The AI routine tactics and tricks thread

[TheMetaphysician]

One of the features of this game I'm most excited about is the Dragon Age Origins-style customizable AI. When I played DAO, I spent hours writing routines, testing them, and reading about them. So I figured we needed a thread to gather in one place people's ideas for tactics and tricks with the customizable AI routines! I'm interested in any and all of the following (and more besides!): (a) general rules of thumb to follow, (b) easy mistakes to make when writing AI routines, © tricks that are specific to particular classes, abilities/spells, or combinations, (d) whole routines for characters or even party-wide strategies, (e) basic quality-of-life (rather than tactical) tricks, (f) discussions of which classes or character types lend themselves to control through AI routines and which need more micromanaging, (g) funny stuff -- AI routines gone wrong!

Edited April 8, 2018 by TheMetaphysician

[Dr. Hieronymous Alloy]

You can set most buffs to target [self or ally] has inspiration (type) (checkbox NOT), then cast (inspiration type), to reliably buff everyone who needs it.

 

For debuffs, you want to set the above and also has affliction type (not), because inspirations always wipe afflictions, so you don't want to cast an affliction unless the target has neither.

 

From what I can tell, to set Intellect inspirations to wipe charm, you have to set the "target type" trigger to include "enemy" ; this is the only time an Inspiration will have "enemy" as an allowed target so you don't have to worry about buffing real enemies.

 

To get "consecrated ground" to trigger reliably at the "clash point" between the two sides, it's generally best to set it to BOTH "threatened by anyone in melee" and "threatening anyone in melee" .

 

For armor debuffs, "has heavy armor equipped" seems a decent proxy; not sure if it interacts with natural armors though.

 

Make sure to set "Action set cooldowns" for spells you don't want cast repeatedly before they expire (say, again, Expose Vulnerabilities). The second time through it won't check the conditionals though (bug).

 

Put your "always on" attacks (minoletta's missiles) at the bottom of your action list, or the other conditionals will never be reached.

 

Nature Godlike wizards can inspire themselves at the start of a fight to get the nature godlike bonus.

Edited April 8, 2018 by Dr. Hieronymous Alloy

[THCRaven]

So inspirations do not get removed by the corresponding affliction ? seems like a hard counter for debuffers more so in PotD.

[Dr. Hieronymous Alloy]

So inspirations do not get removed by the corresponding affliction ? seems like a hard counter for debuffers more so in PotD.

Yeah, the only real hard counter for buffs are things like Arcane Dampener that explicitly remove inspirations. So you want that in your list, but at the bottom.

 

 

Oh also: the AI is really bad at placing spells such that they don't damage allies, so "foe only" is way more valuable if you're AI driven.

[TheMetaphysician]

 

So inspirations do not get removed by the corresponding affliction ? seems like a hard counter for debuffers more so in PotD.

Yeah, the only real hard counter for buffs are things like Arcane Dampener that explicitly remove inspirations. So you want that in your list, but at the bottom.

 

Why at the bottom?

[Frog Man]

This is a fantastic thread idea and something I need help with. I LOVE THE INTERNET

[Dr. Hieronymous Alloy]

 

 

So inspirations do not get removed by the corresponding affliction ? seems like a hard counter for debuffers more so in PotD.

Yeah, the only real hard counter for buffs are things like Arcane Dampener that explicitly remove inspirations. So you want that in your list, but at the bottom.

 

Why at the bottom?

 

 

 

Oh, mostly because you want to make sure they've buffed up before you wipe them, and you want to cast your debuffs first if you have any that can land.

[OlleDenStore]

Is it possible to write faulty scripts? Like telling the A.I. to cast a spell on self that isn't castable on self?

[Dr. Hieronymous Alloy]

Is it possible to write faulty scripts? Like telling the A.I. to cast a spell on self that isn't castable on self?

Generally it isn't possible to set illegal targets, but I think there are some situations where you can set up if then conditionals which can never occur

[OlleDenStore]

You wouldn't happen to know what happens if you mod the valid targets for a spell? Does the A.I. UI reflect modding changes to spells and abilities or is that stuff hard coded into the UI?

[Dr. Hieronymous Alloy]

You wouldn't happen to know what happens if you mod the valid targets for a spell? Does the A.I. UI reflect modding changes to spells and abilities or is that stuff hard coded into the UI?

 

 

I got no idea but I'm going to *suspect* it's hand code, mostly because of the kinda wonky nature of most of the conditionals. No real idea though, modding is a step beyond my brainmeats.

Edited April 9, 2018 by Dr. Hieronymous Alloy

[TheMetaphysician]

Do you set triggering conditions for Rhyngrym's Repulsing Visage, or do you leave that one for manual control?

[Dr. Hieronymous Alloy]

Do you set triggering conditions for Rhyngrym's Repulsing Visage, or do you leave that one for manual control?

 

Honestly I barely use it ever, just because I like the Enervating Terror more (fourth level pick is usually pull of eora and missiles). It used to be you could used Repulisving Visage to trigger disengagement attacks but that doesnt' work anymore from what I've been told.

 

Generally iset triggers for foe aoes and manually control plain aoes. Since visage is foe are (I think) an "enemies in melee range" trigger would be easily set.

 

One neat fighter trick that does work, is you can script Into the Fray to prioritize the furthest target in melee range of an ally (I forget the exact settings I use, sorry) and the fighter will use it to sweep up all the random adds who aren't close to him but are still close to someone else.

Edited April 9, 2018 by Dr. Hieronymous Alloy

[Dr. Hieronymous Alloy]

So inspirations do not get removed by the corresponding affliction ? seems like a hard counter for debuffers more so in PotD.

Just to update this: in the current beta at least, contrary to the Sawyer quote, an inspiration will cancel out an affliction in the same state, and vice versa, whichever is cast last wipes the other and both effects are anulled ( but not any other effects from the same spells).

[AndreaColombo]

To the best of my knowledge that’s how it’s always worked and is intended behavior. Inspirations would be crazy good otherwise and there would be no way to remove them (for players from enemies too!)

[Boeroer]

Maybe Josh meant with "inspiration trumps affliction" that you can always remove a high-tier-affliction with even the lowest inspiration (of the same stat). I mean it also works the other way round, but I don't know what else he could have meant.

 

Or he had no clue.

Edited April 14, 2018 by Boeroer

[Dr. Hieronymous Alloy]

To the best of my knowledge that’s how it’s always worked and is intended behavior. Inspirations would be crazy good otherwise and there would be no way to remove them (for players from enemies too!)

 

 

Technically you could still use Arcane Dampener to remove Inspirations but I agree that the currently implemented system overall seems preferable.

 

I would like to see a few more classes (maybe rogues and paladins?) get Arcane Dampener style remove-all-inspiration effects.

[thekdawg21]

Deprive the Unworthy does that for Paladins, no?

[Dr. Hieronymous Alloy]

Deprive the Unworthy does that for Paladins, no?

 

Doesn't seem to be implemented in Deadfire.