Reducing Slowdown

[DavidW]

About visual spell effects: you are right when you say that for the most both players and SCS AI unrealistically get to understand what kind of protections the others have. Conclusion: unrealistic but at least fair (although I still see a small advantage for SCS AI since the party might buffer away from the enemy which should have not then had any visual feedback/spellcraft understanding).

I agree up to the "unrealistic" bit. The game designers are allowed to pick the laws of physics to be whatever they like. Maybe the reason that you get those text descriptions of which spells have been cast is because your spellcasters detect a tiny disturbance in the Weave?

 

But things are much different if we shift the problem to detectable effects. Protective items/class immunities on enemies let us players work realistically as we players don't know (without metagaming, of course) that they are there and we attack according to our usual "routine". Instead the enemies have un unfair advantage. And this does not only apply to items but also to a series of innate protections coming, example, from specific kits.

I can't systematically disagree with this. But remember that the party is fairly quickly famous: the fact that <CHARNAME> is an undead hunter and wears the Cloak of Mirroring (say) is probably going to get around.

 

At this point I cannot help but feel that the efficacy and value of such protections becomes at least partially frustrated by not making the AI do mistakes about it.

"Partially", perhaps. I don't think it makes a vast difference, though: it's still hugely beneficial to be protected.

 

We have here then a situation (I repeat: I exclude metagaming which should not be considered as an evaluation parameter) that is unfair (towards the player) and unrealistic (to benefit the enemy's AI).

 

Sure. But the unrealism (I reckon) is the best of a bad lot, for the coding reasons you give. I have to say that I struggle to care about the unfairness: the party already have a vast unfair advantage by being played by humans.

[Salk]

Thanks for replying to my message.

 

Each point taken.

[BigRob]

So, what to do? Either (a) allow creatures to know unrealistically much, or (b) allow them to know unrealistically little. I'd argue that (b) produces a lot more flagrantly immersion-breaking behaviour.

 

You've got a point there. Having the AI behave uselessly and stupidly certainly doesn't help immersion, and isn't all that realistic. Plus writing scripts of unbelieveable length to try and fix the problem isn't going to help playability, even on modern machines. I don't mind the AI doing a little cheating (I always considered the on-sight prebuff by mages to represent protections cast before an anticipated battle), but it would also be nice to be able to see it change tactics if something's not working (like not casting Fireballs on the guy who's totally immune to flame). Of course, SCS may already do this, I've not yet delved deep enough in it to find out. Guess I should, eh?