Axe-to-Face NPC technology (aka, murdering your party members, who fight back)

[Ghreyfain]

Okay, so someone had the great idea of murdering their own party members.  This post is half mod idea, so post with suggestions, and half editing question.

The basic idea is that if you so choose, you should be able to off your party members, but have it halfway realistic, by having them fight back.  Some of the ways to implement this could be:

- Attacking them while they're in the party.  They detect it, go hostile, leave party, and fight back.
Pros: Sounds like the way an actual CHARNAME would go about it.  Why kick them out/give them warning?
Cons: If you accidentally fireball them, or hit them while charmed, or whatever, they'd go hostile.

- Telling them via flirt-pack-esque initiated dialogue that you're attacking them, or choose the (Attack X) option.
Pros: First idea I came up with.  Now that I came up with more, this one doesn't seem to have many pros.
Cons: Pretty much everything.  Conflicts with Flirt Packs/Click-to-Talk, and would be (close enough to) impossible to do for all NPCs via READ_ASCII, variable patching, and blah blah blah to be worthwile.

- Kicking them from the party, and letting their scripts turn them hostile and the like if the PC attacks them, much like attacking any other blue-circled creature works.
Pros: Doesn't interfere with other mods, and doesn't interfere with fireballing your friends for fun and profit.  Could even append it to a mod NPC's script by reading their override script and just extending it to them, as well.
Cons: I'm not sure how scripts are assigned when an NPC is kicked.  They get their override script, and the rest remain blank, right?  Unless specifically assigned.

So anyways, so far I'm leaning towards the latter option.  Ease of coding, and fairly non-hackish feeling in-game.

[the bigg]

- Kicking them from the party, and letting their scripts turn them hostile and the like if the PC attacks them, much like attacking any other blue-circled creature works.
Pros: Doesn't interfere with other mods, and doesn't interfere with fireballing your friends for fun and profit.  Could even append it to a mod NPC's script by reading their override script and just extending it to them, as well.
Cons: I'm not sure how scripts are assigned when an NPC is kicked.  They get their override script, and the rest remain blank, right?  Unless specifically assigned.

This is what BW NPCs do (even if their scripts suck big time, EG casting only some puny low-level spells), so this one should be real easy 

[discharger12]

If this was made into a mod, it would be great for the NPC to leave, and possibly come back with friends to help attack the PC.

[Galactygon]

- Attacking them while they're in the party. They detect it, go hostile, leave party, and fight back.
...
Cons: If you accidentally fireball them, or hit them while charmed, or whatever, they'd go hostile.

There are certain ways to detect any fireballs, charms, and such. If it doesn't work there could be a warning dialogue saying "CHARNAME, I'm wounded, what did you do, etc.", with dialogue choices of making the party member go hostile.

-Galactygon

[Ghreyfain]

- Kicking them from the party

This is what BW NPCs do (even if their scripts suck big time, EG casting only some puny low-level spells), so this one should be real easy

I'm not so sure BioNPCs do this, though.  When you kick them from the party, aren't they just left with their override script active?  I'm not talking about sequences where they get pissed and leave the group, specifically to attack the party.

If this was made into a mod, it would be great for the NPC to leave, and possibly come back with friends to help attack the PC.

The NPC isn't "leaving", they're "dying".  Pay attention, please.

- Attacking them while they're in the party.

There are certain ways to detect any fireballs, charms, and such.

Not terribly reliably, though.

If it doesn't work there could be a warning dialogue saying "CHARNAME, I'm wounded, what did you do, etc.", with dialogue choices of making the party member go hostile.

That would definitely interrupt the flow of combat and be just as intrusive as "(Attack X)" or kicking them from the party with ill intent.

[discharger12]

If this was made into a mod, it would be great for the NPC to leave, and possibly come back with friends to help attack the PC.

The NPC isn't "leaving", they're "dying".  Pay attention, please.

I meant 'when a/o if' you have CHAR attack an NPC, they could try and run away, and come back with friends. Unless, you kill them before they get away.

Of course this wouldn't occur with all players. Someone like Korgan would just attack you, screw help.

[devSin]

I'm not so sure BioNPCs do this, though.  When you kick them from the party, aren't they just left with their override script active?  I'm not talking about sequences where they get pissed and leave the group, specifically to attack the party.

No, all NPCs (excepting lazy Imoen) have a bunch of blocks for Allegiance(Myself,255) !InParty() ChangeAIScript("kickass",7) blah. If they ever somehow go from being enemy to neutral or ally, their scripts get cleared. Has nobody ever tried to kill a neutral party-joinable NPC before? They fight back.

even if their scripts suck big time, EG casting only some puny low-level spells

Actually, the X scripts are fairly well rounded. They're not the best, but they have a good enough selection of spells and tactics.

[jester]

Do you remember the time the 2nd Mech Infantry opened fire in retaliation to a squadron of British paratroopers? No? If it is not a complete missunderstanding, opening fir on your own team is not an option. A stray fireball won't change that. The third option sounds good, but evil characters might cherish the idea of indicating an attack just to revel in the fact that they can like the proverbial dog.

[SimDing0™]

Cons: If you accidentally fireball them, or hit them while charmed, or whatever, they'd go hostile.

Firstly, check for NPCs being charmed, and check if the player's charmed (you can steal the code from Virtue drops for this). That's easy enough.
For the accidents, I propose two good alternatives:
1) Have a counter of the number of times they're hit, and give DisplayStringHead or VerbalConstant warning each time it increments. If you sit them inside a meteor swarm, of course they're gonna get pissed off. The counter would reset after a while if you stop attacking. For bonus points, healing them could also reset the counter.
2) Even simpler, check if you're in combat, or if enemies are nearby, or something. If you're launching off fireballs while there's nothing hostile there and you hit them, then okay... something fishy's going on.

[jester]

If you are not in combat and just use them for target practice, they should get angry with you, but my wildmage would not like his comrades to turn hostile everytime he actually fireballs the group or turns them into weasels, angry weasels that is.

[BigRob]

The idea of detecting the presence of any hostiles by script seems like a fair way to me. It wouldn't be good if your NPCs got over sensitive and turned on you like a miffed Planetar at the first sign of a miscalculated spell effect.

[Andyr]

If this was made into a mod, it would be great for the NPC to leave, and possibly come back with friends to help attack the PC.

This happens in Mur'Neth for Tutu. If you annoy him and he leaves, he'll come back later to have a go at you with a little support.

[underdog]

Cons: If you accidentally fireball them, or hit them while charmed, or whatever, they'd go hostile.

Firstly, check for NPCs being charmed, and check if the player's charmed (you can steal the code from Virtue drops for this). That's easy enough.
For the accidents, I propose two good alternatives:

2) Even simpler, check if you're in combat, or if enemies are nearby, or something. If you're launching off fireballs while there's nothing hostile there and you hit them, then okay... something fishy's going on.

Last night got a creeping doom cast on party, sent a mage around with staff of magi, whacked everyone, it dispelled the CD from the player hit, then you have to pause and send each to seperate corners, but that would make a hostile response, and party member turn on you, even though it was for a real good reason, stopping 2 hp a turn damage.

And it was done after battle this time, last i had to do that was in WK end of maze level when the cambion's party cast CD, sent a mage around during battle whacking everyone.