My Favourite AI blunders

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Following on from my previous strand, I thought I'd like to see how you lot got scragged by the Artificial Idiocy in BG.

My latest disaster just happened in Durlag's Tower, level 3. I was bringing characters through the circular flame room and had the AI off to keep the others in place. Three crossed safely but then I got bounced by a couple of greater Ghouls. 2 tanks ans a MU was enough to deal with the problem but then there was a lot of screaming and a burning Khalid with half a dozen HP left turned up to help. Why did he cross a dangerous room unasked? He looked so pathetic, I had to laugh.

So, embarass yourselves - post here your worst AI moments.

Ha

 

Don't you hate it when you wish to leave an area and everyone just jams into a tight circle. No one can reach the exact point to trigger leaving so you have to tell them to retreat and try agan. Sadly they do it again. So you leave one member by the exit and the rest are pulled back a few feet. You tell them to leave and...they somehow jam up. The AI simply doesn't want to leave. Now I know the real reason why adventurers die in dungeons, they simply can't figure out how to leave and end up starving.

 

I agree that the jam at the exit is very annoying.
The other one I hate is when I have the AI Scripts turned on and expect the NPC's to fight. I see them standing there while my PC or Minsc is fighting. They don't do anything until I direct them. And why does my Halfling fighter/thief with the hide-in-shadows and try to back-stab script always have to go racing off to confront that ogre or whatever? Moral of all this is expect the unexpected.

 

Minsc just strode up to the Demon Knight, throwing axe in hand, rather than engage from a safe (if there is one) distance. Yet another reload!

 

Dainaheir *sp...minsc's girl* threw a fireball in the bandit camp and killed the guy I needed to talk to after the big fight. *rolls eyes* And I didn't tell her to either.

I've had clerics "turn" friendly ghosts and mages and bards use those stupid area effect spells and kill off all the innocents. *grumbles*

 

UsagiRyu - for a Lawful Good character, Dynaheir can sure ruin your reputation. The only useful feature of her action is that you get a good longbow from the body.

 

You can always count on Monty to start throwing rocks at your enemies, while Kagain just stands there waiting for him to finish them off.

 

What is wrong with Dynaheir. Maybe she took a few blows to the head also. And, she's not nice to be around anyways. At least Edwin makes me laugh.

 

you can always change teir scripts...

 

I find most scripts even worse; especially those which take positive action - spell casters launch serious attacks on lone goblins when I try scripts.

 

defensive scripts I find work best

 

trying to get them all to go through a door at the same time can be a pain, and in enclosed spaces like ulcaster or the mines when you tell the party to move but as the move 2 characters bump into eachother and try to find another way around and then take a trip past aload of enemies is often a pain.... SINGLE FILE PEOPLE!!!!

 

yes agreed

 

Area effect spells gone wrong... *sigh*... is probably my biggest problem, also in IWD2, it's a problem.
The funniest AI screw-up I've had is in the area of the Cloakwood with all the spiders and the web traps... Khalid failed his save every single time I didn't find the trap... it takes him about 5 rounds to get him out of the web and he always goes to the edge furthest away from him.

 

I find that mages tend to fireball my tanks!

They also seem to have a problem judging range; they rush in and fireball from almost point-blank range. This last one might be a line of sight problem; I am not sure whether the fighters can block LOS.

 

I have noticed that the door jam blunder is a problem in all of Black Isle's Games. Their games rock but it seems their A.I. has always been their weakness.
As to my mages shooting fireballs at my fighters..well lets just say its a major problem with my groups too.

 

Offensive spells and AI mages don't mix!

With an offensive script active they destroy not only the opposition but also your reputation. have they not learned about innocent bystanders?

 

I've never used scripts for spellcasters, for those reasons! That, and they always waste their best spells on the weaker enemies.

Bonus points for the "fighter defensive" script somehow always selecting the wrong weapon for any given situation.
And for drawing your party through hordes of enemies while you PC's scouting ahead.

Suffice to say, I play with the AI off most of the time. Micromanagement seems the only way to get your followers to actually do what you want.

 

Fighter ranged attacks, and fighter agresive are my two only used scripts. for characters like minsc, kivan, coran and other characters that is supposed to do only one thing in combat. The rest get passive or none scripts at all.

I don't remember wich one was the worst. But i remember using Coran to sneak in and backstab the mage (Davaeorn) in cloackwood mines, when i realised maincharacter had followed him into the battlehorrors becose of defensive fighter script.

Yay for reload. (Btw, dispel magic on battlehorrors completelly rule)