<!-- MHonArc v2.4.4 --> <!--X-Subject: Re: [MUD-Dev] New topic: AI and NPCs --> <!--X-From-R13: pbqreNvoz.arg --> <!--X-Date: Sun, 31 Aug 1997 16:33:43 +0000 --> <!--X-Message-Id: 199708311633.QAA76100#out2,ibm.net --> <!--X-Content-Type: text/plain --> <!--X-Reference: 3404538D.EDECBA71#darklock,com --> <!--X-Head-End--> <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2//EN"> <html> <head> <title>MUD-Dev message, Re: [MUD-Dev] New topic: AI and NPCs</title> <!-- meta name="robots" content="noindex,nofollow" --> <link rev="made" href="mailto:coder#ibm,net"> </head> <body background="/backgrounds/paperback.gif" bgcolor="#ffffff" text="#000000" link="#0000FF" alink="#FF0000" vlink="#006000"> <font size="+4" color="#804040"> <strong><em>MUD-Dev<br>mailing list archive</em></strong> </font> <br> [ <a href="../">Other Periods</a> | <a href="../../">Other mailing lists</a> | <a href="/search.php3">Search</a> ] <br clear=all><hr> <!--X-Body-Begin--> <!--X-User-Header--> <!--X-User-Header-End--> <!--X-TopPNI--> Date: [ <a href="msg00884.html">Previous</a> | <a href="msg00886.html">Next</a> ] Thread: [ <a href="msg01112.html">Previous</a> | <a href="msg00906.html">Next</a> ] Index: [ <A HREF="author.html#00885">Author</A> | <A HREF="#00885">Date</A> | <A HREF="thread.html#00885">Thread</A> ] <!--X-TopPNI-End--> <!--X-MsgBody--> <!--X-Subject-Header-Begin--> <H1>Re: [MUD-Dev] New topic: AI and NPCs</H1> <HR> <!--X-Subject-Header-End--> <!--X-Head-of-Message--> <UL> <LI><em>To</em>: <A HREF="mailto:mud-dev#null,net">mud-dev#null,net</A></LI> <LI><em>Subject</em>: Re: [MUD-Dev] New topic: AI and NPCs</LI> <LI><em>From</em>: <A HREF="mailto:coder#ibm,net">coder#ibm,net</A></LI> <LI><em>Date</em>: Sun, 31 Aug 97 08:58:20 -0700</LI> <LI><em>Reply-to</em>: <A HREF="mailto:coder#ibm,net">coder#ibm,net</A></LI> </UL> <!--X-Head-of-Message-End--> <!--X-Head-Body-Sep-Begin--> <HR> <!--X-Head-Body-Sep-End--> <!--X-Body-of-Message--> <PRE> On 27/08/97 at 09:17 AM, Caliban Tiresias Darklock <caliban#darklock,com> said: >Has anyone managed to implement something resembling tactical >intellect in MUD mobs? That used to be a common source of threads in r.g.m.diku. The common approaches were things like formation combal (both for players and PC's), selective targeting by NPCS (if a group, get your magic user to get their magic user first, and then their healer, target your damage concentration (ie who you attack) such that each blow has the greatest possible chance of reducing their net damage per tick by the largest percentage, etc), healer NPC's which stodd "behind" the NPC formation, tanks, etc. It would seem we don't have many DIKU players here... Some of the methods that caught my eye: -- formations. Either tanking of players into an almost phalanx like brick, or frontal tanks (older style). -- limited summoning. Attack one mobile, and he'll call to others nearby to join him. -- scouts/sentries. Weak, easily killed mobiles. They keep lookout. If they see anything, or are atacked they scream like banshees. Other, stronger groups then converge to defend/attack. Thiefs (sneak) were used to kill them with alerts/warns. -- selective targeting. Target your damage concentration (ie who you attack) such that each blow has the greatest possible chance of reducing their net damage per tick by the largest percentage. -- supply chain targeting. As applicable target their healer to reduce/stop their regen rate. This factors into the above equation, especially for groups of NPCs. -- one-on-one targeting. If grouped allocate some of your attackers to "occupy" the attention of specific attackers on the basis of maximally reducing their damage percentage. This allows the rest of the group to concentrate on other attackers who are closer to death and damage the attacker's strength more. -- viability targeting. Most games don't scale attack ability by how close to death they area. A guy with 1hp swings a sword just as hard as a guy with 500hp. Target the rapidly killable one's first. -- divide and conquer. Use the various above tactices to most fragment their