ArenaNet talk:AI bugs/resolved2

Assassin

Hero & Henchmen skill usage -- Dark Escape

Issue: The AI uses this skill as a speed boost during battle.
How to fix: The AI should only use the skill when taking damage.
Additional info: none

--Draikin 19:40, 14 March 2008 (UTC)

I agree that in most cases this skill is reserved for when you are taking damage, but that is not to say it also cannot be used to move faster to, for example, get to a shrine in HB. I'm leaving this with the gray X so more people can share their thoughts. --Andrew Patrick 00:04, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

I put a bug in on this issue. Heroes seem to be using Dark Escape on their way to engaging an enemy. As a result, it ends almost immediately when they subsequently attack. Ben Kirsch 18:17, 9 July 2008 (UTC)

After the latest update the AI uses this skill less frequently during combat. --Draikin 13:48, 9 August 2008 (UTC)

Hero & Henchmen skill usage -- Signet of Shadows

Issue: The AI uses this skill on targets who are not suffering from blind, which means the skill will not deal the conditional bonus damage.
How to fix: The AI should only use this skill on foes who are suffering from blind.
Additional info: none

--Draikin 04:44, 10 April 2008 (UTC)

The conditional damage is not the only effect of this skill which means it is still beneficial for a hero to use this skill against a non-blinded foe. This is actually kind of the opposite of the report for Shattering Assault. In both cases, just because the skill is not giving all of it's effects does not mean it is not still beneficial to use the skill. --Andrew Patrick 23:25, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

I really have to disagree here. You can't compare Shattering Assault and this skill. In this case, using Signet of Shadows to deal only ~30 damage every 30 seconds is not worth it at all (compare that to an unblockable SA combo). First of all anyone using Signet of Shadows will have a way to inflict blind so you'll want the hero to wait until they apply that condition before using this skill. I have to emphasize that just because a skill has a secondary effect, it's not always worth using on recharge. That's why these things should be reviewed on a skill-per-skill basis. In its current form simply nobody will use this skill. I changed the "No" icon to indicate that this is up for debate. --Draikin 23:46, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

I put in a bug on this issue requesting that heroes rarely use Signet of Shadows when the target is not under the effects of blind. I am hesitant to ask for heroes to only use the skill when the target is blind, because the skill may be one of the few non-melee attacks the hero has. Ben Kirsch 18:49, 9 July 2008 (UTC)

I just tested the new AI update for this skill to try and understand the "less likely to use" part added to so many of the skills, and after sending my hero into combat the first skill it used was Signet of Shadows on a target that wasn't blinded... A few test runs later, I can't say I see any noticeably improvements to the way they use the skill. Could someone clarify exactly what was changed about the skill? --Draikin 00:29, 8 August 2008 (UTC)

I have posted a general example in the thread on Lightning Bolt. I didn't test this particular change first hand, but I'm assuming the same principle will apply. I hope to update all of the changes in greater detail soon. In short, your hero should now think of Signet of Shadows as slightly less useful than certain of his other skills. If the target is blinded, he will think of it as more useful than certain of his other skills. The difference might not be dramatic in all situations with all skill bars, but I can confirm from similar changes that the percentage chance of the hero using a skill when it's conditional effect is not met has been decreased if a better skill is available for that situation. -Kim Chase 01:04, 8 August 2008 (UTC)

Thanks for the explanation, I hadn't notice the example you posted on Lightning Bolt. I can understand this type of solution (which should work reasonably well for skills with a low energy cost/recharge), although I'm a bit confused about updates like these:

• Heroes are less likely to cast protective enchantments that trigger on attack unless the party is in combat.
• Heroes are less likely to use Extinguish if only one ally is suffering from a condition.
• Heroes are less likely to use Enfeeble on foes that are already suffering from Weakness
• Heroes are more likely to use preparations outside of combat.

I'm not sure why the "less/more likely" part was added to those skills as well? In any case, thanks for releasing this update! --Draikin 02:02, 8 August 2008 (UTC)

I see what you mean! This probably wasn't used as a strict term to always mean this kind of change in the update notes. Some of those might have been someone paraphrasing a change and choosing to use soft wording where it wasn't relevant. And thank you for helping this build be bigger and better yourself. On our end, the AI changes are thanks to the hard work of mister Joe Kimmes. He's pretty awesome at what he does. -Kim Chase 02:11, 8 August 2008 (UTC)

Going to archive this since the skill has changed in the latest update. --Draikin 13:48, 9 August 2008 (UTC)

Dervish

Hero & Henchmen skill usage -- Lyssa's Assault

Issue: The AI uses this skill even while not enchanted in which case the high energy cost is not worth the extra damage.
How to fix: Update the AI so that heroes only use the skill when they're enchanted.
Additional info: none

--Draikin 19:20, 28 November 2007 (UTC)

Skills that have some effects that always occur, and other effects that only occur when a specific prerequisite is met (such as "must be enchanted") are tricky. It is very subjective when it is "worth it" for a skill to be used despite the fact that only some of the effects will occur. With that in mind, this isn't really a "bug" per se. However, I want to keep this discussion open as I am aware this may not be the preferred behavior of the AI, so please share your thoughts. --Andrew Patrick 00:38, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

If possible, I think the AI should attempt to enchant himself/herself before using this skill. However, considering that's skill chaining, I am not sure if AI is able to accomplish it. --Voidvector 07:13, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

A bug has been submitted requesting that heroes use this skill less often when not under the effects of an enchantment. Ben Kirsch 19:45, 9 July 2008 (UTC)

Hero & Henchmen skill usage -- Chilling Victory, Crippling Victory

Issue: The AI uses these skill on foes who have more health than they do, in which case the extra damage doesn't outweigh the energy cost (in the case of Chilling Victory) or the recharge (in the case of Crippling Victory).
How to fix: Update the AI so that heroes only use these skills on foes which have less health than they do.
Additional info: none

--Draikin 19:20, 28 November 2007 (UTC)

Skills that have some effects that always occur, and other effects that only occur when a specific prerequisite is met (such as "must be enchanted") are tricky. It is very subjective when it is "worth it" for a skill to be used despite the fact that only some of the effects will occur. With that in mind, this isn't really a "bug" per se. However, I want to keep this discussion open as I am aware this may not be the preferred behavior of the AI, so please share your thoughts. --Andrew Patrick 00:38, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Spamming it is fine by me. It is pretty much what I do as a player dervish. I rely on runes and inscriptions to boost my health above the enemy's health. Human players have no way of exacting enemy's health anyway. --Voidvector 07:13, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

This issue has been reported. Ben Kirsch 19:27, 9 July 2008 (UTC)

Elementalist

Hero & Henchmen skill usage -- Blinding Surge, Blinding Flash

Issue: The AI always uses Blinding Surge on recharge on their current target (either a called or locked target), regardless of what weapon that target is wielding. Blinding Flash is used slightly better, since the AI will use it on foes wielding martial weapons (and even when they're locked onto a different target), but it still uses the skill on recharge and even on foes that aren't attacking and on pets.
How to fix: Both of these skills should only be used on foes wielding martial weapons who are attacking and not suffering from the Blind condition. They should not be used on pets unless there are no other attacking foes.
Additional info: none

--Draikin 02:52, 29 January 2008 (UTC)

Unlike Blinding Flash, Blinding Surge also causes damage and thus the AI uses it for it's damage rather than strictly the "blind" effect. This is by design since players have the ability to disable automatic use of this skill if they wish for them to only use it on certain targets. This sort of ties in with the "conditional effect" skills in a way, so I am keeping the discussion open. --Andrew Patrick 00:57, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Players do have the ability to disable skills, but the more they are forced to do so the more it means the AI is flawed. When people bring Blinding Flash on their heroes, they primarily want them to blind foes wielding martial weapons. Heroes should stick to completing that task and let the player handle all the rest. Lets compare the current behavior and the way I would change the skill:

• the skill used like it is now: heroes mindlessly spam it on a completely random target until they're at 0 energy as if the skill is an expensive version of Lightning Strike. Players are force to disable the skill entirely and micro it if they actually want to blind certain opponents.
• the skill the way I would change it: heroes specifically target the opposing foes carrying martial weapons in an effort to blind them. The skill isn't used as much since the AI focuses on maintaining blind, leaving more time for them to use their other 7 skills (one of which might be Lightning Strike for example, which costs half as much energy and does the same damage). Players also don't have to micro nearly as much and only have to manually click the skill occasionally (to blind and/or deal damage to a certain target). --Draikin 18:10, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Human players use B Surge for both blinding and damage (just watch any GvG, you will see B Surge being used for spiking). I think AI should be able to do both as well. Considering it's more useful for blinding than damage, I think the AI should prioritize for blinding. I suggest use it on recharge with the following priorities:

1. Use it on the locked/called target
2. Attempt to blind multiple martial enemies
3. Attempt to blind 1 martial enemies
4. Lastly use it for damage --Voidvector 07:13, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

