An Introduction to Task Queues

Originally posted on the spring forums

In Shard builders have task lists/build order lists. Shard starts at the beginning of a list, and works its way to the end skipping any it cant do, then repeats. Build orders are lists of unit names

commanderlist = {
	"corsolar", -- build a solar
	"cormex", -- build a mex
	"cormex", -- then build a second mex
}
taskqueues = {
	corcom = commanderlist,
}

This is a list of things to build called commanderlist. At the end your telling Shard, that the ‘corcom’ unit type, is to follow the ‘commanderlist’ taskqueue. This will make a ‘corcom’ or core commander unit build a solar then 2 metal extractors over and over again.

That is all you need to know to get started. That inside:

-yourSpringfolder-\AI\Skirmish\Shard\0.3-Hairy\ai\-gameshortname-\taskqueues.lua

Shard will print out the ‘shortname’ in the console at startup if you don’t already know it, and if the folder and file don’t exist, just create a new folder and a new file and paste that in there.

For inspiration look in the other game folders to see what other people did.