Adding Wander option to AI

Questions & Answers
1

Hello everyone, i’d like to add a wander function for my AI.

I instantiate a transform where they move to then it gets deleted and a new one is created, it repeats this as long as it is within viewable range but out of the player’s range.

It works but the problem is that before they move towards the new location they do a couple spins, probably because of the Rotate line in Move()

Relevant parts of the script:

        public class VirusAI : MonoBehaviour {
            void Awake()
            {
                target = player.transform;
                myTransform = transform;
        
                int x = Random.Range(-50, 50);
                int z = Random.Range(-50, 50);
                savedLoc = Instantiate(StartLoc, transform.position + new Vector3(x, 0.0f, z), transform.rotation);
            }
        
            #region Movement & Anim
            void Update()
            {
                distance = Vector3.Distance(myTransform.position, target.position); // Check & store distance
        
                if(distance > range * 4) return; //Stop if not viewable -> performance
        
                if(distance < range * 2 && distance > range)  // Out of range but viewable -> Wander
                {
                    if (Vector3.Distance(transform.position, savedLoc.transform.position) < stop)
                    {
                        StartCoroutine(NewTarget()); //Create new random position
                    } else {
                    Move(savedLoc.transform); //Wander to next position
                    }
                }

                if (distance <= range)
                {
                    Move(target); //Move to target(Player)
                }
            }

            void Move(Transform target)
            {
                    //Rotate to player
                    myTransform.rotation = Quaternion.Slerp(myTransform.rotation, Quaternion.LookRotation(target.position - myTransform.position), rotationSpeed * Time.deltaTime);
                    //Move Forward
                    if (distance > stop) //Don't get too close
                    {
                        myTransform.position += myTransform.forward * moveSpeed * Time.deltaTime;
                    }
            }
          
            IEnumerator NewTarget()
            {
                yield return new WaitForSeconds(0.5f);
                int x = Random.Range(-50, 50);
                int z = Random.Range(-50, 50);
                Destroy(savedLoc); //Remove old and create new location to "wander" to
                savedLoc = Instantiate(StartLoc, transform.position + new Vector3(x, 0.0f, z), transform.rotation);
            }
            #endregion
        }
2

I have no idea why this worked but i wanted to prevent NPC’s moving in wrong directions and did so by checking the difference in distance between the old and new locations and for some reason the spinning is also gone, i don’t understand it and i know it wasn’t the wander bool because i tried that already but either way it works now, i’m happy :wink:

IEnumerator NewTarget()
    {
        wander = false;
        yield return new WaitForSeconds(0.5f);
        while (!wander)
        {
            int x = Random.Range(-50, 50);
            int z = Random.Range(-50, 50);
            prevLoc = savedLoc;
            savedLoc = Instantiate(Location, transform.position + new Vector3(x, 0.0f, z), transform.rotation);
            if (Vector3.Distance(savedLoc.transform.position, target.position) < Vector3.Distance(prevLoc.transform.position, target.position))
            {
                Destroy(prevLoc); //Remove old savedLoc since there's a new one that's closer
                wander = true;
            }
        }