Shadowbane AI

[Martok]

This news comes from Shadowbane Stratics.  Impressive information regarding the monster AI.  

Dreadflame: Some comments from the Dark Lord…

Indeed, monster behavior is something that I consider very important, especially in a game that's fundamental source of income (like most games in the genre), comes from slaying monsters and taking their stuff. A variety of behaviors and strategies on the part of the monsters add a lot of fun to the game. "Wall lickers", on the other hand, grow old very fast.

Eiss and I have recently finished another pass on critter AI. My favorite configuration so far was a bunch of orcs that formed up a group, marched in formation across the wasteland, (with the orc captain shouting insults at his vassals the whole way), proceeded to the nearest Tree of Life, and began attacking all non-orcs they found their (mostly guards patrolling the tree, who in turn handed the orcs their asses).

There is a lot I'm tempted to say on the subject, but suffice to say that I expect players will have a lot of fun with the PvE in Shadowbane. I'm looking forward to peoples' reaction to how things mesh in with the RTS aspects of the game. The orcs, bandits, savages, and other fell creatures play their own part as pawns in the Game of Thrones.

Hedron, I believe, wrote a particularly good article on monster manipulation in PvP combat, which I recommend as a little relaxation time reading.

He then added...

In terms of Monster versus Monster (MvM, I suppose), it's a topic of fair debate among the design team. I personally like it (under controlled circumstances and not using up too much server time), but others consider it too exploitable. Everything in moderation. For example, one of the newbie zones is "the Wild Hunt," where a bunch of grobolds chase around creatures in the woods (and ignore players, until attacked).

When it comes to the question of drawing off monsters from groups- obviously all critter behavior is going to be exploitable in at least a small way. However, as of the current state of Shadowbane, monsters who are grouped take their orders from the group leader. Monsters with poor loyalty (or a leader with poor leadership) will break ranks and attack or flee on their own sometimes (the Irekei, for example, will almost always disobey their group leader and attack Elves on site... even breaking invisibility on an ambush). Hopefully, then, you will find that when you are drawing monsters away from their war parties it will be because of intentional rashness on the part of the enemy.

I reckon that WP should have a special emblem added to any guild who has had a town successfully sieged by Grobolds. Think of the extra respect that you will recieve from other players for holding such an illustrious accolade!

  - Tiamat

[Coldren]

Quote from Martok, posted on

My favorite configuration so far was a bunch of orcs that formed up a group, marched in formation across the wasteland, (with the orc captain shouting insults at his vassals the whole way), proceeded to the nearest Tree of Life, and began attacking all non-orcs they found their (mostly guards patrolling the tree, who in turn handed the orcs their asses).

That's truly great AI... How awsome would it have been if we had to actually gaurd Olympus from NPC orc invasions from time to time..

Coldren: Kalinaf! The orcs are on their way here! Get to Olympus!

Kalinaf: Shadowclan?

Coldren: No, this time I mean the actual ORCS! I can see about 30 bombers in 6 lines from here, and I'm wearing my new armor!!!

*sigh* Oh well.. no use wishin for what will never be. But it would have been pretty fun. ^_^