I've been spending a lot of time with algorithms and sorting on relative goodness-of-fit for non-EQ2 related stuff. Returning to the game and having to reset all my hotbars got me thinking about casting order.
If you were to write a program that would analyze abilities and sort them for a casting order, what criteria would you use?
Lots of factors can be considered:
- each abilities (min, max or average) potential damage
- each abilities potential DPS
- each abilities damage / time to cast (cost) ratio
- weight for casting time (longer recast earlier)
- for DoTs when is it worth writing over them vs. letting them tick
- what about debuffs
- what about procs
- what about short term buffs
- number of targets
- human efficiency (how fast can you click those buttons?)
- - This last one opens up other questions of hotbutton layout and Fitt's Law issues... but I digress.
This is really just a thought exercise, the dynamics of eq2 combat make a magic-bullet, one-size-fits-all casting order unfeasible at best. I'm really looking for ideas to help me look at problems in different ways.
Thanks in advance!