Don't want to repeat waypoints for units w/o grouping

[Rocko Bonaparte]

My single-player tank combat modification is taking form.  The test missions has become pretty fun, although it isn't completely ready as a multiplayer mission.  In the meantime, I'm trying to change the AI behavior a little.  The tanks for both sides are all grouped.  It has been a real hoot to command seven+ other tanks, but I don't expect this accountability in multiplayer.  Furthermore, it is hard to manage respawned units, including myself -- My group goes into a massive retreat to where I respawn if I die while they're in formation.  Units that respawn lose track of where I am and won't advance.

I want to give each unit the same set of waypoints, but I'm hoping to do it without having to copy them all.  That's 8 units on both sides that would need duplicates of waypoints.  The goal is to take them out of the group and have them behave individually, or at least break them up into smaller groups.  

My experience with the mission.sqm file gives me the impression this cannot be done without copying the waypoints over and over.  This is a little bit easier to do in a text editor, but it would be just as tenuous if I ended up having to change a waypoint.  Is there a better way?

[macguba]

Select the group and waypoints you want to copy by dragging a box round them.

Ctrl-C

Ctrl-V

Repeat.

[ACF]

If I've read it correctly, you just want to duplicate a unit and its series of waypoints another seven times?  I only ask 'cause the answer is dead obvious when you know it . . .

If so, in the editor, just draw a box round the unit and its WPs (they should go bold), Ctrl-C to copy them then Ctrl-V to paste.  If you need to reposition them, do it before you deselect them.

The unit names will increment automatically  _1, _2 etc. so you just have to go back through and amend them and any other unit info you need to be unique.

Alternatively, you could try setting a gamelogic as the 'sub'-group and give it WPs with a condition at the beginning.  When you want to split your original group, Join the new group to the GL, pause maybe, delete the GL then clear the condition to activate the next WP that the new sub-group should now follow.  All very hypothetical . . .

[Rocko Bonaparte]

CTRL-C CTRL-V is the "simple" way of doing it, but it duplicates every single, selected waypoint the amount of times I paste it.  It's OK if I don't change anything, but if I want to move a waypoint, I have to move them all.  

That isn't so bad by itself, but given this is a CTF mission, the waypoints often are right on top of other stuff (like flags).  It becomes very difficult to maintain this.

So I was hoping to maintain one set of waypoints and have different units follow them without grouping.

[ACF]

Thinking aloud, you could use a series of triggers as waypoints.  As a friendly unit enters the repeat trigger it could execute a:

{_x Move GetPos nexttrigger} ForEach List thistrigger

. . . to send it on its way.  Probably not far off what a WP does . . .  Anyway, it would need to be a reasonably large trigger given tank movement accuracies.  A delay would add a bit of variation but you'd need to ensure all the vehicles are still in the trigger when the List command fires.

[Rocko Bonaparte]

It seems that either way I look at it, it is going to be roundabout and possibly not use fix waypoints at all.  The trigger suggestion gives me the idea of having each call a script that will serve as kind of a state machine for the AI.  That is, it might do a variety of actions based on conditions.

[macguba]

So I was hoping to maintain one set of waypoints and have different units follow them without grouping.

This makes no sense whatsoever.     Waypoints are an attribute (if you like) of a group.

but if I want to move a waypoint, I have to move them all.  

I don't have a "time budget" when mission designing, but if I did I would reckon on something like 10-20 minutes for the placement of each individual waypoint in the mission.    There are no shortcuts:   each waypoint has to be tested from several points of view if you want to make sure it really is in the right place.     Of course many are really easy and take no time at all, but difficult or critical ones can take many hours of testing, moving, testing, etc..


If you want a succession of units to follow the same path, then triggers and markers are the answer.