They added a setting in the latest update that needs to be added to this mod to get it to work. If you download my mod pack (in my signature) you can grab the Better so folder out of there and it has the fixed AI.
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They added a setting that you can use to force the pilots to auto-brace instead of shooting. With how the AI is coded, that setting gets completely left out using the old code. Then, it defaults to making them just auto-brace.
I'm almost back home from work and can probably have a quick and dirty 1.2.0 compliant build done on Thursday. This probably won't be anything but updating the missing new bits. I haven't had any time to work on actually making the AI better at all.
Glad to see you're still around, though! I didn't want to think about inheriting another mod to keep my pack runnick. 
Hurrah! Thank you sir.
This game is NOT the same without your mod. I'm no expert mechwarrior, but BattleTech is a cake walk without your AI. I look forward to your update.
Cheers,
Mad
1.3.0 Release for BT 1.2.0
Here's a hasty update for 1.2.0:
Better AI 1.3.0
Better AI - Permanent Evasion Add-On 1.3.0
[Mod Edit: no unapproved links, please.]
UPDATE INSTRUCTIONS
Delete Better AI folder from your ModTek /Mods folder
Unzip Better AI 1.3.0 in to /Mods
For BATTLETECH 1.2.0
Release Notes:
Global -
Added "k" : "Bool_AllowAttack", to allow 1.2.0 compliance
Only real change from 1.1.2 to 1.2.0 was the addition of one new variable in global. I'll get to updating the spreadsheets over the weekend and hopefully test out the beta branch and push a build for that one too. If this doesn't work, let me know.
By the way, did modtek/ mpstark go silent? Is there now a new mod loader? I'm out of date on the mod scene again.
Better AI 1.3.0
Better AI - Permanent Evasion Add-On 1.3.0
[Mod Edit: no unapproved links, please.]
UPDATE INSTRUCTIONS
Delete Better AI folder from your ModTek /Mods folder
Unzip Better AI 1.3.0 in to /Mods
For BATTLETECH 1.2.0
Release Notes:
Global -
Added "k" : "Bool_AllowAttack", to allow 1.2.0 compliance
Only real change from 1.1.2 to 1.2.0 was the addition of one new variable in global. I'll get to updating the spreadsheets over the weekend and hopefully test out the beta branch and push a build for that one too. If this doesn't work, let me know.
By the way, did modtek/ mpstark go silent? Is there now a new mod loader? I'm out of date on the mod scene again.
Janxious took over development of BTML and ModTek as far as I can tell, so search his github.
Thank you sir, I'll see if this update works with the Beta Branch around Noon Pacific Time today, as our servers are going down for the holiday weekend!
Best,
mad
I've made a version for the Beta Abilities Branch:
LINK HERE [Mod Edit: no unapproved links, please.]
You have to click the green "Clone or download" button on the right and D/L the .zip file.
The beta adds 3 new variables dealing with the new pilot abilities, two for Coolant Flush (Acceptable Overheat level and pilot HP remaining before use) and one for a small boost to walking when Sure Footed is available. I've kept the values stock as the coolant ones are already as sensible as can be and the AI already likes just walking everywhere even though I've been trying to get it to jump more often.
Initial thoughts: I might need to lower the current Bulwark usage % as it might be causing the AI to sit still thinking it can use the old Bulwark. Needs some more testing to confirm. Haven't seen the AI use Coolant Flush yet.
LINK HERE [Mod Edit: no unapproved links, please.]
You have to click the green "Clone or download" button on the right and D/L the .zip file.
The beta adds 3 new variables dealing with the new pilot abilities, two for Coolant Flush (Acceptable Overheat level and pilot HP remaining before use) and one for a small boost to walking when Sure Footed is available. I've kept the values stock as the coolant ones are already as sensible as can be and the AI already likes just walking everywhere even though I've been trying to get it to jump more often.
Initial thoughts: I might need to lower the current Bulwark usage % as it might be causing the AI to sit still thinking it can use the old Bulwark. Needs some more testing to confirm. Haven't seen the AI use Coolant Flush yet.
