Zugg Software :: View topic - Beginner scripting help request - double-casting only if target still alive

Beginner Joined: 02 Feb 2012 Posts: 16

Hello, again!

Moving on to another topic, I'm trying to learn more about conditional triggers.

Here's the scenario - I would like an alias that primes a spell, casts it twice at a target, and if it's still alive, fire it once more. If the target is dead, do not cast the third volley (save mana, allow for rebuffing, quaff potions between fights, etc.). It uses an embedded, pre-defined alias, "zz", for picking the actual spell (hence, zz $target). The idea is that usually two spells will kill it, but sometimes I've "lost my concentration" or the damage was too low to kill it on the first two shots. Also, I occasionally roll a critical hit and the target dies in one casting - it would be optimal if it would only cast once in these situations.

I was thinking of a WHILE sort of loop, but I really don't want it to spam the spells over and over again without giving me a chance to quaff a mana potion or heal after the third shot, just in case (and if I want to modify this for use on tougher mobs).

MUD responses:
1) Target is not available, because it is already dead: "Cast the spell on whom?"
2) Target has been killed: "A {MOB NAME} is DEAD!!

Framework:

Wizard Joined: 22 Mar 2007 Posts: 2320

There are several ways of doing this. One that pops into mind is to have a variable @alive which has a value of TRUE if the target is alive and FALSE if the target is dead. In your script, insert #WAIT commands between zz commands, and put #IF statements around the zz commands, to test the value of @alive. Outside of the script, create triggers for "cast the spell on whom?" and "A * is DEAD" which set @alive to FALSE. You'll need some other code somewhere to set @alive to TRUE, but you'll have to figure out where it makes sense to put that.

Another way would be a complicated multistate trigger, but that is probably harder.

Beginner Joined: 02 Feb 2012 Posts: 16

Okay, I think that makes sense.

So feed the alias the target name, then inside the alias, determine if the given target is present and still alive. Perhaps I can force in a LOOK command or something to determine if the target is actually there. If the MUD responds with something other than "You do not see that here.", set @alive to TRUE? Then the trigger should eventually fire when it dies, setting it to FALSE. Each subsequent attempt to cast would be subject to whether @alive is TRUE or FALSE.

I might even want to set @alive to the target name, and match against the fed target name? That way I could avoid something like having the wrong toggle (like if I fled a fight, never killing the mob, and it is still "alive"). Trying to think of anything I'm missing so far.

Does that sound right?

Beginner Joined: 02 Feb 2012 Posts: 16

EDIT: Sorry for double posting - Somehow I managed to hit Quote and double-posted... can't find a delete post option?

Wizard Joined: 22 Mar 2007 Posts: 2320

Yeah, you could combine the target name and alive status in one variable.

You could do the test inside the zz alias, but I was figuring on doing something like:

Beginner Joined: 02 Feb 2012 Posts: 16

Sorry, I really am brand new to this language and while I think I get the logic, I'm still very much struggling with the syntax and which commands to use, when.

Maybe I'm over-thinking this, but is there a way to see if a trigger evaluates to FALSE or does it just continue to watch until it fires?

Trying to simplify this:

Alias call:
fireball (target mob name)

Alias code:
; Fire first spell
cast 'fireball' $target
;
; Was the target there and alive?
#TRIGGER {^Your fireball } {#VA alive $target}
;
; Fireball to the face until dead
#TRIGGER (@alive=$target) {cast 'fireball' $target} "" "LoopExp"
#TEMP ( is DEAD!!) {#VA alive FALSE}

I think you can see what I'm trying to do here, but does it work like that? Or does the TEMP need to be somehow inside the TRIGGER (i.e., will it ever recognize the mob has died)?

Wizard Joined: 22 Mar 2007 Posts: 2320

#TRIGGER will create a permanent trigger which will execute its action every time the trigger pattern matches. You do not want to use #TRIGGER in your alias to keep creating this trigger. The code you post above will not do what you want.

In addition "#TRIGGER (@alive=$target) {..." is completely wrong. You can't use parentheses there, and you don't even want to use a trigger. What you are looking for is #WHILE.

You are definitely overthinking this. You need two separate things--your alias and one or more triggers that set @alive to FALSE. Your alias should be something like:

Beginner Joined: 02 Feb 2012 Posts: 16

Wizard Joined: 22 Mar 2007 Posts: 2320

Yes, you could do something like that, which would let you use shorter forms of the name (clever idea there!). The easiest trigger pattern to do this would be:

Beginner Joined: 02 Feb 2012 Posts: 16

Sweet. This is working pretty well now, with one exception. Occasionally, the target mob flees, or moves to another room before the script can fire.

The MUD text when you cast a spell on a non-existant target is "They aren't here." (always at the beginning of the line).

Is this a case where I need to create a #COND clause?

Beginner Joined: 02 Feb 2012 Posts: 16

Nevermind - I resolved it by adding a second trigger. Works REALLY well... I can't thank you enough for the help. Learning quite a bit just scanning this forum!

Beginner Joined: 02 Feb 2012 Posts: 16

I've also improved it a bit by quaffing mana pots only when necessary (the cost of one casting of fireball is about the amount a mana pot refills).

Beginner Joined: 02 Feb 2012 Posts: 16

Another improvement, using the PROMPT variables to monitor health. It also does away with counting the spells altogether, and instead just quaffs with each iteration. Much cleaner this way and probably more efficient.