[quote=Larian_KVN]Both for modding improvements as general combat design experience, it would be great to hear what you guys would think is a better/optimal combat system.[/quote]
I explicitly came to this forum and registered trying to find out the very same thing as the OP: How to mod the Initiative system back into its original, or another format (and I promise I'm only a little absolutely livid you've hardcoded this 'feature'). It's a huge relief to see you not only answer the question, but to open up feedback in response to it.
The Initiative system as it currently stands does not reward player investment (the Wits stat has suffered greatly) and narrows character development options (taking +Initiative gear or investing in Wits for Initiative are pointless), drastically restricts encounter design for content creators (the speed of allies and enemies is usually a vital tool for controlling their behavior and toolkits for desired effects), and punishes the player for targeting foes (enemies automatically fill in the Round Robin turn order to replace dead baddies, which is frustrating and bad for a variety of reasons) and making other investments/choices have undesirable effects(ex: Summons displacing party members down the turn order).
Not only is it unfun and restrictive, but the Round Robin system itself is not explained anywhere in the game; or at least anywhere accessible: I have had multiple groups of friends, while playing, invest heavily into Wits for its Initiative bonus, including myself in my first game, without any idea that it has no lasting effect in combat, and he will still be outsped by a crippled dog three levels under him because everyone faster was dead; or that killing that healer will cause the freshly un-Frozen boss to skip to the front of the Initiative order and walk up to one shot his summon and then him.
On a positive note, I will say such a system is absolutely fantastic for the more casual of players; it is a system that would/does work exceptionally well in Explorer mode! Outside of that, however, it is a very reductive implementation of a solid foundational mechanic that just needed a little polishing on implementation; especially in the more tactics and character development oriented difficulties like Tactician/Honor mode where statistical optimization is key.
The original system was good, and this sort of hand-held initiative has a kind of purpose in this game (a specific, casual-oriented one), but if you were unwilling to revert to the pre-launch system, there is another alternative: Applying a diceroll to the Initiative each round, rather than applying it in a flat, mostly static order. If you desire an equalizer, then this could be an excellent option that helps muddy Initiative breakpoints and instead introduce a form of risk management in place of forced leapfrogging invalidating player options. Introducing concepts like "How much am I willing to bet that X acts before Y?" and "How much investment in my speed do I need to be comfortable with?" are much better questions for players than "What order of four should my party act in for the rest of the game?".
But that's just my two cents as someone who wanted to fiddle with the game after being brought back into the franchise by the Epic Encounters overhaul for D:OS1:EE, which blew me away.
