Units stop obeying "switch waypoint"

[Northstar98]

Hi everyone,

I'm trying to replicate the tanker tracks as found in this document (unrestricted distribution, pages 88-90) on the Marianas map.

In order to set up the orbit, I'm using the switch waypoint command, where upon completion of the current racetrack, they'll switch back to the first waypoint of the racetrack.

Once on station, I want the tankers to keep performing the racetrack for 2 hours before returning to base.

 

The set-up is fairly simple:

1. Tankers will takeoff and fly their route
2. Upon reaching their respective ARIP waypoints a flag is enabled (*TANKER NAME*_ANCHOR)
3. This first flag is used as a condition for a 'switch waypoint' command at the last waypoint of the racetrack, which will switch their waypoint back to the first waypoint of racetrack.
4. After 7200 seconds have passed since *TANKER NAME*_ANCHOR turned on, the flag turns off and a *TANKER_NAME*_RTB flag turns on.
5. The *TANKER NAME*_RTB flags are used to trigger a separate switch waypoint command, which will switch their waypoint to the follow the proper exit route (typically back to the ARIP waypoint and then to the AREX waypoint, and then follow their initial route backwards).

 

Everything works perfectly, up to stage 4, because instead of returning to base after 7200 seconds, they return to base after completing 2 racetracks, as if they decide to not obey the switch waypoint action.

• I've double and triple checked the flags for each action (waypoint actions are given unique names and it's absolutely brilliant now that we can give flags custom names).
• I've tried disabling the 'RTB on bingo fuel' option - no effect.
• I've tried making a separate trigger zone at each anchor point and using a triggered switch waypoint (using AI SET TASK/PUSH TASK) - no effect.

 

Any ideas?

tanker_tracks.trk New Mission (Tankers) #01 (30-07-2005, 09-00-00, Hist. Weather).miz

Edited March 20, 2022 by Northstar98

[toutenglisse]

59 minutes ago, Northstar98 said:

...Any ideas?...

Hi, using RIO as example, the issue is having 2 "switch wpt" on the same wpt6 (even with different conditions), it is what makes the first "switch wpt" to only happen once, and the second "switch wpt" is BTW uneffective because the Tanker will stop wherever he is (ex : between wpt3 and 4) when conditions of first one are no longer met, and go to wpt7 without reaching wpt6 before.

I can't tell what is normal or not, it is just what I can see.

[Northstar98]

51 minutes ago, toutenglisse said:

Hi, using RIO as example, the issue is having 2 "switch wpt" on the same wpt6 (even with different conditions), it is what makes the first "switch wpt" to only happen once

Thanks, I'll give that a try and see if I can do some restructuring of the waypoints, perhaps it'll be better to make the first RTB waypoint a triggered action, instead of a waypoint action.

EDIT: This worked.

51 minutes ago, toutenglisse said:

and the second "switch wpt" is BTW uneffective because the Tanker will stop wherever he is (ex : between wpt3 and 4) when conditions of first one are no longer met, and go to wpt7 without reaching wpt6 before.

Thanks, that's interesting - I thought it would only check upon reaching the waypoint; the idea was that when the RTB flag was triggered, they'd finish the racetrack they were on, and then follow the route back.

 

Anyway, thanks! This is certainly an acceptable workaround, though the switch waypoint behaviour with 2 multiple alternate routes does seem a little odd, especially given that they have different conditions and are set up to be mutually exclusive.

Edited March 20, 2022 by Northstar98

[toutenglisse]

16 hours ago, Northstar98 said:

...the idea was that when the RTB flag was triggered, they'd finish the racetrack they were on, and then follow the route back...

For RIO to finish racetrack before RTB, I thought of a little trick using 2 other flags and a zone (marked on map to verify that the tanker goes through when about to reach wpt6). In case it matters  

New Mission (Tankers) #01 (30-07-2005, 09-00-00, Hist. Weather)mod.miz

[Northstar98]

Just now, toutenglisse said:

For RIO to finish racetrack before RTB, I thought of a little trick using 2 other flags and a zone (marked on map to verify that the tanker goes through when about to reach wpt6). In case it matters  

New Mission (Tankers) #01 (30-07-2005, 09-00-00, Hist. Weather)mod.miz 26.85 kB · 0 downloads

Thanks! I'll check that out