Units and UnitGroups
Posted: Sat Sep 13, 2014 2:45 pm
by ludsoe
While working on the new automated attack drone for MoCombat. I've ran into the limits of the modding API. (Rather hard actually, gave me a black eye.)
Units
First of all Units, these things are awesome entities to work with. But its impossible to stop the game from auto assigning them to unit groups. Its a bit difficult when your attack drones run off to go join the biters, only to shoot them in the face and get swarmed. Secondly the Command system is rather limiting, there's no area patrol or follow commands.
Now I propose you add in a unit.DisableEngineAI value we can assign to true to stop the game from giving the unit orders (Other then distractions) so the lua files can have 100% control over the unit.
Secondly there should be a follow command, which causes the unit to follow a entity. Much like the attack order but instead of attacking the entity they defend it.
We also need a area patrol command, which works like the Ai that controls the biters that circle around spawners while idle.
Thirdly Units need more readable info on what they are doing. The group state, get orders methods are a good example.
unit.state = {defending,attacking,moving,idle}
And the ability to read what ever order they are doing would be great.
Now I propose you add in a unit.DisableEngineAI value we can assign to true to stop the game from giving the unit orders (Other then distractions) so the lua files can have 100% control over the unit.
Secondly there should be a follow command, which causes the unit to follow a entity. Much like the attack order but instead of attacking the entity they defend it.
We also need a area patrol command, which works like the Ai that controls the biters that circle around spawners while idle.
Thirdly Units need more readable info on what they are doing. The group state, get orders methods are a good example.
unit.state = {defending,attacking,moving,idle}
And the ability to read what ever order they are doing would be great.
UnitGroups
Now unit groups, I'm not going to sugar coat this. These things are painful to work with. I couldn't get these to work so I lack experience with them.
When I created a group and assigned members to it, the group failed to follow my commands, and ordering a singular member of the group a command removes them from the group. I also had problems with the group suddenly removing itself and all my units joining engine made unit groups.
The only things I can suggest here would be some variables to stop the group from automatically reassigning all its units to other groups and destroying itself, and another variable to stop the members from leaving when they receive orders directly.
When I created a group and assigned members to it, the group failed to follow my commands, and ordering a singular member of the group a command removes them from the group. I also had problems with the group suddenly removing itself and all my units joining engine made unit groups.
The only things I can suggest here would be some variables to stop the group from automatically reassigning all its units to other groups and destroying itself, and another variable to stop the members from leaving when they receive orders directly.