Borg bugs and feature requests

[eschiss1]

One other thing btw...
Left newer high-elf necromancer on overnight. Woke up to see a loop that had been going on I do not know how long:

"# Performing attack type 40 with value 224.
# Casting Crush (1,1).
# Performing attack type 40 with value 224.
# Casting Crush (1,1).
# Performing attack type 40 with value 224.
# Casting Crush (1,1).
# Performing attack type 40 with value 224.
# Casting Crush (1,1).
# Performing attack type 40 with value 264.
# Casting Crush (1,1).
# Performing attack type 40 with value 264.
# Casting Crush (1,1).
# Performing attack type 40 with value 264.
# Casting Crush (1,1).
# Performing attack type 40 with value 264.
# Casting Crush (1,1).
# Performing attack type 40 with value 264.
# Casting Crush (1,1).
# Resting to recharge a rod...
# Performing attack type 40 with value 224.
# Casting Crush (1,1)." and so forth. (I have the log file saved and can upload it as a text attachment if that will help show the situation in which this occurred. Should, now I think of it, have created an html or forum screenshot too or instead. Anyway, for whatever reason, the crush-when-nothing-is-actually-able-to-even-notice problem is not totally solved yet as of 4.2.5.554, unfortunately

[agoodman]

One other thing btw...
Left newer high-elf necromancer on overnight. Woke up to see a loop that had been going on I do not know how long:

"# Performing attack type 40 with value 224.
# Casting Crush (1,1).
# Performing attack type 40 with value 224.
# Casting Crush (1,1).
# Performing attack type 40 with value 224.
# Casting Crush (1,1).
# Performing attack type 40 with value 224.
# Casting Crush (1,1).
# Performing attack type 40 with value 264.
# Casting Crush (1,1).
# Performing attack type 40 with value 264.
# Casting Crush (1,1).
# Performing attack type 40 with value 264.
# Casting Crush (1,1).
# Performing attack type 40 with value 264.
# Casting Crush (1,1).
# Performing attack type 40 with value 264.
# Casting Crush (1,1).
# Resting to recharge a rod...
# Performing attack type 40 with value 224.
# Casting Crush (1,1)." and so forth. (I have the log file saved and can upload it as a text attachment if that will help show the situation in which this occurred. Should, now I think of it, have created an html or forum screenshot too or instead. Anyway, for whatever reason, the crush-when-nothing-is-actually-able-to-even-notice problem is not totally solved yet as of 4.2.5.554, unfortunately

If you can get me the save file I will take a look at it. you can either attach it here or on github you could write up an issue (either https://github.com/angband/angband/issues or https://github.com/agoodman00/angband/issues) or email me goodman.adam(at)gmail.com

[agoodman]

Crush is still not handled as well as could be, I think - still casting at monsters that have way too many hit points for Crush to affect them, e.g.... but ...
Here's another issue that may be worth looking at?
"# Performing attack type 49 with value 347.
# Targeting master lich who has 1095 Hit Points (55,39).
# Casting Curse (4,3).
Target Selected.
No monster selected!"
The borg never seems to manage to use Curse properly (which is something it rarely has a chance to do, I know, since it's in Necromancy book 5 - which is hard to get - but there's some bug or other in the Targeting code related to that spell.)

hmmm, I will take a look. the curse stuff is all new code so not very well tested

[agoodman]

hmmm, I will take a look. the curse stuff is all new code so not very well tested

okay, I took a look and here is the problem. When the borg picks a spell target it does

*p (move to the monster using directions) 5.
cast spell
5

but, even if the square it picked has a monster on it, this doesn't count as selecting a monster. Is this right? Is it a game bug? I will write this up on github and ask Nick

I think this will mess up the borg casting:

curse
command (not currently used by the borg)
single combat (not currently used by the borg)

I don't think there is a way to positionally select a monster and coding for targeting a spell at a specific monster rather than a point will be difficult. I am not sure how to do it.

I think I will have to disable curse for now until I think of a solution to this.

[eschiss1]

I've had to use * to select, iirc, not 5, when casting curse. (Something like that?)

[agoodman]

I've had to use * to select, iirc, not 5, when casting curse. (Something like that?)

discussion of the solution found https://github.com/angband/angband/issues/6337 and code checked in https://github.com/angband/angband/pull/6338

[eschiss1]

I still think the borg casts Crush far more often than it needs to.
Crush instantly kills any monster in line of sight with less than four times the player's level in hitpoints, also hurting the player. Other monsters are unharmed.
I see no evidence that the player's line of sight is being checked, that the monster's hitpoints are even being guessed at (an unharmed Witchking of Angmar is not likely to be harmed by Crush- well, to use less complication, I do sometimes see the monster's HP in the borg window, is it not allowed to make decisions using that information?...) - - well, briefly, the borg is taking this spell that's not actually that useful at deep levels (not compared to some others one of the same class should have by that point) and using it -constantly-, and practically ignoring others. That's practically perverse That, at least, can be fixed, I think.