acquireBuff - Get a buff from a buffbot

[Rinn]

[requires zlib]
[visits external servers]

Now with git installation:

git checkout Rinn/kol-acquirebuff

You cannot modify a setting by changing the value in script, instead type the following into the cli (change acquireBuff_max_price to the setting you wish to edit):

zlib acquireBuff_max_price = 1000

This script will attempt to get you a buff from a buffbot without needing to know the price or even the bot's name. It will only attempt to send meat to each buffbot once, if they're online, and if the price of the buff is less then your 'acquireBuff_max_price'. Once a buff is requested at a certain price it will not request using that price again. Philanthropic buffs are never considered. AT buffs are no longer requested if you're can't listen to any more songs.

Future Improvements:

• Removing buff packs from consideration, maybe

Fun fact: I accidentally spent 100k on empathy while writing this script and now I have 60k turns remaining.

1.7 Probable fix for sending a price to the wrong bot
1.6 Fix a boolean function not returning true, which would break the script in a future mafia update.
1.5 Move "Four Songs" check out of the top level so it will get resolved every run instead of just once.
1.4 Slyz Fixes
1.3 Checks if you can't acquire an at buff due to song count before requesting it
1.2 Rename jingle bells to jingle jangle jingle, maybe something else idk
1.1 Allow requesting a buff you already have
1.0 Initial Release

 

[slyz]

Thanks Rinn!

I haven't tried it out yet, but I know I generally request buffs from buffbots even when I already have turns of the effect running. Maybe you could add a variable that can be used in the while loop

original_num_turns = have_effect(e);
while(have_effect(e) == original_num_turns)
...

And a small advice: on top on being able to control verbosity, vprint() was also designed to save typing in a situation when you want to return a boolean value and print a message, so you could replace

if (!try_acquire_buff(e))
{
   vprint("Unable to acquire " + e.to_string(), "red", 2);
   return false;
}

by

if (!try_acquire_buff(e))
   return vprint("Unable to acquire " + e.to_string(), -2);

(notice the 2 became negative, to return false, so the string will be printed in red).

 

[oly0015]

"Future Improvements:
AT song count checking"

If it helps, for the script i'm working on when I wanted to check the song count I made a list of the known songs in an array and ran through them with a foreach. Then all you have to do is use a if statement with have_effect(array item) > 0 to see if that song is active. At that point just use an index variable to count this and at the end do an equip check for song total adding items such as the pendant.

Handy script, I actually imported it for mine, when I get done with mine you might be interested in how i used your script.

 

[heeheehee]

You don't actually need an equip check, as the song modifiers (additional song and 4 songs) are both boolean modifiers.

 

[Bale]

As heeheehee said. This is what you need to know:

boolean four_songs = boolean_modifier("four songs");
boolean extra_song = boolean_modifier("additional song");
int max_songs = 3 + to_int(four_songs) + to_int(extra_song);
print("You can currently hold "+ max_songs +" songs in your head at a time.");

 

[oly0015]

should save me a couple lines, guess i got to go fix stuff, ty

 

[Bale]

Oh. And this:

int current_songs() {
   int total = 0;
   for skill_num from 6001 to 6040
      if(skill_num.to_skill() != $skill[none] && skill_num != 6025 && skill_num.to_effect().have_effect() > 0)
         total = total + 1;
   return total;
}

 

[oly0015]

might be just because its late, but i tried acquireBuff($effect[buff]); where buff = "ode to booze" and got
No known buffbot is able to provide Surreally Buff
Unable to acquire Surreally Buff

time for some sleep then i guess i'll figure it out later

 

[Winterbay]

It is possible the problem is the naming. The buff is called "the ode to booze". Please bear in mind that I have no idea and have not looked at the code

 

[lostcalpolydude]

The skill is called The Ode to Booze, but the effect is called Ode to Booze, so the latter is what you want. It looks like you're passing "buff" to the function rather than "ode to booze", so it looks for a buff with "buff" in the name. If

acquireBuff($effect[buff]); where buff = "ode to booze"

is what you typed in, then that won't work, just use

acquireBuff($effect[ode to booze])

instead.

 

[slyz]

If lost is right, and you had a string variable buff, that contained "ode to booze", then you should do:

acquireBuff( buff.to_effect() );

 

[oly0015]

Yep, seems i can't cheat to use $effect[] instead of the proper conversions. Anyway this works for now, i'm correcting my code still from last night for the other half atm.

void getbuff (string buff)
{
	if (have_skill( to_skill( buff )))
	{
		if ((mp_cost( to_skill( buff ) )+1) < my_mp() )
		{
			use_skill( 1, to_skill( buff ));
		}
		else
		{
			mp_heal(mp_cost( to_skill( buff ) )+1);
			use_skill( 1, to_skill( buff ));
		}
	}
	else
	{
		print ("Buying you some "+buff,"green");
		acquireBuff(to_effect( buff ));
	}
}

 

[slyz]

I think there are skills and effects that don't share the same name, so using to_skill() and to_effect() to the same string might not work in every case.

You should pass in an effect:

boolean getbuff (effect buff)
{
	if ( have_skill(to_skill( buff )) )
	{
		if ( (mp_cost( to_skill( buff ) )+1) > my_mp() )
			mp_heal(mp_cost( to_skill( buff ) )+1);
		return use_skill( 1, to_skill( buff ));
	}
	else
	{
		print ("Buying you some "+buff,"green");
		return acquireBuff(buff);
	}
}

Of course, you could also input a skill, and use have_skill(buff) and acquireBuff(buff.to_effect()).
Oh, I also changed the return value to a boolean, since Rinn already returns a boolean from acquireBuff().