I have put in reports requesting that both Blinding Surge and Blinding Flash be used more effectively. Hopefully Blinding Surge will be used in a more limited fashion to keep heroes from using the high energy cost for less base damage. Also, when testing Energy Flash my hero was using it even on enemies that had no martial weapons and were already blinded, so hopefully we can get that to work better as well. Keep in mind that heroes are not intended to play at a higher level than a player, since AI can react to some situations much faster than a user can. We hope to make improvements, but it might not always be the "most effective" use for this reason. Thank you Draikin. -Kim Chase 19:26, 9 July 2008 (UTC)

Hero & Henchmen skill usage -- Chain Lightning, Invoke Lightning

Issue: These skills are used on only one foe, unlike other AoE spells.
How to fix: Update the AI so that these spells are only used when they can hit at least two foes.
Additional info: none

--Draikin 12:44, 14 March 2008 (UTC)

I agree that Chain Lightning should only be used against multiple targets, since its steep Exhaustion cost is only justified by hitting two or more enemies. If a Glyph of Energy was used, I wouldn't care if it hit one enemy, since the exhaustion penalty would be avoided. However, I don't think Invoke Lightning should be used against single targets, it does a lot of damage with no drawback while enchanted. If the elementalist lost all enchants, it would be nice if Invoke Lightning was only used against multiple targets, since it would cause Exhaustion as well; but that might not be worth the work to implement. - Elder Angelus 15:07, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

I have put in reports suggesting that Chain Lightning and Invoke Lighting could be used more effectively by heroes. Hopefully we can prevent the heroes from exhausting themselves needlessly. -Kim Chase 21:35, 9 July 2008 (UTC)

Hero & Henchmen skill usage -- Mind Blast, Glowing Gaze, Glowstone, Shock Arrow, Glowing Ice

Issue: The problem with these skills is that people want heroes to use them as energy management, but the AI instead uses the skills on recharge regardless of whether or not they trigger the conditional energy gain.
How to fix: The way I would solve this problem is to not only let them use the skills only when they'll get the energy gain, but also by letting them ignore their target lock when doing so. For example in the case of Mind Blast, you could then safely lock them onto a target and they'd still be able to use Mind Blast as energy management while using other skills on their target without burning through their energy reserve.
Additional info: none

--Draikin 13:31, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

I have put in reports for these five skills, although I would prefer that the changes be more conservative than what what has been suggested here. For instance, we don't want to make it so that a hero uses Mind Blast as efficiently as possible. A player is not aware of the energy level of their target, instead relying on certain observations to guess as to whether their energy is greater than the target. Anyway, these have all been passed along along with your personal comments. Hopefully we can do something to have heroes manage their energy with these skills a little more efficiently. Thank you for the suggestions. -Kim Chase 23:37, 9 July 2008 (UTC)

Mesmer

Hero & Henchmen skill usage -- Ether Signet

Issue: The AI doesn't take activation time and energy regeneration into account when using this skill. For example if the skill would grant you energy when you're below 9 energy, a hero will use the skill when he's at 8 energy but he doesn't take into account that he'll be at 9 energy by the time he finished casting.
How to fix: Update the AI so that they take energy regeneration and activation time into account when using this skill.
Additional info: none

--Draikin 20:34, 2 January 2008 (UTC)

A bug has been submitted on this issue. Ben Kirsch 19:59, 9 July 2008 (UTC)

Hero & Henchmen skill usage -- Empathy

Issue: The problem with this skill is that the AI tries to use it on offensive spirits like Pain. To reproduce the problem, target lock the hero on an opponent who isn't attacking and is standing next to an offensive spirit (no other attacking foes should be in range). Now select an ally and order the hero to use Empathy. Normally, the hero will try to use Empathy on his current target. With this particular skill however, the hero doesn't use it on his target and instead looks for another target that is actually attacking. When the only target in range that is attacking is a spirit, the hero will try to use it on that spirit but fail and will then simply refuse to use the skill altogether and stop attacking until you cancel it.
How to fix: The AI should use this skill in the same way they use Insidious Parasite (in other words spread the hex around on targets that are attacking, regardless of their current target lock) and ignore spirits.
Additional info: none

--Draikin 14:53, 29 January 2008 (UTC)

I could not reproduce this. My hero would cast Empathy on a non-attacking target and would never attempt to cast a hex on a spirit. More info would be helpful if you are still experiencing this problem. Thanks! --Andrew Patrick 01:17, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Let the Master of Spirits set up Shadowsong or Pain and then follow the above instructions, that always triggers the bug for me. --Draikin 06:30, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

A bug has now been submitted on this issue. Thanks for the report, and additional info. Ben Kirsch 18:12, 15 July 2008 (UTC)

Hero & Henchmen skill usage -- Enchanter's Conundrum

Issue: The AI uses this skill on foes who are under the effects of an enchantment in which case the skill will not deal any damage.
How to fix: The AI should only use the skill on foes who are not under the effects of an enchantment. While it can be argued that the skill is still effective otherwise, players bringing this skill will likely also be bringing enchantment removal which the hero can use first. Secondly players can still order heroes manually if they want them to use the skill on a foe who is under the effects of an enchantment.
Additional info: none

--Draikin 19:40, 14 March 2008 (UTC)

A bug has been submitted on this issue. Ben Kirsch 22:27, 9 July 2008 (UTC)

Hero & Henchmen skill usage -- Unnatural Signet

Issue: The AI uses this skill on non-summoned creatures when there are no summoned creatures nearby, which means they'll often use the skill at the wrong time and then have to wait 40 seconds before they can use it again, giving the opponent plenty of time to set up a spirit nest. It would seem more efficient to let the AI only use this skill on summoned creatures. If the player wants them to use the skill on non-summoned creatures (for example the opponent isn't using any spirits or minions), they can simply manually click the skill (only once every 40 seconds).
How to fix: The AI should only use this skill on summoned creatures.
Additional info: none

--Draikin 13:00, 11 April 2008 (UTC)

A bug has been submitted on this issue. Ben Kirsch 22:45, 9 July 2008 (UTC)

Hero & Henchmen skill usage -- Shame

Issue: The AI doesn't seem to use this skill at all.
How to fix: The AI should use this skill on casters, if possible those who are using spells on their allies. The common behavior for the AI when using these kinds of skills is to use them on foes who are not wielding martial weapons, but unfortunately this isn't a very good method since casters often do equip martial weapons in PvP. That said, it would still be an acceptable solution for this problem.
Additional info: none

--Draikin 13:31, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

Thanks for the report. Heroes should be using Shame against all Monks (Primary or Secondary), but there appears to be something preventing them from using it against other heroes. A bug has been submitted. Ben Kirsch 23:35, 9 July 2008 (UTC)

Hero & Henchmen skill usage -- Waste Not, Want Not

Issue: The AI uses this skill even when they're at full energy.
How to fix: The AI should use this skill only when they actually need the energy, on foes who are not attacking or casting a spell.
Additional info: none

--Draikin 18:35, 17 May 2008 (UTC)

A bug has been submitted on this issue. Ben Kirsch 18:37, 10 July 2008 (UTC)

Monk

Hero & Henchmen skill usage -- Zealous Benediction

Issue: Heroes and henches using this skill do not use it to heal themselves, and they constantly use the skill on allies that have more than 50% health.
How to fix: Update the AI so that ZB is also used as a selfheal and not used on targets above 50% health when other (more efficient) heals are available.
Additional info:

--Draikin 23:38, 8 September 2007 (UTC)

These issues have been reported. Ben Kirsch 23:10, 28 January 2008 (UTC)

After the February 6 update heroes now also target themselves when using Zealous Benediction, but the skill is still used on allies above 50% health which means it's still used very inefficiently. --Draikin 00:02, 7 February 2008 (UTC)

I put in a report on this. Personally, I don't think having heroes not use this skill on targets over 50% health would be all that desired. Even without the +7 energy this is a pretty big heal with a cost on-par with Heal Other. I passed on your concern, though. --Andrew Patrick 18:56, 9 July 2008 (UTC)

The Hero AI always seemed to be efficient at using skills the moment the right conditions for it are met so I would imagine they'd also be effective at using it that way. The way the hero AI uses the skill now, giving them Word of Healing instead is always a better choice. --Draikin 23:21, 9 July 2008 (UTC)

Zealous Benediction should be used sparingly when a target needs healing but has more than half life. It will be given priority over some other healing spells if the condition is met. -Kim Chase 04:13, 8 August 2008 (UTC)

Hero & Henchmen skill usage -- Signet of Devotion

Issue: The AI only uses this skill outside of combat or when they're at 0 energy.
How to fix: Update the AI so that Signet of Devotion is used more often to save energy.
Additional info: This problem may find its origin in an update to the henchmen AI shortly after Nightfall was released. In fact people complained that henches used Signet of Devotion constantly and because of the 2 second cast time they were often too slow at healing the team. Presumably the "0 energy" fix solved that problem. Since henches aren't intelligent enough to know how to cancel Signet of Devotion, it may not be possible to let them use it efficiently. Perhaps a possible solution could be to let them use the skill only when no party member is below 50% health.

