We included a Visual Studio® solution that contains some AI samples written in Visual C#®,
so you
can get a feel for how AI programs can be written. The sample solution is installed in your My
Documents\Bots\Projects\Samples\SampleAI folder.
Note: If you decide to build and run the solution and you get errors, see the Solution
Notes below.
To browse the solution, open it in Visual Studio® by double-clicking the solution (.sln) file. Inside
Visual Studio®, if the Solution Explorer window isn't already open, from the main menu choose View >> Solution Explorer. You'll see there are two projects: one called AI, which contains the AI
programs (classes), and one called AIRunner, which is an application (.exe) project that can be
used to test and debug those programs.
First, the AIRunner project should be set as the startup project; it should appear in bold text as
shown above. If not, right-click the AIRunner project node and choose Set as StartUp Project.
You can look over the classes in the AI project to get the idea of how AI programs can be written.
For example, double-click the Roamer.cs file to open it. Focus your attention on the Run method,
which is the highest-level method in an AI program, executed when the game scenario is started.
It typically has an endless loop so the bot stays alive until the game is stopped. From there, other
methods are called to do lower-level work.
/// <summary>/// Executes the AI. This is the main, outermost method of the program.
/// </summary>
protected override void Run()
{
while (true)
{
Look();
Travel();
// Give the bot's CPU a rest so it doesn't overheat
Thread.Sleep(100);
}
}
/// <summary>
/// Scans for objects, firing at obstacles and enemy bots.
/// </summary>
private void Look()
{
List<ScannedObject> foundObjects = Scanner.Scan();
foreach (ScannedObject foundObject in foundObjects)
{
// If the object isn't an ally bot, isn't an outer wall (which
// is indestructible), and is in weapon range, fire at it.
if
(foundObject.ObjectType != ScannedObjectType.AllyBot &&
foundObject.ObjectType != ScannedObjectType.OuterWall &&
Weapons.Pulsar.IsInRange(foundObject.Position))
{
Weapons.Pulsar.Fire(foundObject.Position);
}
}
}
/// <summary>
/// Moves around, avoiding obstacles.
/// </summary>
private void Travel()
{
try
{
Nav.Move(10); // Move forward 10 meters
}
catch (CollisionException)
{
// We hit something so avoid this obstacle
try
{
Nav.Move(MoveDirection.Backward, 2); // Back up 2 meters
Nav.Turn(45); // Turn right 45
degrees
}
catch
(CollisionException)
{
// We hit something else while
backing up or turning,
// so just give up.
}
}
}
The program accesses the bot's various onboard systems through properties and method calls,
which allows it to make decisions and tell the bot what to do. The Roamer class makes use of the
bot's navigation, scanner, and weapons system through the Nav, Scanner, and Weapons
properties, respectively.
The other project in the solution, the AIRunner project, is used for testing and debugging the AI
classes in the AI project. To see how it works, double-click Program.cs to open it. Look at the
Main method. It makes a simple method call to start testing one of the AI programs.
GameConnection.RunAI("Roamer", typeof(Roamer));
To run a test, you set up a game in the Game Viewer that includes a bot named "Roamer", and
then switch back to Visual Studio® and run the solution by pressing F5 (or choosing Debug >> Start Debugging). (If you get errors, see the Build Notes below.) The above code "injects" the
Roamer AI program into the bot named "Roamer" in the game. You can then switch your attention
back to the Game Viewer to watch the action. You can set breakpoints in Roamer's code to
suspend its execution, allowing you to inspect variables, make changes, etc., and then resume
execution when you're ready.
In conclusion, please note that the purpose of the sample solution is only for illustration. Although
you could use this solution to contain your own AI classes, we recommend creating your own
solution for your AI, and that you use a naming convention that identifies and distinguishes your AI
from the samples and from other people's creations. Please see Solution Guidelines for details.
Solution Notes
- If you get build errors related to Omega.Bots.dll
when trying to build the sample solution,
which is possible depending on your environment and configuration subtleties, you can
probably resolve them by removing and re-adding this reference in each of the two projects.
To do this, in the Solution Explorer window expand the References node under the AI project
node (if it's not already expanded) so you can see that project's references. Right-click on Omega.Bots, choose Delete, and then click OK to confirm. Next, right-click on the References node and choose Add Reference... In the Add Reference dialog, select Bots AI
Library from the list and click OK. Do the same for the AIRunner project to delete and re-add
its reference for Omega.Bots.
- If you get a LoaderLock error when you run the
sample solution, please see FAQ and
Troubleshooting for an easy fix. (The glitch is a known issue related to DirectX.)
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