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Frustrating bug in the Prime Sentinel battle


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Basically, the unstable servants never, ever, under any circumstance stay on my side for more than a single turn. Often times during this one turn they just attack another servant, or miss the sentinel, meaning it takes a long time to actually do any significant damage. Sometimes, they even join me, rush up to the sentinel, and then turn on me in the same turn, before even attacking. I got pretty frustrated after a while so I looked into the "z113flunky.txt" file, which seems to be the script for the unstable servants. I found this little section of the code to be what determines when a servant turns on you.

 

Code:
if ((get_attitude(ME) < 10) && (get_max_health(ME) / 3)) {set_attitude(ME,10);heal_char(ME,500);print_str_color("The Prime Sentinel regains control of a servant.",3);if (gf(53,13) == 0) {			sf(53,13,1);			begin_talk_mode(43);			}			else set_state(START_STATE);		} 
From what I know about programming and averscript, the whole "(get_max_health(ME) / 3)" part of the "if ((get_attitude(ME) < 10) && (get_max_health(ME) / 3))" line doesn't make any sense. It's evaluated as true as long as the creatures max health divided by 3 isn't 0, which it never is. I'm assuming that it was meant to check if the creatures current health is less the a third of it's max health, which would make more sense. But as far as I can tell while playing the game, if the servant is on my side, then it's going to turn on me next chance it gets regardless of how much health it has.

 

I don't know why nobody else seems to have this problem, at least I'm pretty sure it's a problem. I'm running the latest version Mac version on Mac OS 10.5.2. Is it possible that one of the updates to Avernum 5 changed the way that it interprets certain syntax, and that not too many people have played the Mac version since then? Or maybe a change to the text file itself? It does appear to be one of the more recently modified files, modified months after the original release.

 

I did find a decent strategy for winning the battle anyways. I had my party move right next to the sentinel in a plus shaped formation. Then I had the southern person shoot the northwestern servant, my western person shoot the northeastern servant and so forth so that they would move to form an X around the sentinel. This made it so that they wouldn't accidentally attack each other. It only runs the code for them joining you when they're on its side, and it only runs the code for them joining the sentinel when they're on your side. So I hit them while they were on my side, making them joint its side, so they would join my side and attack in the same turn. Weird. And you have to be in the center at all times so at the end all the servant's blow up in your face, which hurts, and it seems just about impossible on harder difficulties, which I'm playing on.

 

I don't think the strategy was supposed to be that tricky. I'm pretty sure that the servants behavior was unintentional. I would like it fixed, or someone to tell me if I'm just missing something. I have plenty of nature lore, so I don't think its that. Help please.

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That sounds like a good strategy, but my mage doesn't know minor summon yet on the saved game where I got to him. I usually don't use much summoning so I wasn't too thrilled about paying 600 coins to learn it. In retrospect it'd probably be worth it. I've since reverted to an earlier save game and learned it for free from the second portal shade quest. At this point though I will not be content in merely defeating it, I must subjugate the servants to my will as well. So I think I'll wait until the update later today. I'll probably try to summon a fire lizard as well, now that you've mentioned it.

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Mass Healing keeps the servants on your side, and high Nature Lore makes them convert faster. That and a Spitting Wyrmkin won the battle easily.

 

...then all the servants exploded, killing my whole party except for my slith, who was reduced to 5 health. Almost a "Graveyard Thread" moment there. :rolleyes:

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I got the update. This battle is much more fun when the servants stay on your side. And them not blowing up instantly at the end is definitely a plus. But, it seems that a different bug was created. On normal and easy, it works fine, but on torment, and possibly hard mode, there's a new problem. When the sentinel restores the servants, it heals them for 500 health. On torment mode, they have much more health, meaning that when they're healed, they still are damaged enough to join my side. So now, I have the exact opposite problem. It's certainly a much less frustrating bug, but...

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I know, I've gotten minor summon and it can be pretty useful sometimes, I'm using it more. Even call beast is useful sometimes for cheap summoning wall tactics, all the spells in this game seem useful.

 

I beat it my first try on torment mode after the Mac v1.0.3 update released yesterday. I think that the new bug that makes the servants always join my side on torment mode after the first time might be in all the versions except for the Mac v1.0.2 one. It's not really something people would complain about.

 

I don't think any party that gets to the Prime Sentinel on torment would have too many problems beating it anyways even if it was working right, and it won't piss anyone off like the last one. So it's not nearly as dire a bug as the previous one. Still, it's just a little weird getting the message that the Prime Sentinel restored a servant to its control, only for it to be under my control later that same turn.

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I just nailed this fight just now, and I must say, it was a very clever dynamic - my tactics of rushing in with my slith to do damage whilst peppering from the back went straight out the window. I did it on the second attempt, because I had no energy potions and about 20mp for each spellcaster - not good when the Sentinel does lots of fire damage!

 

Then, as he fell, I quick-saved. Call it a self-preservation instinct. And it was lucky I did, after waiting to get my first aid recharge, the unstable sentinels blew up, wiping out my party.

 

Still - I must say it was one of the better encounters in the game, thus far. I look forward to the next boss battle.

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