et_slide

[Tomulator]

I think et_slide would be a good map for someone to waypoint. It should be quick and easy to do. I would do it myself only I can't at this point in time.

-Tomulator

[TomTom]

Hmm another almost no objective map. However it is small but varied enough to be a good novice waypointer learning (practice) map principally as relates to navigation nodes. So I am adding it to my small set of practice maps.

However PLEASE NOTE the other practice maps have most or all of their navigation nodes and are playable. This one YOU will have to add the navigation nodes and connections. The attached file shows only a test loop used to evaluate bot navigation on the Axis slide (see the exercises text file inside). It also demonstrates 2 bot behaviors related to navigation problems.
Since the intent is to encourage you and other novices to learn waypointing I will not be adding any more nodes (I may add more explicit exercises and maybe some screenshots). At a guess once you have reviewed the wiki and tutorial you should be able to finish this map in less than 2 hours or so.

So (1) download the file to your fritzbot sub-directory, (2) unzip the file retaining the directories stored inside. (3) Open FritzBot ET (4) open the console ~ and type;

/sv_pure 0
/devmap et_slide

and once the map has loaded join it and open the in-game FRITZBOT menu to enable the in-game waypoint editor and HUD and set the video restart bind key. Then ESCape out to use the video restart binding. The game will briefly disappear then reload the map with the waypoints revealed (go to the Axis side).

If you have any questions post them here or pm them to me.

[TomTom]

Ok for those waypointers learning on et_slide some more explanations

Ok if you look at the ET_slide partial waypoint Fritz_et_slide_wip0.00.zip (that you should have unzipped into /fritzbot keeping the correct sub directories)

Directory structure
/fritzbot
  |
  +-/bots
  |   |
  |   +-/maps
  |   |   |
  |   |   +->et_slide.nav
etc...

Files included:

/fritzbot/bots/maps/et_slide.nav

/fritzbot/bots/scripts/et_slide.aiscript

/fritzbot/configs/et_slide.bots

/fritzbot/ README-_et_slide_rev0.01.txt
 /fritzbot/et_slide_ exercises.txt

what you see are the axis bots running a loop but the allied bots killing themselves when they spawn.

Then after 4 minutes the axis engineer bots stop moving (zombie). Now there are no nodes near the Allied spawn that can be seen from that spawn. And there are no nodes and connections going from the loop the axis are running to the node near the dynamite action under the Allied slide
(action 2 closenode 30). So the suicide and the zombie behavior are 2 types of unwanted bot behavior that can happen when navigation nodes and connections are not present where and when thay are needed.

// AI Script for et_slide
// Created by: TomTom
// Last Modified: 28/01/2008

bot_SightDist 1500 //how far the highest skill bot can see on this map

spawnflag_is_priority  0 //should bots focus on spawnflags?

cmdpost_is_priority  0 //are cmdposts critical on this map?

construct_is_priority  0 //should engs focus more on constructibles

map_has_vehicle  0 //does this map have a tank or a train?

default
{
    wait 240 //comment out this wait once you have added nodes and connections to the dynamite actions
        activateAction_group 1 //turn on the two dynamite/defuse actions
}
#EOF

Now the included minimal aiscript (bots/scripts/et_slide.aiscript) shows the C-like scripting language used to give the bots map specific intelligence.

bot_SightDist 1500 lets normal bots see and shoot 1500 units away to attack their opponents. The next 4 declarations are logical (0 or 1) statements telling the bots whether high priority map entities are present (spawn flag, command post, constructibles or trucks/tanks).

The default block is executed when the match starts. Script blocks (default and action tests) use the C style braces to contain multiple code statements to execute. Note the braces are needed even if only one statement is present. An empty block { } is permitted too.

The statement in the default block is delayed for 4 minutes after the match start by the wait 240. The wait keyword is a modifier that delays the single statement coming after it. That statement changes the active state of all actions that have an action_group setting of 1 (for group 1).

and if you have not figured it out yet what follows // are just line comments

[TomTom]

Now the intent to the partial waypoints is to for you to learn how to place the rest of the nodes and connections. So first you need to be able to see the existing nodes. For that you need to run the in-game waypoint editor.
The commands to turn on the editor are in the wiki tutorial.

The file et_slide_exercises.txt suggest that first you reproduce the simple loop of nodes and connections that the Axis use, on the Allied slide. The second part of the wiki tutorial has the commands for adding and adjusting nodes so we suggest reading it first. Then spawn as an Allied player and start adding the next two nodes and connections just like in the wiki. When you get to the top of the slide pause. Adding nodes to the slide can be done a few ways. (1) if you have a key-binding for the node_add command you could just hit that key a couple of times while sliding down to the bottom. (2) If you don't think you are comfortable timing when to hit a key while sliding then you can switch to be a spectator and use your flying ability to place the next nodes. In fact spectator mode is often the easiest way to place nodes where you know exactly where you want the nodes to go. And Finally (3) the last way to place nodes is to give your player total freedom to place nodes anywhere using /noclip. This can be slightly more difficult to do since you can also bury nodes inside surfaces if not careful. But rarely this technique can be useful on difficult waypointing spots.


Once the nodes are on the slide you will want to add one-way connections from node to node going from the node in the top spawn down to the node at the bottom. Why one way? well since you can't walk up the slide neither can the bots and the unique direction of the connections tell them so.

Now at the bottom you can place the nodes going into the tunnel towards the health and ammo cabinets. Each time you add a node with /node_add you can quickly connect it (2-way) to the previous node with /node_autoconnect. A key binding can make it even easier like that in the wiki.

When you come back out of the tunnel continue placing nodes and connections over to the stairs. Unlike the ramp bots can go either up or down the stairs. But like the ramp your goal is to keep the bots on the stairs and not have them overshoot and fall over the railings. So care may be needed when bots have to turn halfway up and then again at the top. And if placement alone does not do it then cornering nodes may need to be flagged as walk nodes (/node_flag value of 9). That should be enough instructions to get you to the ladder going into the Allied spawn.

Ladders can be tricky waypointing, and so they have a wiki topic all their own.

[TomTom]

OK by now you should have a loop of nodes on the Allied slide that mimics the nodes on the axis slide. And supposing you have not connected the 2 loops together what you should now see are the Allied bots standing around in their spawn doing nothing but bot chat. So what gives? They aren't committing suicide but they are all like zombies!

Well you have not provided connections to the actions that are available to them. If you inspect the partial waypoints there are actions under each of the two slides and one at the health and ammo cabinets(#1) and another at the top of the axis spawn(#0). If you set the editor HUD (heads-up-display on the right side) to display info on actions, that is the easiest way to see the action details.

Now, you can see that the actions at the health and ammo and at the top of the Axis slide/spawn are obj 12 for both teams. So the Allies will be attracted to go to these objectives. More specifically they are trying to find the path to nodes number 1 and 11 that are the closest nodes of these actions. So your next tasks in waypointing are to connect the two loops near the health and ammo cabinets using /node_connect x y and then /node_connect y x (where x and y are suitable nodes near the health and ammo). That will let the Allied bots out of their spawn and into the Axis side. Of course the Axis bots are not going to be appreciative especially when the Allies start invading their spawn. So the allies will be distracted by fighting.

So the next exercises are (1) to remove the Allied obj from Action 0 at the axis Slide and (2) to add a similar action at the top of the Allied slide (but with Allied obj 12 and Axis obj -1). Once the latter action is working some of the Allied bots should attempt to return to their spawn by the ladder (unless they are otherwise distracted).