Matt Firor Interview
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Camelot Vault: Of all the new features being introduced, is there a specific one that has not received a lot of attention that you believe will be a big hit with the community?
Matt Firor: I'm glad you asked - one feature that we haven't talked about too much yet is our new advanced monster AI. In the early stages, we weren't sure what we could accomplish with overhauling the AI, so we haven't released many details. Now that we are well on our way to completion, we can start to talk about what we're doing with AI. Basically, one of the most common complaints of online RPG players is that monster hunting simply isn't challenging enough - so we're trying to break some new ground with the Shrouded Isles monster AI.
Some quick examples of advanced AI - we have monsters that use lower level monsters to "lure" unsuspecting players into encounters while the higher level ones hide. Halfway through the encounter, the higher level monsters ambush the players. We also have monsters that can shape-change to look like friendly players - they then try to pass themselves off as a player character, until they reveal their "true" form and attack. In one Hibernian expansion area, there is a procession of Sylvan that perform a ritual to "re-seed" the land by throwing magic dust in a lake, from which sprout small treant seedlings. This is a friendly event; however, this ritual is often attacked by Fomorian monsters; the player character can protect the ritual if they wish. In one part of the Albion expansion area, there are two keeps in close proximity to one another - one is manned by Avalonian guards, but the other has been taken over by Drakoran forces. Once in a while, when the Drakoran fortress is at full strength, the Drakoran pour out of their keep and attack the Avalonian keep. Players are encouraged to join the battle.
