Suggestion: Unit AI to distinguish between Build and Repair.

Previous game in the genre have allowed me to select a bunch of engineers (or lathe towers or similar) and have them patrol (or just look around)

The assumption being that these units should repair damaged units and buildings, and reclaim wreckage (assuming storage capacity was available).

However in previous iterations of these type of games, it seems my units inevitably got stopped from performing this task when they encountered some large project (Krogoth, or other experimental) and simply joined in the construction of this project.

IMO it would be useful if the Unit AI could tell the difference between something which was undergoing initial construction vs needed repairing.

I would like to have a team of engineers that I could instruct to "Reclaim and Repair only"

Best case, the units would have individual toggle switches for Build, Reclaim and Repair so that I could switch off any of these functions for any given bot.

Possibly this should be able to be overridden when the bots in question were explicitly directed to do something. perhaps it would only apply when they were patrolling.

Thoughts?

Re: Suggestion: Unit AI to distinguish between Build and Rep

How about also being able to have the engineers automatically rebuild damaged turrets, etc as well. And it would be great if you could just drag a box around your base and the engineers would repair the various structures.

Re: Suggestion: Unit AI to distinguish between Build and Rep

I agree that at some level I'd like to be able to have "These 10 Engineers" start to repair my base.

However there are 2 things which need selection in this situation. Firstly the engineers, and secondly the area containing things you want them to repair. however we only have a single mechanism for selecting stuff.

It is for this reason I think the current "patrol these waypoints looking for things in need of repair" approach is still the best (at least that I've heard)

It's just that I'd like to be able to tell them to "only repair" and not get caught up on some building project.

Come to think of it why click to create waypoints when you could allow the user to draw a rough circle/ellipse, rectangle or other non-regular shape without releasing the mouse.

Interesting.

Re: Suggestion: Unit AI to distinguish between Build and Rep

this type of problem has been, in the past in other games i've seen, handled by a priority queue. something like:

• Priority #1 - Repair damaged Buildings
  Priority #2 - Repair damaged Units
  Priority #3 - Assist in Building construction
  Priority #4 - Assist in Unit construction

this sort of concept needs to be able to differentiate what kinds of priorities units can have, and if not done with UX in mind, can becoming a complex and time consuming pain to use properly. done correctly though, this reduces a whole lot of annoying micro.

Re: Suggestion: Unit AI to distinguish between Build and Rep

The thing to ask is whether or not we will be able to assign the Repair command as an area command as has been discussed for the Reclaim command.

Re: Suggestion: Unit AI to distinguish between Build and Rep

So how does it prioritize between continuing on its patrol route and assisting/repairing something in its way.

Re: Suggestion: Unit AI to distinguish between Build and Rep

continuing patrol would, if not a priority option (i don't think it should be), be the lowest priority, so it would continue its patrol if there is nothing else to do.

deciding whether there is anything to do is another story though. whether it uses a player-specified AOE, unit LOS or some arbitrary radius is up for discussion.

Re: Suggestion: Unit AI to distinguish between Build and Rep

In my mind, I get to say "Repair anything (buildings or units) that you find along this path that need repairing, but don't help to build anything.. Now Go"

I'm not sure I'd need to distinguish between Buildings and Units, but perhaps some would want to.

Re: Suggestion: Unit AI to distinguish between Build and Rep

But then you have another problem: how far should the engineer deviate from its patrol route?

If you have them patrol the perimeter, and you are being shelled at the centre of your base, you will need a separate patrol route to cover the centre or you would need to extend the original one.

And what happens if the engineer is on the other side of the base when catastrophe occurs? Then your engineers would have to follow its patrol route until it reached the damaged structures.

As far as establishing the passive repair goes, your idea is better. Select engineers, patrol, click, click, click, go. It`s probably better for entrenched areas, like front lines. on the other hand, my idea would be awkward to use, but it benefits from having the assigned engineers be able to stay put in places that they could respond quickly or are likely to be attacked. Plus, if there were some unit AI support for prioritization of structures, then my engineers could just go to any high priority damaged structure in the area, rather than the next on the list. It would just be a pain to set up.

Re: Suggestion: Unit AI to distinguish between Build and Rep

That's how patrol already works.

Re: Suggestion: Unit AI to distinguish between Build and Rep

oh adding a unit's patrol to the editable priority queue would essentially function as a way of saying "anything lower priority than patrol will be ignored". contrary to what i said before, leaving it out of the queue would only work if you had the ability to remove things from the queue entirely, so that they are ignored (such as assisting in building things in OP's example)

Re: Suggestion: Unit AI to distinguish between Build and Rep

True...Most RTS' appear to handle this by suggesting that this be fixed fraction of the engineer's sight distance.

I typically don't create an elliptical path, but one which weaves through my base.

In my experience that is exactly what happens. I try to mitigate this a little by having a group of engineers patrol. It doesnt fix the problem of distance, but reduces the time the group will spend in one location.

Isn't this covered by the Nanolathe tower (not sure I've got the name right. I've used it in SC:FA)
It's a building which has an area of effect, but which will detect need like repair reclaim or build and will attempt to facilitate this need given the ability to.

I would also like to be able to restrict these towers to repair only rather than build.

Re: Suggestion: Unit AI to distinguish between Build and Rep

Fair point. Still, It does mean that there is a range at which your engineers will not repair, even if you have encircled the area.

I had not thought of this. Though I do tend to create bases that expand more or less equally in all directions, it makes sense that other bases might not work that way.

I guess this works, but would this not almost always be the case anyway?

I deeply regret not getting FA, but I simply never found the time. I just looked it up, are you referring to the engineering stations. If so, then I completely agree with that. It sounds like a perfect way to repair your base. Though I`m not sure about not being able to build with it. whats wrong with rebuilding the odd destroyed turret?

Re: Suggestion: Unit AI to distinguish between Build and Rep

Yup Engineering stations sounds about right.

I wouldn't make it incapable of building for everyone, but I'm fairly sure I'd set mine up that way.

I just don't want my repair engineers to forget about repairing my base, because I choose to create some huge experimental bot nearby.

Re: Suggestion: Unit AI to distinguish between Build and Rep

I was thinking more along the lines of it only building its own structures, as apposed to its assisting other constructions. perhaps it could also be configured to start reconstruction only after a period of no combat?

Re: Suggestion: Unit AI to distinguish between Build and Rep

A building that spontaneously starts rebuilding dead buildings on the graves of their former selves when given enough resource and peace in which to do it?

Erm

Mind

Blown

Re: Suggestion: Unit AI to distinguish between Build and Rep

Precisely. It would be great for passively maintaining forward bases or contested battlegrounds whilst removing the need for you to constantly rebuild every single turret and wall. If you dont want to spend the resources, it could easily be toggled off.

And if there`s nothing to repair or reconstruct, you could have it assist other constructions.