new AI ally commands

[you-just-got-owned]

i was wondering if you can add a commands where you can tell the AI who to attack and what to do like you telling them to come to you and they do and you tell them to attack the enemy's base and they do... i was just wondering...

[hailstone]

Do you mean typed commands?

[you-just-got-owned]

yes

[hailstone]

I think doing it that way would take the classic point and click RTS gameplay out of it. You would be typing something like "[unit ID] attack [enemy ID]" which seems slow and more like a command line game rather than an RTS.

Maybe as an alternative there could be scripts or macros that are created to automate tasks. A list box to hold all your units and a few more boxes to designate roles (eg. defend, attack, patrol, etc). Then they are dragged and dropped in to the boxes to accept the roles.

[ttsmj]

no, ally should play on its own

[Duke]

well for some games it might be interesting to enable an option to give an ally commands.
To what extend and if at all the ally follows the commants could be a different matter too.

[hailstone]

I wasn't talking about the ally. Oops, I thought you-just-got-owned was talking about your own AI not the ally AI. I agree, ally should play as a separate entity. Perhaps at a more goal oriented level you could suggest to the ally to do something but that already seems defined in the game already (ie destroy enemy).

[Botjer]

well how about setting the allies behaviour? defensive or offensive?`

[you-just-got-owned]

but basically, the ally AI works on it's own and kills on it's own, and it is also annoying when they send thier initates to my place to get gold and stuffs which makes you get less resources.and there should be a chat box where players can chat when they are fighting/battling online by multiplayers.

[ZaggyDad]

They don't take your resources. When they walk out of your place with a bag of gold (or whatever) it's the initiate/worker returning the resources it was carrying to it's home castle. It's not stealing yours.

~Zaggy

[hailstone]

there should be a chat box where players can chat when they are fighting/battling online by multiplayers.

There is chat. Push enter, type, then enter again to send.

[you-just-got-owned]

ohhhh..... but the AI also doesn't build thier buildings at another place so if thier buildings are all destroyed at thier starting point, ur AI ally is totaly dead.....that's the bad part though....

[Ishmaru]

Comands to your allies would be a great feature to add on. Just simple commands like defend my base, assult enemy or hold position...

...OR allow player to ping locations of the minimap that tells allied cpu where to send troops to.

Something like that would be great.

[you-just-got-owned]

yeah tat's wut i like.

[acoyauh]

Aren't we being a little control-freaky?
If you send a single (expendable) unit to engage the enemy at your selected point, the ally will send its troops there.
I find it more interesting to look at the allies' workings and learn to use them to your advantage, instead of trying to control its actions.

That's just me, of course...

[quinnteh]

Aren't we being a little control-freaky?
If you send a single (expendable) unit to engage the enemy at your selected point, the ally will send its troops there.

Oh really? Does it work that way in this game? If it does, does it happen every time you send a unit? Or only randomly sometimes? Or only when it is worth doing so? (Sorry I haven't gotten to figuring out all the code yet)

[acoyauh]

hmm, haven't gotten into the code myself... just by watching their behaviour. It does happen all the time, as far as I can tell; you do need to follow up on the attack, though, or the ally will get creamed

[Dasaki]

no, ally should play on its own

Eh which is why im trying to do something with the AI, to allow both free form turtle or rushing gameplay.  I'll be trying to do some cool stuff with my army then i'll end up getting attacked by like 2 of their archers which kinda sucks.

[Dasaki]

untill better coding is issued, watching the AI of your allies is about as informative as watching a Hamster in a ball trying to climb up a ladder... =.='

[Omega]

I agree, while the AI ally is supposed to go on  its own, it WOULD be nice to have the option of choosing to issue commands to it.