--Draikin 23:38, 8 September 2007 (UTC)

I was testing this today and my hero was using this skill in-combat with energy between 10 and 20. I think because of the slow casting speed, heroes are cautions about using this particular skill, but at least with the bar I was running, my hero was using this skill when it seemed appropriate. Could you double check to make sure your hero is still behaving the way you stated above? --Andrew Patrick 18:56, 9 July 2008 (UTC)

I just tested this skill again and I'm noticing some really strange behavior. Disabling every skill except for Signet of Devotion causes your hero not to use the skill at all. Enabling Patient Spirit caused the hero to start using Signet of Devotion as well just if it's a normal healing skill, regardless of their energy level. However, when I enabled Reversal of Damage and Signet of Devotion and left everything else disabled, the hero refused to use Signet of Devotion (I have yet to test if they would still refuse to use it in that situation when at 0 energy). Again enabling Patient Spirit as the third skill in that situation immediately caused the hero to start using Signet of Devotion. There still seems to be something wrong with the way the AI is using this skill. --Draikin 21:25, 9 July 2008 (UTC)

You are correct, Draikin. Heroes are not using this skill efficiently with certain skill combinations. This has been reported. Thank you. -Kim Chase 18:28, 14 July 2008 (UTC)

As you had guessed, heroes were ignoring Signet of Devotion in favor of certain other healing skills, even if they were disabled or otherwise unusable. This has been fixed. In addition, it has been given a higher priority over other skills when the hero is low on energy. -Kim Chase 03:22, 8 August 2008 (UTC)

Hero & Henchmen skill usage -- Mending Touch

Issue: The AI prefers using this skill on allies, meaning they will try to walk all the way up to the target ally to heal. A second bug causes them to stop using the skill completely.
How to fix: Update the AI so that they only use mending touch on allies that are in nearby range and only if they are not suffering from a condition themselves, and solve the bug that causes them to stop using the skill.
Additional info: The second problem is in fact a peculiar bug, which I have managed to reproduced in the following way: outside the Isle of the Nameless, flag your hero in front of the student of disease and disable all skills except for Mending Touch. The hero will use Mending Touch to remove disease from him, so far so good. Now place your own character in front of the student of weakness. The hero will now constantly run up to you to use Mending Touch on you. That's not exactly what we want but it's not a bug. Now move to the student of poison. You'll notice that the hero suddenly stops doing anything, he doesn't remove disease from himself nor does he use mending touch on you. Mending Touch is only used again when either you don't suffer from a condition anymore or you walk all the way back to the student of deep wounds.

--Draikin 00:24, 9 September 2007 (UTC)

I did experience the issue where my Hero would simply stop using Mending Touch, and I have reported that. My hero also seemed to make a few odd decisions about target-priority so a programmer is going to look at this. It seems that the hero AI will prioritize targets that are below full health, so if they are suffering from Weakness (no degen) and a semi-nearby ally is suffering from Disease (degen) they will go to the one suffering Disease since they are the ones in need of the heal. I'm not too sure how desirable that is, so it has been passed on to a programmer.--Andrew Patrick 19:53, 9 July 2008 (UTC)

Hero & Henchmen skill usage -- Pensive Guardian

Issue: The AI uses this skill randomly during combat, even on allies that are not taking damage.
How to fix: Update the AI so that Pensive Guardian is used on allies who are being attacked by enchanted opponents.
Additional info: none

--Draikin 00:36, 13 September 2007 (UTC)

I have confirmed this issue and have reported it to a programmer. Thanks! --Andrew Patrick 21:40, 9 July 2008 (UTC)

Hero & Henchmen skill usage -- Martyr

Issue: A hero will use this skill even when he's the only party member suffering from a condition.
How to fix: Update the AI so that heroes only use the skill when there are other party members suffering from a condition.
Additional info: none

--Draikin 20:34, 2 January 2008 (UTC)

Yeah...not to useful to Martyr your own conditions. ;) I reported this to a programmer, thanks for the report! --Andrew Patrick 21:40, 9 July 2008 (UTC)

Hero & Henchmen skill usage -- Protection spells

Issue: A common problem with, to my knowledge, all the enchantments in protection prayers (and other enchantments/weapon spells that have a certain effect when the ally is taking damage) is that they are used as a simple heal. In other words the AI simply looks at the health of the ally and if it's not 100% it uses a protection skill, even if that ally is not taking damage and has little benefit from it. A second problem: certain protection spells are used even when no enemies are around. This can be tested by sacrificing health outside of battle (a well-known example in PvE are the monk henches who cast protective spirit on a MM who used Blood of the Master), the following spells are used incorrectly in this way: Protective Spirit, Spirit Bond, Shielding Hands, Healing Seed, Life Sheath, Air of Enchantment and Divine Intervention (the last two may be considered to be a special case where the AI behavior is actually correct in using them outside of battle). Other spells like Shield of Absorption and Reversal of Fortune are only used during battle, which makes them slightly better despite the fact that they are still used as healing skills. A third problem: the AI will stack enchantments that have similar functions. For example if you give Shielding Hands, Shield of Absorption and Guardian to a hero monk, they will often cast all three of them on the same ally which is simply not needed.
How to fix: Update the AI so that it doesn’t stack multiple enchantments with a similar effect on the same ally and let the AI use protection spells to reduce the damage an ally is receiving instead of using them as a heal.
Additional info: none

--Draikin 00:36, 13 September 2007 (UTC)

I'm closing this thread because the issue is covered later on in the section about Healing Seed, Protective Spirit. etc. -Kim Chase 18:02, 10 July 2008 (UTC)

Hero & Henchmen skill usage -- Healing Seed, Protective Spirit, Spirit Bond, Shielding Hands, Healing Seed, Life Sheath, Air of Enchantment, Divine Intervention

Issue: Heroes use these skills even when no fighting is taking place. They often use them right after someone is resurrected long after the fight is over.
How to fix: Update the AI so that heroes only use these skills on party members that are in aggro range of hostile mobs.
Additional info: none

--Ronduwil 00:56, 4 January 2008 (UTC)

I mentioned this problem above [1], but I guess it makes more sense mentioning it here. I included the other skills that have the same problem. --Draikin 03:31, 4 January 2008 (UTC)

I have reported this issue to a programmer. Out of curiosity, why did you include Air of Enchantment in this list? That skill does not rely on your target currently taking damage. It could be used in correlation with other enchantments such as Patient Spirit to get the target's health back up quicker without a huge cost. Not that that would be a very likely combo...--Andrew Patrick 22:24, 9 July 2008 (UTC)

Both Air of Enchantment and Divine Intervention are indeed debatable since they can technically be used outside of combat, so I would understand if they're left alone. I just don't see a lot of viable ways to use Air of Enchantment outside of combat, while Divine Intervention on the other hand could in fact be used effectively just after a battle ended on characters suffering from health degeneration. --Draikin 23:21, 9 July 2008 (UTC)

Haha, well, Air of Enchantment is useful because it allows the monk to potentially cast more very fast, even if their energy has been depleted. I mean, wouldn't you bee a little cheesed if your monk failed to save someone that stumbled into a fire trap because they were low on energy and they had this skill the whole time? Anyway, it's another combo-option we don't want to remove just because you're not currently in combat. -Kim Chase 18:10, 10 July 2008 (UTC)

I'd only have myself to blame for giving my monk Air of Enchantment instead of Word of Healing and rushing into fire traps with my monks at zero energy ;) That said this isn't much of an issue either way so leaving Air of Enchantment alone is fine. --Draikin 20:27, 10 July 2008 (UTC)

Hero & Henchmen skill usage -- Divine Healing, Heaven's Delight

Issue: These skills are used to (try and) heal allies who are outside of earshot range (they already use it when allies are at twice the radius of earshot range away from them)
How to fix: Update the AI so that heroes only use the skills when the allies that need to be healed are within earshot range.
Additional info: none

--Draikin 23:46, 24 January 2008 (UTC)

This issue has been reported. Thanks! --Andrew Patrick 22:51, 9 July 2008 (UTC)

They seem to use these skills perfectly now after the update, only using the skill when two or more heroes in their range need a heal. Thanks for the update! --Draikin 19:15, 8 August 2008 (UTC)

Hero & Henchmen skill usage -- Smiter's Boon

Issue: Unlike Divine Boon, the AI only uses this enchantment during battle.
How to fix: Update the AI so that heroes always maintain this enchantment.
Additional info: none

--Draikin 02:18, 29 January 2008 (UTC)

I think it was like that to start with, but it got changed at some point, I prefer it this way, as it's cheap and quick to cast anyway at the start of a battle and doesn't slow down energy regain by recasting when you're cooling off at the end of a battle. --Ckal Ktak 19:16, 2 February 2008 (UTC)

