NWN1 Combat AI Sucks

alordofchaos.DeleteThis@yahoo.com wrote:
> On Nov 7, 10:33 pm, Gumby <gumb....DeleteThis@eastlink.spammersmustdie.ca> wrote:
>> Okay, obviously no one has any sort of an answer for my previous query
>> about how to force NWN to use 800x600 at any of the listed frequencies
>
> Try resetting? On the first screen on starting, there's a selection
> (at work at the moment, and haven't paid attention to it in a while,
> but it lets you select the resolution and frequency or change it).

Same results configuring through the loader and using the in-game
configuration panel - at 800x600 it refuses to do anything other than
56Hz. Higher resolutions work fine, as did 800x600 before I tried it in
windowed mode temporarily, at the standard frequencies (but I dislike
the higher resolutions - my machine's marginal, so there's a performance
hit :/).

> You can also allow it to auto-detect and set the "best" resolution and
> frequency.

No such option.

>> Is there any known way to get my character (Monk 9, Rogue 7) to stop
>> switching targets permanently when it does an attack of opportunity
>> against an approaching foe?
>
> The "AoO switch focus" bug was pretty well known... are you at the
> latest patch? Dunno off hand if it was ever fixed.

Not in 1.68, anyways. Oh well.

>> Several rounds of furiously
>> clicking on the Evoker I want to finish killing seems to have no effect :/)
>
> Pause the game, click off to the side (as if you are moving) - that
> should clear the queue of actions. Click back on the Evoker, then
> unpause. HTH.

Tried. Didn't work. Oh well. Maybe if I run him through chapter 3
again the extra 2 or 3 Monk levels (currently Monk 9/Rogue
7/Shadowdancer 1; would've stopped at Rogue 5, I think, and just built
the Monk, but got it in my head that Hide in Plain Sight would be
useful, not realizing that the Old Ones of Chapter 4 have True Sight)
help for chapter 4 (assuming that monsters scale upwards in power and
number slower than your levels increase your abilities, anyways

--
"Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They
never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our
people, and neither do we." - George W. Bush [August 5th, 2004]
 >> Stay informed about: NWN1 Combat AI Sucks 

On Nov 8, 3:54 pm, Gumby <gumb....DeleteThis@eastlink.spammersmustdie.ca> wrote:
> alordofch....DeleteThis@yahoo.com wrote:
> > You can also allow it to auto-detect and set the "best" resolution and frequency.
>
> No such option.

I could be mistaken... though I thought for sure that it did just that
on the first startup after install... I'll try to remember this
weekend, but probably won't get a chance until tuesday to post back.

> > Pause the game, click off to the side (as if you are moving) - that
> > should clear the queue of actions. Click back on the Evoker, then
> > unpause. HTH.
>
> Tried. Didn't work. Oh well.

Odd - works for me... maybe it's a bug to the Monk class. I always
play Ftr/Rog/shadowdancer, SoU and HotU installed, same patch as you.

>Maybe if I run him through chapter 3
> again the extra 2 or 3 Monk levels (currently Monk 9/Rogue 7/Shadowdancer 1;
> would've stopped at Rogue 5, I think, and just built the Monk,

Monk is one of those classes that it's best not to multiclass (or keep
the other classes really low levels)- because Monk power levels are so
dependent on Monk levels. Multiclassing really weakens a Monk
character.

> but got it in my head that Hide in Plain Sight would be
> useful, not realizing that the Old Ones of Chapter 4 have True Sight)
> help for chapter 4 (assuming that monsters scale upwards in power and
> number slower than your levels increase your abilities, anyways

Hide in plain sight is great against mundane enemeies (giants, etc)
but yeah, a lot of the tougher guys (dragons, etc) have True Sight.
 >> Stay informed about: NWN1 Combat AI Sucks 

On Nov 9, 11:29 am, Gumby <gumb... RemoveThis @eastlink.spammersmustdie.ca> wrote:
> alordofch... RemoveThis @yahoo.com wrote:
> >> Multiclassing really weakens a Monk character.
>
> Yeah, but I refuse to play a character without Searching, Open Locks and
> Disable Traps after finding out how useless the Rogue henchman in the OC
> was, so a minimum of Rogue 3 will be in whatever I play.

