Negative Hitpoints, Stabilizing

[Xeesheava]

Hello!

Well, we have a doubt (Seril's user and I) about the new system or changes on the death system.

Today we went to the Viridale Forest and Seril died and I went on negative hitpoints and stabilized.
But when I went to positive hitpoints again (1 HP) inmediately the gnolls attacked and I got a critical hit of 40 and died (ButtRape).
As far as I remember, in the past the characters got a 10 seconds free time to run, heal or do something, but now it's a little ponitless because you die anyway.

It's that a problem of SoZ upgrading or the staff changed it?

[rustediron]

Like Xeesheeva said, I died outright in that encounter (damn criticals!), but I've come across this before. If it is intentional, it does seem a little harsh?

[Saulus]

Depends on your level. Nothing has been changed in the death system for many months.

[Product of Void]

*laughs* Wizmar was doing this OVER and OVER when fighting gobbies. would stabalize only to get hit again and then stabalize. I just logged and came back after the spawns were gone.

I do not think this is a death system change its the AI change I think.

They seem to have a good sense of "HEY he stood up KILL HIM".

[Mattachine]

"Buttrape" in a topic title?

Anyway, I had a PC killed while at negatives--an opponent just attacked him again while he was down. That's the risk I took adventuring in a difficult area solo.

Like PoV, I think that creature AI is a little better now with SoZ, assuming that Sundren isn't using custom AI.

[Product of Void]

http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2008/12/12/

I think its a custom AI here was pretty sure it was posted recently. IT did help with archers kicking butt from behind closed doors or locked doors.

[Urithrand]

Yes, there's already been several conversations on the forums about the (slightly) improved enemy AI since SoZ hit the shelves. Have you been taunted recently? Or noticed that enemies have been running around you to flank you when they can? Or casting dispel magic on your highly buffed tank? The enemy behaviour has changed quite dramatically the last few weeks, and let me say that the game has become all the harder for it!

[Peridan]

Yeah, gotta love those freaking mages and their dispels... *walks off cursing at Cartel*

[Xeesheava]

Yes, there's already been several conversations on the forums about the (slightly) improved enemy AI since SoZ hit the shelves. Have you been taunted recently? Or noticed that enemies have been running around you to flank you when they can? Or casting dispel magic on your highly buffed tank? The enemy behaviour has changed quite dramatically the last few weeks, and let me say that the game has become all the harder for it!

I love the new AI, gives us the idea of having battles against another PCs, but a good AI means unbeatable AI, it's the same as the AI of the Left 4 Dead Survivors on a Versus Game, doesn't matters how much you hide and plan as a Infected, if you appear you got killed instantly.

The only change to the AI it's adding a little "overconfidence" to the NPCs, so, when the character lies in the ground in negative hitpoints, the NPCs stop attacking and leaves, believing what you are dead.

[Mattachine]

I have noticed the behavior to flank, or to avoid being flanked--very nice. The lowly goblins in the Hills throw out taunts, too.

Has anyone tested to see if NPCs all have the "sorta detect invisibility" that they have in SoZ? If you cast the spell in front of enemies, they treat you as having 50% concealment, rather than being invisible; they simply run over to attack you. I'm not fond of that behavior.

[Fezzik]

Attacking someone that is invisible and making noise makes perfect sense to me. I also like that some PC's break their concealment, on purpose, when they do anything more than a whisper. People can still hear those that are invisible, or at least they should still be able to, that seems logical to me.



* starts chanting 10 feet away from the city guard *

"Do you hear something?"

"Nah, it must just be the rats reciting Draconic again"

"Oh."

* guards go about their business *

[Mattachine]

Fezzick, those examples do make sense.

Successfully chasing down and striking an invisible creature fleeing from you does not make so much sense to me. Those with good Listen skills could, perhaps, do so, but deciding exactly where the invisible creature is in order to attack is pretty tough. That is particularly true when you flee around a corner, cast invisibility while unseen, and the monsters just run up and attack you.

[black hand]

I like the AI with the new expansion, it makes things a little more difficult but in a way it adds to the realism... well, as realistic it could get playing an elf in a make-believe world.

I have also been a victim of the 'recovery critical' when the monsters notice you sit up. Not good when you only have 1d4 hp's. One thing I did notice with the Invisibility thing, is that if you go into stealth mode while invis and something's trying to track you down, it does give a bit of a chance for it to lose the trail. I did discover something that killed me twice while inviso though, it was when sneaking around some creatures when one took a blind swing at me... then I swung back!!!

I was turned to Salsa on two occasions when my character reacted instinctively while inviso, and had many close calls. It could probably be changed in the behaviour list, but I'm not willing to put myself in that situation to find out... unless I have a couple of high level clerics hanging around.

[Mattachine]

Auto-attack isn't a behavior toggle, unfortunately.

You can, however, turn Parry on, which should keep you from auto-attacking.

[Kaeldorn]

These more complex AI systems, while producing some nice effects, do unfortunately come with a price in server performance. Particularly when many NPC's are fighting at the same time. The systems were built based on a game world with no more than a handful of characters playing together in one area, as it happens in the OC. Saulus and I talked about it for a few minutes and it basically came down to it that eventually some stuff might be cut for Sundren on common, non-specific enemies. As it would stink not to be able to have any larger scale encounters without making the game unplayable.