Curse

Kishin · Jun 03, 2005, 05:00 AM // 05:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by Volarian

We could care less who needs what when farming - just agree with the question or disagree - Thanks
Ummm I've only had a few experiences where the henchies run off as though being commanded to by some unknown force...but when it does happen it is just a bit of a pisser. I'm more in agreement with Alesia assuming the tank role from out of nowhere or the inconsistency of who the NPC is tied to (i.e. If your the leader of the group, you added the henchies so they should be following you...not me when I was merely added to the group). Ive found that when I play my Warrior, because I'm initiating the melee and therefore move in first....she has more a tendency to stick her chin out and beg to be hit versus when I'm out with my Ele/R and am attacking from range. I've been far more successful with the henchies this way than with my melee build.....she actually stays back to keep me alive 90% of the time, only moving forward to heal my wolf or other henchies........deaths due to Alesia have dropped considerably..LOL - that should be a statistic!!!

She is definitely affected by who she is tied to. But that doesn't fix that nagging problem in her AI Script wherein if there's no one to heal, she attacks. Can we get a If NeedsHealing = No then goto StayBack instead of If NeedsHealing = No then goto Attack? Because she really doesn't need to shorten the distances melee mobs have to run when their sixth sense for soft and squishy characters kicks in.

If Alesia was retooled so that she never attacks, and insteads hangs out in healing range, back from the heat of battle, she'd be wonderful.

-Eirion

DrSLUGFly · Jun 03, 2005, 06:25 AM // 06:25

still doesn't solve the initial problem...

Even if the pathing bugs and ai were fixed, there's still a chance (like when 2 real people split up) that the npcs can get so far away that they can't make an appropriate path back to the player. Then the player dies and even in a bugless game we're still stuck with restarting a mission from scratch.

All players dead + npcs not moving = killnpc + resurect

Rhunex · Jun 03, 2005, 06:35 AM // 06:35

i love the idea...too many times in the crystal desert the NPCs will run through dunes, die, get stuck, or countless other things...and it gets old to have to be sent back hours of work...i even have a series of screenshots of alesia and reyna being stuck under a bone dragon boss...way under...

But I guess the best way to burninate these problems would to be to just ignore henchies and go with real people, who don't need programming to be stupid

PieXags · Jun 03, 2005, 07:08 AM // 07:08

As useful as I'm sure you think this is, it shouldn't be here, because you know very well it will NEVER be implemented into the game, I swear this forum needs a "gripe" board just for things like this.

I personally, rarely ever have problems with Alesia, no more than the others at least. And later on in the game you get another protector henchmen who really, really helps out, her and Alesia have saved my life on many occasions. I know sometimes she gets stuck in mountians, but Orion has done that to me more than her. And I NEVER, EVER see Alesia run out up with the fighters and take all the hits. Ever. She's always back with me, the ranger and the other casters, UNLESS they run so far off she can't heal, in which case she will position herself in a position to heal everybody. And unless she's trying to rez me, she WILL run away if she's being hit. I think you guys just don't realize she's the squishiest out of the party, she's going to die even if she tries to run if she's getting gang raped.

The only things I think are legit here are getting stuck behind signs (which I've had multiple henchmen do.) And going straight to the last place you fought a baddie at, ending up in a mountain or 50yds in the air, which also happens with all the henchmen.

In fact where I'm at now in the southern shiverpeaks, I'd MUCH rather choose henchmen over a pick up group, and sometimes people I know, just because they act really well together.

You guys get mad when you die, and only a few henchmen are left, and the battle between the mobs and the henchies lasts FOREVER. This is because the henchmen are good at working together and ultimately can actually LIVE for so long, if it continues infinately, well look at it this way. If they tried to res you as I'm sure you want them to, they'd lose the fight, they'd all die, you'd respawn back. And then there's a chance they'll get stuck in the mountain.

I think you just need to work on learning how to use them peoples, I got to ascension with henchies except that crystal mission, and I did that with henchies after I found out how to actually do the mission easily. If you're worried about them getting stuck behind signs, don't run so far ahead so that you don't notice them. One should always know where their party members are anyway. And when they get stuck behind a sign, you CAN get them out by standing next to them or something. Just pay closer attention.

The getting stuck in the air or in the ground thing bothers me, other than that, go henchmen! Since they do me better than many many players have.

Xinaya · Jun 03, 2005, 07:26 AM // 07:26

Actually, PieXags... as soon as I die, my henchmen are TOAST. It normally takes less than 5 seconds for them to bite it without me taking the damage.

