AI Script and weird behaviours

[Kian]

In preparation for the upcoming dlc, I'm fiddling with the scripts trying to make it... useful beyond casting self buffs.

 

Even the self buffs thing is very awkward and unintuitive. We have the posibility to add multiple effects to the effect list, but no way to make the game only cast them once, so you're forced to do this very awkward each buff with its own condition (always true since almost everything else tends to fail randomly) and timed so as to not have the game go crazy and cast all available spells for each one (and then having to happily deal with the nonsense of that timer not resetting between fights).

 

One of the things I'm struggling with is how to cast specific buffs on specific people. After a few months on these forums and playing the game it's clear to me I have to give up the hope the system will be updated to quality levels similar to what DAO had for example (then again very few games ever have that amazing level of customizable ai tactics system in place), so target party members by name is probably never going to happen, among other things.

So the problem is how to do it then.

 

I've tried "target ally" with "lowest health". It's unreliable. The Champion's Boon in particular seems VERY unpredictable if I leave the character to autocast it. A few things that can happen, and that do happen so often it's frustrating:

• even though target has 211 health, and everyone else has 236+, the priest will often cast the spell on himself, even when no constitution buffs are applied
• even though the target has lowest health, the priest will often cast on someone else, even on the tank who has 328 health
• this happens even if I stay on the character casting sometimes, though not so often

What would be the more or most reliable way to single out a specific target with specific buffs?

And no you can't use the "has inspiration NOT" since that doesn't differentiate between party members and the buff ends up being cast even more randomly then before, not to mention spells like Deleterious which say in description they apply "Swift Inspiration" but they don't actually do that so the condition can't be used at all.

 

Cheers.

[Franknstein]

Yes, an upgrade to the AI Script system would be nice. More trigger conditions, more targeting options.

 

I try to target specific afflictions/inspirations unique for the target. Like "Target has affliction Perception" for a blunderbuss wielding Streetfighter, or "Target has inspiration Strength" for a Barb, Constitution+Intellect inspiration is a wizard with Infuse w. Vital Essence active e.t.c.

 

For recast control the trigger CD equal to the buff duration works more or less.

[zendingo]

This mod adds a major upgrade to the ai conditions you can select. No idea why it isn't in the base game.

 

https://www.nexusmods.com/pillarsofeternity2/mods/88

[Kian]

Thanks for the replies.

 

@zendingo: I avoided mods that change the game mechanics so far (I only installed a "looks only" mod for armors) since I'm worried it would disable achievements. At least the achievements that will come with the dlc since I already finished all the available ones for now. Besides, Steam and games in general seem to classify any and all mods as "cheats" lol, which I find annoying.

But eh. In the end I suppose I'll just have to go for that mod for more detailed stuff in the AI scripts.

 

@Franknstein: The problem is if I want to cast a buff at the start of combat for example, the "has inspiration - false" applies to everyone in the party. So the only way to target a specific ally with a priest buff (champion's boon for example, which I use often), is to use a condition and priority that are already there at the start of combat. Lowest health, or defense would seem to work, but very often that fails and the priest targets someone else, even though the character I want has lowest health (as an example of priority). This would be so easily fixed if we could select "target ally - main" or "target ally - X". I'm still amazed how that wasn't in there to begin with.

And the thing is even if this (the lowest health priority) would work without glitchiness, it's still problematic in a fight since almost all characters self buff at start of combat. So if my main happens to cast his infuse faster than others before the priest casts his buff, he might get more health, and suddenly he wouldn't be elligible for "lowest health". Which I thought was the problem at first until I tested it and saw that no, this was not the issue.

Edited July 30, 2018 by Kian

[Franknstein]

Just start with a generally usefull buff (boost intelligence), meanwile ally gets his unique affliction/inspiration and becomes the only target for the Champion's Boon. But it's just a workaround of course.

[Kian]

Just start with a generally usefull buff (boost intelligence), meanwile ally gets his unique affliction/inspiration and becomes the only target for the Champion's Boon. But it's just a workaround of course.

 

Oh... you're saying to use a buff to gain the condition for another. Clever!

Yeah this is a nice and useful workaround. I can prioritize one and delay the other to get the effect. Cool. Cool.

Cheers!

 

PS: Game, just gimme characters selectable by names in scripts!