attack. Attempt to occupy their strongest attackers with side-line one on one battles while other fragments of your group concentrate on knocking out the weak ones, while your magic users targets their magic users, while a portion also concetrates on getting their healer, etc. -- full magic use. Full reasonable use of all game's magic capabilities. This encludes area spells, dragon/demon summons, fireballs, blindness , disorientation, etc. Casting love spells on your enemy is a great one here. -- reinforcements. If the opponent has such, or the NPC group seems statistically unlikely to survive, send a runner for reinforcements. -- mage summons. If the attacker's magic users outclass yours, summon, send a runner for a magic user replacement. -- healer summons, If the attacker's damage rate exceeds your recovery rate and you are statisically unlikely to survive, summon a healer to tilt the scales theother way. -- retreats. If overwhelmed, retreat back to positions of strenght (ie more defenders, positional advantage, location of healers/mages, etc). >I've been thinking about this sort of >halfheartedly, lately, and considering that this sort of thing isn't >often seen. There are several very simple tactical maneuvers which >appear at first blush to be rather easy to implement -- selection of >targets, for example. I'd note that all of the above are pretty easy to implement and not all that uncommon in the DIKU world (tho all together still seem to be rare). They also raise the challenge level of even simple combats by at least an order of magnitude. The individual NPCs may be wimps, but even fairly meager "intelligence" such as the above can have major effects. >In most D&D style games, the creatures should >concentrate on removing single targets rather than spreading attacks: >a wounded creature hits just as hard as a healthy one, but a dead one >doesn't hit at all. In systems where spellcasting can be easily >disrupted, such disruption should attract at least one creature's >efforts. Different methods would fit different creatures, such as >some who would target the weakest creatures first to thin the numbers >rapidly and then retreat, while others might attack the strongest >creatures first in order to simplify the extermination of the entire >group. Uhh, yeah. >There are additional possibilities, like the inclusion of raiding >parties: groups of creatures that go out and literally attack and >obliterate areas to loot and pillage them. This could actually create >rudimentary quests, as important families could on occasion attract >kidnap attempts and have an automatic response of posting a reward. If you look back at the Orc breeder/fighter/noble/king scenario this was one of the cases: When the population of the Orc warren rose above a defined population density, then fighter/noble bands set to wandering the surrounding countryside. Such wandering groups had two charges: destroy anything not from the home warren, locate a new set of caverns for a new warren. The repopulating mobiles, or reset-less quests thread also extended the Orc scenario to the endlessly recreated "Rescue the kidnapped princess" quest. Then such wandering Orcish bands would percentage chance target the enemy noble, and attempt to carry them away in chains for ransom/"protection". I semi-recall that the population migration (population flows like a liquid from high to low population densities) also had a percentage of such wandering mobiles being rogues (kidnappers and such). >Anyone thought much about this? It *looks* rather simple, but like I >said I haven't really gone in depth. What sort of efforts have other >people made in this regard? Just the above. -- J C Lawrence Internet: claw#null,net ----------(*) Internet: coder#ibm,net ...Honourary Member of Clan McFud -- Teamer's Avenging Monolith... </PRE> <!--X-Body-of-Message-End--> <!--X-MsgBody-End--> <!--X-Follow-Ups--> <HR> <ul compact><li><strong>Follow-Ups</strong>: <ul> <li><strong><A NAME="00906" HREF="msg00906.