The issue here is that they won't always cast it at the start of the battle and start using other spells instead that could have benefited from it. It's the exact same issue that existed with attunements and since those were changed after complaints about heroes not maintaining them, I don't see why this skill should be used in a different way. Compared to attunements this skill casts and recharges a lot faster and it still lasts 30 seconds. It doesn't exactly slow down energy regain either since not maintaining it means they'll have to use 5 energy at the start of the battle to cast it anyway. --Draikin 21:21, 2 February 2008 (UTC)

The thing is, they enchant themselves with this only when many allies are badly hurt already, which results as a minor loss of 1 second (cast+aftercast time). It is not a matter of using another skills that prevents them of buffing themselves, as they often can be seen idle, waiting to use reversal or smite hex/cond or whatever else rather than using Smiter's Boon automatically. -- 81.242.174.76 19:49, 30 March 2008 (UTC)

I passed this on to a programmer. Thanks for the report! --Andrew Patrick 23:46, 9 July 2008 (UTC)

Hero & Henchmen skill usage -- Bane Signet, Castigation Signet

Issue: Both of these skills are used on foes that are not attacking, in which case they're simply not worth using since they don't trigger the secondary effect.
How to fix: Update the AI so that heroes only use these skills on foes who are attacking.
Additional info: none

--Draikin 02:26, 29 January 2008 (UTC)

Can skills that don't cost energy ever really not be "worth it" to cast? I agree that when there is a target that may begin to attack, or if there is another target that is already attacking, it would be preferable for your heroes to not use these skills on a non-attacking foe given the long recharge, but in situations where there is only one foe (Perhaps a Monk?) that is not attacking, it's kinda wasteful for your hero to flat out neglect to use these 50+damage skills. With that in mind, do you think perhaps better target priority would be preferable to simply never using these skills against non-attacking foes? It's free extra damage, really... --Andrew Patrick 01:03, 10 July 2008 (UTC)

That's a valid point, if it's possible to implement then better targeting priority would indeed solve the problem with both of these skills and allow the AI to use them efficiently in nearly every situation. --Draikin 19:54, 10 July 2008 (UTC)

Hero & Henchmen skill usage -- Blessed Light

Issue: The AI uses this skill very inefficiently, since it will use it as a hex or conditions removal on allies that don't even need to be healed.
How to fix: Update the AI so that Blessed Light is only used on allies that are suffering from a hex or condition and who also need to be healed.
Additional info: none

--Draikin 19:05, 2 February 2008 (UTC)

Thanks for the report, I have passed it along for analysis. --Andrew Patrick 17:55, 10 July 2008 (UTC)

I'd note that current behaviour is highly desirable. Consider nondamaging skills such a Panic and Daze. Backsword 08:31, 21 July 2008 (UTC)

You can micro it in that case. Currently they'll just spam the skill on whatever hex or condition they can find and drain their energy ridiculously fast, so I have to ask why anyone would bring this skill on a hero in the first place? I can't agree to just letting the AI stupidly spam this skill because there are a few exceptions to the main rule of not using this skill when the ally doesn't require a heal. I want them to use the skill efficiently so that when I do have to micro them, they actually have the energy left to use the skill. --Draikin 12:41, 21 July 2008 (UTC)

Hero & Henchmen skill usage -- Healing Breeze, Watchful Healing

Issue: Both skills are used on allies suffering from health degeneration (even when caused by vampiric weapons), but the AI also uses Healing Breeze on enchanted allies that are not suffering from health degeneration. It almost seems as if the AI for both skills was swapped, since the current AI behavior for Healing Breeze would make a lot more sense if it was meant for Watchful Healing (since it's a useful cover enchantment).
How to fix: Swap the AI for both skills. It would perhaps be better to let the AI also use the skills on allies that are not suffering from health degeneration. I assume this was done to try and prevent the skills from overhealing, but using regeneration skills to cancel out degeneration is not efficient to begin with (removing the hex/condition causing the degeneration is far better). It would make more sense to me if Healing Breeze were simply used on any ally that needs to be healed, and Watchful Healing only on enchanted allies that need to be healed.
Additional info: none

--Draikin 19:05, 2 February 2008 (UTC)

You know, I think you may be right. Either that or someone told Tahlkora that Healing Breeze is like SUPER MENDING so she tops every enchantment off with it. ;) I've passed it along to be looked at. --Andrew Patrick 17:55, 10 July 2008 (UTC)

Hero & Henchmen skill usage -- Purifying Veil

Issue: Heroes using this skill will cast and then maintain this enchantment on allies instead of canceling it.
How to fix: Update the AI so that the enchantment is instantly canceled, the same way they use Holy Veil.
Additional info: none

--Draikin 19:26, 6 February 2008 (UTC)

I passed this one along. Are you sure you would want this to be instantly removed in all instances? There may be some cases where the shorter condition duration is better than just removing one condition, such as when someone is moving through lava. --Andrew Patrick 19:45, 10 July 2008 (UTC)

You can just momentarily disable the skill and maintain it in that case, that's exactly what Hero Battle players are doing with maintained enchantments like Recall, Shadow Meld and Strength of Honor. It would be interesting if the AI was intelligent enough to "preveil", but I think that's just too much to ask for and simply letting them cancel it instantly is the preferable solution. --Draikin 20:27, 10 July 2008 (UTC)

Hero & Henchmen skill usage -- Healer's Covenant

Issue: Heroes don't maintain this enchantment or don't use it at all.
How to fix: Update the AI so that the enchantment is not canceled, the same way they use Healer's Boon.
Additional info: none

Zealous 19:32, 26 February 2008 (UTC)

I'm thinking that heroes may not be using this skill because the -1energy regen and -25% healing power may make this skill cause more harm than good. A programmer is going to take a look, thanks for the report. --Andrew Patrick 19:45, 10 July 2008 (UTC)

I've used this skill by manually disabling it on heroes before, it's actually very efficient on heroes if you give them a build designed for it (that means giving them 5 energy skills to get the most out of the -3 energy reduction). --Draikin 20:27, 10 July 2008 (UTC)

Hero & Henchmen skill usage -- Vigorous Spirit

Issue: If you target a foe and manually click this skill on a hero, the hero will not use the spell on itself as long as it's already enchanted with the skill. Furthermore, it can be argued that this skill should be maintained on the entire team in the same way the AI uses Vital Weapon. At the very least, the hero should always maintain Vigorous Spirit on itself.
How to fix: When not given a valid target to use Vigorous Spirit on, heroes should just cast the enchantment on themselves even if it's already active on them (this is the default behavior for other enchantments). The hero using this skill should always maintain Vigorous Spirit on itself (maintaining it on the entire team would be interesting, although this would probably cause problems in teams with more than 4 players).
Additional info: none

--Draikin 13:24, 11 April 2008 (UTC)

This has been reported. Given the low cost-to-benefit ratio I tend to agree with you that heroes should maintain this skill on themselves and nearby enemies more often than they currently are. --Andrew Patrick 19:45, 10 July 2008 (UTC)

Hero & Henchmen skill usage -- Defender's Zeal

Issue: This hex is used only on the called or locked target regardless of whether or not it is attacking.
How to fix: Update the AI so that this hex is spread around on attacking foes.
Additional info: none

--Draikin 15:08, 14 March 2008 (UTC)

I have reported this issue. My hero didn't seem to like using this skill much at all, even though I was in situations that they would really benefit from using it. A programmer will be taking a look at this. --Andrew Patrick 19:45, 10 July 2008 (UTC)

Hero & Henchmen skill usage -- Extinguish

Issue: Heroes will use this skill even when there's only one party member suffering from a condition.
How to fix: Update the AI so that heroes only use the skill when there are several party members suffering from a condition.
Additional info: none

--Draikin 16:16, 5 April 2008 (UTC)

What, 15energy and a 12 second recharge isn't good to remove one condition? ;) This has been reported. --Andrew Patrick 19:45, 10 July 2008 (UTC)

The latest update changed the skill so that it's less likely they'll use it for only one ally, but in practice this doesn't actually make a difference. I think this is one of those skills where this kind of solution doesn't work, at least in my opinion. It only makes them more likely to use other condition removal on their skill bar but that doesn't take into account the other condition removals on the rest of their team. The way they use it now, it's not a skill I would bring on a hero unless it's disabled. --Draikin 20:26, 8 August 2008 (UTC)

Hero & Henchmen skill usage -- Patient Spirit

Issue: If you target a foe and manually click this skill on a hero, the hero will not use the skill on itself.
How to fix: When not given a valid target to use Patient Spirit on, heroes should cast the enchantment on themselves (this is the default behavior for other enchantments).
Additional info: none

--Draikin 13:45, 11 April 2008 (UTC)

My hero did seem a bit hesitant to cast this when I had an enemy targeted. I passed this on to a programmer to take a look. --Andrew Patrick 19:45, 10 July 2008 (UTC)

Resolved in the latest update, thanks again. --Draikin 20:26, 8 August 2008 (UTC)

Hero & Henchmen skill usage -- Dismiss Condition

Issue: Same issue as with Patient Spirit, if you target a foe (meaning selecting a target with your own character, not setting the hero target lock) and then manually click this skill on a hero, it will not use the skill on itself.
How to fix: When not given a valid target to use Dismiss Condition on, heroes should cast the skill on themselves (this is the default behavior for similar skills).
Additional info: I suspect this is a remnant from a previous bug with both Dismiss Condition and Patient Spirit where the AI didn't use the skill on themselves at all. In this particular case the skills are still used as if they can only be cast on other allies, like for example Heal Other.

