"War School"-A Map/Mod W.I.P.-locked sticky

[whippersnapper]

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Become Prey A.I. combat groups merge with their Scavenger Unit Allies and go hunting together:





And improved transitions - never ending it seems...





- whip

[whippersnapper]

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War School in latest binary.... but haven't transferred my BP files yet - but still the stock A.I. is performing
very well - map optimizations work for all a.i.s I'll do some Vtol - Combined Arms action shots next... yes
even the stock ai is performing to that standard..





-wip

[whippersnapper]

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Some more locations and activity... I'm thinking 2 waterfalls next from the Central Citadel....

Also started writing the custom a.i. scripts for the Central Citadel "5th Player" with the victory condition.









- whip O_O

EDIT: Waterfall from Central Citadel...



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[whippersnapper]

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Some changes and better angles....

[whippersnapper]

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Think I'm now done with the major modifications to the topography of this zone.... just tweaking left..

[whippersnapper]

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In the pic below I am metaphorically surrounded by the cast of the illustrated "Truce" story (that accompanies "War School") and, as it is a character-driven piece, I am being led to places I did not anticipate writing about. While the intro sections I posted earlier in this thread remain unchanged the succeeding chapters continue to expand-morph. Ergo at this moment I can't say when it will be done enough to where I feel comfortable to at least post a first draft in its entirety. But I'm gonna guess and say a couple weeks 'cause of my habit of bouncing from discipline to discipline as fancy and inspiration draw me..
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EDIT: Become Prey SKI A.I. is important to what I'm doing here and though I have yet to test it on the latest game binary it's starting to look like I may have to address some issues I was not planning on - namely, modifying BP files to reflect current balance-research changes in the latest release. Since my focus has always been CAM scripting I'm gonna try to consult with NiKer of the Nike on modifications to his skirmish scripting in BP before I proceed after I determine where exactly BP is going askew with latest binary. More later on this issue.

Regards, whip
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[whippersnapper]

In the pic below I am metaphorically surrounded by the cast of the illustrated "Truce" story (that accompanies "War School") and, as it is a character-driven piece, I am being led to places I did not anticipate writing about. While the intro sections I posted earlier in this thread remain unchanged the succeeding chapters continue to expand-morph. Ergo at this moment I can't say when it will be done enough to where I feel comfortable to at least post a first draft in its entirety. But I'm gonna guess and say a couple weeks 'cause of my habit of bouncing from discipline to discipline as fancy and inspiration draw me..

I just finished the "Sacred Caldera" chapter of "Truce" and all the art assets. Below is a short excerpt from that chapter to give you more of a feel for the characters and taste of the writing style.

If you have yet to read the opening sections of "Truce" you can find them HERE

I'm still working the text of the chapters "Yuwippi Rings of Fire" and "The Lesser Evil" and hope to have them done within a couple weeks at which time I'll compile the E-Book self-exe. distributable and post it for DL.

(Sorry for the quality of the image but for some reason the BB software has started clipping my images of late and my work-around has been to down-scale the originals and the text res noticeable suffers in the process. On the positive side it has caused me to consider changing the font of the story text - leaving the header font as is...)



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[whippersnapper]

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EDIT: Become Prey SKI A.I. is important to what I'm doing here and though I have yet to test it on the latest game binary it's starting to look like I may have to address some issues I was not planning on - namely, modifying BP files to reflect current balance-research changes in the latest release. Since my focus has always been CAM scripting I'm gonna try to consult with NiKer of the Nike on modifications to his skirmish scripting in BP before I proceed after I determine where exactly BP is going askew with latest binary. More later on this issue.
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Completed my initial battery of testing Become Prey with the v.2.2.1 Binary in "War School" and am very pleased with the results.. I will do much more testing, to be sure, but so far it looks like I will not have to do any major modifications to BP. I can see where I might do some minor tweaks but even those are not essential to the game play I am after in skirmish in "WS".. That said - please be clear that I am ONLY speaking for BP GPMs in "War School" and NOT on any other Maps-Mods whose very design might lead to a BP compromised effectiveness in the v.2.2.1 binary's new balancing.... Making BP equally effective in Maps-Mods other than "War School" on the v.2.2.1 binary is at present beyond the scope of my tasking here..

More detailed results later of my continued BP AI testing ..... not just for potential tweaks to BP scripting but any further optimizations that I may make to "War School" as a result of better understanding the emergent behavior linked to v.2.2.1 balance changes.... Then there are possible issues that may arise as a result of my embedding a 5th player custom a.i. scripting in the Central Citadel... but right now that's another story.

Regards, whip
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[whippersnapper]

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More detailed results later of my continued BP AI testing ..... not just for potential tweaks to BP scripting but any further optimizations that I may make to "War School" as a result of better understanding the emergent behavior linked to v.2.2.1 balance changes.... Then there are possible issues that may arise as a result of my embedding a 5th player custom a.i. scripting in the Central Citadel... but right now that's another story.

So what is this emergent behavior I reference ? I'm sure if you Google you'll get close to 400,000 links but for the sake of convenience I'll provide 2 refrences.

