Waypoints?
 

Does this bot require waypoints? Or how exactly do the bots move around and do their thing?

Re: Waypoints?
 

No waypoint for this bot... great no? 8)

Re: Waypoints?
 

With the versions currently available for downloading, the bots "sample" their field of view exactly the way humans do, and navigate in consequence. Actually I can boast to say they're the first and only bot to REALLY SEE their environment 8)

however that doesn't make them the smartest mechs around, because it's a very CPU-intensive process and the bot is far from being terminated ; it was just to show people that it is possible to make a bot that doesn't use waypoints at all, a bot that is virtually able to play on every map you put it in - and that is already a cool thing :)

In the next release however (although it is already implemented in template #2 but not activated), the bots will make use of a kickass feature: the navigation mesh, that will allow them to LEARN the map. Cause currently, all they do is wander around, but they have no memory ; i.e. when they turn back it's just as if they thought they never walked that way before, and that's why you can sometimes see them doing stupid things. But with the navmesh working, and the independent time-sliced A* pathmachines, the bots will REALLY learn from your moves, and will be able to follow a player everywhere he goes. I have good hopes that this will be one of the l33test navigations around :)

A technical paper on how to do this is available at:
http://racc.bots-united.com/tutorial-navmesh.html

I'm currently in the last phase of this development, that is, the bots already learn the map pretty well, and they are already able to figure out paths to go everywhere, and I'm writing the function that makes the bots walk and follow the paths they've found. On this domain I'm a bit late compared to other bots such as RealBot and JoeBot XP who've done a great work already :)

Re: Waypoints?
 

Well, when your done be sure to let us all know. I would really like to try out your bots...

Re: Waypoints?
 

nope, not really ;) Your domain is something we would not dare to go into.. Navmeshes... :P We'd rather use learning (using the same principle though) with waypoints/nodes. Although the output is almost the same, your navmesh will already let bots walk around without really not knowing where to go.

btw, i think with your navmesh you can already create paths! If you have goals, you just run your A* path finder and you get paths. If you let the A* path finder search for the fastest path, you can already set the meshes the bots walk on to a certain value so bots know those meshes are more important then others (i assume you do it this way to indicate which places should be walkable / used), your bot should be able to play right away then?

Re: Waypoints?
 

yes, sort of :) The only thing missing is a good BotWalkPath() function, like I told you. But now I'm fiddling with another bug, the bot crashes in The Specialists, don't know why.

Re: Waypoints?
 

Heyyo,

PM, just readin' that stuff made my jaw drop to the floor dude... AMAZING! :D

I've played many different versions of ya bot, and I'm amazed no one's tried to make a modded version of ya bot from the sourcecodes.

I was thinkin' about tryin' to learn C++ and tryin' to make a halobot... And also, try to implement the movement from your bots style.. Tha'd be crazy, a warthog, tryin' to drive around with no waypoints, and doin' a good job of it too. :) but right now, I'll stick with basic programmin', and mod GTA3 and VC :P

Re: Waypoints?
 

PM, Have you got the same paper in frensh ?
9_9 i've got some problem with.

Re: Waypoints?
 

unfortunately not... and I'm too lazy to translate it all :)

What part of it you don't understand ?

Re: Waypoints?
 

héhé ... i lose patience very fastly :)
but like my signature say, it's a very good work for me.
i become when i have hardly work :)