Some SoUlFaThEr's hints about waypointing

[SoUlFaThEr]

This is for the Septempber 2006 release of POD-bot mm

to open the Waypoint Editor menus, type this command in the console:

pb wpmenu

some simple binds for making this menu even easier than it is:
this is my configuration;change the binds to fit your needs. copy and past this into a text file, save as W.cfg and in-game open console and type: exec w.cfg

// Waypoint binds
mp_timelimit 0
mp_roundtime 10
mp_startmoney 16000
developer 1; echo You look absaroutely marvelous today SoUlFaThEr; developer 0

name SoUlFaThEr

//Turn on Waypoint Editor
bind "y" pb wpmenu;menuselect 9;menuselect 1

//G = Main Menu
bind "g" "pb wpmenu"

//O = Waypoint Add Menu
bind "o" "pb wpmenu;menuselect 1"

//P = Waypoint Delete, and answering YES to "Are you sure?"
bind "p" "pb wpmenu;menuselect 2;menuselect 1"

//Ü = Pathwaypoint Add
bind "[" "pb wpmenu;menuselect 5"

//* = Pathwaypoint Delete, and answering YES to "Are you sure?"
bind "]" "pb wpmenu;menuselect 6;menuselect 1"

//H = Flagmenu
bind "h" "pb wpmenu;menuselect 4"

//L = Waypoint Setradius Menu
bind "l" "pb wpmenu;menuselect 3"

//K = Auto Path Max Distance Menu
bind "k" "pb wpmenu;menuselect 9;menuselect 6"

sv_restartround 1

for another option to this using some complicated scripting things already writen for you by Huntkillaz, check out this thread:

http://forums.bots-united.com/showthread.php?t=1497

[EDIT]
KWo - 08.10.2006 - updated to use the new syntax with pb prefix
[/EDIT]

[SoUlFaThEr]

this is for the April 25 release of POD-bot2.6mm

Button flags:
bots do not need button flags to open doors. if they have something blocking them they check around the area for a button that may open the door, and will open it. The door in de_prodigy is waypointed without a button flag!!

the button flag is to make them hit a button that is far away from a door, to support an elevator function, or to do simple things like turn on light switches(cs_militia), ring doorbells(cs_estate), the microphone of Elvis in de_vegas, and other map functions that dont affect gameplay directly.

The Elevator and the Lift flag:
The bot will understand an elevator to a certain extent. if he is alone and trying to navigate an elevator he will make it for sure.....maybe even with another bot too, but not acroud of them. the code for this function is not yet complete but is written so far that its at least supported and can be built upon.

to make it work right:
It is imperative that the button for a lift is button flagged. one waypoiont must be IN the elevator and Lift flagged......this applies to the elevator at its lowest point and its highest point. so we need at least 3 flags.....if there are 2 buttons one up.....and one down.......and youwant them to navigate the elevator in both directions it will be 2 button flags and 2 lift flags.

if a bot reaches an elevator that is moving.....he will literally wait for the elevator to stop......and then will press the button and head to the lift flagged waypoint. this CAN be problematic. (as_oilrig......the bots left below will wait at the button flagged waypoint and get crushed by the elevator)(cs_siege....the bots will fall into the hole)

i did not waypoint either of these elevator in the default waypoints supplied with this version of the bot for many reasons:
cs_siege
if you waypoint this elevator, most CT bots will take this route.....and WILL get stuck because its too many at one time......and because humans dont ever choose this route because it actually takes longer to get into the action. so to keep the general feel of public gameplay.....i excluded this entire area. it is a question of judgement.
as_oilrig
i did not waypoint this elevator because it kills the bots who do not make it onto the platform on its first ride up.......they wait below and get crushed.

generally:
i would not waypoint ANY elevator that is close to a spawn area!
in a map like as_steel where the elevator is in the middle of the map.....it might get navigated ok because the probabiltiy of all of one team trying to use it is just not likely with this bot.

I hope this "Tutorial" helps you understand more about these parts of the bot.

