In this tutorial we will be learning how to create a team and have it move into the map. This can be used for vehicles as well as infantry. It can also be used in multiplayer mode when the team "Belongs" to the "NEUTRAL" house. This will also introduce you into the world of "Taskforces, Scripts, and Teams". One tutorial on this subject can't possibly cover everything there is to know, but it will provide you with a working knowledge so you can continue on and develop your skills through experimentation on your own. Always remember to save often as you work on your maps. 

Lets make a trigger that will allow 4 Apocalypse Tanks to come into the map, move across a bridge, and to "guard that bridge" from any intruders that wander into that area.

First thing we need to do is decide where our team will be created and where it will eventually end up. We do this by placing Special waypoints (See the screen shot). I have placed waypoint10 just outside the visible area of the map. This is where the team will be created. The blue line is where the viewing area starts and the red line is where the physical map stops. I then want my "Team" to proceed to another waypoint, waypoint 11, just in front of the bridge, then over the bridge to the area that they will defend, waypoint12.

Second we need to make a SCRIPT for our Team. Click on Edit and then on SCRIPTS. A 'Script Form" will pop up. Click on the top most "ADD" box and then give your script a name....I usually keep the script, trigger, taskforce and team names the same, so that I know who belongs to what. The script has been named "Apoc Team A". We can now determine what the Apocs will do. Click on the bottom most "ADD" button and 0 (zero) should appear in the ACTION box. Click on the 0, and then on the "dropdown arrow" for "TYPE of ACTION". You will see a menu that has many different choices. We are selecting 3, "MOVE to WAYPOINT" and we would like our team to move to waypoint number 11, so enter that as well in the lower box.

Now we need the team to move along the route that we have devised, so we'll need to ADD another action. Click on the bottom most "ADD" button again and then click on the 1 (one) that appears. We can either select 3, "MOVE to Waypoint " or 16, "Patrol to waypoint". If you select 16, the team will mostly ignore anything that is near it and move directly to the waypoint, unless it is attacked, in which case it will retaliate. For diversity we'll select action 16 and also waypoint number 12, which is our final destination.

We also need to have the team "guard our bridge". Again we need another action. Click on the bottom most "ADD" button one more time and then click on the 2 in the action box. For type of action we are going to use number 11, "DO BEHAVIOR" and then we are going to select 10, "AREA GUARD" for the parameter. See how the script works? Every thing has to be in sequence and make sense to the computer or it will not be resolved in the game .....in other words, it will crash if that happens. Your script is now completed and we can move on to the TASKFORCE.

Third up on our list is to edit the "TASKFORCE". So again select EDIT and then TASKFORCES. Another form will appear. Click on the uppermost "ADD" button and give your Taskforce a name in the box below the ADD button. Again we will name it "Apoc Team A". Next click on the "units in taskforce" add button and you will see 1GI appear in the description box. Click on it and then on the "unit type" arrow on the bottom of the form. A complete menu of every unit in the game will appear. Run the slider up to the top and select APOC. Next change the 1 (one) in "number of units" to 4. We now have a taskforce of 4 apocs. They are still not ready to be tied to a trigger yet, for that we need a team.

