Possible bug with lifedrain attacks? - developers please read

[Stormbinder]

Greetings.


I've noticed recently strange behaiver of lifedrain-type attacks against mirror-imaged targets.

For expample when ID wielding lifedrain weapon attacked my mirror shielded Air Queeen, he would not be able to hit her due to mirror images and high defense.

However with _every_ swing of his life-draiing sword he did add big chunk of fatique to her, despite being unable to actually hit her. In just few turns she went over 100 fatique, than to 200, and than he killed her.

I don't think this is the way lifedrain attack supposed to work, correct? I mean, if you are unable to hit the target, much less cause actual damage to it (AQ was always in full hitpoints and kept her mirrorimages until she went over 200 fatique), than how do you suppose to lifedrain the target with your weapons?

Somebody told me once that according to developers lifedrain supposed to give you some fixed percentages of damage inflicted on the target as hitpoints and fatique gains. (don't remeber excact numbers)

If this is the case, than it is certanly currently buged, since no damage was inflicted in my example, but fatique was gained/inflicted nevertheless.


This is not the only similar observation. Norfleet alose reported that he had the same situation when he encountered bunch of vampires with his VQ. Their attacks immideatly caused VQ to went over 100 fatique, despite the fact that they could not actuially hit her and she was still mirror-imaged.


I would really appreciate some commants from developers regarding this situations.


Also does anybody know how exactly lifedrain type attack supposed to work, and how it is actually currently working? According to death-specialist Norfleet neither MR, not protection(?) help against lifedrain attacks, at least from fatique-loss point of view. He said he doesn't know if defense helps against it. Any comments?

[ May 11, 2004, 19:47: Message edited by: Stormbinder ]

[Stormbinder]

Bump to the top

[mivayan]

This is from a developer post:
"A life drain attack regains damage*2 fatigue and damage/2 HP. It also causes damage/2 extra fatigue on the target. Only lifeless units are immune."

That it bypasses mirror images and/or defence very much sounds like a bug though.

[rabelais]

Originally posted by mivayan:
This is from a developer post:
"A life drain attack regains damage*2 fatigue and damage/2 HP. It also causes damage/2 extra fatigue on the target. Only lifeless units are immune."

I was under the impression that undead couldn't generally drain one another, though most of them do not have the "lifeless" tag.

Could someone clarify?

Thanks,

Rabe the Golem Groupie

[archaeolept]

yah, it seems such attacks inflict fatigue loss whatever the result of the rest of the attack. this seems overpowered, but may or may not be a bug.

However, zen told me when I inquired that nothing, even a lifeless unit, is immune to these attacks. That would, at the very least, seem to be a bug then.

It also makes carrion woods rather difficult to deal w/

[Kristoffer O]

It may be that life drain deals damage to all, but you are only reinvigourated if the target is not lifeless IIRC. This is at least true for wraith sword and similar weapons.

Fatigue for free sounds suspiciously buglike.

[archaeolept]

you aren't reinvigorated (using a wraithsword, for ex.) against undead either, though the attack will still cause damage to them. This seems correct to me - the auto attack success is wierd, though, as well as lifeless units taking fatigue (I haven't checked this personally - just going on what Zen said).

[AhhhFresh]

This is from the VQ Counters - NO debate

Where both Zen and Norfleet confirm that lifedrain attacks inflict fatique on their targets without hitting.

The feelings expressed there seemed to be that it was an SC balance decision, and not a bug...

EDIT: Just clarifying that if this is in fact a "bug", that fixing it may in fact make SC's invulnerable, so tread carefully

[ May 13, 2004, 16:00: Message edited by: AhhhFresh ]

[Norfleet]

Zen says that the fatigue is inflicted regardless of whether the attack penetrates protection: It's possible that the attack "hits", but doesn't inflict any damage through protection, but the fatigue is caused anyway. Since no physical damage is caused, mirror image doesn't fail.

Originally posted by Norfleet:
Zen says that the fatigue is inflicted regardless of whether the attack penetrates protection: It's possible that the attack "hits", but doesn't inflict any damage through protection, but the fatigue is caused anyway. Since no physical damage is caused, mirror image doesn't fail.

This is also true of anything that has a secondary effect but doesn't deal any actual damage. Though it may or may not be on the same level as Life Drain. Meaning, a weapon that has a secondary effect of poisoning, that doesn't actually hit through protection can still poison if the unit is not immune to poison. Same with things that have effects like "Tangle Vine". Some effects (Can't remember off the top of my head) require damage before they are applied AFAIK but Life Drain and numerous weapons with secondary effects do not.