08-29-2005, 08:36 PM
It will be interesting to see if D&D Online manages a significant advancement in MMORPG style AI. I'm not sure if DDO is going to implement Attacks of Opportunity, but if they do, this should prove the missing ingredient for much more interesting tactical combat. Low hitpoint/armor class characters in D&D generally depend on having a tank that can control the easiest path vulnerable characters via threatening free attacks on anything that charges past the tank. With this factor in place, you suddenly don't have to have dumb AI for the characters to survive. The AI can be smart enough to try to take down casters via missile attacks, or sending skirmishers around the flanks, and the players can be rewarded by having their party members survive if they play the positioning game better than the AI.
Without positioning control, agro lists are the only effective tool I can think of for the developers to use; otherwise, all mobs would immediately swarm mages, then clerics, then warlocks, then rogues, then hunters, etc, if they knew what was good for them.
WoW's combat is far too abstracted to ever give players a sense they are fighting intelligent opponents.
Without positioning control, agro lists are the only effective tool I can think of for the developers to use; otherwise, all mobs would immediately swarm mages, then clerics, then warlocks, then rogues, then hunters, etc, if they knew what was good for them.
WoW's combat is far too abstracted to ever give players a sense they are fighting intelligent opponents.