Game Development Community

RTS Pack and AI

by Jean-Pierre Cuerrier · in Technical Issues · 08/11/2006 (7:20 am) · 6 replies

Hey everyone,
I've been reading up on the RTS pack, and I liked what I read..... up until I realised that AI was not intergrated. It may just be me, but isn't path finding more integral to an RTS then a selection square or top down view? Don't get me wrong, I love programming algorithms like a*, I just thought it was going to be in it already.

Correct me if I am wrong, please! (I hope I am wrong)

Thanks!
RealTime

About the author

Software Engineer for the Department of National Defence (Canada) during the day, I work part time on game projects and attempt to do so as professionally as possible by leveraging my experience. Blog: http://instantcarnage.tumblr.com/


#1
01/30/2007 (1:10 pm)
I, too, would be very interested in purchasing a RTS/AI Pack.
#2
01/30/2007 (1:14 pm)
There is no generalized AI included. You will have to look at community solutions, resources, or code your own to the specific level and terms of your game.
#3
01/31/2007 (7:56 am)
A generic one size fits all AI would not work that well and it is why GG does not include one with TSE, TGB or the RTS starter kit.
Everyone has different needs and wants. One person may want to make an RTS like the Myth series and would not need routines for gathering resources, or someone making one like starcraft would need a resource routine and intelligence to use special features like deploying siege tanks or laying mines (and who knows what people want to do for individual unit actions and reactions) and yet another person might want to make a game like Company of Heroes which one game mode relies not only on resources but capturing and holding strategic points and another person might want to make not a RTS but use the RTS kit to make a game like Civilization where the path finding is totally different than the previously mentioned games and is turn based. Sure it would be cool if there was a one size fits all AI, but there is just no way to do it.

But there are some really great resources on AI and path finding developed by the community who have already tread this ground before. The frame work that the RTS kit provides does saves a lot of time and does what it states, it is a starter kit that provides the foundation to get started. A lack of AI should not dissuade you on purchasing it. however take note as it says on the product's page that it is built on the torque 1.3 engine and takes some work to get it running on 1.4 (plenty of resources on this as well) and I am not sure if anyone has successfully got it running on 1.5 yet.
At some point after 1.5 was released there is an update due from GG for the RTS kit that will have it running on 1.5.
#4
02/22/2007 (2:58 pm)
There is a resource for converting it to 1.5. I haven't had any real problems with it. The way I looked at it when I picked up the kit is that it was worth saving the time for the camera code alone. :-)
#5
07/01/2007 (5:58 pm)
Benjamin, I know this is a very broad question but were you able to use the camera code in a standard tge project or did you build your code within the kit?
#6
02/26/2010 (3:29 pm)
You can merge in the Immersive AI code, there is a RTS Kit port ... but it doesnt include merging in the "AI" portion of the code. Maybe complete the port and then its a resource!