EDIT: Another small thing: in most cases, buffbots have access to really cheap MP, so generally it will be cheaper to buy a buff from a buffbot rather than cast it on yourself. Although I guess that when you only want a single shot of Ode, for example, it's not really worth waiting for a bot to buff you.

 

[oly0015]

Yep, I've got it set for now to use rinns script straight through, unless its ode

 

[slyz]

Oh. And this:

int current_songs() {
   int total = 0;
   for skill_num from 6001 to 6040
      if(skill_num.to_skill() != $skill[none] && skill_num != 6025 && skill_num.to_effect().have_effect() > 0)
         total = total + 1;
   return total;
}

There's a to_skill() missing there:

int current_songs() {
   int total = 0;
   for skill_num from 6001 to 6040
      if(skill_num.to_skill() != $skill[none] && skill_num != 6025 && skill_num.to_skill().to_effect().have_effect() > 0)
         total = total + 1;
   return total;
}

EDIT: Rinn - sorry for the huge threadjack!

 

[oly0015]

Oh if it helps for bales code, i had to make a bit of an edit, in his math the hookah buff if its an AT song doesn't get counted. What this does is if the hookah goes beyond your maximum amount of songs this code will take off the song it buffed.

	boolean four_songs = boolean_modifier("four songs");
	boolean extra_song = boolean_modifier("additional song");
	int max_songs = 3 + to_int(four_songs) + to_int(extra_song);
	
	
	int total = 0;
	for skill_num from 6001 to 6040
	{
		if(((skill_num.to_skill() != $skill[none]) && (skill_num != 6025)) && (have_effect(to_effect(to_skill(skill_num))) > 0))
		{
			total += 1;
		}
	}
	
	if ((total > max_songs)&&(have_equipped($item[ittah bittah hookah])))
	{
		cli_execute("unequip ittah bittah hookah");
		equip($item[ittah bittah hookah]);
		total -= 1;
	}

 

[Rinn]

Someone attach a script with your updated changes and I'll bump the version number with it.

 

[tgetgel]

How can I incorporate this in a mood. For example, if I am running a "meat" mood which checks for the Polka of Plenty buff, I would want the solution, when my mood triggers due to the effect running out, to check to see if I can cast the buff myself, or run this script requesting the buff.

Pseudo code
mood triggers for a specific buff
can I cast buff?
---yes - cast buff, end check or next mood trigger
---no - set zlib value for buff, request buff
was buff requested?
---yes-end check or next mood trigger
---no-abort/print message and stop current activity (maybe continue without the buff to the next mood trigger?)

The reason for the zlib value change is that not all buffs cost the same. It would change the value before the specific buff was requested. Is there a local global data list that can be edited for the value limit? The script would use the list value for the buff as the zlib limit.

 

[slyz]

There are several ways to do this: you could write a betweenBattleScript that handles your moods instead of the built-in Mafia functionality. It wouldn't be as flexible though.

You could also execute some ASH via a command in your Mood. For example:

Trigger On: When an effect is lost
Check For: Polka of Plenty
Command: import "acquireBuff.ash"; effect ef=$effect[Polka of Plenty];skill sk=to_skill(ef); if(have_skill(sk)){use_skill(1,sk);exit;} if(!acquireBuff(ef))abort("Could not get turns of "+ef);

Unfortunately, this will wait until you get an effect before asking for the next one. Doing what you are thinking of would require an important rewrite of Rinn's acquireBuff.

I have this aliased:

rbuff => ashq import 'acquirebuff.ash'; acquireBuff($effect[%%]);

You could put the command I wrote above in an alias, like this:

rbuff => ashq import "acquireBuff.ash"; effect ef = $effect[%%];skill sk = to_skill(ef);if(have_skill(sk)){use_skill(1,sk);exit;}if(!acquireBuff(ef))abort("Could not get turns of "+ef);

and simply use this to add something in your mood:

Trigger On: When an effect is lost
Check For: Polka of Plenty
Command: rbuff Polka of Plenty

I didn't understand the bit about the zlib value though. The ones set in Rinn's script don't need to be modified in function of the buff? If you want to set a new max price, do not edit acquireBuff.ash, just type zlib acquireBuff_max_price = 5000 in the gCLI.

 

[tgetgel]

Thanks, slyz. That is what I was hoping could be done.

I didn't understand the bit about the zlib value though. The ones set in Rinn's script don't need to be modified in function of the buff? If you want to set a new max price, do not edit acquireBuff.ash, just type zlib acquireBuff_max_price = 5000 in the gCLI.

The thought was if I am only willing to spend x on Polka of Plenty, y on The Ode to Booze, but z on Bubbly Ballad, I would then preset the zlib limit for that buff before trying to aquire it. Like if I was cash strapped and did not want to spend more than a certain limit for a specific buff. I wanted to limit how much could be spent on an inexpensive buff in case the less expensive bots were offline without prohibiting an expensive buff from being acquired.

Trigger On: When an effect is lost
Check For: Polka of Plenty
Command: rbuff Polka of Plenty

rbuff => ashq import "acquireBuff.ash"; effect ef = $effect[%%]; 
[b]"zlib acquireBuff_max_price = {using file/effectvalue|value_of_effect[ef]}";[/b]
skill sk = to_skill(ef); if(have_skill(sk)){use_skill(1,sk);exit;}
if(!acquireBuff(ef))abort("Could not get turns of "+ef);

This would require some sort of file/list with the effect names and some value that can be accessed in the alias. I hope that helps explain.

I just don't know how to write the code as you can probably tell by my bolded insert above.