Playing around with lowering the overkill factor for reserve, that lets the AI take a turn instead of reserving if it thinks a certain % of its hit points would be dealt. In this case, the stock value is 150%, I've already lowered it to 125 and testing with 100% for brawlers and lowering scouts from 80% to 75. I've noticed the AI is reserving when it should be acting a vulnerable unit I've been setting up for the kill shot. I will probably also need to tweak the general vulnerabilities levels but wasn't able to test that on my free day. I'm also going to up the overall need to deal damage, from 2.5 to like 4 and scale some roles accordingly. It just deals more damage and plays a bit better, but set too high and it losses the defensive base I've built up. Scouts seem to work well enough at the current 2, which is the stock global value, scout stock was 1.6.
The daily test branch on the git page has the changes, but that line isn't duplicated in the beta abilities branch. So if you wanted to test out both, you'd need to paste in the 3 new beta variables in to the daily test global.
The daily test branch on the git page has the changes, but that line isn't duplicated in the beta abilities branch. So if you wanted to test out both, you'd need to paste in the 3 new beta variables in to the daily test global.
Nice. I like the sound of these changes. Also glad to see you have some time to spend on this again. Your previous tweaks with the AI have been one of the best improvementsto the game.
Using your version of mod included in CCC 1.1.7.v1. Brand new campaign.
- AI is great at flanking and getting behind you
- AI is so good at flanking that it sometimes spread too much and doesn't support the rest of its lance [1]
- AI isn't afraid to overheat a bit to smack that alpha strike on you
- AI runs away if heavily damaged and then keeps on firing from distance or returns to fight later
- AI uses jump jets when it looks reasonable
- AI sometimes shoots without moving, early game so no ace pilots [2]
- AI is fine with meleeing when you get in its face flailing
- AI sometimes ignored my downed mechs, e.g. a downed locust was ignored when a standing firestarter was focused on; looks like intended behaviour?
- AI tends to focus on the weakest side of your mech, causing, I guess for the first time in many games, the ejection of my pilots
I think you've almost nailed it. If you could adjust [1] and [2], I don't see much to improve. Kudos!
- AI is great at flanking and getting behind you
- AI is so good at flanking that it sometimes spread too much and doesn't support the rest of its lance [1]
- AI isn't afraid to overheat a bit to smack that alpha strike on you
- AI runs away if heavily damaged and then keeps on firing from distance or returns to fight later
- AI uses jump jets when it looks reasonable
- AI sometimes shoots without moving, early game so no ace pilots [2]
- AI is fine with meleeing when you get in its face flailing
- AI sometimes ignored my downed mechs, e.g. a downed locust was ignored when a standing firestarter was focused on; looks like intended behaviour?
- AI tends to focus on the weakest side of your mech, causing, I guess for the first time in many games, the ejection of my pilots
I think you've almost nailed it. If you could adjust [1] and [2], I don't see much to improve. Kudos!
I agree with all of this. The AI is behaving exceptionally well in my campaign so far.Using your version of mod included in CCC 1.1.7.v1. Brand new campaign.
- AI is great at flanking and getting behind you
- AI is so good at flanking that it sometimes spread too much and doesn't support the rest of its lance [1]
- AI isn't afraid to overheat a bit to smack that alpha strike on you
- AI runs away if heavily damaged and then keeps on firing from distance or returns to fight later
- AI uses jump jets when it looks reasonable
- AI sometimes shoots without moving, early game so no ace pilots [2]
- AI is fine with meleeing when you get in its face flailing
- AI sometimes ignored my downed mechs, e.g. a downed locust was ignored when a standing firestarter was focused on; looks like intended behaviour?
- AI tends to focus on the weakest side of your mech, causing, I guess for the first time in many games, the ejection of my pilots
I think you've almost nailed it. If you could adjust [1] and [2], I don't see much to improve. Kudos!