--Draikin 21:09, 10 July 2008 (UTC)

I was unable to reproduce this issue. To test, I had a hero with a melee weapon attack the Student of Blind in the Isle of the Nameless with only Dismiss condition equipped. The hero would continually remove blindness as soon as it took effect. If I manually ordered the hero to use the skill, they would still use it on themselves as soon as possible. Ben Kirsch 19:44, 14 July 2008 (UTC)

That's not quite the problem I'm referring to, allow me to clarify with an example: simply take your hero out of range from any allies suffering from a condition and target a "Suit of 60 armor" with your own character, then click Dismiss Condition and you'll notice the hero won't use the skill on itself. --Draikin 20:45, 14 July 2008 (UTC)

Thanks for clarifying. I'm not sure how I overlooked that, but a bug has now been submitted. Thanks again for the quick response. Ben Kirsch 00:45, 15 July 2008 (UTC)

Necromancer

Hero & Henchmen skill usage -- Dark Bond

Issue: This skill is only cast during combat.
How to fix: Update the AI so that it is cast whenever the user is not enchanted with it, as with the elemental attunements.
Additional info: While it has no effect without minions or out of combat, having it ready to go as soon as it's needed saves valuable seconds and potentially stops an initial spike. At only 5 energy with a long duration there's no reason for a hero to not use it all the time.

--NieA7 21:53, 19 September 2007 (UTC)

Agreed, I see no reason why they should maintain the enchantment at all times. Most of the time my necro will wait until he is taking damage to cast, at which point he is sometimes interrupted. If he maintained the enchantment, this would not happen. The same goes for Infuse condition. Thanks, Old Man Of Ascalon 20:55, 26 November 2007 (UTC)

I have opened a bug on this issue. Elijah Miller 19:05, 9 July 2008 (UTC)

Hero & Henchmen skill usage -- Infuse Condition

Issue: This skill is only cast during combat.
How to fix: Update the AI so that it is cast whenever the user is not enchanted with it, as with the elemental attunements.
Additional info: While it has no effect without minions or out of combat, having it ready to go as soon as it's needed saves valuable seconds, as well as making allowing the use of Martyr right at the start of a fight if needs be. At only 5 energy with a very long duration there's no reason for a hero to not use it all the time.

--NieA7 21:53, 19 September 2007 (UTC)

I have opened a bug on this issue. Elijah Miller 19:05, 9 July 2008 (UTC)

Hero & Henchmen skill usage -- Angorodon's Gaze

Issue: Heroes will use this skill even when they aren't suffering from a condition
How to fix: heroes should only use this skill if they're suffering from a condition in order to get the energy back.
Additional info: none

--Draikin 21:17, 9 October 2007 (UTC)

I don't necessarily agree with this but I have opened a bug on this issue. Because this spell is steal health in addition to the conditional energy regain, while not optimal, it is still useful for the hero to toss in some additional damage or use this as a mini-self heal while waiting on skill recharges. So, personally, I wouldn't want this skill strictly limited to when the Hero is suffering from a condition, but we can see what results from the bug submission. Elijah Miller 19:05, 9 July 2008 (UTC)

Hero & Henchmen skill usage -- Enfeeble

Issue: The AI will use this skill on foes who are already suffering from weakness, and seems to use it rather randomly instead of spreading weakness around on foes who are wielding martial weapons.
How to fix: Update the AI so that this skill is only used on attacking foes wielding a martial weapon who aren't suffering from weakness. Basically the skill should be used in the same way as the AI uses Faintheartedness.
Additional info: none

--Draikin 16:00, 14 March 2008 (UTC)

I have opened a bug on this issue. Elijah Miller 00:02, 10 July 2008 (UTC)

Hero & Henchmen skill usage -- Reckless Haste

Issue: The AI seems to use this skill on completely random foes, regardless of whether or not they're adjacent to other foes or are wielding martial weapons.
How to fix: Update the AI so that this skill is used in the same way as Shadow of Fear (on attacking foes wielding martial weapons or a group of adjacent foes).
Additional info: none

--Draikin 16:13, 15 February 2008 (UTC)

I have opened a bug on this issue. Elijah Miller 00:02, 10 July 2008 (UTC)

Hero & Henchmen skill usage -- Weaken Armor

Issue: The AI uses this skill on foes who are already suffering from cracked armor
How to fix: Update the AI so that this skill is only used on foes who aren't suffering from cracked armor.
Additional info: none

--Draikin 22:09, 5 April 2008 (UTC)

I have opened a bug on this issue. Elijah Miller 00:02, 10 July 2008 (UTC)

Hero & Henchmen skill usage -- Soul Bind

Issue: The AI only uses this skill on the currently locked/called target, instead of spreading the hex around on foes who are at less than 75% health.
How to fix: Replace the AI for this skill with the AI for [Scourge Healing], which means they'll ignore their target lock and spread the hex around on foes who aren't at full health.
Additional info: none.

--Draikin 14:48, 29 June 2008 (UTC)

I have opened a bug on this issue. Elijah Miller 00:02, 10 July 2008 (UTC)

Paragon

Hero & Henchmen skill usage -- Disrupting Throw

Issue: The AI uses this skill on foes not suffering from a condition, on which it has no effect all. It also seems to use the skill randomly instead of trying to interrupt skills with it.
How to fix: Update the AI so that is uses the skill as an interrupt and only on foes suffering from a condition.
Additional info: none

--Draikin 23:49, 9 September 2007 (UTC)

I have opened a bug on this issue. Elijah Miller 21:56, 10 July 2008 (UTC)

Hero & Henchmen skill usage -- "Brace Yourself!"

Issue: The AI will use this shout on an ally even when he was already under effect of that shout.
How to fix: This shout should only be used on allies who are not already under effect of this shout.
Additional info: none

--Draikin 21:17, 9 October 2007 (UTC)

I have opened a bug on this issue. Elijah Miller 21:56, 10 July 2008 (UTC)

Hero & Henchmen skill usage -- Maiming Spear

Issue: This skill is used on recharge on foes who do not suffer from bleeding, on which it has no effect.
How to fix: This skill should only be used on foes who suffer from bleeding.
Additional info: none

--Draikin 21:17, 9 October 2007 (UTC)

I have opened a bug on this issue. Elijah Miller 21:56, 10 July 2008 (UTC)

Hero & Henchmen skill usage -- Merciless Spear

Issue: The AI uses this skill on foes who have more than 50% health, on which is has no effect.
How to fix: Update the AI so that this skill is only used on foes who have less than 50% health.
Additional info: none

--Draikin 21:29, 18 November 2007 (UTC)

I have opened a bug on this issue. Elijah Miller 21:56, 10 July 2008 (UTC)

Hero & Henchmen skill usage -- "Make Haste!"

Issue: A hero that is locked on to a specific target by the player doesn’t use this skill on allies.
How to fix: Update the AI so that this skill is used on any non-attacking and moving ally regardless of whether or not the hero has a target lock.
Additional info: none

--Draikin 23:24, 27 November 2007 (UTC)

I have opened a bug on this issue. Elijah Miller 21:56, 10 July 2008 (UTC)

Hero & Henchmen skill usage -- Bladeturn Refrain, "Lead the Way!", Blazing Finale

Issue: Heroes will only use these skills on themselves and they will use them on recharge regardless of whether or not the skill is still active on them.
How to fix: Update the AI so that these skills are also used on allies but only if the skills aren't already active on them.
Additional info: none

--Draikin 23:24, 27 November 2007 (UTC)

I have opened a bug on this issue. Elijah Miller 21:56, 10 July 2008 (UTC)

Hero & Henchmen skill usage -- Burning Refrain, Enduring Harmony

Issue: Heroes will only use these skills on themselves and not on allies.
How to fix: Update the AI so that these skills are also used on allies.
Additional info: none

--Draikin 23:24, 27 November 2007 (UTC)

I have opened a bug on this issue. Elijah Miller 21:56, 10 July 2008 (UTC)

I use Enduring Harmony on W/P adrenaline warrior heros, and the fact they use it only on themselves is a big positive, rather than a problem.

