[mr.miyagi]

Ben Smith from EA specifically about the BF2 SinglePlayer AI. Have a look ...

****

1. Will the BF2 Demo include Single Player?

"Yes, we are currently planning to include both multiplayer and singleplayer (Training) versions of one map in the Battlefield Demo release."

****

2. How many SP maps will ship with the full version game? Can you comment on which ones?

"The 16-player version of all Battlefield 2 maps except Kubra Dam and Mashtuur City will be available in the singleplayer Training game mode when the game ships. In total, there will be ten different maps to play against the AI on. There are also three different difficulty settings for Training that users can choose from."

****

3. The "Hot" topic in the SP community right now: Cooperative multiplayer with bots gamemode will or will not be shipped with BF2 at release? If not, can you comment in more detail on this decision and if there are any future plans for Coop?

"This is correct, we will not be shipping with coop support in Battlefield 2. Since single-player in Battlefield 2 is focused on training players for full multiplayer matches (a gateway to multiplayer) we chose to focus on each of the modes separately and eliminate coop. There are no plans at this time to add coop support in a patch."

****

4. Have bots piloting skills improved any, particularly in flying helicopters?

"Actually, flying is, in my opinion, one of the strengths of the new AI in Battlefield 2. They provide good close support with the attack helicopters, as well."

****

5. Are the Single Player maps restricted to 16 players? Or are they compatible with the medium and large map sizes?

"As noted above, the bots are perfectly suited for helicopters, ground vehicle and infantry action on the 16-player versions of 10 of DICE's maps. There are no restrictions in the editor that prevent users from putting bots on larger maps than DICE has chosen to, but given the focuses that we have given the AI, the AI may not deal with larger maps and more vehicles as well as they do the set-ups we recommend. Mappers and modders will likely be able to overcome most obstacles they encounter (in putting bots on the larger map sizes), but their mileage may vary."

****

6. Can bots utilize the Commander mode? Can they lead or join a squad, follow squad orders?

"Bots in Battlefield 2 can do all three of these things, actually. As a squad leader, they will generally keep their guys moving towards control points and respond to Commander orders. As a squad member they will follow their squad leader's prompts. Though, bots will not actually fill the Commander slot (so that the player always has easy access to this role) the AI will deploy artillery strikes, uav missions and supplies as requested by the player. The AI will also give Squad Leaders orders as if there was a Commander on the team and protect threatened control points with artillery strikes as well (or drop artillery on pesky campers, as needed)."

****

7. The SP community is very interested in any new bot behaviors. For instance: responding to radio calls; bots acting according to their class, such as a sniper bot goes off alone and snipes in one position, while the attack class bots are agressive and act as a team; bots intelligently using surroundings for cover?

"Medic and Support bots will actively look for ways to help their teammates, and respond to nearby calls for their wares (healing and ammo). Engineers will provide repair support when possible. If under threat, the bots will likely choose aggressive action over support, but during lulls in combat they will be quite useful. They tend to use cover in moving about levels, as well, rather than running around in the wide open, where they would be easy sniping targets."

****

Some questions on the mod side of things..

8. Word from EARS Mod Day is that the AI portion of the BF2 Editor is still in progress? Any ETA?

"The BF2 Editor itself will be out on the same day the game hits shelves. A portion of the Editor is defined for AI editing, though the initial release may require some separate tools to complete AI set-up (this is not fully determined yet). The BF2 Editor will be updated periodically as we integrate tools and add features."

****

9. The community is excited about 3D pathmaps. Are these created in the BF2 Editor, the debugger, a 3rd party tool like ED42, or ?

"The basic AI setup such as path creation/pathfinding among other things (like designating areas of importance, waypoints, and the like) is all part of the BF2 Editor or at least handled by a tool we will bundle with the Editor in the initial release."

****

10. Is the scripting/coding of AI in BF2 similar to BF1942/BFV? Should we expect familiar commands or a new scripting & file structure?

"Given that the single-player Editor is now an integrated part of the overall BF2 Editor, and most AI creation in the previous engines was handled by third-party apps, the community should expect that their current knowledge will not be required in editing Battlefield 2. Creating the AI settings for a map should be a snap for any mapper to pick-up, since the tools will handle so much of the work for you. As with the other sections of the Editor, our Mod Support Coordinator (Lawrence Brown) will be creating/distributing solid documentation for this area of the Editor to help people learn the tool."

****
cool: