HL2 & Scripted Sequences

[Head_Crab_04]

Does HL2 have scripted sequences? Because I remeber that Valve was touting dynamic A.I. in the "Barnie" video released. Then it was found out that it was scripted. Not sure what the story is now.

It would be cool if the A.I. would not dictate the situation. For example in the video, one time Barnie says "Cover us." Another time he might say "I'll cover you, go ahead." You get the point.

Scripted sequences get repetitive as Doom 3 showed us.

 

[B.Calhoun]

...there are no scripted sequences, except valve may have put scripted events the the videos just to show off some cool stuff.

 

[GuNzABlaZiN]

There will be scripted sequences, just not as many as the first HL.

 

[f0rked]

Although valve have not stated there will be no scripted sequences (they might even have said there will be, I can't remember too clearly), AFAIK they are trying to replace most scripted sequences with a 'hint' to tell the AI it can do something cool at that point (e.g. the strider shooting the pillars in both of the e3 2004 vids), to allow the AI to do that when it feels that it should, instead of having it scripted in the conventional sense that it happens exactly the same every time. I suspect there will be a few scripted sequences however, in order to develop the story.

 

[Varsity]

Small scripted events happen at different times and happen slightly differently depending on the exact situation. It's called "contextual AI".

 

[t3chn0r]

I hope they keep scripted sequences to a minimum so the game has replay value... I am currenly playing Doom 3 and I can say that the replay value for it is zero because absolutetly everything is scripted... shame but true...

 

[lans]

The combat A.I. will not be scripted (source has no scripting language - based on some I/O system, according to valve)

The story sequences will of course be scripted - you can't expect a game to be happening in real time, to progress the story.

 

[Head_Crab_04]

Lans that would be cool though. If say what happens to a main character (Like Alyx) in real time dictate the outcome of the story. If Alyx were to get hurt, the object might be to fetch her some aid etc. Real Time might dictate the objectives.

 

[poseyjmac]

there are scripted sequences everywhere, without them, your train would never reach its destination in city17. you would never make it to that interrogation room in the e32004 video etc because that gate would never close. and the combine that closes the door slit thing when you look in, thats scripted. the strider blowing through the wall, scripted. there will be scripted events everywhere. they are necessary

 

[obiwanquinobi]

there are scripted sequences everywhere, without them, your train would never reach its destination in city17. you would never make it to that interrogation room in the e32004 video etc because that gate would never close. and the combine that closes the door slit thing when you look in, thats scripted. the strider blowing through the wall, scripted. there will be scripted events everywhere. they are necessary

^What he said is true^

 

[Wsh]

The question here is rather hard because in this case "a scripted sequence" is a vague term. Scripted sequences are needed to make the game, as poseyjmac said. Otherwise it would be a life simulation which won't happen yet in a few hundred years ;]
But if you mean NPCs reacting to the world that's a different thing. Valve has numerous times advertised their cool NPC system.. ie. their eyes follow you while you move around, they react to stuff you do and so on. Those are not scripted, but level design related event are always 'scripted'.

 

[t3chn0r]

Otherwise it would be a life simulation which won't happen yet in a few hundred years ;].

It might be before that. S.T.A.L.K.E.R.'s developers are trying to make it 100% non-scripted and they are basically developing a life-simulation system for that...

http://www.stalker-game.com

 

[Roland Deschain]

HL2 introduces more advanced scripted events. Doom 3's scripted evens were mostly done quite simplisticly: once you reach a certain point of a corridor or if you pick up a med pack (which annoyed me so much that I did not pick that medpack up).

In HL2, the best example I know is the strider blowing up the bridge. The Valve team did not animate this sequence so that it happens the same every time through, but rather said to the stride that the bridge is destructible, so if you are running away from a strider and a bridge happens to be in the way, the strider can choose to shoot it or to stop following you.

