================================================================
CGF (0.77 beta) for Action Quake 2 (1.51), July 8, 1999
(Computer Generated Forces)
================================================================
Title : CGF for Action Quake 2 v0.77 (beta)
Filename : cgf_0_77.zip
Game : Action Quake 2 - CGF
Author : William van der Sterren
Email Address : mailto:sterren@iae.nl
Web Site : http://www.botepidemic.com/aid/cgf
Description : missions, bots, tactics and scripting
for single player Action Quake2
Credits : Id Software, for all Quake's,
A-Team, for Action Quake2,
feedback and testing
William van der Sterren, for CGF
concept, AI design, programming,
missions and route files
Fireblade & Zucchini, for the solid
AQ2 1.51 implementation
Alan Kivlin, for the client emulation
code
Terry Hendrix II, for some file i/o
and the SABIN project
John Crickett, for AI discussions
Dominic 'Cube' Rutter, for testing and
the web site
Ross Norton, for the CGF launcher
(available soon)
additional testing by
Jon Kristian Mjorud
Timm 't1mm' Stokke
Dennis Goedbloed
Dan Dimitrescu
Lennon
Tekminus
38Special
================================================================
* Play Information *
Single Player : enables 'team play goal oriented' like
single player Action Quake2 using
mission scripts and bots
Cooperative : no (not yet, but planned)
Deathmatch : no (not planned)
AQ2 Teamplay : no (but emulated in single player mode
and based on forces defined in the
script)
Difficulty Settings : yes (skill settings in the script, range
from 1.0 to 5.0 per bot/npc)
New Sounds : no
New Graphics : no (not yet)
New Music : no
* Construction *
Base : id gamex86.dll, sources,
AQ2 1.15 gamex86.dll sources
Editor(s) used : Visual Studio 6, Edit+ (for missions)
Known Bugs : not fully stable, plenty of limitations
Build Time : over 1,000 hours
Compile Time : about 2 minutes
================================================================
* Description *
Customized small unit battles in the Action environment, with
the help of bots, missions and some amount of AI. It's probably a
bit like playing Rainbow Six or Half-Life, with the following
differences:
- above mentioned products are stable and full products, with
a story line etc., this beta isn't and hasn't
- Action Quake 2 is high speed action
- Half-Life squads have more animations, and lovely sounds,
but cannot autonomously navigate the whole level, nor
patrol as a team
- Rainbow Six terrorists don't seem to be a real attack force
================================================================
* Installation *
- prerequisites
You need to have:
- a Windows machine
- Quake2 3.20
- Action Quake2 1.51 (see http://action.telefragged.com)
- both model packs (see http://guild.telefragged.com)
- the urban map (see http://aqmd.telefragged.com)
- a Pentium200+ or better, and graphics accellerators
are advised
- 7 MByte of HD space on your action drive
- before installation
If you're a server op or host LAN games from your machine,
you may want to back up your gamex86.dll before
installing CGF. The CGF gamex86.dll isn't as stable as
standard Action Quake2 1.51.
If you just play Action by connecting to someone else's
machine on the Internet, or on the LAN, there's no problem in
installing CGF. (It's the server that defines how to play
action, not your local gamex86.dll).
Prepare yourself to distinguish between .cfg files (normal
Quake2 ConFiG files) and .cgf files (CGF = Computer
Generated Forces Files).
- unzipping the cgf_0_77.zip
extract the whole zip file to your action subdir of quake2,
WITH THE OPTIONS 'Use folders' AND 'Overwrite existing files'
ENABLED (or something similar).
The only file overwritten is gamex86.dll
- what's where
As a result, the following files have been added
.\action:
cgf_urban_hitman.bat
cgf_urban_hitman.cfg
cgf_urban_streets.bat
cgf_urban_streets.cfg
gamex86.dll
.\action\cgf
cgf_formations.txt : files for cgf, please don't edit
readme.txt this file
.\action\terrain
urban.* : (large) route/terrain files for urban
.\missions
urban_*.cgf : CGF missions, minor editing allowed
cgfparser.exe command line tool to check edited missions
- launching a mission (using the batch file)
In your windows Explorer, go to your action subfolder,
and double click on either:
cgf_urban_hitman.bat
or
cgf_urban_streets.bat
The first batch file throws you into a series of streets fights,
with the sole goal to survice (so you get to do more difficult
missions).
The second batch file asks you to be a real action hitman, and
to eliminate mister Sabotage (head honcho of the warez business
in Urban).
AS A CONVENTION FOR THESE MISSIONS:
bots that run around in the terror model will shoot you.
bots that look like the standard male model are your friends.
- launching a mission while in (an action) game
You can launch a mission in game, if you really want to. In
that case, do the following (from a .cfg file or from the
console):
set deathmatch 1 // all three are essential
set teamplay 1
set cgf 1
set bholelimit 40 // all four are optional but fun
set splatlimit 20
set shelloff 0
set breakableglass 1
gamemap urban // essential
mission urban_hitman_1.cgf // pick any mission file
================================================================
* Known Problems *
- it's a very limited beta (one map, two chains of missions
only)
- not fully stable (it's a beta after all)
- movement (unnatural turning, lots of incorrect jumps)
- close combat (shotgun) fire-on-the-move AI absent
- doors (this version contains a hack to deal with the single
door present, but in general, bots don't yet understand
how to handle rotating doors (the need to step back
if the door opens towards the bot)
)
- intro/outro mission information is lacking
- use of M3 in software mode may crash game (an AQ2 problem?)
