Original Post
Hi chaps. Can I beg a little help here? I'm not a newb to general AI programming stuff, but I just can't my head around where to start with putting a decent AI together for my current project.
It's a turn-based strategy game using a hex board and all movment is per tile. To visualise, the closest game I can think of is DS/Advance wars and actually the AI in that is pretty much exactly what I'm trying to do.
Here are my key problems:
1) Each AI team needs to be able to make basic tactical decisions based on a triangle of desire between attack, defend, expand. I can handle this bit as far as getting to the point where I give individual orders to the units
2) Each unit needs to have simple goals such as "move to that hex", "operate the building (to take control of it)" etc.
3) This is where I'm tripping up. A lot of the required behaviour needs to be scripted, and then given over to the AI to fulfil the scripted behaviours.
Here is a simple example of my problem.
Level X. A load of enemy tanks get spawned by a script, popping onto the beach from a carrier. The gameplay in this level is that all the enemies then move through a trench to a target spot where they get evacced by helicopter (another script with a trigger box). The human player has to mullha most of the tanks to "win" that level.
The actual movement through the valley needs to be done by the AI as I would like it to react to threats (if a tank on the ridge gets to the edge it gets within firing distance, so shoot at it), but basically keep on making progress to the extraction point.
What I'm looking for is a method that allows some goals to be given (like my move to helipad) by hand, whilst other behaviour can happen based on circumstance.
Are there any resources I should be looking at here? I don't expect someone to tell me how to code this, but it would be nice to find the right book or article that sheds some light on this specific kind of AI behaviour.
Sorry for the long post and thanks in advance...
It's a turn-based strategy game using a hex board and all movment is per tile. To visualise, the closest game I can think of is DS/Advance wars and actually the AI in that is pretty much exactly what I'm trying to do.
Here are my key problems:
1) Each AI team needs to be able to make basic tactical decisions based on a triangle of desire between attack, defend, expand. I can handle this bit as far as getting to the point where I give individual orders to the units
2) Each unit needs to have simple goals such as "move to that hex", "operate the building (to take control of it)" etc.
3) This is where I'm tripping up. A lot of the required behaviour needs to be scripted, and then given over to the AI to fulfil the scripted behaviours.
Here is a simple example of my problem.
Level X. A load of enemy tanks get spawned by a script, popping onto the beach from a carrier. The gameplay in this level is that all the enemies then move through a trench to a target spot where they get evacced by helicopter (another script with a trigger box). The human player has to mullha most of the tanks to "win" that level.
The actual movement through the valley needs to be done by the AI as I would like it to react to threats (if a tank on the ridge gets to the edge it gets within firing distance, so shoot at it), but basically keep on making progress to the extraction point.
What I'm looking for is a method that allows some goals to be given (like my move to helipad) by hand, whilst other behaviour can happen based on circumstance.
Are there any resources I should be looking at here? I don't expect someone to tell me how to code this, but it would be nice to find the right book or article that sheds some light on this specific kind of AI behaviour.
Sorry for the long post and thanks in advance...
