Road Marching and Frustration, Frustration, Frustration...

[Hancock the Superb]

I would first like to pose a question: Do any scenario designers use move commands with along with the use roads feature? And do any of the multiple features the game provides work?

Because I have noticed that in most of the scenarios I've created, REGIMENTS WILL NEVER USE THE DAMN ROADS!

Sorry, I got a little heated for a second.

It is easy enough to make a commander, or an entire command, use a road: simply use (A)moveto and (A)useroad. Or use (A)roadmarch. The frustrating part is making regiments use the road.

To address the entire situation, I should note that there are 4 ways to make unit(s) use roads according to the SDK Version 1.06:

forcepath - A regimental command only, it directs the named unit to move via roads.
Example given in SDK: TIME, UNIT ID (Regiment), forcepath, location x, location z.

movepath - Command combines moveto and useroad. For brigade and higher sized units.
Example: TIME, UNIT ID (Commander), movepath, location x, location z.

(A)roadmarch - Commands the a unit to use the road, bypassing the “useroad” command.
Example: TIME, UNIT ID, (A)roadmarch, location x, location z

(A)moveto + (A)useroad - Commands unit to move to location via roads.
Example: TIME, UNIT ID, (A)moveto, location x, location z
TIME, UNIT ID, (A)useroad

Unfortunately, not all of these work, and the ones that do work don't always work to the intended purpose.

Through scenario scripting, I have found that when the command is used on a leader and subordinates:
Aroadmarch = march on road + road column at destination
Amovepath = road column at destination
Aforcepath = nothing
Amoveto + Auseroad = march on road + road column at destination
(I'm assuming the road coluumn at destination is due to the commander's current "formation".)

When the command is used just on a commander:
roadmarch (on leader) = march on road to destination
movepath (on leader) = march to destination
forcepath (on leader) = nothing
moveto + useroad (on leader) = march on road to destination

And when the command is used on a regiment only:
roadmarch (on unit) = march to destination
movepath (on unit) = march to destination
forcepath (on unit) = nothing
moveto + useroad (on unit) = march to destination

So why is there such a discrepancy between the SDK and scripting? Am I doing something wrong in my scripting, or is the SDK out of whack?

Looking at the gui.csv, I have noticed that the forcepath is not actually used with a destination, indicating an incorrect definition in the SDK. Perhaps the rest of these are in a similar boat, most notably the movepath command, which doesn't use the paths at all.

Hopefully, the team can look into this matter and see if it is any easy fix. If the problem merely resides in the SDK, I would be very willing to test out every command and write up a correct discription with example for the community.

Thanks for your support.

[RebBugler]

Aroadmarch and roadmarch work best because you can use the location coordinates with it. For regiments I think I use 'useroads'. :unsure: Check out my modded scenarios for what works, if it doesn't work, I don't script it. And you're right, some road commands appear to be broken.

[Jim]

Also for example, look at the battlescript.csv for GB Tutorial #2 for working examples of a couple of the commands you are interested in. Please note that extreme exactness is needed as there is little if any error checking. This is why copy and paste is Your Friend when creating scenarios. I try to import working modules from pre-existing scenarios and just change the times, names and destination/heading info. This reduces the time spent in chasing down small typos or format issues that may cause things not to work.

-Jim

[Hancock the Superb]

I did find that forcepath is the regiment's "useroad" command (even though the SDK says nothing about this). I was more expressing my interest in an updated SDK, which I would be willing to participate in making, as well as "fixing" the game engine for the few broken commands (movepath most notably).

I always try to take commands from other scenarios, but instances of individual regiment movement (which is key in the scenarios I create) do not regularly occur.

[Jim]

I have found these two lines:

10:30:00 AM OOB_U_95_NY moveto 40275 43526
10:30:00 AM OOB_U_95_NY forcepath

to be quite reliable in getting individual regiments to move to a new location via roads. Both lines are needed and they cannot be separated by other commands. Also the time needs to be the same for both.

-Jim