Random Tidbits: AI item usage

[Nefarius]

As was mentioned in the screen and progress threads, enemies can now use their items actively. Among others, they have 'learned' to use scrolls, potions (and other such things). By default only humans and human-like creatures will have this ability (this includes demons too, as long as they look sortof human, ie not like reziarfg) and the smarter undead.

The spell scrolls they can recieve are the same that players can buy and find, however some spells are not included in the monster pool, except for the higher end mages (such as Apocalypse and its relatives). Once they use a scroll, it is gone, and they cannot re-use it (just like for players), however they may carry 3-5 scrolls, mages may carry a whole lot more ( 15-20 scrolls ). This further increases the unpredictability of what the enemies will throw at you. The AI uses the same logic as for it's native spells, that is, it won't waste curses on uncurseable targets etc).

Potion usage depends on the type of potion, healing potions are only used when the monster is injured or otherwise effected by a status condition (ie it may use antidote potions and so on), furthermore, monsters can use potions of invisibility and other such things, so beware .

[AdmiralCrackbar]

Is there any kind of trigger for when an injured monster will use a healing scroll? For example, would it use it only after losing 50% health? Either way, I hope it doesn't upset the balance of things and make it frustrating to kill basic monsters

[Nefarius]

Is there any kind of trigger for when an injured monster will use a healing scroll? For example, would it use it only after losing 50% health? Either way, I hope it doesn't upset the balance of things and make it frustrating to kill basic monsters

ofc there is a health trigger for the healing potions, as for the balance issue, healing potions add regen, unlike healing skills that could instantly heal a unit. In both cases however consider the fact they have a limited supply (of potions/scrolls), so unlike healing skills that could be cast ad nauseum they may only do so once (depending on how things roll). and ofc, preventheal curses prevent these items and spells from having any effect (this applies also to players), though, smarter AIs will reserve the items until the curse goes away again

[Eisenfaust86]

That reminds me of something else I noticed in vanilla. In there, "Prevent Monster Heal" was badly named, since it prevented monster regeneration and NOT healing like it was supposed to. I'm so glad you fixed that little problem, Nefarius. Reading this series of posts just adds so much credibility to your already very credible project.

Nefarius said:
it won't waste curses on uncurseable targets etc

Oh snap, you'll never see THAT in any of "bluzzard's" games!

[kingpin]

That reminds me of something else I noticed in vanilla. In there, "Prevent Monster Heal" was badly named, since it prevented monster regeneration and NOT healing like it was supposed to. I'm so glad you fixed that little problem, Nefarius. Reading this series of posts just adds so much credibility to your already very credible project.

Did that really do any different in vanilla game? How many monsters could you count that actually heal other ways than regeneration?

[Eisenfaust86]

That reminds me of something else I noticed in vanilla. In there, "Prevent Monster Heal" was badly named, since it prevented monster regeneration and NOT healing like it was supposed to. I'm so glad you fixed that little problem, Nefarius. Reading this series of posts just adds so much credibility to your already very credible project.

Did that really do any different in vanilla game? How many monsters could you count that actually heal other ways than regeneration?

Okay, there's only one in vanilla (council member), so while it didn't make a massive difference there, it became more noticeable in mods like Eastern Sun, the Median series, and (especially) the Hell Unleashed mod where the new monsters utilized new healing methods that weren't properly affected (thus the discovery of PMH's bad implementation ).

[Nefarius]

Theres one thing from pre-lod D2 that comes into mind though where prevent heal would've been a real blessing, if it worked the way the name implies. Back then, teleporting bosses healed 1/4th of their hp when they teleported around, this was done twice since the threshold was 33% (so it ended healing half their hp) if they teleported twice, which was almost certain. It got nerfed in lod so now it's less an issue (I removed this completely, since teleport now changes the AI behavior making the bosses use teleport actively instead of only as a means for escape). Besides the council theres also the Cantors that tend to heal everything they can heal even when it's barely injured and the Greater Mummies, but bestow is pretty weak as a healing spell (the MetalStorm version is a buff, matching the name a bit more). Oblivion Knights were meant to use bestow to heal other monsters too, but the AI is broken (it gets a target but discards it right away).