Question about spawn points / AI spawning

[Gromic]

Hey @ll

I've been freaking out seriously with a problem that I noticed a couple of days ago and have been trying to figure out the cause.

Is there a known issue (ie ridiculous rule) that says that spawned AI aircraft will not take off at an airfield that is also allocated as a player spawn area IF a human player is idle on said airfield? They (the AI) just sit on their spawn areas, be it parked or directly on the runway, and idle engines until the cows come home and have died of old age. IF the human player takes off then, and only then, will the AI aircraft remember that they're sitting in aircraft and actually taxi / take off.

To complicate this issue, it only happens when the mission is run under a dedicated server environment. If you run the same mission via FMB the AI will take to the skys regardless of any human players that are still on the same airfield. This is the primary reason I never took note of this awe inspiring feature.

Is there any script / setting that forces AI to get airborne once spawned? It's damned hard to try to recreate some kind of life on airfields if all the spawned AI pilots roll over dead due to carbon monoxide poisoning while waiting for the same airfield to be cleared of any human players.

I really could use some input from you chaps in the know.

Cheers

Gromic
XO Legion =XIII=

[bw_wolverine]

It might be that the game is trying to avoid pathfinding issues of planes trying to avoid an unpredictable player driven aircraft while taxiing. It sounds to me like they might have had issues with taxiing ai planes plowing into player run planes, so they just said "Okay, if there's a player still on the airfield, tell the ai guys to wait until the coast is clear and then taxi."

[Gromic]

Hi Wolverine,

Yeah, the thought was lingering in my mind but I more or less disregarded it because any spawned human players are not part of the AI formation that is supposed to take off. At least not logically or technically - in theory - lol.

The only way I've yet found to circumvent the problem is to remove human spawn areas from airfields that spawn AI. Not exactly what I'm aiming for.

I hope it's not the case because then I have my work cut out redoing most of the server missions. I can feel the love now when my old lady sees me spending most of my free time banging on the keyboard again for hours on end.

P.S. had a blast flying with you on sunday and hope to see you again for mission 3.

Cheers

[Gromic]

Wow, thanks for this find. I think I can actually have a bit of fun on this one in our next training mission! ::evilgrin::

Trust me, I know the feeling of having the gf staring at me while working the FMB... I feel worse than a low n slow hurricane under a full Staffel of 109s

Exactly, that ::evilgrin:: +1 is the reason I'm doing our squads dedi. Make it last even longer by setting a trigger for 20 bombers to drop thier load everytime one of the chaps spawn in.

Anyway, what really buggers me is the fact that this "bug" only happens on dedi servers.

Now I have to redo a pile of missions before skyrim gets here.

Cheers.

[Old-Banger]

I too have noticed this problem, and am very keen to know if there is a work-around. For some time I have been happily making maps and testing them via my own 'server' in Muliplayer, and did not realise this shows up only on a dedicated server.

So far my only options have been to have AI air-starting, or taking off from another base. Both are highly unsatisfactory.

[Troll2k]

Maybe I am missing the problem.

I have a map I built for an online dogfight.It has one airfield that has both human and AI.

I start the game using either the ingame browser(server option) or Hyperlobby.I join and I am put in a human plane that is behind the AI on the runway.I just sit there until they take off and watch them fly into the mountains on takeoff before I taxi down the runway and take off.

[bw_wolverine]

Now I have to redo a pile of missions before skyrim gets here.

Cheers.

Yeah, this is going to end marriages....

[Ataros]

Guys, I reported the issue at sukhoi and naryv asked me to attach a mission file demonstrating the issue. I had the same problem with Steppe mission but changed it a lot since then (different airfields and airstart). Did not know what causing the problem though. Thank you for your research.

Could you attach a mission file demonstrating the issue here please.

[Old-Banger]

Here is a map that illustrates the problem.

If the player spawns, then any AI that subsequently spawns on the runway start engines as normal, then just sit there for ever. This happens on either red or blue side.

This occurs at the start of both missions 1 and 2.

[Ataros]

Thank you! Reposted http://www.sukhoi.ru/forum/showthread.php?t=68697&page=9&p=1727690&viewfull=1#post1727690

[Gromic]

Guys, I reported the issue at sukhoi and naryv asked me to attach a mission file demonstrating the issue. I had the same problem with Steppe mission but changed it a lot since then (different airfields and airstart). Did not know what causing the problem though. Thank you for your research.

Could you attach a mission file demonstrating the issue here please.

Sounds like my cue.

Attached are an old main mission (sans objects and buildings) plus two sub missions (of many) that are randomly spawned by our dedi. Airfield for the red patrol (sub1) is Hawkinge while the blue patrol (sub4) from Wissant. I've included the scripts although I can testament to the fact that they'll still wait around and blow blue fumes even if the scripts are deactivated.



Thanks for helping out with this Ataros.

Gromic

[Troll2k]

I still must be missing the point.

I started a Dedicated server.(there are some map errors in red)
I then started Clod normally and went into the client section.I then joined my server.The runway has both AI and human spawn.

Unfortunately by the time I got in the game the AI planes had already taxied and taken off.You can see their labels in the air at the end of the runway.My plane is still at the end waiting to taxi.

This also occurs when I click on direct connect instead of "join".

Also if I host a normal game by creating a server under the server option and then join,I spawn at the end of the runway and have to wait for the AI to take off.I realize this is not a dedicated server but it is also not playing through through the FMB like the first posted stated.

Two things come to mind which may or may not have an effect.

1.I run the dedicated server and the normal game(from where I join) on the same machine.Although it shows my external ip on the server select screen the game does show up under the lan tab under the server option in the view pull down menu.

2.I do not run any scripts.

[Gromic]

Troll2k

Download my example missions (see above). Then, on your dedi, create a subfolder in your ..\missions\multi\dogfight\ folder called "legioxiii" or whatever you may like and extract the missions in my pack into it.

Then start your dedicated server and load "main.mis".

missLoad missions/multi/dogfight/legioxiii/main.mis
battle start

Connect to your dedi with the client. You'll see the standard bob map with spawn points. Join red and spawn at Hawkinge. Do not move from the spawn point from which you've spawned into.

Once you've spawned into Hawkinge by yourself, go back to your dedi console and type the following which will load the sub mission.

missLoad missions/multi/dogfight/legioxiii/sub1.mis

walaa! You now have 6 Hurricanes evermore rusting on the deck with engines running. They won't move unless you do.

After you get tired of watching nothing happen, you can start this again via FMB or even the internal Server (which apparently does not abide by the same rules as a dedi) and the 6 Hurricanes will take off regardless of any human "idle" aircraft on the same airfield.

You can also restart your dedicated server, load the main mission, spawn onto an airfield other than hawkinge and then load sub1.mis. The AI take off.

Cheers

Gromic

[Ataros]

I am put in a human plane

This is the point. You do not create the plane yourself (press "Create" button) which means you do not have a Spawn Area object placed on map or you have "player" checkbox ticked for one of AI planes.

[Troll2k]

Ataros:

I was not clear on that point.After I select the flag and then base I choose my plane and then click create.It then puts me in a human plane.

Gromic:

I have not tried your mission yet but I suspect my lack of the bug is because I have no scripts or sub-missions.On my map the AI are loaded during the mission loading before humans join.On yours humans have joined and then you run a sub-mission.