Job/Task:
A mutator in certain map dumping paths during game-play ordered by player - learning Bot Pathing - various tests.
Purpose:
Inspiring coders which were wasting time in the past with so called BOT PATHING stuff in run-time which was a MYTH - read again, all was FAKE sh!t stuff - I don't get why was wasted time because adding operational paths with plain UT will not work at all, NOT so far except when we are using XC_Engine with its add-ons.
Intro:
This might be a deliberated incomplete mapping stuff having "player-options" toward A.I. practiced "at home".
Action:
Imagine a small map with a house. On top, a mad monster is waiting team. Bots wont' help here, but they might help if player has... brain
.Map might have some marked spots not so buggy in visibility problems but... suggesting locations where player can debate mutator's "mutate" whatever command creating a PathNode in location and connecting this node into "NavigationPointList" being entirely usable. On last floor, under roof, we have only 2 default known PathNodes placed as usual in map. Player has to add nodes until last "custom node" right before to be seen by Monster, leaving the option to retreat. When this last node is connected, Bots will have free route to monster, it will be a MonsterEnd over there distracting MH Bot. Locations recommended are for practicing a bit of Bot Pathing during game and figuring later distances, how do they look in Editor in order to get used with this stuff - like an active/interactive Bot Pathing Tutorial. Mutator used for paths will require XC_Engine else everything goes to an instant game crash, so far won't have support for Lifts - perhaps future versions.
Other benefits:
Of course, usually my work might be aiming 2 or multiple purposes.
Such Mutator can be used in some XC Server in poorly done maps where Bot Support was easy but mapper too moron for dealing with a stupid Bot. Player can create nodes during game-play in order to have support how wants - not in the middle of roads for making Bot to bug aiming enemies - but leaving them a route for supporting player. Such a sample might be Minas_Tirith map. It's a plain one, even other similar ones might work properly if player is dumping nodes properly - tested by self person.
History Note:
My daughter asked me to do a small map poorly decorated in order to do some stunts over there. Because this simple Level should not be for a single purpose I decided to link it with other things - expanded features. Coders with good skills toward vectors specific stuff might do modifications making this mutator a real bad-ass one, so far I've quit thinking at it because I was doing NavAdder in that time, and modules are time consuming even if they worth wasting this time (my opinion). This was my toy for basic checks if a map supports run-time Bot Pathing or Bot Pathing generally VIA Editor, yeah, you can guess well, I did some checks to see first if a map supports A.I. to not waste time with an useless work. It would be frustrating to work hours at a map and heading to a nonsense - OVERSIZED Maps or those with BSP problems will never support Bot Pathing in UE1 - Bot won't work, this is not a joke. Mutator has an automated pathing feature but I never bothered to finish it as long as such thing is very nasty in maps with small spots and it do needs some processing (from both Me and Engine) and for the moment I don't feel that skilled to polish this properly. Part with manual adding node with a key bound works as expected. Command is "mutate donode" and all has a bit of visibility for confirmation.
If anyone is interested to see such stunts I'll add some "A.I.Pack" for download but I have to prepare map first and maybe implementing some helping command or... something else.
I listen...
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