Auto-explore improvement ideas thread

[tiger_eye]

I'm looking for feedback: how would you like to see auto-explore improved? Are there any bugs that should be fixed?

Please avoid ideas that require tunable configurations or options, may kill the character or put the character needlessly in harms way, or involve automation that goes beyond the slope of exploring, because auto-explore should explore, not play the game for you. In fact, I would prefer simple, concise ideas that would be easy to implement . Thanks!

[SageAcrin]

-Automatically deactivate any sustains that keep you from moving when auto-explore starts.

Aim and mostly Aim. It's still a nice quality of life thing for Aim.

-Automatically rest until CDs are full, rather then until resources first, then CDs. This has caused me problems occasionally. (Though, I think rest until resources are full rather than both resources and CDs is probably not that great of a choice anyways. It probably ought to default to resting until both are done. Might be more of a Rest problem as such...)

-Don't instantly break auto-explore for air loss.

While the limit should be quite high, there's some occasional annoyances about it being any air loss(mostly Trollmire ponds, where autoexplore will waste your time constantly warning you as it goes to explore three tiny squares of map that are on the wrong side of a pond). Hitting 80 remaining air before a warning is probably safe enough for anyone.

-Have it learn to recognize and avoid explosion puffs from explosion traps and poison clouds from poison cloud traps. (And probably rolling rocks.)

Fairly minor now that they've been made uncommon and nerfed, but it'd be nice.

[lukep]

- stop at glowing chests (etc?)
- is there still the "not stopping for monsters in infravision" bug?
- give directions for stop messages (like stopped, reason: rattlesnake to the north)
- a "go directly to exit" option? (useful for dwarven kingdom of Reknor, when you go through again)
- stop before lava floor, not just when you step on it
- prevent autoexplore when you are standing on lava floor, as you just start resting, then break from damage

- a more general idea from SageAcrin's trap idea: stop when you see an incoming projectile. (stopping when it is fired would be easy, but it would leak a bit of knowledge)

[bricks]

Some simple "go to up stairs/go to down stairs" command would be nice, since auto-explore can be very insistent about exploring vaults. Though I can't help but feel something like that already exists... Similarly, a way to set "exclusions" would be nice (areas and doors that auto-explore will ignore). Crawl does this, it's super handy since I could use it to exclude vault doors or areas where I expect to encounter dangerous enemies like bosses.

[eliotn]

For shallow pools, having autoexplore not interrupt until below 50-80 air and giving a pathfinding cost to going through pools would be helpful.

[bricks]

I don't think auto-explore should explore water at less than 3/4 air capacity, if at all. I suppose you could write a special algorithm to handle fully submerged places with air bubbles.

I just wish the whole "breath capacity" thing would go away and get replaced by a non-lethal negative status effect.

[bricks]

One thing I've found odd about auto-explore is how it doesn't stop on items. I know this really a matter of preference, and may require a configuration option, but it's a little ridiculous that I end up checking my inventory every time auto-explore stops anyway.

Sorry about the double post.

[tiger_eye]

A bunch of good ideas, thanks. A few responses:

Re: air loss--stop at 75% air capacity sounds reasonable. There is already a pathfinding "cost" to moving through water.
Re: stopping at items--it should already go to newly dropped or found items. Once.
Re: visiting vault doors--how about only going to a closed vault door once? If you don't want to open it, auto-exploring again will take to you the next destination, such as an exit. If you want to return to a closed vault, you'll need to go to it manually.
Re: glowing chests--yeah, I'll make it go to glowing chests like it does items. Only once?
Re: direction of observed enemy--good idea.
Re: Aim--I suppose Aim could be specifically deactivated. Any others?
Re: AoE traps--phooey!
Re: stopping for observed hostile projectiles--probably doable. Is this reasonable and fair?
Re: not stopping for infravision--should be okay as is. Is there a problem still?

[lukep]

IIRC, Last Stand also prevents movement, and maybe Body of Stone.

for stopping for items, it does not work well for chests. It drops under your feet, which marks it for autoexplore, but doesn't get it with the chest.

I thought I saw the not stopping for infravision in Reknor, but I'll need to double check to be sure.

[wobbly]

Sometimes autoexplore behaves strangely with stopping for spoting hostiles. A hostile flashes onto the screen & autoexplore keeps going. Usually something fast like a snake. I assume it moves out of los at the same instant I spot him. Also stops for stealthed creatures I can't actually see, but that's probably more to do with the strange stealth mechanics in the game. Hard to know if stealth/invisibility is working as it should, as I can't work out how it's meant to function.

[omeg]

I've had autoexplore not stop at glowing chests once in the Labyrinth. It also had problems in the Ruined Dungeon (stopped at altar and refused to go further).

[omeg]

Autoexplore often gets stuck in Daikara between one of the exits and Temporal Rift entrance (or a cave if it's spawned).

[Mewtarthio]

It seems that, once autoexplore has "explored everything," it will always take you to an exit, even if you later dig out a wall that reveals a new section of the level.

[Crim, The Red Thunder]

It seems that, once autoexplore has "explored everything," it will always take you to an exit, even if you later dig out a wall that reveals a new section of the level.

Had this happen once, it's resolvable. Let it take you to stairs, then FROM stairs, hit autoexplore again. NOW, after this, it actively attempted to explore the new portion of the level revealed by digging. However, if I stepped off the stairs manually, it did not do this. Cycling between up and down stairs MIGHT be necessary, not sure how it's algorithim works.

My only real complaint about auto-explore I mentioned to you in game once, and that's the way it'll leave an obvious unexplored empty space behind you to rush across the map, ending with you getting flanked, and possibly resulting in a death. I know I can't expect it to be as intelligent as I am, but making it say 'hmmm, there's this small patch closeby I haven't explored, or this huge area that I know nothing about, I should clear the small close by stuff first' would be nice.

Getting it to recognize whether chests have been opened or not would be nice as well, and treating them as features to go back to BEFORE saying 'nothing left to explore' if they have not been opened.

[bricks]

Re: stopping at items--it should already go to newly dropped or found items. Once.

Wanted to follow up on this. I want auto-explore to stop at items on the floor, not simply visit them. I realize this would result in mashing the auto-explore button more often if an option isn't available, but right now the only alternative is to play manually.