[SoUlFaThEr]

This is for the April 25 release of POD-bot2.6mm

There is no longer the possibility to add or delete waypoints or pathwaypoints by using the console.
the commands:pathwaypoint delete/add or pwp add/del no longer work.

they have been replaced by a system of pointing at a waypoint and chooseing menu options to add pathwaypoints 1-way outgoing,1-way incoming, or both directions, and to simply delete them one by one.

This is very sensative, so you will have to spend time with it to get used to its "quirks"

Sometimes 2 waypoints will be ligned in the direction you are pointing and will add to the one you are not meaning to add to........ich which case you simply delete.

I have found it often best to move sideways...into the waypoints radius(especially on ladders!) and duck down, then point and add or delete(moving the mouse incircles arounf the waypoint can help as well here if it doesnt work imediately). if its not doing it then, make sure you are in front of the waypoint you are on and not behind it. if its not working right, aim more to the left of it, it seems that aiming to the left gets it more often than not. if that fails, i go to the other WP that i am trying to add or delete a pathwaypoint to/from and try it from there and it usually works then.

In some rare cases even this might not function (rare) but there is a new function in the options menu of the Editors menu system that allows you to "cache", or save a waypoint to memory. once this waypoint is in the cache.....you can go to another waypoint.....and simply press add or delete how you like and it will all be directed at this cache'd waypoint. the cache stops after a command has been used on it.

this is especially useful for waypointing elevators, and you cant see the waypoint because of large distances or because the elevator itself is in the way.

its still faster than typing all the numbers in on all those deletes.....because i still do things in 2 minutes that surely would have taken 10.

One note:
to avoid doing a lot of pathwaypoint deleting of unnecessary connections, use the very useful Autopath Max distance menu options.
say you want a camp spot in a corner:

place a regular waypoint near the corner where you want the camp spot.
then set the autopath max distance, use option 2 or 3 in the autopath max distance menu(thats 100 units and 130 units respectively), and then place your camp waypoint........this waypoint will only connect to a waypoint within this range. this also works wonders on waypointing ledges above other waypoints. I even often turn off the the autopath by using option 1 in the Autopath max distance menu, and manually add the paths by hand afterwards to ensure no bad connections to waypoints below......sometimes a waypoint that is just off the edge of a ledge will get an incoming connection from a waypoint below. but with reduced max distance......thats not going to happen so you have less time spent on pathwaypoint deleting

hope this clears up a lot.

KEY STATEMENT:
a well binded waypointer is a fast and efficient waypointer. see the other sticky thread in this subforum for some good waypoint binds by me or Huntkillaz

they will increase your waypointing speed by at least 60%

[>BKA< T Wrecks]

Hm, let me see if I got it right. Here's the way I understood it:
Ok, so let's say we have an elevator with buttons outside, and this elevator is in its lower position by default. If I wanted to waypoint this elevator for bots, those would be the steps:

1) Add a waypoint (A) with button flag in front of the elevator (does this WP have to be close to the button or just somewhere in the area?)

2) Walk into the elevator and add a WP with lift flag there (B), with A and B being connected w/ each other.

3) Go up with the elevator, add one more WP (C) with lift flag, and establish a two-way connection with (B). The "cache WP" function is meant to be used in situations like this, isn't it? ('Cuz I can't see B when I'm at C, which means I can't just point at it and connect)

4) Step out of the elevator on top level, add a WP with button flag outside (D), and connect it with C. (same question as in 1)... )

Is that it, did I miss something or did I get it all wrong?

[Pierre-Marie Baty]

Basically, you have to force the passage in front of the button.

For example in cs_siege, you put one waypoint in front of the button, one waypoint in front of the lift, one waypoint inside it.

The paths must be then arranged as follows (one-way).
corridor->BUTTON->outside of lift->inside of lift
for getting the bots inside the elevator
inside of lift->outside of lift->corridor
for getting the bots out.

understand that when the button is not visible from inside the elevator, the bot MUST pass in front of the button before getting in the elevator.

This elevator code is merely a proof of concept, to show that it works. Coders need to improve upon.