Solving this issue doesn't mean your build won't work anymore: heroes should just prioritize maintaining the skill on themselves, if it's already active on them they can proceed to use it on other allies. --Draikin 17:40, 4 August 2008 (UTC)

Hero & Henchmen skill usage -- "Incoming!", "Stand Your Ground!", "Never Surrender!", "Fall Back!", Godspeed, Defensive Anthem

Issue: The AI will use most shouts, echoes and chants whenever they are available and even if another ally has just used the same skill, which makes sense if they have a low recharge, low adrenaline cost and/or if they end based on a certain event (take damage, use attack skill,...). However, the skills mentioned above have a high recharge and constant duration (so they can't be maintained 100% of the time by only one hero) and shouldn't be used on recharge.
How to fix: The AI should instead use these skills in the same way they use Aegis by trying to chain it with other allies, in other words the skills should not be used when they're already active on party members within earshot.
Additional info: none

--Draikin 23:24, 27 November 2007 (UTC)

I have opened a bug on this issue. Elijah Miller 21:56, 10 July 2008 (UTC)

Hero & Henchmen skill usage -- Natural Temper

Issue: Heroes will use this skill even when they’re enchanted.
How to fix: Update the AI so that this skill is only used by heroes when they’re not enchanted.
Additional info: none

--Draikin 23:24, 27 November 2007 (UTC)

I have opened a bug on this issue. Elijah Miller 21:56, 10 July 2008 (UTC)

Hero & Henchmen skill usage -- "Fall Back!"

Issue: Heroes use this skill mostly as a healing skill instead of speed boost.
How to fix: When out of combat, heroes should use this skill like they do with "Charge!". They should also check if any party-wide speed boost is already active.
Additional info: none

--Voidvector 04:49, 30 April 2008 (UTC)

I have opened a bug on this issue. Elijah Miller 21:56, 10 July 2008 (UTC)

Ranger

Hero & Henchmen skill usage -- Barrage

Issue: The AI only uses this skill when 2 or more enemies can be hit, even though Barrage also does good damage against a single target.
How to fix: Update the AI so that it always uses Barrage regardless of how many targets will be hit.
Additional info: none

-- Hong 15:07, 29 January 2008 (UTC)

I confirmed this issue. Heroes certainly should still use Barrage against a single target since the cost and recharge are still low enough to make the added damage against one foe worth it. This has been reported. --Andrew Patrick 21:51, 10 July 2008 (UTC)

Hero & Henchmen skill usage -- Preparations

Issue: With the exception of Apply Poison, heroes do not attempt to maintain preparation out of combat, wasting valuable time at the start of combat. Humans can sense when a fight is about to start and cast preparation immediately before combat. Since heroes do not have human sense, it is better for them to maintain their preparation constantly.
How to fix: Use the AI script for Apply Poison on all other preparations.
Additional info: None

--Voidvector 04:29, 30 April 2008 (UTC)

Could you please list which preparations are effected by this? Thanks! --Andrew Patrick 21:51, 10 July 2008 (UTC)

I'll look into this, but I would only let them maintain preparations if they can maintain them 100% of the time. Some preparations have a recharge that exceeds their duration so those should only be activated the moment they go into battle. --Draikin 00:29, 11 July 2008 (UTC)

We'll take care of making this list. Thank you for the suggestions. -Kim Chase 16:52, 14 July 2008 (UTC)

Heroes will now maintain preparations who's durations are long enough to make doing so worthwhile. Preparations with shorter durations will still only use them in combat, but should have a high chance of casting them before attacking or using other skills. -Kim Chase 03:28, 8 August 2008 (UTC)

Hero & Henchmen skill usage -- Throw Dirt

Issue: The way the AI uses this skill is by simply waiting for an opponent to get into nearby range of them, but they'll use the skill even if that opponent is not carrying a martial weapon.
How to fix: The AI should use this skill only on foes in nearby range who are attacking and carrying a martial weapon.
Additional info: none

--Draikin 18:35, 17 May 2008 (UTC)

What, you want to blind the target that's actually attacking you with a martial weapon? Picky picky. ;) This has been reported. --Andrew Patrick 21:51, 10 July 2008 (UTC)

Hero & Henchmen skill usage -- Antidote Signet

Issue: After the functionality change of this skill in the June 12 update, the corresponding AI usage of the skill wasn't updated so they still only use it to remove Poison, Disease and Blind.
How to fix: Since it has only a 4 second recharge, the skill should just be used whenever the hero is suffering from any condition.
Additional info: If Hero Battles is left unchanged, fixing this skill would actually make the format even worse.

--Draikin 09:45, 14 June 2008 (UTC)

I have reported this, and have shared your concern about HvH balance if heroes begin to use this skill more efficiently. --Andrew Patrick 21:51, 10 July 2008 (UTC)

To clarify my point, it's not that I don't want this skill to be used more efficiently because of R/P and R/W builds in HB. The only way to repair HB is to change the morale meter mechanic, and if that's not going to happen then you might as well update this skill anyway. --Draikin 18:23, 14 July 2008 (UTC)

Hero & Henchmen skill usage -- Muddy Terrain

Issue: The AI only seems to use this skill when their target is running away from them.
How to fix: The skill should simply be used during combat like Favorable Winds.
Additional info: none

--Draikin 23:49, 9 September 2007 (UTC)

This has been reported, thank you for letting us know. --Andrew Patrick 21:51, 10 July 2008 (UTC)

Hero & Henchmen skill usage -- Bestial Mauling

Issue: The AI uses this skill randomly instead of using it only when the target is knocked down.
How to fix: Update the AI so that they only activate the skill when the target is knocked down.
Additional info: This change should be possible since similar skills like Crushing Blow are used correctly.

--Draikin 00:36, 13 September 2007 (UTC)

I am mildly concerned about this buffing hero bunnythumpers, but that aside, I have confirmed your findings. I will let Izzy make the call on this one. --Andrew Patrick 21:51, 10 July 2008 (UTC)

To be honest I can agree that this change isn't necessarily a good thing since it promotes degenerate builds, although I'm not sure how much on an issue this is considering the AI fails at maintaining Rampage as One. --Draikin 00:29, 11 July 2008 (UTC)

Hero & Henchmen skill usage -- Punishing Shot, Magebane Shot

Issue: These skills are used on recharge like normal attack skills.
How to fix: Preferably the AI should use these skills only to interrupt skills (like they use Distracting Shot) instead of using it on recharge.
Additional info: As previously mentioned Disrupting Throw suffers from the same problem, although it makes even less sense for that skill since it has no secondary effect. It can be argued that Punishing Shot should be used on recharge because of the extra damage it does but there are better skills available for that purpose.

--Draikin 13:00, 2 October 2007 (UTC)

I have passed this on. I don't know if I fully agree with not using Punishing Shot except as an interrupt as it does do pretty decent damage. Granted, most foes are going to cast at some point so it would be wise to wait for that before using it. Either way, this has been reported. --Andrew Patrick 21:51, 10 July 2008 (UTC)

Hero & Henchmen skill usage -- Poison Tip Signet

Issue: The AI will reapply Poison Tip Signet even when it's still active on them.
How to fix: The skill should only be reapplied when it has expired (after 60 seconds).
Additional info: none

--Draikin 11:02, 7 October 2007 (UTC)

Given the rarity of situations where your Ranger will be in combat, but not shoot during the 6 seconds while this skill recharges, I have put this as a low priority. However, I did confirm your finding by entering combat with my Ranger set to passive. That was the only way I could get him to not attack (and in turn, remove Poison Tip Signet) before the 6 seconds it took this skill to recharge had passed. --Andrew Patrick 21:51, 10 July 2008 (UTC)

Ritualist

Hero & Henchmen skill usage -- Gaze of Fury

Issue: The AI prefers destroying allied spirits (usually destroying the Spirit of Fury that they created the first time they used the skill).
How to fix: Preferably the AI should target the spirits from the opponent instead of destroying allied spirits.
Additional info: none

--Draikin 23:49, 9 September 2007 (UTC)

A bug has been submitted on this issue. Ben Kirsch 00:27, 15 July 2008 (UTC)

Heroes will now use Gaze of Fury on enemy spirits first if possible, putting the next priority on ally spirits with low life. There was a problem with Gaze of Fury not being used against non-attacking spirits that was also fixed. This was probably another reason that the heroes were so fond of killing their own Spirit of Fury before! -Kim Chase 04:19, 8 August 2008 (UTC)

Hero & Henchmen skill usage -- Resilient Was Xiko

Issue: This skill is not used outside of battle even when the hero/hench is suffering from a condition/hex, and the ashes are also dropped immediately whenever the skill is used.
How to fix: Update the AI so that the skill is used whenever the hero/hench is suffering from a condition/hex. The AI should also hold onto the ashes instead of dropping them immediately.
Additional info: none

--Draikin 23:47, 17 September 2007 (UTC)

I have requested that heroes use this skill outside of combat, and also brought up they they aren't properly using the skill's held-effects. Thanks again. -Kim Chase 21:50, 10 July 2008 (UTC)

