Party AI preference

[weimer]

If you are going to use scripts at all, don't bother with the ones that come with the game. Get the autobuff scripts from Solaufein or GB's scripts or the gSeries or uSeries scripts or somesuch. Basically, there are two classes of worthwhile scripts:

Auto-Pilot Scripts (like GB's scripts) will make all of the decisions for you and have special case handling for all of the items (e.g., they'll use the horn of valhalla, vhailor's helm, cast spells from scrolls, drink healing potions, look at the level of the opponents and decide whether to use a powerful spell or a weak one, cast healing spells on others, etc). These are lovely for getting through minor to medium battles with no intervention on your part. Want to grab a soda? Turn these guys on and watch your party take out the level while you hit the fridge. GB's scripts, for example, can handle pretty much everything in the game but Irenicus, Mellisan and Improved Foo fights. However, these scripts tend to override your orders whenever the ai lantern is on.

Suggestion-Only Scripts will only do things when you haven't given the characters orders. When the act they tend to make smart decions (much better than the game default scripts) but not super-genius ones (e.g., worse than GB's). However, you get quite a bit of flexibility: when something interesting happens you can "take over" an important character and do the right thing yourself.

Convenience Scripts typically come with minimal decision making. The autobuff scripts are an excellent example: they have minimal targeting (pick mages over mundanes) and minimal support (stoneskin and healing potions) but at the touch of a key they will cast all of your buff spells for you automatically, saving you (the human player) time and effort.

Personally, I usually play with a convenience script at double the normal framerate. If something interesting happens or I start losing I notice, pause the game, turn off AI, and take over manually. Otherwise it has been my experience that *long-term strategy* obviates the need for impressive tactics. If you pick a good quest order at the beginning of the game you will have enough loot and abilities and whatnot so that you are always tackling easily-doable foes. Few minor exceptions (liking diving for Fury, Ages or Gax) can be done by hand. I used to play with GBs scripts ... but as time went by I found that I didn't really need that kind of scripting power -- simple automated choices suffice as long as there is a human watching to correct the occasaional flagrant flaw.

[karlosovic]

personally I leave the AI lantern on with NPCs using their default scripts. I never give the PC a script and I usually direct all the traffic myself anyway... but with the NPCs on default it means they just use whatever weapon you last told them to... and if they kill what you told them to attack they move on to the next target without being told. It basically means they wont stand around doing nothing if you dont give them an order.
Ps the default NPC scripts have NEVER cast a spell that I have seen

[SpongeBobTheDestoyer]

Originally posted by weimer: If you are going to use scripts at all, don't bother with the ones that come with the game. Get the autobuff scripts from Solaufein or GB's scripts or the gSeries or uSeries scripts or somesuch.

Where do I find those and how do I implement them? Thanks.

[Alson]

Originally posted by SpongeBobTheDestoyer: Where do I find those and how do I implement them? Thanks.

To get the autobuff scripts, download and install the Sola Mod. Installing the Mod will automatically install the scripts -- choose them like you choose any other script (Record Screen -> Customize -> Scripts).

To get GB's scripts, visit Blucher's Home Page. In order to install them, just copy the required .BS (BAF files are the source) files into your \Baldur's Gate II\Scripts folder, and choose them normally.

[SpongeBobTheDestoyer]

Thanks, you know, I've had the Sola mod installed for the longest time and now that you said something I just remembered that there were different scripts added.

[Alson]

No problem. [img]smile.gif[/img]