Topic on User talk:Hautarche

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This page shows the changes between two versions of a post by Hautarche in the topic "Diabolus Fire Burst notes" on User talk:Hautarche. You can see other versions of this post at its history page.
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After thinking about how AICanTargetNow gets called, and recalling discrepancies between diabolus behavior during testing and non-test gameplay, I ran another set of tests that were identical to the first, with one exception: instead of *spawning* diaboli from scratch, I had a mechanitor summon them, and then I either initiated the test while the diabolus was still preparing to attack or after it started making its way towards my base. Summoned diaboli have a different Lord than diaboli ex nihilo, and of the two, only summoned diaboli are actually relevant to players reading the wiki.
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After thinking about how AICanTargetNow gets called, and recalling discrepancies between diabolus behavior during testing and non-test gameplay, I ran another set of tests that were identical to the first, with one exception: instead of *spawning* diaboli from scratch, I had a mechanitor summon them, and then I either initiated the test while the diabolus was still preparing to attack or after it started making its way towards my base. This is important because diaboli spawned from the "Spawn Pawn" Dev Tool have a different AI Lord than those that drop in after being summoned by a mechanitor (or as part of the entourage of another mechanoid boss or raid); obviously the latter is the one actually pertinent to players reading the wiki.
  
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This round of testing showed different results. For a little explanation, AICanTargetNow is only called when the diabolus has a combat target. Summoned diaboli are governed by a Lord that eventually tells them to "assault the colony". Pawns assaulting the colony pick out something random in your base to trash and path towards it with the intent of breaking it - and crucially, during this time they do not scan for combat targets until they either 1) spend enough time in proximity to pawns they are hostile to, or 2) get damaged by an attack. What this means is that while a diabolus is pathing towards your base, it WILL NOT use fire burst until either condition 1) or 2) have been fulfilled. This is also true for summoned diaboli that are still wandering around preparing for the assault.
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This round of testing showed slightly different results. To make a long story short, non-player-controlled diaboli will only use Fire Burst if the ability's AICanTargetNow function says to do so, but that in turn only gets evaluated while the diabolus is fighting enemies. A diabolus that is NOT fighting enemies therefore cannot cast Fire Burst. Diaboli are NOT fighting enemies when wandering around in preparation for an assault, as well as when they are simply pathing towards your colony (or aiming a weapon at random buildings/furniture; this is also not 'fighting enemies'). Diaboli switch to fighting enemies when they are hit by a damaging attack, (sometimes) when anyone in their 'party' is hit by a damaging attack, or when they spend enough time proximate to pawns they COULD fight; you'll know they're in this mode because they path towards your pawns and then start trying to shoot them with the Hellsphere Cannon. Note that the charge blaster turret fires independently of the diabolus and so is not an identifier of the diabolus' current Toil.
  
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However, if the diabolus IS trying to fight pawns, aiming at it is still sufficient to prompt the fire burst.
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All that said, when the diabolus IS fighting enemies, Fire Burst does in fact proc when attacked or even aimed at.
  
 
This is why I have submitted an edit-of-my-edit further clarifying how diaboli' fire burst work.
 
This is why I have submitted an edit-of-my-edit further clarifying how diaboli' fire burst work.
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