EQoffline, bots and more..

**Congdar** · #1 10-01-2008, 04:45 PM

Feign Death kills the bots? I can't agree with this fix. FD is a viable tactic to lower aggro. You would want your bots to continue the fight and you could rejoin the battle after the warrior bot regained aggro. Need to think of a better way.

The group fix... I fixed it already a different way... not sure what this is doing.

Since my release with the official 1129 code there has been massive feedback and suggestions both here and on my server forums. I've incorporated probably 99% of this and the current bot source doesn't really look much like the 1129 release. I'll probably be adding the bot source I have into the svn this weekend when I have some time and then there'll be a base to work from.

Angelox · #2 10-01-2008, 05:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Congdar

Feign Death kills the bots? I can't agree with this fix. FD is a viable tactic to lower aggro. You would want your bots to continue the fight and you could rejoin the battle after the warrior bot regained aggro. Need to think of a better way.

At the moment, it's an exploit , better than FD and continuously sending in the bots tell you win.
The whole FD idea, has evolved to please the customers. At first, FD had other intentions, such as someone staying back for a quick CR. When you FD, you pet went too. Now days, it does not.
Already the game is much easier with the bots, I'm able to do things i would have never have thought of unless I used the #gm. If someone has gotten into a situation where they have to FD (with a team of bots!), then they can make new bots and start over, instead of abuse the FD.

**Congdar** · #3 10-01-2008, 07:12 PM

FD classes have been doing so in battles to manage aggro for years. Bots shouldn't change that. I agree there's an exploitable situation, all I'm saying is a different solution would be better. If you make it this way then at least make a Bot::FDRule to disable it so monks with bots can continute to play eq the way they always have.

**Congdar** · #4 10-01-2008, 07:25 PM

Hey, I re-read the last part of your post. Before your fix post I already had implemented code so you can't spawn more bots or create more groups from already spawned bots when engaged. A FD check might be more easily added there if even needed with the engaged check.

Angelox · #5 10-01-2008, 08:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Congdar

FD classes have been doing so in battles to manage aggro for years. Bots shouldn't change that. I agree there's an exploitable situation, all I'm saying is a different solution would be better. If you make it this way then at least make a Bot::FDRule to disable it so monks with bots can continute to play eq the way they always have.

Ahh, Monks! I forgot about them, I was thinking about SKs and Necros only. Anyway, I didn't think of it as a permanent solution, just a filler tell something better shows up. At least the exploit got squashed out right away.
Could also toss in some exceptions; maybe a timer for FD while engaged, and un-limited time for FD while not engaged, so if you're in a fight and you stay on the FD too long, then they will all poof.
It's a combination problem where the player goes FD and when the bots gets killed, then they are 'not engaged' and he can quickly make another round of bots and send them in (all the time, he's FD)

**Congdar** · #6 10-02-2008, 09:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Angelox

just a filler tell something better shows up

I've got better stuff coming. I'm pretty excited about my next release. There's a lot of new features added from all the feedback plus I've closed up several exploits like those mentioned. I've also massively reduced lag from cpu hits the bot were generating during battles.

Ikeren · #7 10-02-2008, 12:43 PM

Here's something that I've always found difficult:

Camping kills the bots.

One of the "classic" things to do in a raid when it's all going down hill is yell "Cleric's Camp", and all the clerics try to camp out, with FD classes trying to FD. I've tried to camp in the middle of battles I'm certain to lose as a cleric, using Divine Barrier, but it only lasts 18 seconds. That has lead to 1 or 2 nasty failed encounters (one of them Deep in Vex Thal).

I'm not sure if this problem has a solution, and I'm not sure if the cure wouldn't be worse than the disease. But I'm just throwing it out there.

cubber · #8 10-02-2008, 12:58 PM

I have to agree with Congdar there has to be a better way to deal with the FD issue. I mainly play a monk and yes I do have to FD off aggro to my main tank bot often, would suck to see my whole group of bots just poof when I hit FD. That would require that monks unlearn a lot of basic group tactics to play with a bot group.

Hmm what about having your bots guard a pull spot while you go pull. You all of a sudden pick up aggro from 4 other mobs and need to FD, hmm bots poof...

This fix in my opinion breaks monks!

Now as for spawning bots while FD, that could be an exploit but it also has its benifits. You can't zone with bots so how do you prepare your group to zone into a place like PoG? I guess you could use invis zone in and spawn your bots, but I tend to zone in fd flop then spawn my group, then pop up an start fighting. Now both ways could be considered an exploit I guess, it does not really matter if your invis or FD you still have the ability to spawn bots!

I would say spawning bots invis is even more of an exploit than FD, invis up, run to uber_camp01, spawn bots and clear camp. At least with FD there is somewhat of a challange to get to a hard camp.

So if you are gonna remove it from an FD class better take off the ability to spawn them invis too.

just my 2 cents ...

**Congdar** · #9 10-02-2008, 01:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ikeren

Here's something that I've always found difficult:

Camping kills the bots.

One of the "classic" things to do in a raid when it's all going down hill is yell "Cleric's Camp", and all the clerics try to camp out, with FD classes trying to FD. I've tried to camp in the middle of battles I'm certain to lose as a cleric, using Divine Barrier, but it only lasts 18 seconds. That has lead to 1 or 2 nasty failed encounters (one of them Deep in Vex Thal).

I'm not sure if this problem has a solution, and I'm not sure if the cure wouldn't be worse than the disease. But I'm just throwing it out there.

I think the camp killing the bots can be removed since the logout covers killing the bots with identical code.