I played a BBN/FTR through the OC - wasn't much to search for that I
recall - or I just missed everything
As for Open Locks, Bash is a good substitute (doesn't work for NWN2 so
well, as you usually destroy an item in the chest). And as for
Disable Traps... that's what tons of HP are for <g>
If I _did_ happen to see a trap on a chest (before setting it off by
bashing), I could always bash it with some kind of ranged elemental
attack (fire arrows, etc)

I switched to ftr/rogue/shadowdancer starting with SoU and that's been
my favorite combo.

> wouldn't've been so bad if I'd planned for Shadowdancer from the
> beginning - I would've put the Rogue points into Move Silently and Hide
> instead of Lore, Heal and Persuade

I don't put more than a point or two in Heal anymore... Unless you're
in combat, or for a few seconds after combat is over, you do an
automatic "Take 20" on Heal checks.
IIRC someone went trhough the code for the OC and found the highest DC
check for poison was something like 25 or 26, so anything over 5 or 6
points in Heal was wasted (unless you are attempting to use a Heal kit
in combat)

> (Monk points were sufficient for
> them, really, in addition to Tumble and Discipline -

Yeah, I put pretty much 0 in discipline, but I max out Tumble in 5
point increments for the AC bonus.

> I suppose I can't really use my belt of Guiding Light and Ring of
> Resistance +3 thanks to being light sources (which, I assume, helps kill
> your Hide chances). Oh well.

It makes sense, but I haven't noticed that light sources actually
affect the chance of being spotted.

> Gonna have to try a more tightly-tuned character, I think, though that
> means trying to find a decent build online - I'm next to useless when it
> comes to figuring out one on my own (if my Diablo II experience is any
> indication - and that has far fewer options for building .

My usual build is Rogue 1 (for all the skill points at first level),
switch to Ftr. keep leveling as fighter, but the only skill points I
use are for lore (taking advantage that NWN1 lets you save skill
points when you level up).
Take a level of rogue at 7, 12, 17, etc (increments of 5) and max the
Hide, Move, Tumble and Use Magic Device. Take a level of shadowdancer
at level 8 for HiPS. I usually do Wpn focus, wpn spec, Imp critical
in long sword (followed by Grtr wpn focus, Grtr Wpn Spec, etc) along
with knockdown and/or disarm. Stick with chain shirt if available,
chain mail, and unequip the shield when sneaking about.

Stats Str 15, Dex 14, Con 14, with a 14 in intelligence. All stat
bumps go to Str.

> Hmmm. Are pure Rogue/Shadowdancer combos as useless against bosses, not
> to mention undead and constructs, as they seem on paper?

Yep, poor BAB, mediocre/poor HP, no shields, light armor and foes
being immune to Sneak attack = tough fights. The build i usualy play
- mostly fighter - is much better in melee, can use just about any
magic item (eg, Boots of the Sun Soul - for monks only, but i usually
use a pair if boots of speed aren't available) plus scrolls, wands,
etc.

I don't usually play spellcasters because in a lot of modules, resting
is restricted and I have a hard time judging range and area of effect
in NWN1 (NWN2 does a much better job)
 >> Stay informed about: NWN1 Combat AI Sucks 

On Nov 9, 3:07 pm, Gumby <gumb... DeleteThis @eastlink.spammersmustdie.ca> wrote:
> alordofch... DeleteThis @yahoo.com wrote:
> > I don't put more than a point or two in Heal anymore... Unless you're
> > in combat, or for a few seconds after combat is over, you do an
> > automatic "Take 20" on Heal checks.
>
> Huh. I thought it also increased the HP healing...

It might, I haven't noticed... but I almost never use Heal kits for
that. I use potions when needed, and there is a regeneration item that
can become available on completing a henchman sidequest... dunno if
you want spoilers or not.

> > My usual build is <snip>
>
> With so much Fighter, is there really any need (or use, if there's a
> penalty to Stealth checks when wearing heavy/metal armor?) for the
> stealthy Rogue (and SD) skills?