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] New topic: AI and NPCs</A></strong> <ul compact><li><em>From:</em> Jeff Kesselman <jeffk#tenetwork,com></li></ul> </UL></LI></UL> <!--X-Follow-Ups-End--> <!--X-References--> <UL><LI><STRONG>References</STRONG>: <UL> <LI><STRONG><A NAME="00767" HREF="msg00767.html">New topic: AI and NPCs</A></STRONG> <UL><LI><EM>From:</EM> Caliban Tiresias Darklock <caliban#darklock,com></LI></UL></LI> </UL></LI></UL> <!--X-References-End--> <!--X-BotPNI--> <UL> <LI>Prev by Date: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00884.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Re: MUD Universe</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Next by Date: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00886.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Re:</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Prev by thread: <STRONG><A HREF="msg01112.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] New topic: AI and NPCs</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Next by thread: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00906.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] New topic: AI and NPCs</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Index(es): <UL> <LI><A HREF="index.html#00885"><STRONG>Date</STRONG></A></LI> <LI><A HREF="thread.html#00885"><STRONG>Thread</STRONG></A></LI> </UL> </LI> </UL> <!--X-BotPNI-End--> <!--X-User-Footer--> <!--X-User-Footer-End--> <ul><li>Thread context: <BLOCKQUOTE><UL> <LI><STRONG>Re: [MUD-Dev] New topic: AI and NPCs</STRONG>, <EM>(continued)</EM> <ul compact> <ul compact> <ul compact> <ul compact> <ul compact> <LI><strong><A NAME="00818" HREF="msg00818.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] New topic: AI and NPCs</A></strong>, Caliban Tiresias Darklock <a href="mailto:caliban#darklock,com">caliban#darklock,com</a>, Thu 28 Aug 1997, 23:31 GMT </LI> </ul> <LI><strong><A NAME="00850" HREF="msg00850.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] New topic: AI and NPCs</A></strong>, Jon A. Lambert <a href="mailto:jlsysinc#ix,netcom.com">jlsysinc#ix,netcom.com</a>, Sat 30 Aug 1997, 01:36 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00954" HREF="msg00954.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] New topic: AI and NPCs</A></strong>, coder <a href="mailto:coder#ibm,net">coder#ibm,net</a>, Mon 01 Sep 1997, 17:53 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="01112" HREF="msg01112.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] New topic: AI and NPCs</A></strong>, clawrenc <a href="mailto:clawrenc#cup,hp.com">clawrenc#cup,hp.com</a>, Fri 05 Sep 1997, 21:48 GMT </LI> </UL> </LI> </UL> </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="00885" HREF="msg00885.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] New topic: AI and NPCs</A></strong>, coder <a href="mailto:coder#ibm,net">coder#ibm,net</a>, Sun 31 Aug 1997, 16:33 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00906" HREF="msg00906.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] New topic: AI and NPCs</A></strong>, Jeff Kesselman <a href="mailto:jeffk#tenetwork,com">jeffk#tenetwork,com</a>, Sun 31 Aug 1997, 19:46 GMT </LI> </UL> </LI> </ul> <LI><strong><A NAME="00872" HREF="msg00872.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Re: Character evolution</A></strong>, coder <a href="mailto:coder#ibm,net">coder#ibm,net</a>, Sun 31 Aug 1997, 06:06 GMT </LI> </ul> </ul> <LI><strong><A NAME="00771" HREF="msg00771.html">RE: [MUD-Dev] Re: Character evolution</A></strong>, Koster, Raph <a href="mailto:rkoster#origin,ea.com">rkoster#origin,ea.com</a>, Wed 27 Aug 1997, 16:40 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00777" HREF="msg00777.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Re: Character evolution</A></strong>, Jeff Kesselman <a href="mailto:jeffk#tenetwork,com">jeffk#tenetwork,com</a>, Wed 27 Aug 1997, 22:27 GMT </LI> </UL> </LI> </ul> </LI> </UL></BLOCKQUOTE> </ul> <hr> <center> [ <a href="../">Other Periods</a> | <a href="../../">Other mailing lists</a> | <a href="/search.php3">Search</a> ] </center> <hr> </body> </html>