The fourth item that we will need to address is the TEAM function. Check the picture on your right so you will understand what is being refered to in this part of the tutorial. Again select EDIT and then select "TEAMS". As you can see another form has appeared (See the screen shot). First in order is to give the team a name, click new and then type in the name of your team. For this tutorial, again we use "Apoc Team A". 
The next box down is labeled "VETERAN STATUS." As you can see, there are three different levels for this parameter. 1 (one) which is the norm for the unit, 2 (two), which is the single stripe type veteran, and 3 (three) which is elite status. You have the option in this box to to decide at what level your team will start out as. Because we want them to guard the Oil Derrick and add some difficulty to the map, we will select 3 and make them elite. The next box to fill in is the 'House" box . In single-player maps this is where you decide WHO gets the team, whether it be the computer or the player. In MULTIPLAYER maps you must select neutral as there is no way to select any other house and have it show up in the map (at least not without great difficulty and in a controlled circumstance). 
The next two boxes "Priority and Max" are used by the computer to determine when and how fast to build a team and, I believe, how often it will do this. I normally place the priority at 5 and the max at 1 and it works flawlessly. But after you get comfortable with triggers and teams, experiment and let the community in on your findings. Nothing is written in stone. The tech level box is self explanatory, what tech level is allowed in the map, etc. The group box is normally left at -1. I have never seen anything else in this box, and that includes all of Westwood's missions. Under the "Waypoint" box enter 10. This box is asking where the Team will be created.
The next two boxes have dropdown menus that ask which script to use for the team and also which taskforce the team is associated with .Click on the name of the script (Apoc Team A) and then click on the name of the taskforce (ApocTeamA). Leave the tag box empty for now, we will get back to that.

Fifth, we need to create a trigger, we should all know how to get to the "Trigger Editor" by now (Edit>Trigger Editor). Name your trigger "Apoc Team A" and the House should be Neutral. Remember to click New Trigger first. Next we need to select an Event, so click New Event and then select the desired event for your team to be created. In this scenario, it is a multiplayer map and I want the bridge to be protected from the beginning off the game. This makes the players think twice about getting at the Oil Derrick placed on the Mesa, or cliff top (See the screen shot). So I select event number 13, TIME ELAPSED and type in 3 for the parameter which means the trigger will start 3 seconds after the game does. 

Now we need to determine the "action" that the "event" has "triggered". Click on Actions, and then New Action and then select how you would like the team created. There are four different ways to get the team on the map. Action type 4, "Create team", action 7,"Reinforce Air Troops" (using air logic), action 80, "Reinforce Ground Troops" ( using ground logic), and 107, (my favorite) "Chronotransport Team". As no one will see our Apocs chrono in (remember that we are creating them just off the viewable portion of the map) we might just as well use action type 80, "Reinforce ground troops". Our action parameters would be waypoint 10, this is where the team will be created. The team type will be Apoc Team A. Both parameters can be selected in the dropdown menu
for "parameter values".

Now go back to the "Teams Form" (quick jump here if you forgot what that form looked like) and select "Tag", and then select the trigger that we just made. This will attach the team to the trigger. Think of it as they are now holding hands. Now go back to the trigger and select a New Action and then select 53, "Enables a Specific trigger". 

We will be making one more trigger to make this scenario work the way we want it too without any "Extra" Apocs on the map. Leave the parameter box empty for now and jump back to "trigger options" on the Trigger Form and select a NEW TRIGGER and label it "DISABLE APOC TEAM A".....house Neutral. You will notice that on the front of this form is a box named "Disabled", click on it. (Refer to the picture to your right). There should be a check mark there. This disables the trigger and is very useful in building "Time Delays", which is basically what we are doing. Next click on Events and select 13, Time Elapsed, Parameter= 3, for 3 seconds. This means after the team is created, three seconds later, we are going to disable the trigger and the computer cannot under any circumstances build any more Apocs.

Click "Actions", create a new action, then select 54, "Disables a Specific Trigger"...Under parameter values select the name of the trigger that we would like to disable, in this case it would be "Apoc Team A". 

Almost done,... now go back to the original trigger (Apoc Team A) and go to actions and find the action that we left off of, should be action number 1 (one). Under parameter values select the trigger that we want to ENABLE. In this case it would be "DISABLE Apoc Team A".

NOTE: Make sure you save all of your hard work and it is not lost. It's a good idea to save your work often, and always try out your triggers before building too many of them. If the game crashes, go back over your triggers one by one and carefully make sure that everything is correct..

Congratulations!! You have just made a team of Apocs that will move in from off-screen, cross a bridge, and then guard that bridge until the Apoc Tanks are either destroyed or the game ends.  Study the pictures included with this tutorial. They are very helpful. 

For questions concerning this tutorial, please email RVMECH.