pre-existing battle script, Third Age may have one in their campaign script and if so it would interfere with the one meant for the campaign script included in here.

[WeekendGeneral]

Hi, thanks for this great resource. Quick question though does this address the elephant ai bug in sieges? That being elephants have left over code from RTW and the ai attempts to use them as a ram but cannot stalling sieges. So far only GAI seems to have a workaround for the error if this does I'd love to implement this in a submod I'm working on

[z3n]

As far as I can tell the only thing in that script which may have some relation to fixing the error is a command I already use in my own script.
I suppose the AI was using a different plan set when there were elephants about (which results in some sort of error apparently?), and as I already wrote the script to make it always use a siege related attack plan during sieges it should resolve any problem related to that.

[WeekendGeneral]

Banging thanks for your swift reply! That's great to here I'm definitely going to give this a go.

[WeekendGeneral]

Elephant units during sieges prevent the ai from using battering rams. It will use the ladders and towers to assualt but will not make use of the rams until all elephants are dead.
The siege battles plays out this all elephant units are moved directly in front of gates where they sit there being pin cushions. Infantry units attack the walls with ladders and towers relentlessly. This continues until one of two things happen:
1. All elephants die what remaining infantry is left makes use of rams and the siege proceeds as normal.
2. All infantry die, whilst some elephant stragglers are left. The ai stalls with all cavalry units stuck sitting just out of range.

For most mods this isn't an issue but for broken crescent and the Indian factions many battles end this way. Is this a problem in EB2?

Do you have any idea why this may be the case?
Germanicus BAI has an elephant "fix" that reduces this from happening but I much prefer Skynet. I'd love some help in fixing this.

[z3n]

Perhaps it is something to do with the formation type the elephants use (i.e. they have to use horde)? As I've looked over the elephant fix in the Germanicu5 script recently and looked for what he's said about it and can't see anything in particular that would resolve said problem aside from the attack plan- except perhaps the external ai label changes which may have an effect on the internal ai labels.

He uses inside of his script the horde formation as the identifier for the unit and then assigns a new ai label to them, not that complicated in practice but I'm not necessarily sure of what the effects or reasoning behind that change are. It could be that there is an ai label assigned to them by default (internally and externally) and overwriting it with a new one changes the behaviour to default. I'm grasping at straws here unfortunately as I don't have time to test it- I'm very busy rewriting/testing the CAI again, if you're interested in trying it out there's a tutorial on battle scripting in here.

[WeekendGeneral]

Thanks z3n, I really do appreciate it. Investigating further I can say that your AI is superior, the Germanicu5 elephant fix rarely, if ever works. The only solution I can see to resolve this bug is to script spy open gates every time an elephant army sieges a city. It's not perfect but would reduce the stalling.

[z3n]

I've released an updated (and probably final) version.

[Socrates1984]

Never had the chance to say thank you for this great work of yours.

So: THANK YOU!

I mean, thank you... It's more or less a different game now. I have played for some 10 years now and I am accustomed to playing the battles in a certain way. Everything is familiar, go there with the cavs, circle around with the HA, pepper them with artillery, deplete your arrows etc etc. Your new AI is a different experience.

I am not sure I mentioned it earlier, but thank you.

[z3n]

I created a lot of it because I was like you (albeit only 7~ years).
Glad you enjoy it.

[Macilrille]

It is an amazing achievement Z3n. I am back to EB2 after a long break, and was very impressed. Best TW I ever saw, I have started lobbying to get it included in the already extremely difficult TATW mods. Thanks for the effort.

[Arminius28]

Never had the chance to say thank you for this great work of yours.

So: THANK YOU!

I mean, thank you... It's more or less a different game now. I have played for some 10 years now and I am accustomed to playing the battles in a certain way. Everything is familiar, go there with the cavs, circle around with the HA, pepper them with artillery, deplete your arrows etc etc. Your new AI is a different experience.

I am not sure I mentioned it earlier, but thank you.

after years of plying different tw games and mods over and over , i really hope this is the case would b awesome to have to grind against a ai for ground