Beta of new BoT AI + new skill improvements and critical strike system (Alfa)

[Swiss]

Thank you to everyone who participated in the private dawnspire testing.

We have now developed into beta phase where I have managed to fix 70 % of "bugs" on the server, obviously caused by me messing around with the code.


Currently working 100%:

Bot_Detect_Phase
Bots are able to detect objects which are "useable"

Bot_Resurrection
If bothas resurrection skill it will use it on a player if no enemies are seen within 30 metres nor nothing is being capped.

Bot_Lang_Use
Bots are able to use portals and similar effects now

Bot_Relic_AI
Bots relic AI was re-estalibished now to beta stage. Order:
TeamRelic if("relic_>0")>Opponent capping a spawn point if("Out_post_>1")>Team_Assist while ("Opponent_=1") if ("Team_player_Distance_>39, Health=/80%")>Enemy player> Enemy relic If ("relic_<0")

"Corrected" Critical DMG indicator
The current Critical DMG indicator takes benefit from itch like Sprint buff. But now I have added couple things to it.

If target is under a bleed effect there is a 5% chance that dmg delt to target will be a critical strike, and every tick from the bleed increases the critical stike chance by 5 %, lasts 10 seconds if not reattained. If target is stunned chance to critical strike is increased by 50 %.

When striking enemy from behind 45 degree angle, there is 50 % increases chance to deal critical hit.

Critical strike DMG is 25 % WEAPON dmg + to normal ability DMG.

Modified class skills.

Shadowblades backstab ability now has 25 % chance to deal 75 % of weapon DMG as critical DMG when striking from behind and in shadowmeld.

Shadowstep: Increases movement speed by 15 % for 3 seconds after used.

Counterblow: This skill can now be used off global cooldown.

Paralyzing poison: DMG of this skill is reduced and it now scales with mana. This effect also applies "Badly wounded" to the target, reducing healing done to this target by 25 %

Reaver:
Bone armor: Now also reduces the chance of being victim of a critical strike by 5 % and maximum of 65 %

Bone blades: Now also increases the chance to deal a critical strike by 5% and maximum of 65 % but now has reduced bleed DMG


Prowler:

Call companion: This skill now comes with a little action bar for the bird. It has 2 skills which are currently under development. One called "Nagging shriek":
Nagging shriek will make your bird "shriek" every 5 seconds at cost of your mana. It has area of 15 metres and it will reveal all hidden targets + reduce their attack speed by 10 %
Vicious defence: This will temporary increase the HP of all allies by 10 % for 15 seconds.

Aimed shot: DMG delt by this skill is reduced to 70 at maximum. But it now also applies "Badly wounded" effect which reduces all healing done to target by 25 %

Seeker:

Armor brake: now also increase the ciritcal strike chance to target effected by armor braker by 10 %

Frag mine: Now also disarms the target from weapons for 5 seconds.

Sticky bomb: DMG delt by this skill is reduced and now scales with seekers Mana with ratio 1/12. This skill now also applies "badly wounded" effect to the target which reduces all healing done to this target by 25 %

Templar:

Divine shield: If divine shield is broken by DMG it will make the target crit immune from whom the shield was on for 10 seconds.

Angelic armor: Now also decreases the chance of enemies dealing a critical strike to targets affected by angelic armor by 1% -> 12 %

Heroism: Now also increases the critical strike chance of allies affected by Heroism by 1% -> 12 %

Witch:

Channel life: Channel life's ticks can now be critical strikes. Scaling with stamina

Channel Mana: Channel mana's ticks can now be critical strikes. Scaling with stamina

Ethereal form: Now also makes you crit immune but also reduces your chance to deal critical DMG to zero.



I'm still working on critical strike balance. So for I havent seen anything over powered as all classes are able to effect the critical strike DMG almost.



New Features:

Disarm effects:
The target is disarmed from weapons and it cannot use any combat abilities for the duration.

Dimishing returns:
If target was effected for instance by Jaws which lasted 6 seconds and then gets retrapped. The duration of the jaws is decreased by 25 %. Dimishing returns will refresh after 10 seconds.

