Thread: Rail Gun
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Re: Rail Gun
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TomTom
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Default Re: Rail Gun - 15-07-2008

Yah the challenges are so tempting aren't they? Getting inside the cab might be more challenging with the larger trigger area, And it will be interesting to see what transpires when both team movement triggers are firing away at the same time (poor little Thomas ). But the final question remains will the bot focus enough on the cab when they don't see it as a vehicle, I can't wait to find out...

Congrats 420Blunt, it is certainly good enough for government work, though I suspect without a human player the Axis won't get the ammo delivered often. The obvious exploit of riding in uniform inside the cab (the bots AI won't extend to "why is the train going in the wrong direction") is counter balanced by the need to clear the other team away from the tug to start moving again (poor little Thomas). I think this will be best played with one-two humans per team with axis having the equal or larger number.

Some suggestions:
-The current team size works well enough getting out of the axis cabin spawn but that could change. So I suggest you take a look at this idea I got from Omnibot. I would also suggest pathing and routing a few bots to go around the back in case of a Human doing the classic block-spawn kill strategy (of course the block won't work as well now).

- Even out of uniform I can lie down in the cab at length and watch the other team go by. Not certain what to do but a zig-zag path might make them turn enough to see me (hopefully they are not seeing me through the model and wasting bullets). At the same time I would love a better focus on raising the track switch when the tug is next to it. Making mixed spawns (part CP spawn) might help.

- Axis spawn mg could be given a type 1 mg action jic. A point to ponder is should the mg beside the CP be self repairing and when. or how fast

- fall damage coming down from the tower can be minimized by directing the bots taking nodes 380-> 17 to take a slightly different path so as to hit the switch signal pylon. This might be useful say in a later rev., if there were any camps on the tower (nudge nudge).

- going over the railgun could probably be handled by Allied bots (i.e. using the railing to get up) but won't be needed unless axis get better at getting to the controls.

- the tug trigger is a little big for my taste, but I would leave it be till you are otherwise done as it will greatly affect bot performance.

- So far I have not seen bots trapped between the trestles near the axis spawn mg, a problem I have generally had waypointing this map with a couple of bot mods.

Oh and one of the fake entities must have as origin the wall of the axis cabin cause a hint is appearing at -1460 4820 370 ( 178 ). It disappears after the tug moves (helper_ent_obj2 maybe)?
- - -
Bot only balance is acceptable in testing IF you give Axis a man(bot) advantage (wins are 12:7 Allies:Axis on teams of 7 plus one extra bot for axis). Better than I anticipated.

A few things of note:

Action 30 the Axis mg camp at the CP was being manned when the ammo was delivered to the gun and the CP was in Allied hands. was never fired offhand cause the only bots going down the hill at that point went over the track switch mg nest and were not seen.

Allied engr bots building the CP when the mg was manned would attack the Axis bot manning the mg. However from their position the bullets were obscured by the handrail I guess. Funny really cause the Axis bot (medium skill) totally ignored the Allied bot until it got knifed in the back when the engr. ran out of all bullets. Your action radius is already at maximum size at the CP, maybe it should go off center? (if only the bot would stand and fire...)

Two suggestions at the gun controls. Put a medic classed camp looking out from the controls at the end of the match when axis need to rebuild them. And when the controls are built either path it so the engineer should enter the controls before descending or add an engr camp at the built controls to draw them in. Hopefully that might bring even bot teams nearer to balance.

You could also adjust the nodes near the heath and ammo cabinets near the CP so that some of the bots passing brush them, otherwise the humans will gorge themselves there...


Last edited by TomTom; 15-07-2008 at 10:28.. Reason: Update after unattended and spectator testing
  
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