Reasons why the computer will not cast the spells you script

[PvK]

Oh, another is - "I used the gems that spell needs, to save myself fatigue when casting an earlier spell."

PvK

[tinkthank]

Yes.

I wonder how the "doesnt merit it" is calculated. In the example in my original strat, I was storming a castle in which the enemy's pretender was sitting, a Titan surrounded by a few ( but only a few) beefy units. It seems the computer calculates numbers, not power. I had tons of gems, I really wanted to make sure nothing got screwed up -- and I *think* that because flaming arrow, antimagic, wind guide, arrow fend (I think it was a hill fortress and there wwere tons of javs coming at me) were not cast as I had scripted I got hurt badly (many troops but also prophet and 1 other nice general died) when I should have taken only minimal cannon fodder losses. Kind of dissapointed in that, it really makes me think: ah, great planning here by me muhahah -- argh but what for!?

[Argitoth]

untits with quickness just go through thier script twice as fast, they don't randomly pick a spell for the extra action.

[Arryn]

Originally posted by Argitoth:
untits with quickness just go through thier script twice as fast, they don't randomly pick a spell for the extra action.

Actually, they sometimes do. I have seen a mage do: Pick 1, Random, Pick 2, Pick 3, Pick 4, Random, Pick 5. I've also seen other combos.

[mivayan]

Maybe the gem-saving ai should be disabled when storming a castle, since castles are sometimes defended by a small number of very strong mages and your huge army cant get at them because of the walls. The gem-saving ai is great to avoid wasting gems on small battles, but the storming of a castle is often carefully planned.

Any bad things about the idea?

[SurvivalistMerc]

Good idea, miviyan, regarding storming castles.

I can also tell you...get a group of R'lyeh starspawns and script them with quickness, stellar cascades x 4. They don't follow orders. Not even when you increase their astral power to 5 or 6 each with starshine skullcap and another commander using banner of the north star. This makes stellar cascades rather cheap. And it's precision 100.

[SurvivalistMerc]

I meant range 100. Because "out of range" is a very good, valid reason for the computer to refuse to do what you tell it to do.