Using your version of mod included in CCC 1.1.7.v1. Brand new campaign.
- AI is great at flanking and getting behind you
- AI is so good at flanking that it sometimes spread too much and doesn't support the rest of its lance [1]
- AI isn't afraid to overheat a bit to smack that alpha strike on you
- AI runs away if heavily damaged and then keeps on firing from distance or returns to fight later
- AI uses jump jets when it looks reasonable
- AI sometimes shoots without moving, early game so no ace pilots [2]
- AI is fine with meleeing when you get in its face flailing
- AI sometimes ignored my downed mechs, e.g. a downed locust was ignored when a standing firestarter was focused on; looks like intended behaviour?
- AI tends to focus on the weakest side of your mech, causing, I guess for the first time in many games, the ejection of my pilots
I think you've almost nailed it. If you could adjust [1] and [2], I don't see much to improve. Kudos!
[1] I can tune in, [2] I've been messing with forever and it just can't seem to get it right. Set too high and the AI will move as far as possible and pass up better defensive positions & angles of attack. I've seen LCTs just go wild with this and bypass rear arc attacks from cover to just go fast, for no extra Pips at all. JJ use is the same, but it's in a nice place right now. I can bump up the "Shoot the downed guy" variable but I think my messing with other priority targeting variables is what messed that up from stock, I've bumped that value many times already and it still chooses to not take advantage of it every once in a while.
The AI being in the right place makes things hard. I know I could improve it and it still has some large blind-spots I think I could close but I also don't want to lose the house of cards I have now. Been focusing on Kiva's abilities test in the dev diary thread and that has been full stock work. I'm glad the AI is striking the weak sides and flanking along with overheating just enough to try and turn the tides.
[1] is AI even taking into account its lancemates? Is it calculating as a lance or rather like entities?
I do sometimes forgo shooting the downed guy if that mech is already weakened, so for me it's a good thing.
Also, interesting thing in Liberation of Weldry, the Trebuchet hid for 100% of the battle behind the wall it starts at and shot LRMs at me; it only started to do something else when I attacked it on the ground level. Never seen that before.
I do sometimes forgo shooting the downed guy if that mech is already weakened, so for me it's a good thing.
Also, interesting thing in Liberation of Weldry, the Trebuchet hid for 100% of the battle behind the wall it starts at and shot LRMs at me; it only started to do something else when I attacked it on the ground level. Never seen that before.
The AI works at the individual level, but it considers its Lancemates where it is programmed to. One such thing is a kind of "Fence" the AI wants to stay inside of, with the center being the average center point of the Lance. Scouts and Snipers have a larger fence radius than brawlers and less weighted incentive to stay within the fence boundaries. There are also things for '"I'm alone and in enemies LoS, or a Lancemate is isolated and in LoS: Should I fall back to my Lance or rush to help my isolated Lancemate?" And again I set the scouts to factor these things less. It is what lets them focus on flanking, or seen in the Weldry TBT, stay out of LoS and provide IDF. I had that same thing happen and had a JR7 rush the walls then jump over to flank me. I think I posted about it in this thread a few pages back.
As far as I can see, once a unit's Lance is gone, it can't "Join up" with the remaining AI forces as a proper Lance and will act as Last Man Standing until destroyed.
If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles ~ I just KNOW I've read that somewhere.
Thank you for giving us insight into the AI motivation. : )
This particularly nugget of BATTLETECH Intel now gets added to my Evernote BATTLETECH Notebook of Big Stompiness! :bow:
Not surprised you can quote Sun Tzu from memory. Anyway, another interesting note is that if a unit spawns alone as part of the mission, like most assassination targets, they will always pull the Last Man Standing. As far as I can tell, the code for checking LMS is just "Am I the only one in my Lance?" even if they didn't start with anyone else.
So there can't be a lance-within-a-lance? Would be cool to have a kind of "lance leader" trait affecting decisions for the assassination missions that then swaps to LMS other lances are down. But I do know that you're working within engine's limitations