Critical strike system:
It is now possibleto deal a critical strike which is always 25 % of your weapons DMG + ability DMG. Normal hits cannot perform a critical strike to maintain balance.

[Bernhardt]

Very impressive!

Although I wonder how the critical strike mechanic will fit in the game.

How often are we able to test this draft of the game? I might be interested in dloading the game again.

[Hullu]

Critical strikes. Random. Ew.

[Persus]

Sure pimp will stick this on his server. Right pimp? Very well done to Swiss and welcome back.

Bernhardt you mean you dared to delete DS from your machine. Shame on you.

[Nightmare]

No, just no.

Improving the AI is fine (if done properly though, for example does the current system check how long the target's been dead before reviving?), but leave the skills as they are.

[zezuan]

Good Job Swiss! i specially like new skills and prowler bird 

[zezuan]

When can we test this thing out?

[Persus]

Will be interesting to see how these skill changes play out they could alter the game greatly. Need a hands on to see. The disarm effect is interesting might add something more to the game. By disarm do you mean they do no damage for a set period or that all their skills are disabled for the same time?

Would be nice if you could have to versions of the update one with everything and one with bot AI mods only.

[ReverendLostLamb]

I believe this might make the characters a bit unbalanced.

[Persus]

The Shadowblade changes strike me at first glance as making the character even more powerful in the right hands.

But ultimatley I take my hat of to Swiss and his work when I see it in action.

[Waihirere]

Would be nice if you could have to versions of the update one with everything and one with bot AI mods only.

Agreed. Since the changes made will break the game balance and critical strike adds a random element that totally changes the flavor of the game from competitive to more random based, would be nice to also have a version that has the solid good old DS with the AI mods only.

[Swiss]

It's funny that you are complaining about critical strike chance, because it's there already Just in different form.

And regarding disarm; It decrease your DMG drastically. And you are unable to perform combat abilities.

What SirTeoHero and someone else was saying regarding imbalance, that will not happen. Also, the critical strike chance isn't that random, it comes from various of different skills which are increasing it.
And all major skills are dealing less DMG.

This forces players to focus on their team play more.
For instance a seeker has to come to do armor braker on enemy Paladin so he can be killed faster. "random" killing will disappear a bit like this.

[Ghost]

Firstly, Congrats on getting this to a Beta stage ... I dont know enough about programming to be able to do this, so well done.

Secondly, the only problem I have with what you said up there is with Nagging shriek. I don't like the idea that the bird can both reveal enemy targets AND give them a lower attack effect.

Being spotted by a bird is already a pest for Sb's and usually you get zapped by a witch or BR'd by a seeker if your meld gets broken. Adding an negative attack % to that seems a bit over done in my opinion. Prowler skills are already over powered for their range, which is why a lot of new members use them to frag - adding more effects onto their skills etc is not needed.

[Persus]

Ghost hates prowlers though so his thoughts on this are biase  . Only kidding Ghost. So any word when we can get our clawing little hands on thes mods in the form of a download?

[Sparrisen]

Ya, I think the bot AI is awsome, and the skillchanges are fun. But the random element still makes me like "hmmm". NOT SAYING THAT THAT IS BAAAD, just saying that a big random element will make gameplay different. Currently I kinda KNOW, a certain skill combination will kill a templar for example.

On mines: Yea, I really think these need a buff. Disarm is cool. Another idea would be to perhaps make them more spammable, since you can put out four, but that just takes so friggin long (this would also be an obvious buff, so maby not combining the two).

Anyhow, I want to share with you all, that I drank banana milkshake yesterday, and I celebrated a girls birthday, and she was off the pills, which she told me. Within a week I will know with which speed I need to leave my country.
I also have a sour throat, and I'm getting sick for the fifty-eleventh time, and if I get sick,  AGAIN, I guess I'll have to see the DR to find out if my immune system is fucked up with AIDS or something.
On the good side, if I have AIDS, I guess I can bang a lot of black chicks, down south, carefree no?