slime creature AI for IOoD

[HardboiledGargoyle]

The way slime creatures behave with respect to one another is readily observable: they move mindlessly toward the player, and merge with slime creatures who are in their way when they don't don't have an equally short path to the player.

On the other hand, iskenderun orbs of destruction have an odd way of moving which simulates inertia but also turns toward its target, and also wobbles randomly. Apparently, their movement patterns can be studied and deterministically avoided.

I'm wondering if IOoD could instead move freely, without "stumbling", but treat walls and monsters the way that slime creatures treat other slime creatures, i.e. "merge" (blow up) if blocking the way, avoid otherwise. This would enable various ways of avoiding and redirecting enemy orbs, but make it harder, clearer, deterministic.

One of the emergent aspects of IOoD movement is that it's highly unreliable in hallways and other confined spaces. This could be coded directly so that being near walls slows them down, weakens their damage, and/or dissipates them. This debuffing could also be applied when the IOoD quickly changes direction, which can easily happen if the target blinks.

[Sar]

  Code:

Here: a titanic orb of destruction (friendly)

[dowan]

That's interesting, but in the end it sounds like a buff for IOoD. I look at its unreliability as a bit of a balance to its power, as it is a single school non-elemental damage spell.

I suppose if you had it significantly lose power or slow down near walls maybe it comes out more even on balance, and would be less frustrating to use, which is always a good thing. Frustration is a bad balancing measure.

[duvessa]

It's a small buff to player IOOD and a large buff to monster IOOD, since it takes it from "you should literally never get hit by a non-wavering one if you know what you're doing" to "you need to block it". I'm pretty sure the latter buff is the motivation for the change, and the former buff doesn't strike me as a bad thing. It's not like the spell is especially great.

[HardboiledGargoyle]

you mean you do get hit by wavering orbs?

there would remain tactical ways of avoiding IOOD.
If you stand like this, the IOOD will hit you.

  Code:

##*    YY*
.#. or .Y.
.@.    .@.

But if you move over here first,

  Code:

##*    YY*
@#. or @Y.
...    ...

then the IOOD will have to hit the wall or monster, since a path through a wall or monster is shorter (by 1 tile) than the shortest path that avoids walls and monsters.

[duvessa]

you mean you do get hit by wavering orbs?

Sometimes it does make sense to stand adjacent to monsters with IOOD and sometimes you do get hit by IOOD from adjacent monsters, yes. Standing diagonally adjacent instead of cardinally does reduce the chance of this happening, but it still does sometimes.