A plea

tinkthank · #1 July 8th, 2004, 11:20 AM

I just lost 70% of my commanders in one cataclysmic battle which I should have won because these commanders did not carry out one vital scripted order: casting "resist poison", and thus died to "foul vapors". This is because, I believe, they had partial poison resistance beforehand.
I realized too late that this is the same Version of the problem I get when units with partial shock resistance refuse to cast resist lightning and thus die to their own spells they could easily resist.
I believe that variability and flexibility is what makes this game great; not being able to cast certain spells is like chopping off options; that is a crying shame!
Although I can guess that this is easier said than done, and that the developers or smart fans who can program (I am not one) have too little time on their hands, I feel that this is a very important aspect of the game which needs to be addressed (much more important than tweaking balance issues or re-doing themes etc.), and so my plea would be:
Either let the tactical AI insist that scripted orders be carried out no matter what unless no gems are available or let the tactical AI believe that 100% X-resistance is better than <100% resistance.
Thanks much in advance!

Norfleet · #2 July 8th, 2004, 11:23 AM

This is a known issue. It may or may not be a bug. As for the scripting thing, the scripting AI is designed not to waste gems on scout probes, nor to cast spells that it believes will have no effect, such as lobbing fireballs at all fire-immune targets. In this case, however, it is wrong. This behavior is either a bug, or an intentionally obnoxious feature designed to antagonize the user.

spirokeat · #3 July 8th, 2004, 02:21 PM

Yeah I have to agree, not having tactical control was an initial disapointment for me anyway, but in light of the reason why (MP) I totally understand....But it just seems like an *** slap when your scripts are ignored based on a tactical desicion out of your control.

it peees'es me off big time.

Please give us 100% control, I would rather make my own dumb *** mistakes like fireballs at devils than have my commanders fail utterly to play their part in an elaborate strategy I have devised and am busily rubbing my hands together over as it says

"Generating New Turn"

Spiro.

Cohen · #4 July 8th, 2004, 02:26 PM

I'd like to see that even if the first spell is cheated (ie enemy deploy out of range) you script persist, and take effect as soon as the enemy enter the reach of the scriptable spell, or at least the mage await for the enemy entering the range of the spell and starts now to follow the instructions given.

Often happens that mages start casting useless (to them) buss like Fire Shield, Astral Shield and so on getting free fatigue when those defences won't be of any use on a 10 hit points mage (not Air mage however).

Chazar · #5 July 8th, 2004, 03:38 PM

Maybe the easiest would be a global "We-never-cast-these-spells"-List for all mages of nation, where some spell can be disabled for the AI to cast (like un-research). One should still be able to script these spells as usual.

I also support the anti I-don't-cast-100%protections-because-of-10%protection movement!

Master Shake · #6 July 8th, 2004, 05:18 PM

Quote:

This behavior is either a bug, or an intentionally obnoxious feature designed to antagonize the user.

I think someone needs to up their anti-paranoia medication.

Pirateiam · #7 July 8th, 2004, 07:37 PM

I completely agree. This can be so aggrevating. In a MP game I am playing I cannot for the life of me get my 4th level Priests to cast Smite. Which would be nice versus the devils I am facing. I am wondering what the sense of purchasing them at the moment. This needs to be fixed.

Demosthenes · #8 July 8th, 2004, 07:47 PM

Perhaps that is because Smite requires 5 Holy.

Norfleet · #9 July 8th, 2004, 07:53 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Master Shake:

quote:
This behavior is either a bug, or an intentionally obnoxious feature designed to antagonize the user.

I think someone needs to up their anti-paranoia medication.

It would be paranoia if this wasn't a known behavior from programmers in general, and Illwinter specifically. It's been reported that they *HAVE*, in fact, deliberately retained features that were unpopular specifically to annoy people. Remember: programmers are sadists.

Demosthenes · #10 July 8th, 2004, 08:13 PM

Being paranoid might save your a** in a rice paddie but I don't think its rational to carry that philosophy over into all social interaction. If you think that people are out to get you then you'll find ones who are. No one is out to get me, I'm quite sure.

Back on topic: I agree that the AI should either be forced to cast its script, or it should understand the difference between partial and total immunity.