 

[lans]

there are scripted sequences everywhere, without them, your train would never reach its destination in city17. you would never make it to that interrogation room in the e32004 video etc because that gate would never close. and the combine that closes the door slit thing when you look in, thats scripted. the strider blowing through the wall, scripted. there will be scripted events everywhere. they are necessary

Like I said, story sequences like that train/interrogation and e.t.c will have to be scripted - but the poster is mainly worried weather they combat sequences would be scripted as in D3.

Also, the strider blowing through the bridge was unscripted, according to valve.

 

[Ahnteis]

There will be more scripted sequences then HL1 had.
However, they will be unobtrusive so they don't FEEL scripted, and you will not lose control during them.

 

[RakuraiTenjin]

the strider blowing through the wall, scripted.

Actually, wasn't it stated that the Strider blowing up the bridge wasn't scripted?

//edit: I just remembered Kleiner's lab. If that's what you were talking about, nevermind. lol.

 

[Citizen 1150421]

every game has scripts running it.. valve's npcs just have lots of scripts to choose from making them more dynamic to walk around..

if you can comprehend the capabilities of SOURCe engine, XSI (full version) maya 5 (full version) then the seminigly true AI can be accounted for cause these programs give you a hell of a curve to play with.

modding rocks...
just need an idea and some models and everything else thats all.

 

[trizzm]

I hope they keep scripted sequences to a minimum so the game has replay value... I am currenly playing Doom 3 and I can say that the replay value for it is zero because absolutetly everything is scripted... shame but true...

well who cares as long as the scripts are nicely done? it's not like games suck nowadays when they are scripted just because hl2 isn't. half-life is pretty much 100% script (don't you consider those a.i. nodes scripted?), but it has the replay value of no other title. maybe it's just me, but i'm nearing my 23th go-through of black mesa (i'll admit i don't always go through the whole xen part), and the game barely shows signs of age. it's actually pretty fun, i can snipe every marine and throw grens at stuff that doesn't expect it.

 

[kern802]

I have a slightly related question:

Is it true that it was discovered that the teammate AI in last years E3 video, where Valve said it wasn't scripted, was in fact scripted?

I told a buddy that it was scripted after he said that the AI was going to be great. Then I felt bad and wondered if I had actually even heard this. :upstare:

Thanks!

 

[Roland Deschain]

I have a slightly related question:

Is it true that it was discovered that the teammate AI in last years E3 video, where Valve said it wasn't scripted, was in fact scripted?

I told a buddy that it was scripted after he said that the AI was going to be great. Then I felt bad and wondered if I had actually even heard this. :upstare:

Thanks!

Don't know about it being scripted in the E3 demo, but I'm certain that the teammate A.I. is unscripted in the game, although to what extend they cheat in that (like in Call of Duty) is to be seen.

 

[Head_Crab_04]

come to think of it, the videos we have seen so far, the combine soldiers can't shoot very straight in them. it feels as they are missing on purpose.

or their guns don't seem to do enough damage.

 

[Machiosabre]

or it was running on easy or with god mode on for the purpose of the videos :-/

 

[ManHacks]

come to think of it, the videos we have seen so far, the combine soldiers can't shoot very straight in them. it feels as they are missing on purpose.

or their guns don't seem to do enough damage.

i also noticed this. The soldiers dont have very good aim at all, for instance in the E3 2003 Bink Video, Traptown. When Freeman is going up the stairs in the house, and is getting shot from outside the window, and from above the stairs. Hes taking his time and grabbing the pipes with the manipulator gun, he only gets hit like 4 times. I know that the armor in HL was strong compared to health, but they still missed quite a bit.

Also in some other parts, it just seems like the soldiers had very bad aim.

 

[poseyjmac]

easy difficulty on so that he wouldn't die during presentation maybe

 

[Head_Crab_04]

I hope the difficulty was toned down for the presentation in those videos, otherwise whats the use of have a "cross eyed" dynamic AI that can't shoot straight. Its an oxymoron. :dozey:

 

[Brian Damage]

It was stated (I'm fairly certain that it's even in the Info thread) by VALVe that the team mate actions in "Barricade" were not scripted (where "scripted" means "always happening the same way every time")...