Hero & Henchmen skill usage -- Weapon of Warding, Weapon of Shadow

Issue: The AI is actually quite impressive with these skills, since they actually try to pre-protect allies before they're being hit. This means that during combat, they will use the skills both on allies who are adjacent to foes and on allies who are not at full health. This seems to have an unfortunate side-effect however, since they will use the skills on allies (including themselves) who are attacking an adjacent target even if those allies are at full health and not taking damage.
How to fix: The AI should only use these skills on allies who are adjacent to foes who have the intention of attacking them. If the foe(s) next to the ally are not attacking, the AI should not use these skills on that ally. This behavior is intended only for allies who are near 100% health (who otherwise wouldn't be healed by the AI), for those that aren't the skills can just be used normally.
Additional info: none

--Draikin 20:34, 2 January 2008 (UTC)

We are looking into whether these skills can be firther optomized. However, as you said, heroes are already pretty awesome at using them. -Kim Chase 19:28, 15 July 2008 (UTC)

Hero & Henchmen skill usage -- Blind Was Mingson

Issue: Equipping this skill on a hero (even when disabled) will cause the hero, when ordered to attack a target, to run towards that target into adjacent range even when they have no melee weapon equiped.
How to fix: The AI should behave normally even when they have this skill equipped and only run towards the target when they actually used the Item spell.
Additional info: none

--Draikin 21:39, 24 November 2007 (UTC)

Wow, that's really strange! I put in a report on this. Thank you! -Kim Chase 21:21, 10 July 2008 (UTC)

Hero & Henchmen skill usage -- Ritual Lord

Issue: Despite the fact that the skill can't be removed and it can be maintained 100% of the time, the AI only uses this skill during battle which means they will sometimes use spirits before activating the skill.
How to fix: Update the AI so that heroes always maintain this skill.
Additional info: none

--Draikin 19:01, 31 March 2008 (UTC)

Yeah, it would be better if heroes used this skill outside of combat as well to support casting binding rituals outside of battle. I have suggested this. Thank you for drawing our attention to this, Draikin. -Kim Chase 21:06, 10 July 2008 (UTC)

Warrior

Hero & Henchmen skill usage -- Disarm

Issue: I first mentioned a problem with the skill since it was being used on foes that weren't attacking, but it turned out that the wording of the skill was incorrect and that the skill actually did interrupt as well so I removed that entry. Ironically after testing it again it seems the AI now no longer uses the skill on foes that aren't attacking, even though that was the intended behavior all along.
How to fix: The skill should be used on any foe in the same way Distracting Blow is used. Against foes who are attacking the skill could be used on recharge (the way it's currently being used) although preferably they should simply use it as an interrupt as well (since the target will be interrupted if it uses attack skills anyway).
Additional info: none

--Draikin 17:54, 19 October 2007 (UTC)

A bug has been submitted on this issue. Ben Kirsch 20:09, 10 July 2008 (UTC)

Heroes should now use Disarm to interrupt actions, not exclusively attacks. -Kim Chase 04:03, 8 August 2008 (UTC)

Hero & Henchmen skill usage -- "Shields Up!", "Retreat!"

Issue: Same problem as [2].
How to fix: The AI should instead use these skills in the same way they use Aegis by trying to chain it with other allies, in other words the skills should not be used when they're already active on party members within earshot.
Additional info: none

--Draikin 23:24, 27 November 2007 (UTC)

A bug has been submitted for "Retreat!" I was unable to find an issue with "Shields Up!" When testing, my heroes would only use "Shields Up!" if the majority of the party didn't already have it. Ben Kirsch 21:59, 10 July 2008 (UTC)

After testing it again I can confirm "Shields Up!" is indeed used correctly, thanks for submitting the bug report. --Draikin 23:33, 10 July 2008 (UTC)

Hero & Henchmen skill usage -- "You're All Alone!"

Issue: This skill is used on foes who are near an ally, on which it has no effect at all.
How to fix: Update the AI so that the skill is only used on foes who aren't near one of their allies. Additionally, the skill should also be used while the hero is running towards a flag, in the same way the AI uses "Coward!".
Additional info: none

--Draikin 17:57, 29 March 2008 (UTC)

A bug has been submitted on this issue. Ben Kirsch 21:04, 10 July 2008 (UTC)

Hero & Henchmen skill usage -- Steelfang Slash

Issue: This skill is simply used whenever available instead of only on targets that are knocked down.
How to fix: Update the AI so that the skill is only used on foes who are knocked down.
Additional info: none

--Draikin 16:16, 5 April 2008 (UTC)

A bug has been submitted on this issue. Ben Kirsch 21:59, 10 July 2008 (UTC)

Hero & Henchmen skill usage -- Hammer Bash

Issue: The AI refuses to use this skill if there are any adrenaline skills on their skill bar, regardless of how low on adrenaline those skills actually are.
How to fix: Update the AI so that they use this skill when no adrenaline attack skills are close to being fully charged. This should only apply to attack skills, skills like Rush can simply be disregarded.
Additional info: none

--Draikin 17:47, 5 April 2008 (UTC)

A bug has been submitted for this issue. Ben Kirsch 21:19, 10 July 2008 (UTC)

Kim reported that adrenaline skill management for heroes isn't going to change, so I assume this issue won't be resolved either? I'd like to note that I wouldn't prefer this skill to simply be used on recharge either (the way Wild Blow is used now), since that wouldn't actually be much of an improvement for a build that uses other adrenaline skills. --Draikin 18:47, 14 July 2008 (UTC)

Hero & Henchmen skill usage -- Heavy Blow

Issue: While the AI uses this skill only on foes suffering from weakness, it will also use the skill on foes who are already knocked down. This behavior ruins a lot of hero hammer warrior builds.
How to fix: Update the AI so that the skill is only used on foes who are suffering from weakness and who aren't already knocked down. The AI doesn't seem to take into account the loss of all adrenaline when using this skill, but this isn't much of an issue since it usually will only be used at the end of an attack chain (to solve this problem anyway, see the solution mentioned for the issue with Hammer Bash above.
Additional info: none

--Draikin 17:47, 5 April 2008 (UTC)

A bug has been submitted on this issue. Ben Kirsch 21:04, 10 July 2008 (UTC)

Hero & Henchmen skill usage -- Belly Smash

Issue: The AI refuses to use this skill even when their target is knocked down and adjacent to other targets
How to fix: Update the AI so that the skill is used on foes that are knocked down.
Additional info: A minor issue since this skill is rarely used.

--Draikin 21:29, 10 July 2008 (UTC)

A bug has been submitted on this issue. Ben Kirsch 22:32, 10 July 2008 (UTC)

Common skill issues

Hero & Henchmen skill usage -- Skills that are used for a conditional effect but also deal small amounts of damage

Issue: Heroes and most likely Henchmen too use skills such as Castigation Signet, Disrupting Dagger and Disrupting Lunge on recharge for the damage.
How to fix: Make the AI value conditional effects over small amounts of damage. Another option is to make the problem skills deal small amounts of bonus damage when the condition is fulfilled.
Additional info: This behavior is with every skill that deals unconditional damage but not a conditional damage bonus. Disrupting Throw also suffers from the same problem even though the bonus damage is in form of attack speed. Protector's strike, for example, does not, because it deals conditional bonus damage on a moving target.

I mentioned the problems with Disrupting Dagger and Disrupting Throw before (see above), although I kind of disagree on Disrupting Lunge since you can't really expect the AI to time that kind of interrupt (they would have to keep track of the distance between the pet and the target). Changing Castigation Signet (and Bane Signet) so that they only use them on attacking foes would indeed make sense. --Draikin 18:09, 10 November 2007 (UTC)

I am making this a "Gray X" becuase these issues have already been reported individually above. If there are other skills that are also having this issue, please make an individual report for it in the section above. Thanks! --Andrew Patrick 22:02, 10 July 2008 (UTC)

Skill combos -- Skill combos not being used

Issue: This is a problem that affects all classes but it’s mainly noticeable with assassin heroes and hammer warrior heroes. What happens is that heroes often don’t use their skills for a while and simply auto-attack their target. For example warriors with charged adrenaline skills won’t always use those skills immediately. This becomes more of a problem with assassins since they fully rely on their skills to deal any meaningful damage. The AI simply can’t repeat even a simple lead-off-hand-dual combo, if they manage to execute it at all they usually mix it up with normal attacks in between the combo. Oddly enough they usually execute the combo correctly the first time, only to fail to repeat it afterwards. Hammer warriors suffer from a different problem: they'll often fail to use combo's efficiently, for example Devastating Hammer is followed by Heavy Blow (which causes them to lose all adrenaline) instead of Fierce Blow even though the latter was charged. Crushing Blow is also not always used after a target has been knocked down (the longer the knockdown lasts, the more chance the AI will use Crushing Blow).
How to fix: Update the AI so that assassins and hammer warriors become viable hero builds.
Additional info: none

--Draikin 23:47, 17 September 2007 (UTC)

There have been a number of AI improvements related to "skill combos" over the past couple months. Have those changes resolved this issue, or are you still experiencing the problems you mentioned above? --Andrew Patrick 22:09, 10 July 2008 (UTC)

