[BUG] Invisible AI

Arterio

Member
I'm having a problem where random groups of AI are completely invisible. This is true among all classes, Soldier, Survivor, and Bandit. And all group members in the group are invisible, not just one or two members. I just upgraded from SargeAI 1.1 to 1.5 two days ago. At first we thought they were just hidden, or we weren't spotting them before they were shooting at us. But I just experienced an invisible AI run past me while I was laying prone.

I was running along the side of a slope. There were 2 zombies in front of me. All of a sudden I hear gunshots and I see puffs of smoke about 30 meter's in front of me and one of the zombie's drops. Then I see the puffs of smoke and hear gunshots again, except this time the bullets are flying by me. Looking in the direction of the puffs of smoke I see nothing there. Thinking it's just a Bandit laying prone I go prone too and start rolling for some tree's to get cover. About 10m from the tree line I hear footsteps running behind me. I spin around and no one is there. Then I hear someone run from left to right behind me no more than 5m-10m, it was so close I could hear the foot falls and grass sounds. But there was no one there. I get up and start running around and behind me I hear more shots, I look backwards while running and I can see puffs of smoke from where someone is shooting, but no one is there.

Others on my server have complained about this, but this is the first time I've experienced it.

Can you think of any reason this might be happening?

Server Software: DayZCC 5.2.9.0
DayZ Chernarus: 1.7.6.1
ArmaII: 103419
Mods: SargeAI 1.5, Refuel, Basebuilding 1.2

I can include any log dumps or config information if requested.
 
I'm also getting invisible AI in 1.5.0 - Double checked all my skins and even removed a few for testing with same results.
 
I'm therefore not sure where this could come from, let's wait for Sarge's help and fixes i guess :) Until than i will keep 1.1.0 :)
 
@SparxOne: No, not using custom skins on the AI. Only ones that are pre-defined in the config file already.

I can confirm this has happened on more than one occasion, and it affects all AI factions. Bandit, Soldier, and Survivor.

I've downgraded to 1.1 until this gets resolved.
 
I need more info on that one.

In theory it shouldn't happen, the reason it MIGHT happen is:

if i spawn in npcs, it takes a couple of secs until my AI logic and UPSMON take over the NPC logic. In that time, the npcs are there, standing in the open, and usually in crowded areas get shot pretty fast - which then leads to UPSMON failing (group dead).

To avoid this, i make them invisible and invincible, and reset that one at the start of UPSMON.

This reset seems to fail in certain conditions. Would be interested in rpts where you encountered these AIs.

I thought about different ways to avoid this, but the only reliable one is to spawn new npcs outside of the map somewhere. Given that SAR AI runs on a ton of different maps, it's quite difficult to get "safe" locations for that spawn without requesting these from the users to be entered in some config. Seeing how some people already struggle with the basic configs, i wanted to avoid that.

Sarge
 
Hey Sarge,

This totally makes sense now. Yesterday after I'd made this post I literally saw a group of 3 AI survivors spawn right in front of me, no more than 50 - 100 m. First only the hero was visible, then one of the rifleman showed up, then the 2nd rifleman. They stood there for a minute. I ran towards them and when I was about 20m away they suddenly all disappeared. But they were still there. They started shooting at zombies around me. And I think one of them went prone because the grass just in front of me went flat and started flattening as they were crawling.

We've also come across AI in 1.5 that are nearly impossible to kill, taking 10+ shots from a DMR to kill.

When I get to work I'll get you the RPT dump from my server.
 
i uploaded a workaround on github. get the newest UPSMON.sqf, and see if these things still occur.

It's kind of a brutal fix, not my preferred way but should solve it until i can really figure out where the logic fails.

Sarge
 
Hey Sarge,

I'll load it on my server tonight and get the guys to play for a bit. We'll know within about an hour if it's working or not.

Whats the best way to get you my RPT file?
 
