Undead ai should auto reanimate IMPLEMENTED

[Savra]

Being that phantoms will soon be reanimatable, and the fact that undead rely on swarms just as much as they do spells. @Stratego (dev) could you make it so the undeads ai for units who can reanimate be able to auto reanimate if they aren't in combat or anything?

[Stratego (dev)]

I am not sure i understand, but please first talk to alexander in the matter - tthanks!

[Alexander82]

Being that phantoms will soon be reanimatable, and the fact that undead rely on swarms just as much as they do spells. @Stratego (dev) could you make it so the undeads ai for units who can reanimate be able to auto reanimate if they aren't in combat or anything?

I suppose you want the AI to be able to do something that the player can't, isn't it?

As far as I know at the moment it is not possible though.

I understand that "AI cheating" is one of the eay to make it better against players but I don't really know if it is possible right now.

One things we might do for AI is to make it produce things faster (e.g. AI tcs and factories might be set to produce at 1x 1,5x or 2x production per turn based on chosen difficulty).

[Dagravian]

No, it's actually the oposite. A thing that the player can while AI can't...

He mean to make AI better, but not giving unfair advantage to them, but to actually teach them how-to and when-to use their spells correctly, bcz when AI does have casters that own rise the dead or relatives... These units simply don't use their spells... So it ends that caster units controled by AI are just a waste of their production, and don't offer any challenge to the user...

This is a general issue of all factions, but since undead faction relies on that a lot much more than the others, it can't rely on the numbers provided by the "rise the dead" spells since we removed auto-cast of this spell... But ideally, AI should know how to do that by its own...

[Alexander82]

I hope it becomes possible then...

[Savra]

No, it's actually the oposite. A thing that the player can while AI can't...

He mean to make AI better, but not giving unfair advantage to them, but to actually teach them how-to and when-to use their spells correctly, bcz when AI does have casters that own rise the dead or relatives... These units simply don't use their spells... So it ends that caster units controled by AI are just a waste of their production, and don't offer any challenge to the user...

This is a general issue of all factions, but since undead faction relies on that a lot much more than the others, it can't rely on the numbers provided by the "rise the dead" spells since we removed auto-cast of this spell... But ideally, AI should know how to do that by its own...

Exactly, I'm getting tired of seeing a bunch of lich's doing the conga up toward my base and only being able to magic missile units, the undead literally made produce these and the way I see it the necromancer, lich, and spectral rider are the closest thing undead have to the healers of other races except they can't use their support spells.

The only one that can do far is the necromancer and his auto summon with the flesh golem, and that's it.

[Stratego (dev)]

this can be set by priprity
EFFECT_INSTANT_MAGIC_ARROW, 900
EFFECT_ANIMATE_DEAD, 600

meaning it will prefer magic arrow against animate dead.

i think since it got magic arrow spell it never uses animate dead.

[Alexander82]

can you give reanimation 9999 priority?

[makazuwr32]

The problem than that ai will try to use "animate dead" spell every turn and thus will jist forget about all other spells.

[Stratego (dev)]

no, it will only use whyn there are sekeltons around.

[makazuwr32]

Oh. If it is possible than i agree with alex to give reanimation for ai highest possible value.

[Stratego (dev)]

ok i set both to 999 in code - they are yet jsoned.
Const.setPri(EFFECT_ANIMATE_DEAD, 999);
Const.setPri(EFFECT_ANIMATE_DEAD_CLOSE, 999);

[Alexander82]

Great!

Now that I know how priority works I think we should give it proper values. I will open some topics to decide priority for AI spells

[Savra]

I take it by the fact that the ai lich and necromancer aren't able to reanimate still, this hasn't been json'd yet?

[Tankhead]

Wait what???
You can set priority on AI casters?

Then please Fix Dwarven Clerics to use Strengthen Spell.

[makazuwr32]

You know that dwarven basic casters do not have anymore strengthen spell, right, @Tankhead ?

[Tankhead]

Oh......Rip

[Savra]

Just a thought, if this doesn't work, is there a way you could just have them cycle through spells, eg magic missile as base used spell but every 2 turns unit uses reanimation?

Just thought to bring this up since Undead's strategy revolves around reanimation and the ai currently can't keep up with other races ai's like orcs ai, (who just need to rush you) and elves ai, (who rush you with archers) Undead's ai currently tries rushing you with mummies, occasionally lich's, zombies, and some skeletons here and there.

And when we come down to their phantoms who's upgrades all go into reanimation, this makes the ai's phantoms less effective being they don't have lich's, and necromancer's to back them up.

[Stratego (dev)]

i have a fix on this but is very dangerous.

as as side effect i ahve fixed a bug that self buff spells were not working either (eg. warmage was not enchanting its sword ever)

but as as sideffects casters might become too selfish casting only them selves everything if they can target themselves too - please check all ablilities that can also target themselves if there is any too "selfish" things now.