Vic bugged?

[DForge]

I noticed many times the following pattern:

(I have sulik and Cassidy in team)

Turn 1:

Enemy shoots me
I shoot
Vic Shoots
Cassidy Shoots
Sulik shoots
Rest of enemies shoots
Cassidy shoots again
Sulik shoots again
Vic doesn't

Turn 2:

Normal sequence (enemy, me, team, etc.)

Why does Vic miss double action at 1st turn while other NPCs don't?

Bug?

(using newest RP)

 

[Lexx]

Without checking the numbers, I'll guess Vic has a lower reaction value and therefore is slower / one of the later ones to get their turn.

 

[.Pixote.]

It could be Vic's sequence number...if it is lower than everyone else then the character will miss a turn. I encountered Enclave troops that all shot me twice before I even had a chance to shoot back once. It helps to have a high sequence number. Get it high enough then you can attack 2:1 or even 3:1 over the course of the battle.

Don't forget the Earlier Sequence perk.

"You are more likely to move before your opponents in combat, since your Sequence is +2 for each level of this Perk”.

Effect - With each level of this Perk, you adds a +2 bonus to your Sequence, which improves your chance to start the battle in first, after the Surprise Turn.

It's a pity use can't chose perks for NPC.

 

[DForge]

Stage 6 Vic has 16 sequence.. equivalent of 8 Perception. How's that low? :p Cassidy has 18. I don't remember Sulik's. Unless the wastes are crowded with enemies having more than 16... But naw, Vic acts directly after the combat initiator and me (he does skip 2nd action in 1st turn only). Seems like a bug to me.

I think there might be something in Vic's AI. AIs differ, for example Cassidy on the same (stay close to me) will be more interested in faraway targets than Vic with the same weapon (Vic will just skip turns, Cassidy will shoot that 15-hex-away-critters, for instance..)


And yeah, sequence's underrated - I always start with 7 PE, and end up with 9 PE (taking gain Perception before level thirty) so that I can fight Enclave patrols without that massive chance of losing an NPC you have with lower perception (since that would allow the entire patrol to act before you... making them have 2 turns before your)


Earlier Sequence howerer isn't good - it gives the same sequence as gain PE (assuming you have <10) but doesn't give PE's other bonuses, notably better ranged modifiers.

 

[Haenlomal]

At DForge's request, I've taken a look at this problem. In short, I don't think this is a bug. Here's why.

In his example, DForge wrote the following:

Turn 1:

Enemy shoots me
I shoot
Vic Shoots
Cassidy Shoots
Sulik shoots
Rest of enemies shoots
Cassidy shoots again
Sulik shoots again
Vic doesn't

Turn 2:

Normal sequence (enemy, me, team, etc.)

However, this is the wrong way to look at turns. There are four very simple rules to follow with regards to sequences and turns.

1) All critters in combat are ranked from highest to lowest according to the sequence. In case of ties, the order is randomized among all tied critters.
2) Whoever initiated the attack ALWAYS goes first, regardless of its Sequence rating.
3) The rest of the critters (assuming the survived the initial attack) makes their move in the order of Sequence.
4) From turn two onwards, all critters go according to their sequence.

Therefore, in DForge's example, this should really be:

Turn 1:

Enemy shoots me
I shoot
Sulik shoots
Cassidy Shoots
Vic Shoots
Rest of enemies shoot

Turn 2:

I shoot again
Sulik shoots again
Cassidy shoots again
Vic doesn't shoot
Enemies shoot
Vic Shoots again (maybe during enemy sequencing)

Turn 3:

Repeat sequence in turn 2, accounting for survivors and Perception altering injuries/drugs.

This makes sense: A player character with 9 or 10 Perception is going to have 18-20 Sequence respectively. Stage 6 Sulik's sequence is 20, Stage 4 Cassidy's sequence is 18, and Stage 6 Vic's sequence is 16. This means that Sulik is always going to be faster than Cassidy, and Cassidy faster than Vic. Unfortunately, Vic is a little bit in trouble since some mid level enemies and almost all high level enemies have sequences of 16 or better. At 16, Vic's chances of going ahead of his mid-level enemies is randomized. And high level enemies (such as Floaters, Super Mutants, and Enclave Patrols to name a few examples) are almost always going to beat Vic in the sequencing game.

Also, just because a NPC can hit an enemy doesn't mean that he or she will attack it. The PartyAI also has a customized threat assessment routine for each party member. So it's possible that Cassidy assesses an enemy within range and the AI thinks that Cassidy can take it on, while Vic may assess the same enemy and decide to take on a weaker foe.

Hope this helps to clear up the issue.

Cheers,

-- The Haen.

 

[DForge]

Thanks for the investigation!

Perhaps I got some sort of one time bug then, because in my previous game, Vic always acted first (yes, before Sulik and Cassidy), but never attacked 2nd time - pretty weird.

cheers!