Welcome to this manual.

.Planning

Before starting waypointing with SturmBot, you should run through the map using both sides. I.e., play alone as an american and then as german. Try picture where are the best roads/paths, hidings, places of ambush and, of the most significance, the objectives of the map itself.

Remember! You're waypointing not only to put bots on the move... you're waypointing with the objective of making your waypoints enjoyable and worth to use them by the community.

.The Waypoints

Waypoints are vectorial lines "tied" together with the whole purpose to make line-paths for making possible the bots to walk and to run in a specific 3Dimensional environment graphical map engine (Half-Life® in this case).

There are 3 types of colors to denominate a waypoint (WPT) in SturmBot. The green ones belonging to the americans or british, the red ones identifying the germans and the blue ones for either sides.

To place a WPT on the map, you must open your DoD console (hl.exe -console -game dod). Type the following without the quotes:

"waypoint add" <RETURN>

If you selected the allies, the WPT would be green. However, by default, the WPTs are always blue (Team Off).

.Starting

OK. Run a map without WPTs. Select a team and then open the console.

Before making any move or anything else, write the commands:

"pathwaypoint on" (This will enable the White Joint Lines that connect each WPT to be seen)

"waypoint team on" (This will set the unique WPT for the selected side/team).

"waypoint team"

OK. Don't move the player. Type:

"waypoint add"

Move a bit forward and rotate to see the WPT. (You must learn that if you want to walk/move in the map you always need to close the console). By now you must see a specific coloured line flashing a little bit. That's your first WPT! OK. Where going to? It is up to you. Move yourself where you want, and later his fellow mates, to go. Don't get too far from the first WPT. Now repeat the "waypoint add" command again. You must see a thin horizontal white line flashing too and connecting the 2 WPTs. That means the connection is established. The bots will move from the first WPT to the second WPT you just added. Remember! After loading the map don't move yourself, because it's there you'll start everytime you run the map. There are occasions where there are multiple respawn/start points in the map (made by the map builder). However they are never too far from the original starting position. Remember also that there are NO numbered order to follow WPTs. Must not have to be a WPT numbered 1 to connect a WPT numbered 2.

.The White Joint Lines (WJLs)

Of the most importance, the WJLs allow you to see what directional connections are between the WPTs. See the picture below:

A single WPT is directing a two-way path WJL to the other two WPTs ahead of it. This tells you that the bot will aleatory select or move through one of the two WPTs. There's commands to create and delete WJLs. By example, you create two waypoints and got too far from each other and you realize there's no WJL connecting them. The bot will never pass from WPT1 to WPT2 by this manner. OK. Go to the first waypoint and type the following:

"pathwaypoint create1"

Now go to the second WPT and type using the console:

"pathwaypoint create2"

The WPTs should be connected by now. Remember: There's NO "pathwaypoint create3" or above. You should also note that there's no WJL connection from the WPT2 to the WPT1. This will not allow the bot to turn back, returning to WPT1. This is important, because this prevents bots to turning backwards and creating irritating jams between them. But how you delete these backward WJLs? Simple: Go to your WPT2 and type:

"pathwaypoint remove1"

Now go to your WPT1 and type:

"pathwaypoint remove2"

The WJL of the WPT2 to WPT1 was deleted. Please remember you don't have to delete all these backward WJLs. Sometimes it's necessary the bot to go back in specific waypointing you're making. Use this according to your needs.

.Jumping/Crouching/Doors schematic

Some maps are designed to have jump/crouch obstacles. How to make a bot jump or crouch? Assume you put a jumping WPT near an obstacle. You'll see that the bot will jump before reaching the jumping WPT. So, what to do? Open your console and create another WPT:

"waypoint add"

Now call the SturmBot menu

"waypoint menu"

Select the option 2 (Jump/Crouch). The WPT got white/light grey.

If the obstacle is a table, you must put the jumping WPT over it and not beside or near the table.

The crouching WPT command in the waypoint menu is designated to be the same command as the jumping WPT. However, I never use it. There's another way to do that. As you see in the picture below, the blue WPTs seen there are half the size of the normal WPTs. You make these kind of WPTs by crouching using your in-game key usually used to crouch. Press that key, and, without taking off your finger, open the console and type "waypoint add". So, you got a blue one too. Remember! The bots will do the action before reaching the action WPT (in this case crouching). Look at the picture again and see how I put the WPTs according to the obstacle.

Useful Hint: To make crouched snipers use this WPT and then mark it as a Sniper Waypoint. You can also prone and add a WPT. Put it as a Sniper WPT too. The bot will prone and will stay there ready to fire.

The door WPT is quite simple. Always put it in the middle of the door. Type:

"waypoint add"

"waypoint menu"

Select Door Waypoint and repeat "waypoint menu"

Select Precision Waypoint - The bots will make sure they "hit" the waypoint before they continue.

