Post: #8

I like this and intend to use some of these aspects in my AI pack. One thing I'd change would be using fewer firm coded checks and more refrencing the creature's data. That way fewer events can handle more creatures. Some examples:

Use the NPCs AVERSIONS to determine what types to run from. You can also check for the carnivore type events themselves rather than bodies.

Likewise for the wolf pack hunt you could store a list of wolves in their DESIRES and check against that. Then using the event for Raptors or somesuch is as easy as adding it and editing their DESIRES.

Using this logic the bird event becomes a generic event for a monster that attacks a few specific things listed in its AVERSIONS and runs from anything else.

The egg laying event can be one script that uses a LAYER (er, bad choice of name, maybe UIDMOTHER?) tag. Then the eaters can check if they are the layer, the layer is of their species, etc. So the snake would have 3 events, the laying event, the egg eating event and a combat control event. The laying event would be shared with chickens.

Not quite in the same vein but considering NPCSpecialAction, it can be enabled with a tag and scripted to do the eggs, poop and so on. Less fine control but also less need for timers. I know this is how spider webs and fire elemental flames work and I think herd animal poop is on the same system.

"-- All AI's will come back to their HOME if they DISTANCE > HOMEDIST" This shouldn't need to be scripted, I rely on the fact they do this automatically to move NPCs along paths and to follow other NPCs.

Finally the big one. I'd like to see the bear fishing really use skill and be comparable to PC gathering. Make it work for other skills so we can have a mining Iron Beetle. Trouble is that these skills need tools so you can't just start the action and let Sphere handle it. We'd need a comparable gathering script for NPCs that don't use tools but still runs through normal checks and uses the actual resource pool of the region.