Wish List: targetable spells

[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.