.Objective Waypoints

Every map has an objective or, usually, multiple ones. There are several types of objective WPTs: The Flag WPT, Capture Area WPT, Bazooka Target WPT, Object Waypoint and Capture Waypoint.

The yellow Flag WPT is a WPT to be located the nearest possible to the flag pole. Type:

"waypoint add"

"waypoint menu"

Select Flag Waypoint

The Object Waypoint tells bots that there's something there to be picked up. It applies to bombs, documents, etc... Type the following:

"waypoint add"

"waypoint menu"

Select Object Waypoint

The Capture Waypoint is the place where bots will go to perform the specified mission. They will leave their bomb / document in certain place in the map to accomplish a task / mission. Type:

"waypoint add"

"waypoint menu"

Select Capture Waypoint

To make the bots pick up a bazooka, you'll only need to add a WPT near the bazooka object in the map. Look at the picture above to see how its made. You'll hear a very distorted female voice acknowledging "Weapon Acquired". You don't need any "waypoint menu" command because the WPT will automatically be set.

I want to advise you of the following: If the mapper didn't had put a bazooka spot while designing a DoD map, the bots will won't pick them even if you put bazooka WPTs. This has nothing to do with SturmBot, only with the way the map was designed.

The picture above illustrates the way how you put a WPT to make a bot shoot out his bazooka at the specified target. Go near the object to destroy and type:

"waypoint add"

"waypoint menu"

Select Bazooka Target

Objective flags or points where it is needed more than one bot to capture it, you'll use Capture Area. However it does not accomplish a good game strategy. The bots sometimes get crowded in this type of WPT making jams and a complete disarray at the spot. I never use Capture Area. I put only a Flag WPT and a Sniper WPT near or at the area to be captured. I only used this once when I got myself confronted with a map where was a capture area that needed more than 3 bots to conquer it! About this WPT, use it and test it, It's up to you.

.Ladder, Break Waypoint and Button Waypoint

Climbing a ladder is often seen in almost every DoD maps. Goto the starting point of a ladder (bottom) and get stick to it. Now just add:

"waypoint add"

You're probably seeing a dark yellow colour has shown above. Now climb the ladder all the way up (don't forget to stay stuck) and make another WPT. Ok, everytime you do this, remember to create a WJL connection between them. Usually starting from bottom to the top.

The break WPT is an ambiguous one. As you see in the picture above, there's objects you can destroy. However, I got to the conclusion that the bots doesn't need a break WPT to tell them there's something to blast off. I witness lots of times bots firing at breakable things without a Break WPT being set. However, if you think you should do it, just place them near the breakable objects.

"waypoint add"

"waypoint menu"

Select Break Waypoint

Sometimes, rarely, there's objects that need trigger start. In the picture above there's a grenade-launch tripod. If you press your USE key the object will fire a projectile. The bots will do that too using the Button WPT.

Just type:

"waypoint add"

"waypoint menu"

Select Button Waypoint. As the colour is almost identical to the respective side WPT colour scheme, you can always use "sturmbotmenu". Select option 7 and then 6 and you'll see the kind of type a WPT is. The info will appear at your superior left corner.

.Navigation Waypoints

These are special WPTs because they permit bots to go into another directions, other secondary and less used paths. The Navigation WPTs are white and you need more than 1 or 2 to perform a complete path. The term Navigation here means steering or directing the bots to multiple and bifurcated paths. These are another type o WPTs that I avoid to use purely because I don't like them. I normally use normal WPTs and believe me, the bots go everywhere. You can use the command "ways on" to see the connections between Navigation WPTs and the joints which they make with normal WPTs. So, it is up to you to decide. Do whatever.

.Waypoint Creator info

You can let sturmbot show a message when the map starts by using the "waypoint creator" command. Type:
waypoint creator "This message will be shown when the map starts. \n this is a new line"

Example as shown above:

waypoint creator "Waypoints for DoD_Adrenalin_B1\n July 2003\n waffendb@lycos.com"

.Final

Ok, that's all for a brief manual. Please remember, your first WPTs you'll made will not be the best, the solution is practicing. Test them and you you'll get to know if they're are bad, what changes they need, what they do and how they work. Remember the pathwaypoint remove1 and pathwaypoint create1 commands, I use them alot.

I advise you to take a look too at the official SturmBot Manual. See it here.

My SturmBot waypoints: Test them.

Finally I hope that this would be a reference to make you a master at waypointing with SturmBot.

Sorry for any grammatical errors in english...

Manual compiled in November 2003 by Sturmmann74, Lisbon - Portugal.

©-2003 SturmBot by Johan Linde - http://www.sturmbot.net/