Help - units won't use abilities

What do you have to do to get computer controlled or Neutral-Hostile units to use their abilities?

I have a pair of units called - for the time being - Defenseless Bastards. They have no attack, but they have the Healing Wave - Neutral Hostile ability, and it is set as their "Default Active Ability." But when they get damaged, they won't use the ability... they just run away like good little defenseless units...

Anyone know what you have to do to make creeps use their abilities?

If it is a hero spell you need to make it learn the spell, If it is a unit spell I dunno what's wrong

To make heroes learn custom abilities check this: http://www.wc3campaigns.com/forums/s...+hero+computer

Nope, not a hero spell... Thanks though, I had forgotten to check.

Check if it has enough mana,

Also you can make triggers like A unit is attacked

Conditions
Unit type of (Triggering Unit) is XXXX
Owner of triggering unit equal to Neutral hostile

Actions
Order (Triggering Unit) to (Shadow hunter - healing wave) (triggering unit)

The spell has to be autocast I think.

Yes, the default active ability only works for autocast/ turn on / off abilities

However I still don't get why it isn't casting it.

I always had custom creeps with custom spells in my map and they always casted them.

://// durrrrrr.....
Ahem... well. Thanks Vex, I will no longer pretend that I am an intelligent being....

default abilities I never use. Put your spell under Abilities - Normal and see how that works :)

Also if all else fails go under Scenario-->Ability properties --> upgrades and make sure that if the spell requires an upgrade (as is the case for your spell heal) then make sure it is researched.

if that helps let me know.

Sorry if that offended you, but for a while that was happening to me a lot, I almost started to think that only units that start with certain spells can use them. (···)

No, you misunderstand. That was the problem: no MP. I was just angry at myself for being such a moron.

If you are giving your creeps mana, be mindful of skills that can modify mana values like mana burn. Even in non-trigger maps balance is important so don't give *every* creep mana on your map :)

Thanks for the tip Loren. I haven't really gotten to actually making units and abilities yet... still tweaking the game engine triggers, and I needed an ability to see if they'll work with my combat system.

So anyway. Problem solved... thanks to all, and apologies to Lord Vexorian if I came off as a jerk.

No problem at all

i hate when that happens...
what i hate even more is when i code an enemy hero to cast something and then i break my mind apart trying to see what the problem is...the problem was that the hero was lev1 !!!!!!

so if u make heros cast something, starfalls etc, be sure to make them lev6 :)