Medivac AI

[milo]

Something I noticed:

If Medivacs are in the vicinity of Infantry that are attacking units/buildings, the Medivacs will hang around the infantry, and will ignore all commands except for a force move/right click. When the infantry finish attacking, if you didn't give the Medivacs any new commands, they will remember the last order you gave them and move to that position.


So, in combat, Medivacs will always be in position, even if you've got them in a control group with Marines and are giving force fire orders. I was hoping they'd implement something like this. Babysitting medics was one of my least favorite things about BW.

[Alex]

Yea, I've noticed it too. I think it's great and helps a lot, because it is very annoying when in SC1 the units would just go to the middle of the fight unless you micro them out of there.
However I'm sure that some people are going to complain that it helps too much, and that people should micro those commands without the AI.

[Norfindel]

Well, Blizzard said that Medivacs were going to be smarter when given the heal command, and wouldn't move past your troops, if there aren't units to heal at the spot you sent them.

[Hammy]

Well, Blizzard said that Medivacs were going to be smarter when given the heal command, and wouldn't move past your troops, if there aren't units to heal at the spot you sent them.

I hate this... units should do what you tell them to. They shouldn't "assume" you want them to hang around, when you explicitly tell them to "heal+click" to a certain location. This only encourages grouping all your units under one hotkey and attack-moving.
This is a bit different from the usual dumbing down discussion, since in this case the units would be going against your orders and lingering around.

[Caliban113]

Plus, it's too easy now to use things like the 'follow' command to help organize units on the move. I realize Blizz is trying to make SC more automated, but I think the UI/AI should not assume things for the player, the units should do exactly what the player told them to do....and if he told them the wrong thing, it should be the player's problem.

Off topic, In WC3, you could rally new units to another unit or hero - is that possible in SC2?

.

[Aldrius]

Off topic, In WC3, you could rally new units to another unit or hero - is that possible in SC2?.

Yes.

Granted it's less useful in SC2.

[milo]

I hate this... units should do what you tell them to. They shouldn't "assume" you want them to hang around, when you explicitly tell them to "heal+click" to a certain location. This only encourages grouping all your units under one hotkey and attack-moving.
This is a bit different from the usual dumbing down discussion, since in this case the units would be going against your orders and lingering around.

It's a bit different for the Medivac's case. It ignores attack commands, not move commands, because Medivacs don't have an attack. Or another way to look at it is: Heal is the Medivac's attack. Infantry in combat are its targets. When Medivacs hang around your troops, they're following your command and 'attacking' the only things it can.

[Norfindel]

There's something that isn't clear to me: if you have no units injured, the Medivac goes to the attack point, or still waits over your units?

Also, they are air units. If they can move to the attack point direcly and ground units not, do they move directly as any other air unit, or would keep following your ground units?

[milo]

There's something that isn't clear to me: if you have no units injured, the Medivac goes to the attack point, or still waits over your units?

Waits over your infantry as long as they're actively attacking something, otherwise moves to wherever you commanded.

Also, they are air units. If they can move to the attack point direcly and ground units not, do they move directly as any other air unit, or would keep following your ground units?

as long as your infantry aren't attacking anything, then yes.

[Norfindel]

Waits over your infantry as long as they're actively attacking something, otherwise moves to wherever you commanded.

as long as your infantry aren't attacking anything, then yes.

Yeah, i can see why people complains in this case. It's like a do_what_you_are_supposed_to_do-move command.