TrueGeneral: Aimless Steel

[bitterhowl]

162 kilobytes to change the world.

This is an Alpha version, but is seems to be playable according to feedback I got from first tester.

I want to make custom formations possible for attack/defend situations and had to disable G5 for the sake of saving formation without regroup into vanilla. Same about .xmls changes - only to save formations and fixing battlefield behavior according to unit formation roles.

Low quality video about having 3 different formations on battlefield at once.



Well, "Aimless" in the name should be self-explanational. Aimless Steel means that sometimes things may look ugly and AI aimlessly walk on battlefield. Shortly to say - "You'll never walk alone". I need much more tests which I can't perform alone, that's why I place it here.

At this moment things looks like this.



Because AI is dumb and full of errors. But I hope that with assistance from community we'll be able to change this picture.

Formations I use are made by GrandViz, he is the best. Pathfinding made by z3n, as well as initial .xmls. In essence this is the result of 15 years of modding tactical BAI, and I didn't make something new. If this version will show acceptable results I will make next with proper credits to all great modders who acted before me.

All I made is bent things together. Here we got 5 custom formations - 2 for attack and 2 for defend (both dedicated to anti_cavalry/anti_infantry options) and 1 universal multi-purpose formation for byzantium faction. All work was focused on open field battles.

All formations are choosen for only test purpose (to see a possibility of having more then 1 working formation at all), setting adequate formation to battle situation is a goal for the next version, if the whole method will show workability at all.

You have to disable any battle scripts before playing (just rename export_descr_advice.txt). Also it's vital to delete old pathfinding.db for enging to be able to rebuild it (side effect of this will be small speed boost for units, be prepeared).

Copy all files to data folder with replace option and backup original ones.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RkW...CDKSKLacU/view

Feedback is very welcomed.

Feedback, feedback,
my kingdom for feedback!

[bitterhowl]

Link to a dedicated workshop thread

https://www.twcenter.net/forums/show...ns-is-possible!!

[Frunk]

Hey bitterhowl, your YouTube video wasn't playing so I edited your post to fix the embed.

Forgive me for not understanding; this is a new BAI? Looks very interesting!

If you want to spread a bit of word about the release, and/or ask for testers, you might want to post an announcement here: https://www.twcenter.net/forums/show...Mods-(M2TW-RM)

+rep for your efforts!

[bitterhowl]

Thanks for attention and fixing.

As for this project - initially I just wanted to have different formations on battlefield for my Westeros submod. I occasionaly find this possibility with SkynetAI pathfinding and .xmls wich contain extended BAI parameters. During studies I find that different formations are much more stable whithout Germanicus and Skynet campaign_script parts.

(Seems that principles of improving CAI and BAI are the same - for CAI beermugcarl's tips about extending LineOfSight and movement points is vital and works very well. MTW2 engine can make right decisions but it's hands are tied by vanilla parameters. So everything we should do is just untie them and don't interfere engine's work).

So it's early to say that TrueGeneral is a completely new BAI. It can become such a new BAI after proper editing and tests. I have to find right composition for formations and it's combination with .xmls. And EDU parameters also influence on performance.

But even now I can say that battlefield experience is changed. I'd like you to try.

[bitterhowl]

Since this method derived Darth Vader's mods, I have to say:
"Let The Force of.xml be with you!"

[stevietheconquer]

i just saw i was playing with the wrong pathfinder files so i will see how it gows

edit:it seems that the pathfinder files are the one that makes the other armies move, when you are besieged,i mean the reinforcements for the enemy,unit by unit they go for the ram but not for the ladders.got to have some more battles to see what is happening

[bitterhowl]

Thanks for feedback here!

I have to say that I was focused on field battles on first version (because formations - my initial goal - are necessary for field). But I definitely will fix sieges too.

[bitterhowl]

Well, as for small feedback I got AI in field looks good. I even have doubts that in field battle with strength 1:1 anybody will defeat AI without cheating.

[stevietheconquer]

the pathfinder of zn3 surly makes the battles more interesting and to the sieges and like you said the formation of the units are very good and they keep their formation for long and even sometimes change formation if they fight against cavalry,in a siege against 1 enemy army, they try two times to get their ram against mine gate and two time an peasant unit has stop them so they were forced to climb up the ladders were it is easier to defend and defeat them,and the good one about it is that they always send some unit against a cavalry unit that i have send outside the gates too charge some enemy units for the side/flank it is a very smart battle ai,you have done a very good job,now i have to see if it can handle more armies.and in that siege battle they sending their javelin unit on horse and horse archers close to mine walls and were hitting mine troops their with their javelins and arrows and when their javelins and arrows were gone the were walking back, far enough so mine towers could not hit them annymore

and yes i already lost one battle and mine general was fleeing from the battle lol.


edit;now i will see if they keep to be so smart or if it was only one time

[bitterhowl]

Well, got reports about some strange things with cavalry - AI and player can't pass through gates and breaches during sieges. Have you had such issues Stevie?

[stevietheconquer]

i do not known if ai can handle it, i always distroy the ram so the enemy has to climb the ladders and i always defeated them their,they never took mine gate so i do not known,i already conquered some cities and had no problems with enter the gates with cavalry(first i put infantry on ladders and attack the walls then i conquer the gates through the walls or i destroy the enemy gate with mine ram, after that i got no problem with mine cavalry entering the gates,breaches i have got none so i can not tell.

your ai is surly good at defending a bridge got mine 2 armies agains 1 enemy army and still lost the battle,those formations are really good,i lost even mine general lol, when they saw that mine army was almost gone,they crossed the bridge and i saw it too late and mine general got killed on the bridge(this was an battle with all the files from here and the germanicus batttle script) as i have twocampaigns i play one on mine private mod(rajput) the bridge battle and one with mine little submod for FA(DSA) with hungary


edit;maybe it has to do with numbers i use always the normal size of units,i guess if you choose for an higher unit number you can get troubles

[bitterhowl]

Do you always use Germanicus or only once on a bridge?

Thanks for your activities, you look like TG evangelist here.

[stevietheconquer]

only on the bridge

[bitterhowl]

Thanks Stevie for conquering with my mod!

As for cavalry pathfinding issues - my rest testers use Bulat Steel and maximum unit size. They also report about some stupid things AI doing during assault on multi-ring castles (such as throwing ladders near the wall or unreasonable retreat from the wall down to the ground).

Also they say bowmen someties reform to wide mode under enemy fire and get unnecessary casualties.

As for combinations with Germanicus - for any other than field battle (siege, ambush, crossing, sally out) it may be ok. Because there is only one formation per each battle type, except field attack/defence. In field you may see strange things because of many formations and interfering orders between .xml and campaign_script. The whole idea of TG at the point of current alpha release is replacing G5 system at all.

Also - be ready for strat campaign AI surprises with new pathfinding. My tester lost campaign for portugal to moors with autoresolve battles only.

[stevietheconquer]

germanicus got AiSet1 to AiSet5 folders and there in i replace to the battle_config and the config_ai_battle files too, as i play with hungary only with your files i did not saw manny stupid moves from the ai,thought i am an veteran warrior lol and not so easy to defeat in a battle,i have now only a castle so i can not tell about the bad ai there on multi ring castles, i known your archers are sometimes doin strange but mostly they are doin fine,one time in a field battle,some archers were running to mine army and were in reach for mine cavalry,then i try to charge them but they were running back behind their line in the same time the enemy army was marching forwards and took mine cavalry and mine general_unit(that were trying to charge down those arher units) by suprise, it was an ambush lol(could be mongol tactic)

maybe some modders are not rebuilding the pathfinder file as it schould as i found out this makes a real big difference,even if i take the pathfinder files for skynet ai it look different then when you rebuilt them,the only thing i changed was thet general unit now got code 9 like:<max-engage-dist>9</max-engage-dist>

i like your battle ai it's already one of the best onces!

edit;bowmen sometimes are so focus on their priority target that they forget their are other units to,they mostly try to hit mine general_unit,but that's not so bad,they do that not every time,bowmen gowing to the wide mode is not so bad,i always do this to mine own archers,offcourse if it not takes to long for the wide mode to form

[bitterhowl]

Thanks again for feedback and letting TG conquering you. I'd be very pleased if you add it into your FA compiltion.

Pathfinding file from Skynet was changed by me with Darth Vader's old thread recomendations.

Skirmish mode changes are taken from great twc article "Skirmish mode optimization".

Seems that this my TG mod came a bit late (about 10 years) and interest at M2 have passed.

[stevietheconquer]

i had it already secredly put it into mine little submod as i had a good feeling about it the first moment i played with this battleai, i gave the credits to,now i have to test it even more deeply,but sometimes i am an turtle player and wait the whole time to attack untill gunpowder event,then i start a big offensive but i will try to conquer more now even it it still early in the campaign,i will upload in some time a new version of the fa mod and all will be included.

edit;and i like it when you shoot your arrows at the enemy,that hitted unit is slowing down and is feeling the inpact of those arrows

[bitterhowl]

My plan for Beta is to deal with archers and sieges and make faction-specific formations.

[bitterhowl]

Good news here. Large unit size is also free of pathfinding bugs during sieges.

[stevietheconquer]

are they bug free in a new version or was it already bug free in the first version?