Alesia needs to be programmed with a healer AI instead of a tank AI. I never use any of my own skills because I'm too busy running from one enemy to the next trying to draw their attacks onto me instead of her. It's true -- if you're a melee class she seems to think she oughta beat you to the scene and die as quickly as possible rather than hang back where its safe and keep you alive.. I'm to the point where I CAN'T go out without a real person backing me up, because otherwise I have to run around with max death penalty to get anywhere. It's EXTREMELY frustrating to be a warrior on your own..

psycore · Jun 03, 2005, 07:44 AM // 07:44

Then there's the awesome hench vs mob where no one wins. Stefen spamming heal signet mob wailing away no hp loss on either side, just as annoying as henches getting stuck or flying off.

Numa Pompilius · Jun 03, 2005, 11:53 AM // 11:53

PieXags: try playing a tank. In _every_ encounter I have Alesia with me in the thick of the meleeing, meaning that even when I have the mob concentrated on me, they realize that hey, there's a soft target here, and start beating on Alesia. Who will _NOT_ run away.
As she's got a ranged weapon and don't need point-blank range to heal me, it's just silly that she goes into melee, and worse that she stays there even when I don't need healing.

Give her decent armor or get her to keep her distance from melee. Her suicidal tendency is a far bigger problem for me than the occasional borked mission due to Alesia running through hills or Orion getting stuck on dwarven powder stations.

Orion has a similar problem, in that he wont run OUT of melee, but at least he wont run IN to melee like Alesia does.

Mr. Matt · Jun 03, 2005, 12:36 PM // 12:36

This is a first. I don't remember anybody saying that Alesia needs help to die

.

Fortunately I've only experienced this problem once, outside of the Eastern Frontier. All I had to do was go back in and out again and she was fine. But if that happened elsewhere on the map half-way through a quest/mission, I'd be pretty irritated. So yeah. BUT -- only when ALL party members are dead, otherwise it would be open to significant and irritating amounts of abuse.

Magik · Jun 03, 2005, 02:07 PM // 14:07

I don't think it's a matter of AI needing to be recoded, or Henchmen sucking ass. I just think there should be an option to kill an NPC Henchmen if you die for those awkward moments that they get stuck, nothing more, nothing less.

Nokomis · Jun 03, 2005, 03:31 PM // 15:31

A healer NPC should be programmed to HEAL first. I didn't hire her to be a tank. And she should maybe have enough brain cells (2 or 3) to heal HERSELF and stay alive to rez the tanks as necessary. The bad AI of the healer henchie is one of the BIG problems I have with GW. No matter how hard the tanks try to protect her, she puts herself in harms way and forgets to heal herself. :-(

--Nokomis

PieXags · Jun 03, 2005, 11:30 PM // 23:30

Numa, I do have a warrior/ranger who I play with as well, and I've still had no problems with Alesia.

Though, might I ask...if the mobs who were previously attacking you, switching to Alesia so that they can beat the smack out of her first, doesn't that mean that the mobs are just SMART? In PvP, you've always got people going after the monks/other casters. Wouldn't it make SENSE to go after the healer first?

You guys are insane. I guess I'm just insanely lucky, or so inhumanly brilliant that the henchmen do exactly as I want them to.

Chronos the Defiler · Jun 04, 2005, 12:02 AM // 00:02

other people can be pricks and incompetant, and henchmen are jsut retarded...that is exactly why i have been asking for more of a solo type of action to b implemented, then you don't have to deal with imbesiles as well as if you WANT to play in a team you can, but you don't NEED to.

spikydude · Jun 04, 2005, 03:32 AM // 03:32

Hey everyone. I vote for a command to kill the henchmen when all human players die, and henchmen get stuck somewhere and cant get to you.

As far as henchmen are concerned, I find them pretty good. Only problem is they get stuck somewhere at times lol.

Alesia is a pretty good healer actually, she has awesome reaction time, and have saved many people im sure.

1/2_Extreme · Jun 04, 2005, 03:33 AM // 03:33

good idea.

Xinaya · Jun 04, 2005, 04:16 AM // 04:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by PieXags

In PvP, you've always got people going after the monks/other casters. Wouldn't it make SENSE to go after the healer first?

Yes, but it'd be nice for the henchmen on YOUR side to be as intelligent as the guys attacking. Even the lowly (lv2) Resurrect Gargoyle stands back and does his job instead of rushing headlong into the fray. If the mobs are smart enough to attack the healer, the healer should be smart enough to run away. That's all I'm saying.

The REAL healer I used to group with (sadly, we are 13 timezones apart now) almost never died, and almost never let US die. An NPC that does oops occasionally would be great. But EVERY. TIME. I go out. 10 minutes or less. That's a little rediculous. I can hardly do quests and I certainly CAN'T do missions with just henchmen. Why are they there at all if they're completely useless to a tank?

BahamutKaiser · Jun 04, 2005, 04:52 AM // 04:52

I think there should be a protector henchmen, so one of your monk henchment uses direct healing and one uses protection spells that heal or reduce damage.