Hey Sarge,

I looked through my RPT file for anything that didn't look right, or were obvious error's. I don't know what I'm looking for exactly, but I did find 3 types of things repeating that looked like they were errors, or issues.

This one appears quite frequently in the RPT:

Code:
11:48:31 Warning Message: No entry 'bin\config.bin/CfgWeapons.AK_74_U'.
11:48:31 Warning Message: No entry '.scope'.
11:48:31 Warning Message: '/' is not a value
11:48:31 Warning Message: Error: creating weapon AK_74_U with scope=private
11:48:31 Warning Message: No entry '.displayName'.
11:48:31 Warning Message: '/' is not a value
11:48:31 Warning Message: No entry '.nameSound'.
11:48:31 Warning Message: '/' is not a value
11:48:31 Warning Message: No entry '.type'.
11:48:31 Warning Message: '/' is not a value
11:48:31 Warning Message: No entry '.picture'.
11:48:31 Warning Message: '/' is not a value
11:48:31 Warning Message: No entry '.Library'.
11:48:31 Warning Message: No entry '.libTextDesc'.
11:48:31 Warning Message: '/' is not a value
11:48:31 Warning Message: No entry '.model'.
11:48:31 Warning Message: '/' is not a value
11:48:31 Warning Message: No entry '.simulation'.
11:48:31 Warning Message: '/' is not a value
11:48:31 Warning Message: No entry '.fireLightDuration'.
11:48:31 Warning Message: '/' is not a value
11:48:31 Warning Message: No entry '.fireLightIntensity'.
11:48:31 Warning Message: '/' is not a value
11:48:31 Warning Message: No entry '.weaponLockDelay'.
11:48:31 Warning Message: '/' is not a value
11:48:31 Warning Message: No entry '.weaponLockSystem'.
11:48:31 Warning Message: '/' is not a value
11:48:31 Warning Message: No entry '.cmImmunity'.
11:48:31 Warning Message: '/' is not a value
11:48:31 Warning Message: No entry '.lockingTargetSound'.
11:48:31 Warning Message: Size: '/' not an array
11:48:31 Warning Message: No entry '.lockedTargetSound'.
11:48:31 Warning Message: Size: '/' not an array
11:48:31 Warning Message: No entry '.muzzles'.
11:48:31 Warning Message: Size: '/' not an array
11:48:31 No owner
11:48:31 No owner


This one only appears a handful of times:
Code:
11:56:15 Error in expression <yFunc;
};
};
 
 
if (!_found) then {_path resize ((count _path) - 1)};
};
 
[_array>
11:56:15  Error position: <resize ((count _path) - 1)};
};
 
[_array>
11:56:15  Error Zero divisor
11:56:15 File ca\modules\functions\arrays\fn_findNestedElement.sqf, line 72

And this one appeared quite a few times as well:
Code:
12:02:01 "Trigger is deactivated, deny respawn for a dynamic group!"
12:02:01 "Trigger is deactivated, deny respawn for a dynamic group!"
12:02:03 "Trigger is deactivated, deny respawn for a dynamic group!"

Not sure if any of them have to do with the AI system. The first one might explain why we see some bandits spawning without any weapons sometimes.
 
Hey Sarge,

I've applied the 1.5.2 fixes from the other day, and I'm still noticing some invisible AI spawns. I took a day to disable some other scripts to see if it affected things, but it doesn't seem to have changed anything. So far I've only noticed it on Military AI, and I have mine set to "unfriendly" side - not sure if that would affect anything.

Are there any specific debug options I should set to troubleshoot, or portions of my rpt file you'd like to see? So far it looks pretty clean.
 
sounds like lag to me ... the interval between spawning them and activating them is usually below 3 secs.

30s - 2 mins is very long ...

I'll have a look if i can come up with a creative idea to avoid making them invisible.

2 safe places on every map would help as well ....

back to thinking :)

Sarge
 
Just updated to 1.5.2 today and came across some invisible AI as well. Didn't happen before I updated:


A few minutes later, he showed up:

vg1.png
 
Back
Top