Can I have an ally meet me at the door?

[ineffablebob]

I'm trying to set up a mission with an ally that starts the mission with you, kinda like some of the Praetorian arcs do. I've created an Ally and set it to spawn single (so no enemies) and Front location. But the ally always seems to spawn somewhere on the first floor other than the entrance room, usually after a few mob groups. Is there a way to have the ally start right by the mission entrance?

[Darmian]

No. Short answer. Longer answer? It's doable but you need a tiny map and even then it doesn't always work, you have to trial and error each map for spawns. Also do walk the maps as well as just looking at them on the AE creator. The spawn points you see don't always line up and the ones in the actual map space (that you walk in) are the ones that matter.

[d4verman]

5 hours ago, Darmian said:

No. Short answer. Longer answer? It's doable but you need a tiny map and even then it doesn't always work, you have to trial and error each map for spawns. Also do walk the maps as well as just looking at them on the AE creator. The spawn points you see don't always line up and the ones in the actual map space (that you walk in) are the ones that matter.

How do you walk the map and see spawn points? It's always been trial and error for me, but I'm no expert on the AE. 

[Darmian]

Just pick your map, set size and don't pick random. Set enemy to empty, make sure you have temporary filler text in the five text bars that are essential (not the additional text stuff),  give yourself one collectible as an objective and set it to spawn at the back. Then save and test. Just step into the map after accepting the Mish from the contact hologram and when you are inside bring up the mini map as you walk around. This mini map often diverges from the one on the creator outside. So make a note of what's what and so on. To speed things up you can choose "Go to next objective" from architect options and you'll be teleported to the glowie, and you can compare its location to the spawn point on the mini map. And walking the maps can inspire ideas you might not have considered just by choosing one from the drop-down menu. With your choice of an ally, instead of a collectible set add ally, set their appearance to front with no guards, then walk in again. Compare their position to the ally spawn point on the mini map. It's tedious but it can be done.

Edited July 24, 2020 by Darmian

[Darmian]

I can tell you right now that the Office Flooded Set/Medium/Office - Flooded Set 2 will work for this because I've done this exact thing for the very first mission of my AE series. The ally mission goal is set to none, surrounding enemy group is empty and placement is front.

Admittedly you may not WANT a flooded office!

[ineffablebob]

Thanks, D. I was afraid that was the answer but thought I'd ask anyway! It's not a deal-breaker for the story to have the ally somewhere else on the first floor. Maybe I'll just have her say something about how she got a little lost but is ready to go now!

[Darmian]

It can get a little tiresome finding narrative reasons as to why an ally is either so far ahead of the player or just plain captured. Though I did come up with one I was very pleased with.