I'd like to make a computer Zerg Queen fly over some ground enemies and spawn a broodling without being provoked first. I've tried different orders such as attack/patrol and AI scripts such as Insane campaign. Unless the Queen unit gets attacked, it will ignore the ground enemy units.

You can't. The only spells that can be directly controlled by triggers are Recall and Disruption Web. All other spells you must coax the CPU in using it. Some of them are much more reliable than others, such as Optical Flare and Irradiate, but others like Maelstrom and Ensnare are less predictable. Most spells rely on the unit being attacked before it'll be cast, but some like lockdown and defense matrix will be cast whenever an appropriate target is in range.

There's a map in the DLDB somewhere that has examples of how to provoke the computer AI into casting each of the spells that can be provoked, but I can't find it just at the moment.

Edit: I think that map might be part of this pack: http://www.staredit.net/files/1756/

Also see the 3 race spells pages in the wiki, as well as the Unit Types article which has a scrollable box at the bottom that contains some different information on CPU usage compared to the 3 race pages.

Post has been edited 2 time(s), last time on Apr 28 2010, 11:50 am by Lanthanide.

AI behavior hasn't been researched throroughly, that's why all the Desert Strike versions struggle with units not using their abilities.
However one thing became obvious pretty quickly: For the unit to act on its own (according to the AI script which the computer has applied) it must not have an order.
In addition there must be some triggering event be fulfilled. For a defense matrix, for example, a friendly expensive unit must be attacked and have low hp.

I don't know if there are such triggering events for broodling or what they would be and it's possible they change depending on the AI script you use.
To remove orders from a unit either order it to move or attack to a location and wait until it's there or move it onto itself or to a location outside the map.
If you care to take a look at my DS version in the DLDB you'll see that once queens reach the enemy temple they use their spells liberally.

I hope this general information helps you getting to a solution eventually. And if it does please tell us how. I'm always interested in how to improve AI behavior of my DS version.

Queens like to brood tanks and goliaths, if I recall correctly from my earlier days of 1v1ing Ai players. I don't think the queen needs to be directly attacked. Try placing a building and a goliath with an invincible queen. Have the goliath attack the building, have the queen have broods researched with enough energy to cast, and see how that works.

Other than solutions like this, you can't make a queen fly around and brood at your will.

I actually achieved it on an Impossible level map for the Impossible SEN Project unfortunately I had to reformat drive and lost it :cries: I'll continue to play around with the triggers

PS: its not the one i submitted