AI pathfinding, ladder blobbing and battle_config

Well, post 1.1 we still get the ladder blobbing caused by AI units cramming to get up the ladder and each preventing each other from doing so. This is usually worse when a spy's pre-opened the gates. At times there are so many soldiers there that the whole AI siege operation comes to a close. Congestion prevents proper pathfinding and it can take the entire battle time for just one unit to get all its soldiers up a ladder.

The better news is there might be something we can do about it! Inside the battle_config xml file there are various settings for the AI and how it uses some of the siege engines; namely ladders and the siege tower:

Code:

---

<siege-tower-ladders>
                        <!-- should run be the default? -->
                        <default-run>1</default-run>
                       
                        <!-- start distance for the blockout region -->
                        <entry-blockout-inner>0.0</entry-blockout-inner>
                       
                        <!-- end distance for the blockout region -->
                        <entry-blockout-outer>16.0</entry-blockout-outer>
                       
                        <!-- limit on number of soldiers in the blockout region -->
                        <number-in-blockout>1</number-in-blockout>
                       
                        <!-- distance soldiers should stop at if the entrance is blocked (in metres squared) -->
                        <stand-off-distance>25.0</stand-off-distance>
                       
                        <!-- distance within which soldiers will step onto the line (in metres squared) -->
                        <step-on-distance>4.0</step-on-distance>
                       
                        <!-- queue length limit before movement will be stopped (in number of soldiers -->
                        <maximum-queue-length>10</maximum-queue-length>
                       
                        <!-- distance soldiers should stop at if the queue is too long (in metres squared) -->
                        <long-queue-stand-off-distance>64.0</long-queue-stand-off-distance>
                       
                        <!-- when the entrance to a line is blocked all of the soldiers are stopped. -->
                        <!-- once the entrance is clear then the first x soldiers will be restarted moving. x is set below -->
                        <restart-threshold>10</restart-threshold>
                       
                        <!-- when the entrance to a line is block any soldiers beyond this position in the queue will be halted. -->
                        <halt-threshold>-1</halt-threshold>
                       
                        <!-- do the soldiers have to enter in a precise order? -->
                        <precise-order>0</precise-order>
                </siege-tower-ladders>

---

This is what it looks like for ladder. Does anyone think it will be possible to mod these settings to prevent the AI from blobbing all its units round the base of siege towers and ladders? IF so, the AI pathfinding might improve.

I say no. The controls looks like final control codes for once the AI has decided to use them- how do the soldiers handle it- but they don't handle it the way described- something is bugged in code that is not exposed which responds to these variables.