AI Triggers are used by the game to decide which units AI players build in both singleplayer and multiplayer maps. Similar to normal triggers they are based on a certain event. In contrast, the action is always building a team. While normal triggers often do not work as expected in multiplayer maps, AI triggers can be used very good to achieve the same results.
To use AI triggers you need to know how to make Taskforces, Scripts and Teamtypes which are covered in several tutorials in this manual. You should read these tutorials before making AI triggers.
Let´s take a look at the AI trigger editor:
This is an example for a typical AI Trigger. Let´s take a closer look at the different options:
Enabled: Do not forget to check this if the AI trigger shall be used
Type: This specifies the general event type for the AI Trigger. You can choose between several different types, The selected one specifies that the house that accesses the AI trigger must have a certain amount of certain objects. The exact amount, and the object type, is specified later on.
Name: Just a descriptive name of the AI Trigger
House: Usually this should be all, except you want only a certain house to access the AI trigger
Teamtypes: They specify the teams that shall be created as result of the AI trigger
Multi-Side: Specify if this trigger is for Everybody, Soviets, Allies or Yuri
Base defense: If this is checked, this AI trigger may be used even if the house doesn´t have a hated enemy yet
Available in Skirmish: Check this, and the AI trigger may be used in multiplayer games
Easy, Medium, Hard: In which difficulty modes is this AI trigger available?
Weight: Starting weight of the AI trigger. As higher, as more likely it is that the house decides to build the teamtype
MinWeight: The minimum weight that this AI trigger must have
MaxWeight: The maximum weight that this AI trigger can have
For the AI trigger types 0, 1, 4 and 7 the following applies:
Use Condition, Number and Unittype to select the values that are needed for the AI trigger to fire.
The AI trigger you see here does the following:
Once the current enemy of the AI trigger house has at least 1 Allied Battle Lab, build the teamtype "10 Apoc Attack Base". The AI trigger is useable by all Soviet houses in both singleplayer and multiplayer games, in all difficulty levels. Weight isn´t very high, so it may happen that the house does decide that this AI trigger isn´t as important as other AI triggers and probably won´t fire it. Note that the trigger will only fire if the house´s current enemy is Allied, as Soviet enemies cannot have an Allied Battle Lab.
Now lets take a look at one of the AI Triggers i've made.
(Pay no attention to the wierd name lol)
What this AI Trigger basicaly does, is When a Soviet battle lab is built by anyone, then another soviet team will launch the assault that is given in the AI trigger.
Make the taskforce for what you want the AI Trigger's units to contain, For the AI Trigger above, mine is:
And The script for the AI Trigger above, Is:
And The Team for the AI Trigger above, Is:
And there you go! Give it a whirl, this works for both single-player, and multiplayer maps! Have fun, Mappers.