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Psych0fred probably knows more than everyone here, but he doesn't speak simple instructions so well I think. Not simple enough for me at least. v.v

Since you mentioned planning: I finally realized today (after going back and forth over and over) that if you want bots to follow a connection, click on them in the filter list, so they are highlighted in orange. I did this again today and they all sprang from the spawn points like crazy and followed the connections. It could also be because I gave them another CP to spawn from, I'm not sure. But that's the most confusing thing about planning: whether highlighting the unit names makes them ignore the path or follow it. I swear I've done it both ways and they just stood there no matter what.


Rip

I imagine AI will be the hardest thing to learn(it's also my last thing to learn, I think)but I'm sure I'll get it.
Hopefully before bf2 is out and these tools are obsolete. :]

One of the best tools to learn is the shipped worlds in the assets. If you want to do something, try to think of which world you saw it in, load that world, and look at the planning, paths, textures, etc. Also look at the lua samples, sky files, req files, etc. For instance, water needs the entries in the req file, the texture in the correct folder, the water effects in the effects folder, etc. Look at the Kashykk shipped world as an example for water.

Steve

Paths are easy. Place a hub, place another hub, connect the two. Leave all the items highlighted orange for now to allow everything. You can always disable items later. Make sure you place a hub around your CPs. The AI will make the most direct path from CP to CP but if the planning paths don't connect to a CP they will abandon them. Make sure your paths don't run through objects or barriers. Make sure that paths and hubs don't overlap each other. Although I have had success with connections running perpindicular across each other.

Steve

So it's just placing hubs and connecting them? I'll try that then.
I did try and load worlds before but when I do there is a bunch of errors and though I can view the world all regions, paths, and all that other jazz is gone.

Most of the shipped worlds have items on layers. You need to change layers (make sure you load them all) to see different things.

Steve

Psych0fred probably knows more than everyone here, but he doesn't speak simple instructions so well I think.

Mapping is one of the hard-part of modding, so it's not easy to explain it in details without using complicated terms...

Speaking of layers, I learned that if you have spots in your map where two different textures meet in an obvious "seam" that won't blend, juggle your texture layers (tiles) around so that they are arranged in rough order of their height/appearance in the map. I couldn't figure this out for the longest time but discovered it by accident. Now I have my grass textures on the bottom (tiles 1-5), and my rockier textures higher up (tiles 6-10), till I get to the mountainous texture. Not every tile has a texture of course, because I deleted a few redundancies (too much texturing). My cobblestones for walkways are at the top layer, so they will be seen above everything else. Hope this all makes some sense.

Rip

Hope this all makes some sense.

I hope for others...

Makes sense rip. I'd have to argue somewhat with leviathan though. Mapping is THE hardest part of modding. Everything else is relatively easy.

lol - YUP!!! man, I hope I SOMEDAY learn to mod - lol

hehe, I learned the Secrets Of The Ai's in 2 minutes by Panzergsp

lol, he JUST said:

"Place hub, and connect with a Connect. The Ai's will follow the Connect in a STRAIGHT line, so place many hubs."

and THATS how I learned the Secrets Of The Ai's - lol - but I've NEVE tried it, I haven't found the Secret Of Placing The CP's - lol

man, I REALLY need some help - or I'll try to stick to the Modeling thing (yay, CGArtist will help me )

lol - c ya

Well Qdin, if you need help with stuff like CPs, that I can do, so just ask on xfire or something.

Everything else is relatively easy.

Maybe it's exaggerated... Modelling is also complex to be implemented...

Yeah. Forgot about that. Though all property editing, skinning, etc I learned myself in about 10 minutes.

Properties' editing and skinning are usually learnt very quickly...

Locals+Vehicles = Very messed up map

lol - I learned the Basics of Modeling today - and I STILL have over 6 hours "Advanced XSI modeling" left... LOL - but its REALLY useful.

so AFTER all this, I'm gonna look at that "Basic XSI Tutorial" on pcgamemods (hehe, I ALREADY downloaded it, but I'll wait to use it to AFTER I learned to model, hehe)

BTW, about that CP problem:
I HAVENT done ANYTHING with the CP's, and then I started shaping the Landscape - and AFTER my landscape is done, I CANT select the CP's - n'either can I place them - LOL (man, am I a LOSER or WHAT??? LOL!!!)

well, I doesn't even know how to place objects... lol - but I'll just gonna stick to the modeling thing for now - lol - then I might get some help from Saturn about how to place the models '

C ya

lol - I learned the Basics of Modeling today - and I STILL have over 6 hours "Advanced XSI modeling" left... LOL - but its REALLY useful.

What XSI version do you use ?