SCS & Difficulty Slider

[Salk]

Hello DavidW!

 

While reading through the readme for SCS II (the SCS readme doesn't mention this although I guess it follows the same principle?), I noticed this:

 

SCS II makes no use of the difficulty slider (except in the "Beholder's lair" upgrade, which is borrowed from Quest Pack).

 

and I was wondering if you'd care to tell us a little more about the reason(s) behind this decision.

 

Having the AI effectiveness scale with the difficulty slider would indeed be too complicated?

[Ardanis]

I suspect the reason was more about enemies' damage output changing.

[DavidW]

It's because SCS's philosophy of AI is to make it as close as possible (alas, not that close) to how real opponents would fight. I'm very uninterested in writing scripts which are deliberately dumbed down. Also, SCS's "fight fair" principle isn't naturally compatible with the non-core difficulty settings, at which players and monsters are fundamentally treated differently.

[Salk]

Sounds sensible.

 

Thanks for making it clear.

[Guest Mr. H]

There's a mod from The Bigg's Tweak Pack that allows one to play on highest difficulty without increasing damage etc. of the monsters. Well, it's not part of SCSII and to be honest, something like that would be interesting only for the last components of SCSII. And these are pretty tough. The AI itself is very good (I really enjoy your mod, Mr. W!) and writing "less good" scripts is unnecessary, imho.

I would, since I also read this, more enjoy a component about golems (increased range or stone throwing... Tactics is overriden, so they have no ranged attacks...). But since they get resistences etc. from BP or Tactics, it would be "nice", not "necessary", imho.

[Salk]

Tactics is overriden, so they have no ranged attacks...

 

Oh that sucks, since I think it was the nicest touch...

 

Also the SCS II readme states that this compoent (together with another bunch) should be compatible with SCS II if installed before SCS II.

[DavidW]

Tactics is overriden, so they have no ranged attacks...

 

Oh that sucks, since I think it was the nicest touch...

 

Also the SCS II readme states that this compoent (together with another bunch) should be compatible with SCS II if installed before SCS II.

 

It is; I don't overwrite it, so I'm not sure why H isn't getting the component.

[Salk]

Perhaps some other mod is interfering then?

[Guest Guest]

To clarify "makes no use", do you mean that the Difficulty slider is ignored entirely if SCS-II is installed?

 

BTW, SCS-II is amazing. Thanks for all your hard work!

[Icendoan]

I think it means that there is no improvement/worsening of enemy AI dependent on the slider, apart from QuestPack's Beholder Lair, as it is coded differently.

 

Icen

[DavidW]

I think it means that there is no improvement/worsening of enemy AI dependent on the slider, apart from QuestPack's Beholder Lair, as it is coded differently.

 

Icen

 

Yes, exactly right. The AI slider will still change the damage enemies do, etc., but no SCSII component (except the Beholder Lair) will care what it's set to.