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Suggestion for a toggle.

RawgrimRawgrim Member Posts: 621
in Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition
A toggle for that "advanced AI". As it is now it is turned on for the PC and every companion in the game. This is kind of a big drag, since companions often cast spells on themselves as soon as they join your party - thereby wasting a spell on nothing. The player then has to rest to get it back, and given that some companions will start whining if you spend too much time getting started with their personal quests.

A toggle to turn the thing completely off in the menus would be appreciated.

Comments

  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 0
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  • RawgrimRawgrim Member Posts: 621
    That one doesn't work. Even when it says "off" new companions still use their pre-set AI script. A.I was turned off and Nalia still cast a defensive spell on herself without my say so. I had a look at her Script and the Advanced A.I was still marked even if I had turned the A.I off in the bottom right corner.
  • Mr2150Mr2150 Member Posts: 1,170
    You can individually turn off the items in the CUSTOMIZE menu of each NPC. Here I've turned off Imoen's Advanced AI except for FIND TRAPS....


  • RawgrimRawgrim Member Posts: 621
    Yes, I know you can do that. And you have to do it individually. That doesn't stop them from casting a spell at themselves as soon as they join your party, though. Which is the issue here. With that A.I set to On by default for each NPC, the NPCs waste a spell when they join your party.

    So I am requesting a toggle for it in the main menu, so I can avoid this from the get-go. Imoen, for example, casts a spell on herself right after the intro. You don't have time to turn off the A.I before she does it.

    Why is this crap set to On by default, anyway? It basically just takes control away from your party.
  • dunbardunbar Member Posts: 1,603
    The default for the AI toggle is always "on" so you have to turn it off right at the beginning of every game (even if you set it to "off" in a previous game) - it's the first thing I do along with selecting party formations. Also, it's not easy (for me at least) to tell at a glance whether it's on or off as turning it on only makes the outline slightly brighter.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 0
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  • RawgrimRawgrim Member Posts: 621
    Aerie does it when she joins too. Even if the A.I is set to Off. You need to manually set the script to None, for each character. It is easy to forget doing this when you play for an hour or two and then recruit some new companion.

    This whole A.I tactics being set up as default also makes the game take control over my party. That alone is a big no no.
  • PeccaPecca Member Posts: 2,185
    AI toggle button set to Off does indeed disable any party AI scripts. I know this because I always play with party AI Off. You may be experiencing some weird bug. That said if it was disabled by default, I would welcome it.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 0
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  • RawgrimRawgrim Member Posts: 621
    It might be a bug, yes. Anyway, it should be set to off by default. The scrips are just a hassle anyway, and I doubt many players actually uses them.
  • ThacoBellThacoBell Member Posts: 12,235
    Yeah, the advance AI script is annoying. I hate wasting a spell when they join before I can modify it.
  • DeeDee Member Posts: 10,447
    Not to dispute the idea of an option to make Party AI off by default, but for players who need the assistance of computer-driven tactics, having to actively turn something on is completely counterintuitive. When you design ease-of-use features, you design them to be enabled by default for the people who need them; the people who don't want them can easily disable them, but if a person needs them and they aren't enabled by default, that person may never know they exist.

    An option to change the default state of that behavior, though? That sounds like an excellent Feature Request.
  • RawgrimRawgrim Member Posts: 621
    I'd argue that the people who buy the EE versions are quite familiar with how BG works, anyway. The game also has an excellent manual for the newbies.
  • DeeDee Member Posts: 10,447
    That doesn't change the fact that good design suggests that if you have a feature designed for newer players, those players shouldn't have to read a manual or hunt through the game's settings to figure out how to use it. The reason is simple: the players who are more likely to go hunting through the game's settings are the players who are more likely to not need those features.

    I'm not saying the idea doesn't have merit, but "off by default" is a little odd for something that is intended to help players less inclined to go hunting.
  • Mr2150Mr2150 Member Posts: 1,170
    Maybe such a toggle should simply be made during character creation...? That way there is no hunting for the setting and it can clearly describe what the toggle would do...
  • ThacoBellThacoBell Member Posts: 12,235
    I suggest having a toggle that be enabled in the options of the main screen, that way it can stay enabled for new players who may need it and the vets can disable it before even rolling their character.
  • RawgrimRawgrim Member Posts: 621
    Dee said:

    That doesn't change the fact that good design suggests that if you have a feature designed for newer players, those players shouldn't have to read a manual or hunt through the game's settings to figure out how to use it. The reason is simple: the players who are more likely to go hunting through the game's settings are the players who are more likely to not need those features.

    I'm not saying the idea doesn't have merit, but "off by default" is a little odd for something that is intended to help players less inclined to go hunting.

    Isn't that exactly the point of the manual in the first place? To teach new players how the game works?

    As it is now the "old" players, who I guess make up the bulk of the customers, are the ones who have to rummage through the menus and settings to turn OFF stuff. Plus, as I said earlier, newly recruited NPCs keep wasting spells when they join. Which forces the player to waste hours in-game to rest and get the spells back. If this is a bug or not, I am not sure. It happens in both BG1 and 2 now though.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 0
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  • PeccaPecca Member Posts: 2,185
    edited July 2016
    Dee has a good point. The era of manuals is gone. Nowadays developers need to handhold new players or they will get discouraged from playing, so it does make sense to have the button ON by default. But Mr2150 has an excelent idea. The last character creation page where the player chooses difficulty is a perfect place to have the toggle with explaining what it does.
    Post edited by Pecca on
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