PathNode placement

You can place pathnodes manually, or you can use PATHS BUILD LOWOPT from the console to get a first pass placement done automatically. In any case, you must do a PATHS DEFINE from the console to create the connections between pathnodes.

To use the navigation system, a creature must first choose the best nearby node to "get on" the network. For performance reasons, creatures limit their search for path nodes to those within an 800 unit radius (see FSortedPathList::FindVisiblePaths in UnRoute.cpp).

This is because the test to determine if a creature can reach a path is very expensive. However, once creatures are "on the network", travelling from pathnode to pathnode, they use the reachspec tables in each pathnode to determine reachable nodes. There is no distance limit for reachspecs, so paths may be defined between two pathnodes which are any arbitrary distance apart. For performance reasons, paths between distant pathnodes which have a suitable alternate

path using intermediate path nodes (with a low added cost) are culled from the path network.

I recommend that paths should be less than 700 units apart, so that creatures don't ever start off going in the wrong direction to get on the network. In addition, paths on stairs and ramps should be closer together

(smaller 350 apart) Given that, you should use the minimum number of paths needed to cover the area for which you want intelligent navigation. Note that all navigation points are equally used as paths, so there is no need to place pathnodes redundantly near patrolpoints, etc..

Paths should in general be placed at intersections, making sure that they have the maximum visibility in all potential directions. Paths need a line of sight to each other, clear to the width of the maximum width (2 * collisionradius) of creatures which will use this path.

You should also place paths on ledges, with a line of sight to paths below, so that creatures can intelligently navigate jumping off ledgest. Vertical line of sight has no extent requirement.

In UnrealEd, look at the Properties menu in the map view window. There is an option to show the path connections. These are best looked at using the overhead view. Note that a connection between two Navigation points indicates that at least some creatures can use this path.

However larger creatures, or creatures which do not support certain movement modes (e.g. the bCanJump, bCanSwim, etc. attributes of pawns) may not be able to use these paths.

Creature and thing factories may be triggered by a trigger whose event equals the creature factory’s tag, or will trigger themselves if a player touches it. Since zone changes can cause an event, you could for example cause a creature factory to start producing razorfish as soon as a player enters the water.

The first creature spawns instantly. Creature and thing factories use Spawnpoints ( a type of navigation point) as the locations to create actors. Up to 16 spawnpoints can be associated to a given factory.

Spawnpoints and creature factories are associated by giving them the same tag. If a Spawnpoint has a tag in its event field, that event will occur when a creature is spawned from that spawnpoint.

By default, creature factories are covert, which means they will only spawn actors at a spawnpoint no player can see. A creature from a factory has its event set to the factory’s tag (so its death will trigger the factory). Thing and creature factory properties are:

prototype: The class of actors produced by this factory.

maxitems: The maximum number of active actors from this factory at any time. If it is a creature factory, new creatures will only produced either initially, or when a creature dies, to get back up to maxitems until the factory capacity is reached.

Capacity: The maximum number of actors this factory can ever produce (-1 = no limit). After reaching this limit, the factory shuts down.

AddedCoopCapacity: Extra items to produce if the game type is CoopGame.

Interval: The average time interval between spawns.

timeDistribution: The distribution of the interval between spawns.

>> DIST_Constant - constant interval (always equal to Interval). >> DIST_Uniform - uniform interval (random time between 0 and 2 x interval) >> DIST_Gaussian - Gaussian distribution, with mean = interval

bOnlyPlayerTriggered: Only a player can trigger this factory (true by default).

bCovert:; Only do hidden spawns (true by default for Creature factories, false by default for thing factories).

bStoppable: Stops producing when untouched.

Orders: (Creature factory only) Creatures from this factory will have these orders

OrderTag: and ordertag. By default they will attack the instigator of the factory.

ItemTag: Tag given to items produced by this factory.