Don't close the door on Uglúk, the uruk!

[artes]

Thank you. I'm amazed at the many different suggestions. This really shows that in programming, a problem can be solved in many ways.

Without tinkering with the speed system, it makes sense for a monster that can bash doors to do so if the player is immediately on the other side. This is the behavior that raises the most tactical problems for the player, by opening up lines of sight; and even in a one-on-one fight perspective, it makes sense for the monster to do this because it places the monster in the door tile after the door has been bashed, so it closes the distance faster than merely opening.

This could be an interesting improvement to monster AI.

[artes]

NPC Intelligence: the NPC would need to know that it's a door, and the fact that the door hinders the NPC in reaching the player on the other side. The higher the intelligence stat for the NPC, the faster it will try to bash down the door if it's either shut with spikes or simply closed.

Maybe this is already somewhat handled in that monsters with an erratic movement will spend less time bashing, I guess.

NPC Strength: the stronger the NPC, the easier it is for it to bash down the door.

Today, bashing depends on monster level. Realism would be greater if monsters had strength, yes.

[Timo Pietilä]

Today, bashing depends on monster level. Realism would be greater if monsters had strength, yes.

Bashing depends more of speed and weight than strength. A dragon should have no problems bashing down doors, even strongest dwarf would have plenty of trouble.

Then there are swarm monsters like fire ants that probably would eat their way thru the door rather than bash it.

[artes]

Bashing depends more of speed and weight than strength.

That's true.

[d_m]

Easy solution to this problem. Give doors a small (1-5%) chance of breaking when being opened. This way, any kind of strategy that relies upon repeatedly opening and closing doors will fail after awhile, but random doors won't break too often.

This is like Fizzix's plan without requiring that monsters that open doors also be able to bash them down.

And it subscribes to my "all actions should have some chance of failure or alternate outcome" ethos.

[Derakon]

It feels weird to me to have every door in the dungeon be teetering on the brink of destruction, though. I mean, doors are not complex devices; they shouldn't be expected to break unless put in a strenuous situation.

[Timo Pietilä]

It feels weird to me to have every door in the dungeon be teetering on the brink of destruction, though. I mean, doors are not complex devices; they shouldn't be expected to break unless put in a strenuous situation.

One way to solve this is to make opening door make you step in it, and same for monsters. That would be a bit risky though, because you do not know what is at other side of the door.

Maybe separate open command that doesn't move you, and open with movement (like just walking in it like if it isn't there). If the door is locked then open with movement wouldn't work.

[bio_hazard]

It feels weird to me to have every door in the dungeon be teetering on the brink of destruction, though. I mean, doors are not complex devices; they shouldn't be expected to break unless put in a strenuous situation.

I guess all the snagas are running around fixing doors when they aren't busy cringing from bright lights.

[Nomad]

One way to solve this is to make opening door make you step in it, and same for monsters. That would be a bit risky though, because you do not know what is at other side of the door.

Maybe separate open command that doesn't move you, and open with movement (like just walking in it like if it isn't there). If the door is locked then open with movement wouldn't work.

How about changing the current behaviour so that moving into a closed door causes "open and step forward", while using 'o' or alter just opens it without you moving? That way the player could choose between haste and caution according to situation, while monsters would always use the former behaviour.

[Shockbolt]

Or give the monster/npc a % chance to step into the doorframe everytime it opens a door and/or a % chance it will step into the doorframe if standing next to a door being opened by the player?