Yep - I only use light armor (chain shirt preferred, -2 penalty) or
med armor like chain mail (when a chain shirt isn't available or is
far inferior, -5 penalty). With HiPS, I can fight a large number of
enemies, and if they start kicking my butt, I can run and Hide, and
walk away for some curing. Also, being able to sneak for that first
attack helps (except agains undead, constructs, etc).

Lots of skill points also let me use just about any magic item, open
most locks, search out and disable most traps, and set them to use
against enemies. Even though the rogue level is fairly low, the skill
points in certain skills (Hide, Move, UMD, Tumble, etc) are maxed. So
my Ftr 5/Rog 2 will have Hide 10, Tumble 10 (+2 to AC, woot!), etc.

> Well, the equipment part can easily be taken care of by a single Fighter level

True - getting access to be able to use Tower Shields is a big thing
for your AC. That's bigger than access to Hvy/Med armor, IMO. You
can unequip shields to lose the penalty on hide/move.

Biggest thing is the feats you can take, plus fighter's Base Attack
Bonus. Dunno how NWN does it, but in Pen and Paper D&D, if you take
1 level of Monk, 1 level of Rogue, 1 level of Bard, and 1 level of
Wizard, 1 level of sorceror, you have a 5th level character with BAB
of... zero.

> Oh, well, I'll figure something out. Started a Human Rogue, building
> towards stealthiness and Set Traps. Currently level 4 (no multiclass
> yet - taking 2 levels of SD as soon as they become available; might
> splash a level of Fighter for the heavier armor and WF/WS, if I can
> figure out which weapon this Ambidextrous Two Weapon Fighter should go with)

Rapier, if NWN1 allows wielding two without bigger penalties for the
offhand, (don't recall offhand), otherwise, Short swords (assuming you
take the weapon finess feat)

Strength based Two Weapon Fighters are better off...my HotU character
was dual-wielding bastard swords towards the end.
 >> Stay informed about: NWN1 Combat AI Sucks 

alordofchaos.DeleteThis@yahoo.com wrote:
>> Maybe if I run him through chapter 3
>> again the extra 2 or 3 Monk levels (currently Monk 9/Rogue 7/Shadowdancer 1;
>> would've stopped at Rogue 5, I think, and just built the Monk,
>
> Monk is one of those classes that it's best not to multiclass (or keep
> the other classes really low levels)- because Monk power levels are so
> dependent on Monk levels. Multiclassing really weakens a Monk
> character.

Yeah, but I refuse to play a character without Searching, Open Locks and
Disable Traps after finding out how useless the Rogue henchman in the OC
was, so a minimum of Rogue 3 will be in whatever I play. OTOH, it
wouldn't've been so bad if I'd planned for Shadowdancer from the
beginning - I would've put the Rogue points into Move Silently and Hide
instead of Lore, Heal and Persuade (Monk points were sufficient for
them, really, in addition to Tumble and Discipline - which I put too
many points into before finding out about Thieves' Hoods) and probably
would've been able to stop at Rogue 3 (then 2 levels of SD - he's a
Human, so Darkvision'd be nice). Only down side I can see right now is
that I suppose I can't really use my belt of Guiding Light and Ring of
Resistance +3 thanks to being light sources (which, I assume, helps kill
your Hide chances). Oh well.

>> but got it in my head that Hide in Plain Sight would be
>> useful, not realizing that the Old Ones of Chapter 4 have True Sight)
>> help for chapter 4 (assuming that monsters scale upwards in power and
>> number slower than your levels increase your abilities, anyways
>
> Hide in plain sight is great against mundane enemeies (giants, etc)
> but yeah, a lot of the tougher guys (dragons, etc) have True Sight.

Gonna have to try a more tightly-tuned character, I think, though that
means trying to find a decent build online - I'm next to useless when it
comes to figuring out one on my own (if my Diablo II experience is any
indication - and that has far fewer options for building .

Hmmm. Are pure Rogue/Shadowdancer combos as useless against bosses, not
to mention undead and constructs, as they seem on paper?