- AQ2 leg damage does not seem to affect the bots
- bots jump to death (ignore their health while accepting falling
damage jumps) - this is a performance issue (and could be
solved at the expensive of either a serious slow down or some
MB of RAM)
* Not Yet Supported *
- hand grenades (bots won't recognize nor use them)
- knifes
- autonomous "advance" SOP disabled (cannot deal with advance
into area where there is insufficient space to enter formation)
A really large list with features is available from:
http://www.botepidemic.com/aid/cgf/design.shtml
================================================================
* Mission Editing *
- use stand-alone parser for syntax checking
If you really want to change the missions, the following tool
will be of help:
.\missions\cgfparser.exe
It's a command line tool that accepts a .cgf file as input,
and tells you if the syntax is OK. That's better than having
Quake2 do so (or even crash because of a typo).
For example
cgfparser.exe mission.cgf
will show you if missionfile contains syntax errors or not.
Please remember that syntax correct files may still crash CGF
and Quake2 if you made some rogue changes.
- any changes and mission distribution
If you change a mission file, please start by changing the
author name. It's your hacked mission, not mine.
- changing skill
Changing bot skills might be necessary. Bot skills range
from 1.0 to 5.0 and primarily affect aiming accuracy, and
turning speed. Just replace every occurrence of (for
example):
skill = 2;
to
skill = 5.0;
and the sound of head shots will be prevalent...
(Skill 5 is highest, skill 1 is lowest).
Changing the skill of a player doesn't affect anything.
(It's added to make the definitions for bots (aka 'npc's)
and players as similar as possible).
- changing weapons/items/skills
Actually in violation with AQ2 TP rules, there's no limit
on the amount of items, weapons and ammo you can start with.
(You are, however, limited in picking up items and weapons).
If you're the type of guy that needs 9 clips for your M4,
just change the amount or add that line.
To find the definition for your 'load out', look for the
line:
team "Survivor"
{
>>>> player "dah player" "male/reservoir" <<<<<<<<
{
ammo "Machinegun Magazine" = 2;
weapon "MP5/10 Submachinegun";
item "Silencer";
item "Stealth Slippers";
thus, the line that contains 'player'. Immediately below that line,
you can add any of the following definitions (and change
the ammounts):
ammo "Pistol Clip" = 1;
weapon "Dual MK23 Pistols";
ammo "Machinegun Magazine" = 2;
weapon "MP5/10 Submachinegun";
ammo "M4 Clip" = 2;
weapon "M4 Assault Rifle";
ammo "12 Gauge Shells" = 7;
weapon "M3 Super 90 Assault Shotgun";
weapon "Handcannon";
ammo "AP Sniper Ammo" = 20;
weapon "Sniper Rifle";
item "Bandolier";
item "Kevlar Vest";
item "Lasersight";
item "Silencer";
item "Stealth Slippers";
REMEMBER, YOU NEED TO USE EXACTLY THESE NAMES, OTHERWISE
IT WILL BE IGNORED.
- changing team size
To add or remove opponents or buddies to/from a team, do
the following:
1. make sure the team size will remain between 1 and 8
members
2. remove or copy an existing 'npc' member definition (starting with
'npc' and ending with the first following '};'.
3. if you're adding the bot, paste the text before
the word 'npc'.
4. it's better to change the npc's name so it's unique
again.
Be careful in extending teams that act as sniper (the team
receive a "snipe" instruction in the plan for that team).
You're likely to crash CGF/Quake2, as the sniper/spotter AI
is not that robust.
- adding location
To add a new location to the mission (to be used in the plans),
do the following:
1. to record a location, move to that location (you don't need
to run a mission), and type 'coords' at the console.
The game will tell you the x, y, z coords for that location.
Write it down.
2. Add a line like
location somelocationname = < 182, 1107, 40>;
to the list of locations. Don't use strange characters in
the location's name.
3. Because you don't really know how CGF uses locations, you're
likely to crash the game. So you know what to expect.
I'll provide better documentation when the beta works out
fine, and I've improved the support for more maps.
- "guarantees" and testing
IF YOU TOUCH ANY OF THE MISSIONS, AND (AS A RESULT) CGF CRASHES,
DON'T MAIL ME. THIS A BETA. IT'S NOT GUARANTEED TO WORK.
Please use the message board at action.telefragged.com; there
I can help you in a more efficient way.
================================================================
* Copyright / Permissions *
Copyright (c) 1999 William van der Sterren. All rights reserved.
This game modification may be electronically distributed only
with no charge to the recipient, and may not be modified in any way.
This text file must be included with this modification.
This game modification may not be distributed on any CD-ROM
without the prior, explicit written consent by
William van der Sterren.