First - a concise, non-technical, but somewhat formal definition:

An emergent behavior or emergent property can appear when a number of simple entities (agents) operate in an environment, forming more complex behaviors as a collective.

Weak emergence describes new properties arising in systems as a result of the interactions at an elemental level.

Second - a friendly, short, blog on the subject by an articulate Flash Game Programmer:

Emergent Behavior by Jobe Makar in his Ramblings of a Flash game programmer

AND for those of you who are more hands-on

Free, fun, sophisticated and very novice friendly A.I. tool called "Starlogo TNG" that can be used to study Emergent Behavior

A nice tutorial on the Simulation of Ant's Emergent Behavior Using StarLogo

This "Starlogo TNG" is one of several free and cool tools I've used to better understand A.I.. You can find a complete listing of these tools with links HERE:

Part One: A.I. Experimentation Software Tools and environments I have found helpful over the years...

AND for just HOW this applies specifically in the context of WZ 2100 Skirmish - here are my aggregated comments based on years of experimenting in, and working with, EW, 2 WZ A.I. Editors, various versions of the Game Binary itself and all WZ A.I. Mods created since '99.

I've mentioned that "War School" is being optimized for NiKer's Become Prey v. 2.92 as it exists now. Below I have aggregated my principal observations on how it plays in the context of Player Tactical Styles (IE. "Hard & Soft Shell Turtle", "Octopus", "Eagle" & "Orca") AND specific base map designs.

Eventually, I would like to modify "Become Prey" to use Hover Trucks and Hover Sensors derived from Prometheus's "H2O A.I." from back in 2001 AND later, hopefully, the Tank Transport Drops from Troman's 1st iteration of "Aivolution" back in 2005.

For me, this would be the UBER WZ Skirmish A.I. because it could handle ANY type map including heavy water island maps and other stuff I'm not gonna get into. All this comes second to my other main game work so it is gonna take some time but that's fine 'cause it must remain fun for me since that is the principle reward.

And now to my collected thoughts on....

WZ Skirmish A.I. and Map Design... and instances of HOW the phenomenon of "Emergent Behavior" is triggered.

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In discussing Coyote's new map modoricam1a in it's last iteration (Coyote is still working on it) I wrote a few days ago:

This is a great example of how topography and oil resource quantity and placement directly influence a.i. scripting.

I tested T3 advanced bases against Become Prey.

BP played a pure Hard-Shell Turtle Game.

Next... same settings on "Fish Nets" and BP played an aggressive Octopus.....the total opposite strategy.

I still find stuff like this fascinating as well it directly influences me in what I do in my own work.

My early assessment - those who love long Turtle skirmish will thoroughly enjoy this experience.

How this will play for those who like Rush.... I can't tell..... Would be interesting to hear some war stories coming from those who favor that strat.

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There have been over 1000 maps made over the last 10 years. A great majority seriously flawed in one way or another. The biggest flaw being that most map-makers do not understand the nuances of HOW skirmish A.I.s work and using that knowledge to inform their map designs. (This can also be the reason for many path-finding problems.... Though of course PF can always be improved like, for example, through multi-threading, but that's another story..)

Become Prey plays out differently... VERY differently, depending on the amount oil placed and where it is placed.

YOUR responsibility as a Skirmish Player is to understand the qualitative differences that MAP DESIGNS invoke out of a particular AI like "BP"..

I'm gonna spell out some of the basic criteria for this.

Maps designed with 12-16 oil wells in the base perimeter will make BP play like a Hard Shell Turtle.... it will build like so -

No need to fight over resources. What you are really fighting for is end-game map dominance. That leads to a ground game that is pure attrition... So that your ultimate goal must become a race for Air Supremacy.

Source Thread here: viewtopic.php?f=10&t=3014

Indeed... Under these conditions BP will focus on magnificent base defenses to the exclusion of Octopus and Eagle Tactics - pure Hard-Shell Turtle...

Now if the map has 7, 6, 5, OR 4 oil wells within the base perimeter BP will play entirely different. It will expand and claim external oil resources immediately. It will build multiple combat groups and deploy them aggressively. It will build as soon as possible an Air Force and use it aggressively (it has extensive Vtol scripting which is triggered, I've seen it deployed against me countless times on scores of well designed maps. I started testing-playing this BP iteration August 2008 so I have run it under a wide range of map conditions & play configurations over the course of the last 9 months.).

In short, BP will play (research, build units, build bases, deploy ground & air force combat groups) depending on how much money (+oil wells) it starts the game with and then after - how much oil it can claim quickly outside the immediate base perimeter landscape.

Also - BP does NOT have to cheat to increase the challenge level... you merely work with alliance configurations. You want the toughest possible conditions you play 1 v. 7 against BP. TOO hard - you knock it down to 2 v 6... or play a 4-player map at 2 v. 2.

You think BP does not pose enough of a T3 challenge - play 1 v. 1 on "Startup" map... It will hand you your butt in under 20 minutes in most cases. Same with the stock "Rush" maps 1 v. 3.. Other maps too, explore for your self... Making pronouncements based on your one favorite map is slanted, biased & irresponsible IMHO.

If you wanna see and play against BP on a map that invokes the full range of tactics from Turtle** to Octopus (aggressive expansion, multiple combat groups) to Eagle (Air Supremacy combined with a ground game) try Coyote's memonia9 here:

Map DL Thread: viewtopic.php?f=10&t=2713

There other good maps that have the necessary conditions to bring-out this diversity of BPs tactical scripting.... explore... find the maps that are well designed for skirmish, play around with different alliance configurations. Can't have everything handed to you on a silver platter and spoon fed to ya, by golly - you gotta work it too to have the best fun experience that suits your individual tastes..

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** Addendum:

* Quote Zarel: "Aww, another one of those maps with 16-20 oil resources in the base, and none anywhere else. Some of us like the resource war, you know. As well as having to manage power. :/ Don't give in to the turtles, man!" (End Zarel's quote)

I have that same sense as well.

In my own head, work and play preference I conceptualize 2 classes of Turtle: "Soft-Shell Turtle" and "Hard-Shell Turtle"..

This map favors "Hard-Shell Turtle": No need to fight over resources. What you are really fighting for is end-game map dominance. That leads to a ground game that is pure attrition... So that your ultimate goal must become a race for Air Supremacy..

On the other hand...

The Soft-Shell Turtle design allows for resource-fighting AND some Turtleing.. And that begins, for me anyway, by never putting more than 7 wells in the Base Perimeter (usually i only place 6 within)... I have found that this satisfies the "Soft-Shell Turtle" in me while also making sure that I must take aggressive scouting & expansion into account (what I call the "Octopus") which in addition means the ground game is still viable to advance (which I enjoy) and not merely an exercise in attrition (which I find more tiresome than fun... but others surely will feel different about that mix..) and then, of course Air Supremacy is just part of your land maneuver (which I call the "Eagle" strat) and NOT just an exclusive race to research, design and build a multitude of the most powerful Vtol body and weap.

PS: On maps where water plays a significant role in Tactics and Strategy I have dubbed the play type as "Orca".

NOTE: Within my above classification-nomenclature, "Rush" style is a sub-set of the Octopus....


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BP a.i. has extensive Vtol Attack scripting. How BP's Vtol scripting is triggered is dependent on 2 factors - a particular Map's Design & the way YOU choose to play. For example - if BP can beat you handily without having to use its Vtol Attack Scripting resources it will. Or... if the map is poorly designed it can definitely, and completely, ham-string BP's scripting, bottom-up.

I would recommend you try lots of different 2-4 player maps (there are literally 1000+, the majority ill-designed, btw) till you find the ones that are designed by the map-maker with a solid practical knowledge of just how skirmish a.i. works and the inherent constraints of WZ, the game itself...

Maps used to be reviewed for these attributes, among other criteria, so you didn't have to wade through sub-standard maps to find the good ones. Unfortunately, that is no longer being done so you will have to spend your time gauging map quality which most surely includes A.I. performance in
Skirmish.

NOTE: In the above quote I have only stated some of the major map design choices and factors that can influence Skirmish A.I.'s Emergent Behavior.. others would include: Player ID assigned placements, feature type and placements, Scavenger Allies, etc....

Regards, whip
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[whippersnapper]

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Some pics simply because when I'm testing various changes and additions I can't resist..

[new paradigm leader]

im very interested in this and i am very much looking forwards to playing it as finally scavengers are treated as (more or less) equals

[whippersnapper]

im very interested in this and i am very much looking forwards to playing it as finally scavengers are treated as (more or less) equals

I wish I could work faster to get this out. Was playing what I consider still an Alpha version last night. Man was it fun. I got BP players in T3 making vast VTOL forces criss-crossing the map, making strikes all over the place while combined arms ground forces are also deploying simultaneously all over land and water. There is still a something of an unresolved issue for me in HOW Vtol absolute height PF works with the /* primitive 'bang-bang' vtol height controller */ function (i think that's how I recall it referred to in the source comments)... but that's another story.

Yes... having Scavengers as "equals" in game play has been a goal. They are having a deep impact in how this plays out even in Skirmish Mode. One of my critical challenges has been effectively integrating BP's roll-out of forces with it's Scavenger "allies" and at the same time having an important role for Scavengers in MP Mode without any A.I. Players involved..

Any hoot - thanks for the input new paradigm leader and be assured I continue to work on this steadily (though not terribly fast) to finish a Beta version for release in the near future.

regards, whipper
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[whippersnapper]

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This is a straight-up in-game screen cap (no PhotoShop trickery) that surprised me at first. I said "WTF !!"... But then
I thought about it and what is "wrong" has a simple explanation.

Can you spot what is "wrong" and why it's so ?




Regards, whip
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[whippersnapper]

......what is "wrong" and why it's so ?

.... should be obvious in this screen cap...
Can be a useful phenom too.




Moi faux pas, whip O_O
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[lav_coyote25]

your placing downed transports - as they are looking like part of the terrain - as does the bunkers etc when placed on hills.... yes???