Wish List: targetable spells

[Mortifer]

Awesome.
'Spellcasting AI' wasnt really good, Im glad that it will be tweaked and fixed.

[Psitticine]

I've found spellcasting AI to be quite good overall. In fact, I think it might be the strongest part of the tactical AI in Dom II.

The AI is conservative when it comes to using gems against weaker opponents, but doesn't hesitate to bring out the big guns when threatened. It is also very good about casting appropriate defensive spells.

Sometimes I'll wonder for second why it chose a seemingly pointless spell, like Holy Avenger by/on a priest that'll probably not get attacked, but then I realize the priest in question really didn't have anything more useful to cast that round anyway.

I've noticed a tendency to lean on conjuration, but that might just be because that's what I have researched for them most often. Bit of a contaminated sample there, if you know what I mean.

It is also very good at targetting. The only problem I've seen is when I was playing the flame-retardent Abyssians and had one group of Militia along for the ride. (Hey, they volunteered!) In one particular battle, my most powerful mage used some fire spells that didn't act as any threat to my regular guys, but were a bit hard on those soft-skinned Militia. I think that decision may have been weighted by the overall desperation of the battle: we were badly outnumbered and the enemy Pretender God was present on the field of combat. (Our guys took it on the chin in the end; it wasn't pretty!)

Other than that incident, the AI seems to do a pretty good job of trying not to toast your guys while frying the enemy. The "arrow-in-the-back" syndrome has been greatly reduced, especially with one particular beta-patch, and is now rather rare. I only run into problems when either I've given orders that force the situation (oopsie) or things have gotten either truly desperate or utterly chaotic.

The large spells are used fairly rarely because of their cost. Sometimes, I'd like to see them used more often, just for the pure joy of watching them go, but I can't argue with the conservation of gems. It can be a pain to keep your mages stocked with them if they are pushed into constantly using them up.

The portion of the combat AI that I'd like to see improved is in the "mad rush towards the enemy" department. Keep it together, lads! If Illwinter were to turn their hand towards AI improvements some day, I'd suggest they start with that and wait until Last to see if there's anything to tweak with the spell-casting.

Oh, Last minute thought: I have seen the spell-casting AI conjure things in back that can't seem to make it up to the front line in time to be a part of the battle. That particular problem is the only thing I've found I don't like, but it might be a part of the fact I lean too heavily on Conjuration research. They may just not have anything better to do at those points beause I haven't researched them the spell options, but I can't say for sure. (It'll take more playing to find out . . . yeah, that's a good excuse to play more . . . )

[Wendigo]

Originally posted by Mortifer:
Awesome.
'Spellcasting AI' wasnt really good, Im glad that it will be tweaked and fixed.

I actually considered the Dom I spellcasting AI pretty good, and it often surprised me with excellent spell choices of its own well past the 5 scripted spells: like Decay vs Iron Dragons, Blade Wind vs Seasonal Spirits, Star Fires vs Combat Pretenders, Nether Darts vs HI...always fun also when one of your Seihktonur runs into a Combat pretender unexpectedly & stamps a big fat curse on the offender's chest before dying a glorious death.

The only problems I had with it was its casual disregard of friendly fire issues (most notably when a caster comitted suicide by casting an area spell vs a close enemy), and the gem wasting/gem draining complex...but on the whole I rate the spell AI pretty high.

[Pocus]

Originally posted by Psitticine:
Oh, Last minute thought: I have seen the spell-casting AI conjure things in back that can't seem to make it up to the front line in time to be a part of the battle. That particular problem is the only thing I've found I don't like, but it might be a part of the fact I lean too heavily on Conjuration research. They may just not have anything better to do at those points beause I haven't researched them the spell options, but I can't say for sure. (It'll take more playing to find out . . . yeah, that's a good excuse to play more . . . )

there is a similar syndroma in doms I, when you want your mages to cast safely spells. Generally, for summons, you have to move them forward a bit, and take some risks with enemy fire.

another issue too:

will the AI use gems when the combat can be won otherwise? I encourage you especially to cast call of the wild / call of the wind on a big enemy army (or target one of your own with an horror, phantasmal army, or any other unaligned spell). Will they waste gems in big spells (even if scripted) and will they try to handle the menace without too much spending?

[Psitticine]

In a nutshell, the AI will refrain from using gems when the battle seems a lock without them. It will also temper its usage of them based on how powerful the enemy seems to it, and it seems to do a pretty good job of estimating that.

It will go ahead cast a spell you tell it to, unless that spell is utterly useless during a specific battle. It will not, for example, try the expensive Unravelling spell (banishes all magical creatures on the battlefield and can burn out mages, giving them lowered magic skills or even feeblemindedness) if there are no mages or magical beasties about, even if it had been directly ordered to do so beforehand. It will also refuse to cast such a spell if your army of 200 high-powered cavalry units is facing just one lone Vine Man; it'd be a sad waste of gems.