For assassins I would say the combo's are used correctly now. The "auto-attack in between using skills" issue seems to be a global AI problem which I assume would be difficult to resolve. The issue with the AI not always following a knockdown with the appropriate skill is probably something that can't be resolved either. The AI seems to repeatedly check to see if there's a skill that they can use, rather than actually planning their combo's like human players would. This means they don't differentiate between two different dual attacks, or they might use a random skill on a knocked down target instead of using Crushing Blow. I don't expect a rework of the AI at this point to deal with this limitation, which is also why I often suggest adding more conditional parameters to AI skill usage rather then letting them spam skills on recharge, since that basically forces them to use combo's correctly. --Draikin 23:53, 10 July 2008 (UTC)

Hero & Henchmen skill usage -- Heroes and Pbaoe skills

Issue: When equipped with Pbaoe skills, heroes will constantly run towards their target in order to use the skills. While this makes some sense with offensive skills like Flame Djinn's Haste, defensive skills like Blind Was Mingson shouldn't cause the heroes to run up towards the enemy. Manually disabling offensive Pbaoe skills also doesn't stop the heroes from running towards their target.
How to fix: Update the AI so that Pbaoe skills are used correctly depending on whether they're intended for offensive/defensive use. When the offensive Pbaoe skills are disabled, heroes should no longer run towards their target.
Additional info: none

--Draikin 02:25, 2 April 2008 (UTC)

I passed along a list of affected skills. Thanks -Kim Chase 22:39, 11 July 2008 (UTC)

Okay, this wasn't happening with all pbaoe skills, but there 29 skills that I found that had the problem you reported. That should be all of them, but let me know if you see this sort of thing happening after today's update. They should now no longer run into close range if the pbaoe skill is disabled. -Kim Chase 05:03, 8 August 2008 (UTC)

Hero & Henchmen skill usage -- Canceling maintained enchantments

Issue: When a hero is maintaining an enchantment (which usually means the skill is disabled on the hero skill bar), that enchantment can't be manually removed while the player's character is dead. This can be verified with skills such as Recall and Holy Veil.
How to fix: Fix the bug causing this issue.
Additional info: none

--Draikin 22:01, 27 July 2008 (UTC)

I put a report in on this. Thanks again, Draikin! -Kim Chase 22:47, 28 July 2008 (UTC)

Combat and Behaviour Issues

Heroes: Combat Modes -- Ignoring combat mode

Issue: Heroes will ignore combat mode and flag settings when they want to use a skill on a target and follow their target until they are in range. This happens when you manually select the skill but also when a foe runs just out of range from the hero that wants to activate a skill. An annoying result of this is that, when their target dies before they managed to use a skill, heroes will run to the base where the target is resurrected so they can use the skill, completely ignoring flag and combat mode settings.
How to fix: Update the AI so that heroes always obey combat mode settings.
Additional info: none

--Draikin 00:36, 13 September 2007 (UTC)

Thank you Draikin. This has been reported. -Kim Chase 20:05, 14 July 2008 (UTC)

Heroes should not give up on pursuing a target at a range shortly outside the range that the will enter combat in. -Kim Chase 04:08, 8 August 2008 (UTC)

This is probably my fault for not being clear enough the issue. In this case, heroes overextending to use a manually ordered skill wasn't actually a bug. Currently they obey flag settings even when ordered manually, while HB players actually used the previous behavior to their advantage. I'm not sure if the new casting bug has anything to do with this change, but in any case heroes overextending to use manually ordered skills is actually a good thing. Sorry for the confusion. --Draikin 22:59, 8 August 2008 (UTC)

The specific issue I reported and that was fixed was with heroes using skills that were not manually ordered. As far as the manualy ordered skills, they should give up pursuit at the same range as skills the hero has chosen themselves. They do overextend beyond their combat-entry range, but it's not as far as before, when they only dropped pursuit at radar range. Having heroes increase their pursuit range based on whether a skill was manually ordered or not doesn't seem like it would be intuitive, but instead is something that you have learned and gotten used to over time. -Kim Chase 00:46, 9 August 2008 (UTC)

Well basically I agree that it should have been this way from the start, it's just that there are now people complaining about their hero "standing there" when ordered to use a skill on a hero on another shrine. Like you say this is something people got used to and now that it's basically the correct behavior people consider it to be a bug. I don't think it's a real problem either way, in the end it's just a matter of placing an extra flag before using the skill. --Draikin 01:10, 9 August 2008 (UTC)

Hero combat behaviour -- AI issues when attacking called targets

Issue: The current "Fight" and "Guard" behavior settings for heroes give them a certain radius in which they will attack targets you call (about 1.5 times the aggro circle for "Guard"). When you call a target outside of that range, the heroes will not attack. However, when you call a target that's right on the edge of that range the hero will start to run back and forth on its current location, apparently confused about whether or not it should attack. Another problem is that heroes will slightly extend the maximum range at which they will attack called targets depending on the range of the weapon they're wielding: if they're wielding a staff, they'll attack a called target you're approaching sooner than when they're wielding a sword. Unfortunately this sometimes means your casters will charge into battle while your warriors still ignore the call which is exactly the opposite of what should be happening.
How to fix: Fix the bug causing heroes to run back and forth instead of attacking, and set the maximum attack range to the same value for all heroes regardless of the weapon they're wielding.
Additional info: none

--Draikin 23:46, 24 January 2008 (UTC)

We're looking into what we can do about heroes with longer-range weapons entering combat before melee-range heroes.

I haven't seen the problem with heroes running back and forth if a target is called that is just inside their range. I'm not saying I've never seen a hero run back and forth before, just that I didn't see it in a controled situation involving calling targets while in this sweetspot. If you have any tips I'd be glad to look at this again. Thank you. -Kim Chase 01:29, 11 July 2008 (UTC)

No problem: bring three heroes with you to the Isle of the Nameless: one wielding a spear, one with a sword and one with a staff. Stand well out of range of a stationary target and call it (without attacking it yourself). If you're far enough away from it, the heroes won't run in. Now move one step closer to the target and call it again, and repeat that step until you notice the hero wielding a staff starting to run back and forth. The other heroes still won't move. Moving closer again will eventually cause the hero with a staff to run in and attack the target. As you continue to move closer, the hero wielding a spear will start to run back and forth and eventually attack the target if you get close enough as well. The hero wielding a sword needs to be even closer to the target to display the same behavior. --Draikin 15:47, 11 July 2008 (UTC)

Wow, I must have been doing something to invalidate my test before because that was super easy. Thanks for the reality-check, Draiken. -Kim Chase 20:29, 14 July 2008 (UTC)

All heroes on the same combat setting should now enter combat at the same radius regardless of weapon equipped. The range chosen was on the lower end, your agressive wanders will now be entering combat at a much shorter range than they were before. -Kim Chase 03:37, 8 August 2008 (UTC)

It seems to me the range was actually set to the high end, which would explain the complaints I'm hearing after the update from people saying their heroes are attacking foes outside of their aggro bubble (also see the bug report from Fighterdoken below). Basically it's the melee heroes that now have the same aggro range as casters and not the other way around. This also means that all heroes now begin walking back and forth at the same distance as the casters would before the update. --Draikin 16:14, 8 August 2008 (UTC)

Yeah, it looks like they are going too far on defend. Thank you. -Kim Chase 17:34, 8 August 2008 (UTC)

Thanks for the reply, it seems Defend is actually the same setting as Attack now. I also noticed that the old "cancel-cast-cancel" bug heroes always had occurs a lot more after the update, I'll post that in a new topic. --Draikin 17:42, 8 August 2008 (UTC)

We made a couple of changes to how hero combat range works in the update that just occurred. Defend should now have a shorter range now. There may be some situations where you can still have your hero pull a bit away from you but it should be at a minimum now. -Kim Chase 21:24, 8 August 2008 (UTC)

Heroes/henchmen combat behavior -- AI engaging targets outside of aggro range

Issue: As of last game update, ranged heroes and henchmen in the party will track and start attacking foes as far as 1.5 aggro bubbles, even if they are set to "Guard" and no attack order has been given.
How to fix:

Additional info: Some hero/henchmen (tested with Ritualist with "nearby" range item spells) will go as far as to exiting the aggro bubble even if the player stays behind.

Example of auto-engaging. Note that the player is still, no attack call has been given, heroes were set to "Guard", and the foe was never within normal range of attack

Fighterdoken, did you happen to use C + spacebar to walk towards the target and then stop before reaching its aggro bubble? The heroes basically interpret this as a sign that you want to attack that target, and with the latest update they seem to overextend more (see my post above concerning called targets) so that might explain their more aggressive behavior. --Draikin 16:50, 8 August 2008 (UTC)

Yeah, they seem to be entering combat on guard at about the same range as when they are on attack. We're looking into this now. Thank you. -Kim Chase 17:34, 8 August 2008 (UTC)

Defend should now have a shorter range. This was fixed in the build that just occured. Please let us know if you have any issues. Thank you! -Kim Chase 21:24, 8 August 2008 (UTC)

Seems to work now, thanks! --Draikin 22:45, 8 August 2008 (UTC)