AI spell casting priorities

[Sombre]

If you can't be bothered to script it you shouldn't benefit? That's a weird thing to say. For one thing, who would ever benefit from arrow fend being cast unscripted? Only the AI would have air mages of sufficient skill kicking about with handfuls of gems and no script and most of the time it would still be a bad choice of spell.

Also, why the hostility towards people who don't script? I can't be arsed with the micro hassle of it most of the time. I script when I want certain powerful spells cast or have a definite battlemage script assigned to a number, but that's about it.


I personally think all spells which require gems (other than blood spells) should be 'script only'. The only problem there is the AI nations obviously wouldn't cast any combat spells requiring gems, which is a pretty big problem I admit.

It would definitely be good if any spells which are likely to either be a waste of gems/time or harmful to your own side (like berserk causing spells) were either really low priority or script only. Niche spells like ones only useful to thugs (shields, breath of winter etc), ones which summon neutral creatures (lammashtas, horrors etc) and so on should all be low priority or script only. That way unscripted mages would be more likely to cast something generally useful.

[VedalkenBear]

For myself, I can think of at least one instance where summoning elementals during a 'rout' could be useful; that is, summoning air elementals to hit the rear to cause more casualties. However, this would be contingent on summoned elementals attacking the rear, and only really applies to air elementals.

I'd like to second _any_ spell that causes creatures to go berserk is very unhealthy.

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Sombre said:
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I personally think all spells which require gems (other than blood spells) should be 'script only'. The only problem there is the AI nations obviously wouldn't cast any combat spells requiring gems, which is a pretty big problem I admit.
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Oh, that would be *so* nice! Then you could actually give your Antimagic caster 3 pearls when he is supposed to storm a castle, and he'd actually cast it in three battles (magic/break siege/storm), instead of blowing all the pearls in the magic battle phase.

Armies of the AI nations could be allowed to use gems unscripted -- the game knows which nations are AI and which are human.

[Sombre]

I don't know if it's that easy, allowing the AI to use gems unscripted. AI nations currently use the same battle casting AI as humans I believe.

[Aezeal]

I think it would be nice if after the scripted spells (assuming it did cast those) it will use those spells for the rest of the battle too.
(when my volva (+ light of northern star) are spamming soulslay for 5 turns... I don't want them to cast other spells after that.. there is a REASON I've scripted it 5 times.

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Sombre said:
I don't know if it's that easy, allowing the AI to use gems unscripted. AI nations currently use the same battle casting AI as humans I believe.

It just needs to set/track/compare a flag indicating whether the nation is controlled by human or AI.

If the nation is human, and spell fatigue is over 100 and it's not favspell, set score to zero.

[capnq]

Aezeal said: I think it would be nice if after the scripted spells (assuming it did cast those) it will use those spells for the rest of the battle too.
(when my volva (+ light of northern star) are spamming soulslay for 5 turns... I don't want them to cast other spells after that.. there is a REASON I've scripted it 5 times.

The problem with that is when you run into something you weren't expecting, and your scripted orders aren't as useful as other spells would be.

I've got one solo game where the script I'd used was fine against the indy provinces I was attacking, but the two battles that occurred when Ernor attacked the same provinces, on the same turn that I did, needed much different scripts. If my priests hadn't started banishing after their script ran out, I would have lost both battles. (I didn't even know Ernor was my closest neighbor until we blundered into each other the first time.)

[Saulot]

Just as useful as a blacklist in my opinion, would be a 'cast this only' spell, for skellespamming, soulslay spamming, frozen heart, etc. just like how you can set fire, or attack.

Anyway, to answer KO's question, the one's I've noticed a lot are spells others have mentioned, namely; Astral Shield, Fire Shield.

Fire Flies could probably be lowered some, if a mage can cast fire darts, it pretty much always should over fire flies.

Phoenix Power, Earthpower, and Eagle Eyes could use a raise in their value, to help the AI.

[Loren]

On the idea of not using gems on retreating enemies: There is a case where they are still useful: spells that will transfer units to your side.

[Edi]

One of the spells that sends my blood pressure to the roof is Flying Shards (Fire flies is another, for the same reason). Often gets priority over magma bolts and blade wind after scripts end, even over more useful spells like Strength of Giants, Legions of Steel and other things that could be cast.

Fireball and Acid Bolt seem to get much lower priority than they should from mages who can cast them, while Flare gets a much greater one (and is far worse for fatigue).

At the same time, it would be nice if the indie AI grimoire was improved some. It needs to have Fire Darts, Fireball and Magma Bolts added to it for the evocations so that mages other than Air can actually do something other than stand around watching grass grow (which is what flying shards and fire flies amount to most of the time).

Basically any spell that is in the shortlist with a mention of priority should perhaps be looked at. I know Arrow Fend is there and fire and astral shield are already listed as fixed on the progress page, so they're greenified.