Smart Combat

I've been playing Neverwinter Nights for a long time now, and one of the things I always yearn to see with each module is a means to smarter combat. I want to find enemies that hide, chase down or ambush enemies that run away, and pit myself against bosses that, if large enough, can actually throw you or your henchman backwards with a good physical area-of-effect move.

So, with this goal in mind, I've mapped out a few systems that will give players more options for smart combat, and that will add more realism to Neverwinter Nights. As a preceding leading question: if you've played Neverwinter Nights, haven't you ever raged at how the NPC enemy seems to know exactly where you are in combat, even if you've hid behind three separate closed doors?

Here are a few extra things I am designing to give players a boost in creativity (just a sneak peek at a number of new systems I plan to code):

- A better hide-and-seek game:
If you've attacked an enemy and managed to get around a corner ahead of time to hide, the NPC enemy shouldn't know where you are. Instead, it will round the corner and will look for you in Detect Mode, rather than simply chase you down to attack. If you manage to hide successfully and pass the Listen and Spot checks, the enemy will assume (and sometimes say) they've chased you away. This should provide better ways for rogues who are not shadowdancers to survive being spotted while infiltrating an enemy base.

- New placeables with which the PC can interact without starting a conversation:
There will be useful placeables scattered around Bastion with which the player will interact without starting a conversation, granted the player knows how to use them. This will prove handy when the player is in combat and needs to think fast. Examples are: ladders that allow players to ascend to Bastion's rooftops when chased by muggers and thugs; placeables next to bodies of water that will allow players (only in combat) to escape an ambush by jumping into the harbor and being carried away to safety (with caveats, of course - i.e. would a paladin in full plate be able to swim well?); destructive placeables that will make ambushing opponents easier and more fun; and more. Of course, these placeables will be distributed in a balanced way and will by no means be the be-all-end-all of combat.

I will also be designing about a dozen new AI's that will make combat against NPC's more interesting. A few examples are:

- The Sneak Caster AI
The sneak casters are mages that will not simply cast invisibility, buff, then fire spells. Instead, they will have ranks on the Hide and Move Silently skills, and will cast spells, then run around a corner and into hiding before casting more spells at the PC out of the shadows.

- The Coward AI (or the Mobster)
Cowards/Mobsters will appear largely in groups. They are generally weak and low on attack rolls, but with a moderate amount of health and a small amount of regeneration. They aim to surround the PC and will flee one by one to hide and regenerate before amassing and attacking once more. Usually, attacking a group of Cowards-type creatures head-on is a bad idea, an action that will sap the player's resources.

Lastly, here are three screenshots of Bastion's Break:

Screen 1: A bright day outside of Bastion

Screen 2: Will you dare venture into the misty unknown?

Screen 3: Sink or swim