--
"Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They
never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our
people, and neither do we." - George W. Bush [August 5th, 2004]
 >> Stay informed about: NWN1 Combat AI Sucks 

alordofchaos.RemoveThis@yahoo.com wrote:
> I switched to ftr/rogue/shadowdancer starting with SoU and that's been
> my favorite combo.
>
>> wouldn't've been so bad if I'd planned for Shadowdancer from the
>> beginning - I would've put the Rogue points into Move Silently and Hide
>> instead of Lore, Heal and Persuade
>
> I don't put more than a point or two in Heal anymore... Unless you're
> in combat, or for a few seconds after combat is over, you do an
> automatic "Take 20" on Heal checks.

Huh. I thought it also increased the HP healing...

>> Gonna have to try a more tightly-tuned character, I think, though that
>> means trying to find a decent build online - I'm next to useless when it
>> comes to figuring out one on my own (if my Diablo II experience is any
>> indication - and that has far fewer options for building .
>
> My usual build is Rogue 1 (for all the skill points at first level),
> switch to Ftr. keep leveling as fighter, but the only skill points I
> use are for lore (taking advantage that NWN1 lets you save skill
> points when you level up).
> Take a level of rogue at 7, 12, 17, etc (increments of 5) and max the
> Hide, Move, Tumble and Use Magic Device. Take a level of shadowdancer
> at level 8 for HiPS.
<snip>

With so much Fighter, is there really any need (or use, if there's a
penalty to Stealth checks when wearing heavy/metal armor?) for the
stealthy Rogue (and SD) skills?

> Yep, poor BAB, mediocre/poor HP, no shields, light armor and foes
> being immune to Sneak attack = tough fights. The build i usualy play
> - mostly fighter - is much better in melee, can use just about any
> magic item (eg, Boots of the Sun Soul - for monks only, but i usually
> use a pair if boots of speed aren't available) plus scrolls, wands,
> etc.

Well, the equipment part can easily be taken care of by a single Fighter
level (though I think I'd want 6 levels total - 5 early on and one later
at level 21 for an Epic Weapon Focus & Specialization, in addition to a
regular WF/WS).

Oh, well, I'll figure something out. Started a Human Rogue, building
towards stealthiness and Set Traps. Currently level 4 (no multiclass
yet - taking 2 levels of SD as soon as they become available; might
splash a level of Fighter for the heavier armor and WF/WS, if I can
figure out which weapon this Ambidextrous Two Weapon Fighter should go
with) and finished clearing out the Cultist side of the underground of
Beggars' Nest - will do the the Warehouse side and then head to the
Trade of Blades to grab someone to go kill that Bloated Dire Spider for
me.

--
"Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They
never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our
people, and neither do we." - George W. Bush [August 5th, 2004]
 >> Stay informed about: NWN1 Combat AI Sucks 

alordofchaos.DeleteThis@yahoo.com wrote:
>> Oh, well, I'll figure something out. Started a Human Rogue, building
>> towards stealthiness and Set Traps. Currently level 4 (no multiclass
>> yet - taking 2 levels of SD as soon as they become available; might
>> splash a level of Fighter for the heavier armor and WF/WS, if I can
>> figure out which weapon this Ambidextrous Two Weapon Fighter should go with)
>
> Rapier, if NWN1 allows wielding two without bigger penalties for the
> offhand, (don't recall offhand), otherwise, Short swords (assuming you
> take the weapon finess feat)
>
> Strength based Two Weapon Fighters are better off...my HotU character
> was dual-wielding bastard swords towards the end.

Apparently there's a bug where a Rapier in the left hand doesn't count
as a light weapon. Once I read about that, and since I started at 18
Dex, I decided to go with Weapon Finesse when I took a Fighter level at
character level 5 instead of Weapon Focus. Currently wielding a Rapier
in my right hand and a Mace in my left (AB +6 that way - +8 for either
alone, +4 each if the Rapier's on left; dunno if that's the effect of
the bug or because of Two Weapon Fighting size difference lack of bonus
for the larger size category weapon being in the left). Still, I could
go with a pair of short swords, assuming I take a couple of more Fighter
levels to Focus/Specialize, and keep a pair of maces hotkeyed in reserve...

--
"Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They
never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our
people, and neither do we." - George W. Bush [August 5th, 2004]
 >> Stay informed about: NWN1 Combat AI Sucks