Help with waypointing. Options

[The HHH]

So,I am capable of waypointing with Rcbot2 but I saw that RCBot 1 is a bit different,Can someone help me out a bit with what waypoint flags do,and help me with getting bots to do multiple Objectives in one map,E.G. Open door,Proceed through,Then use a Lever and then exit.

I am talking about Sven-Co-Op BTW.

[madmax2]

Yeah, ladders can be difficult too, especially when they are in tight spaces like this. I sometimes have to use a non-standard ladder configuration, something different than just N--J--L at the bottom and different at the top too! Here is an example wpt at those 2 ladders. It's not perfect, and you may be able to improve on it, but bots are getting up the ladders ok, with maybe one thing I'd like to be better (couched bot at bottom of first ladder)... I did both ladders differently so I can show you some of the tricks I use...

Before I explain that, I should say I like bots to be a little looser on the ladders, so I have my config update_ladder_time set to 0.20, it seems to help them unstick & climb on some ladders. That said, that first ladder is a bit sticky at the bottom.

You mentioned bots running down the ladders. As a rule (there are a few exceptions in svencoop), make ladder paths one way up only, this will help a lot, but occasionally bots may back or fall down a ladder. Usually, I think it's better to have a bidirectional path at the bottom of the ladders. this allows bots to back up and take another run at it if they hang the first time. Also, a jump to the bottom ladder wpt often helps, this is all pretty standard ladder stuff...

I'll explain what I did on the ladders & why, this can be changed to your preferences, it's just some things I've found to be useful on difficult ladders like these.

Starting at the bottom ladder, in tight areas like this, i often use "stay close to" (sct) wpts on a right angle approach, to slow bots down for a jump to the ladder, so they will hit it straight on. btw, at the first ladder, I'm using what i consider to be a standard ladder configuration, with maybe the exception of the crouched ladder wpt at the top. the crouched ladder wpt at the top is actually to help at the bottom! If one bot at a time comes to the bottom of the ladder its really not needed, in fact single bots are getting stuck more at the bottom because of the crouch at the top! but without the crouched ladder wpt at the top, more than one bot arriving at the bottom of the ladder can cause a jam up, if the second bot touches the heals of another going up the ladder. then the ladder is completely blocked for both bots & players. the crouched ladder wpt at the top, causes any bot stuck at the bottom to be crouched, then both bots & players can jump over the stuck bot and climb the ladder. Eventually the suck crouched bot will start climbing, but it may take a while, which is the downside to using crouched ladder wpts. At the top of the ladder, i also noclipped the ladder wpt slightly closer to the wall & above the ladder, it helps the bots climb ladders without falling, by changing the angle between the bottom & top ladder wpts (not so vertical).

The second ladder is very non-standard, and I don't think i've used this exact config before, but it works. One reason for doing it this way, as you can see by the first ladder, bots tend to stick longer to the ladders at the bottom when using ladder wpts (especially, top ladder wpts).

I'll start at the top of the second ladder this time. I put a ladder wpt in front of the door there (say what!!! ). Its likely not needed here, and its not for the door. Bots will face ladder wpts, so what that does is cause a bot at the top of the ladder to turn & face the ladder wpt and slide off the top of the ladder smoothly, without jumping wild like. Its very useful for ladders against walls like this, where bots need to exit the top of the ladder sideways to a narrow or dangerous ledge.

The top ladder wpt, which is not ladder tagged, its a normal wpt with a sct tag on it. by not ladder tagging it, bots won't stick as much at the bottom of the ladder. and since i didn't raise and noclip the top wpt, the sct helps pull the bots all the way up the ladder. Combining sct tags with top ladder wpts will sometimes help, but often causes bots to stick even longer at the bottom, making them more persistant, causing jams at the bottom!

At the bottom of the second ladder i used jump wpts! Usually i don't use 2 jump wpts like this, and not on long ladders (mostly on short ladders). basicly, without a ladder wpt at the top, bots will jump around and not stick to the ladder so much, backing up & jumping onto the ladder. This often works well for short ladders in very tight places, but with just one jump wpt as the bottom ladder wpt, and a normal or crouch(into vent) at the top. There was a sct tag on the jump wpt just before the ladder, but i removed it. SCT tags sometimes help and other times hurt, they slow bots down and make them jump shorter when combined like this. With the jumps here, bots can jump over a hung up bot, this reduces or eliminates jam up's too.

So, for ladders, the standard config doesn't always work well, because not all ladders have a straight level path to them. So I often have to experiment to find out what work best for a specific ladder. It can be time consuming and frustrating, but most ladders can be done quickly with something close to the standard ladder config. This is a tough ladder setup, for sure...

Ladder Test rcw

escape_series_2b_rcw2.zip
http://www2.zippyshare.com/v/87330894/file.html

Hope this helps...

max