AI won't walk down hills

[DeadActionMan]

I've just started making a new coop mission which starts on the beach, boat in the water and you begin ascending the slope in front of you toward the enemy positions. I created a small patrol at the top of the hill (out of sight) and set a waypoint for them to walk down towards the boat. Sounds simple right? Wrong!

Despite adjusting unit behaviour, combat mode, speed and even skill, I can't get the AI to negotiate the relatively gentle slope. They walk about half way down and just stop. If I create multiple waypoints along their route, they get so far and then go back up the hill!

I'm on Isla del Vida Cf22 on the rocky beach and it doesn't appear to be too steep.

If anyone else could test this, or explain what's going on, I'd be grateful.

[Wolfrug]

My gut tells me this is simply a matter of a "too steep" hill for the poor buggers. Haven't got ArmA here, but the picture you show seems to tell of a fairly steep hill indeed. Doubt most AI will be going up or down that incline. Don't know if there's a way around it, I'm afraid.

But hey...isn't it even scarier to have a bunch of bad guys show up on top of the hill and start blasting down at you, instead of being silly enough to walk down into your waiting arms? If you're lucky they might even recognize your boat as an enemy and try to blow a hole in it...

If it's absolutely mandatory they go down that hill, I -suppose- it might be possible by forcing them with some kind of switchMove-loop, but that is really just a hassle (and will make them incapable of combat). 

Sorry I couldn't be of any help!

Wolfrug out.

[Baddo]

Would it be possible to put the enemy AI patrol walking close to the shoreline right from the start, so that they would not have to walk on too steep ground?

Also try to move your waypoints to different positions and see if you can find a combination which works.

By the way, I have seen weird behaviour from enemy AI's in a mission I have been editing; they walk up into a very steep hill, then they lay down and shoot at me. What doesn't look good in it is that first of all the slope is too steep to be walkable, and secondly while they are in prone position they are in a horizontal position and thus half of their body is not supported by anything else but air. If you look at a hill South-East near Hunapu you'll see there is a slope near the road which definitely should not be walkable like that.

[DeadActionMan]

I didn't think the slope was that bad. It might look severe on the map, but I'm sure a well trained soldier would have no trouble tackling such a hill. The original idea was for the patrol to come down to the shoreline and notice my team (and the boat) and, well... you get the idea.

I've tried different positions for the waypoints but they just refuse to walk down the hill.

Anyhow, I've redesigned the start and I guess I'll have to live without the patrol coming down for a peek.

Thanks anyway.

[Baddo]

Yeah well this is a minor issue and it shouldn't keep you from advancing in your mission designing.

What I really like in playing missions, and designing ones myself, is to have the patrols so random that the mission designer himself and the player can't really tell if a patrol is coming or not at some location. It adds hugely into the replayability factor, and also designing missions this way is lots more fun as when we test our missions its impossible for even us mission designers to predict where enemy patrols are (when not in some town/base where you probably want to have some patrols in a small area, but on open terrain). I'd advice you to look into your problem also taking this "randomness" into notice.

[Tyger]

Anyhow, I've redesigned the start and I guess I'll have to live without the patrol coming down for a peek.

If you haven't progressed too far off of the original plan, there are a few more things you could try, mate.

Try using a doMove command on the next waypoint at the place where they get stuck.

Also, move the loons past the point where they get stuck, or a doMove command every _x seconds, and see if they'll walk down the rest of the way... Maybe there's just a "problem spot".

If all else fails, I find that screaming with rage, throwing a few choice words here and there, and kicking the sod out of my computer will nicely do the trick. If you use this last one, please let me know how it works out!

[ZapBrannigan]

I had a very simaler problem in operation flashpoint. I solved i by putting myself as the enemy squad leader, and walking down with them, and then seeing where they got stuck and adding somthing like a jeep wreak or obstacle a meter or 2 before the spot, so they wont head that way.  but they still got stuck sometimes. 

good luck with your probem.


EDIT:
I just set up your senario, I get the same thing, and how they all stop at a certain point makes me think it has somthing to do with the AI paths. because I set them up elseware and they can go down stuff allot steeper than that.
even stranger is when I put them at the bottom and tell them to go up, they all start swiming out to sea.
I have a feeling this is not a problem you can fix with waypoint changes or domove.