Harken is dead.

[Luminara]

And why is Harken dead?

Because the AI goes into full moron mode every goddamn time it encounters stairs.  Or ramps.  Or curbs.  Or pebbles.  Two weeks ago, I spent twelve minutes watching Aurora Peña run around in circles, jumping onto a pipe, falling to the ground, running up a ramp and jumping onto the same pipe.

 

TWELVE FUCKING MINUTES.

 

I just watched Harken run to the stairs leading down to the floor in that stupid office map, turn around and run away from the stairs, run back to the stairs, et fucking cetera until the building exploded.

 

It's almost 2022.  I know we're a nostalgic bunch of folks, but the Daikatana AI has to be shelved.  I'm tired of this shit, having to swallow failure when the reason for that failure is bad design, not because I'm a bad player, or because I made a mistake, or because I wasn't trying hard enough, but because the AI is shit.

 

 

 

[SuperPlyx]

Was doing a mission couple of weeks ago rescue tech and then lead him to computer. Unfortunately the person he was following thought you had to lead him out.

So he took tech down the elevators. And Oh My God getting the tech back up to the pc turned into a half hour ordeal. He must have went up and down that elevator 20 times. Just going down and up, down and up.

He just refused to leave elevator room.

[The_Warpact]

File a ticket

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

😜

[TheZag]

Perhaps the map is missing some bacon and he turned around in search of it.

 

He could ask for directions but he knows exactly where he is and doesnt need to ask for directions.

[The Chairman]

4 hours ago, SuperPlyx said:

He must have went up and down that elevator 20 times. Just going down and up, down and up.

This is me every time I run those early Twinshot missions. She, Flambeaux, and Grym have the worst AI follow mechanics...

[Without_Pause]

Interestingly enough I found GW's AI really good when I had to lead her out. She even saw through me having stealth.

[Sovera]

Allow all NPCs to be teleported like we can with that one rescue in Moonfire. At least then we can use Assemble The Team every half hour trying to fix it.

[Shred Monkey]

I recently ran through all the Pretoria missions.  It's amazing how much better those non-primals are at following.  It seemed that the team-up NPCs will chase you across the entire the map.  I suspect Emperor Cole built those buildings are also built with kidnapping/arresting in mind.

 

 

[InvaderStych]

FWIW:

 

Most NPCs love to follow Combat Teleport.  Only recently after starting a redside toon and doing a few kidnap's did I see it fail to keep an NPC sprinting to follow. They might have a smaller "we see you and follow" bubble than others?  I'm not certain exactly how the mechanic works; I do know that outside of Redside Kidnap Newspapers I've seen NPC sprint after me while using the full range of CT on long corridors and easily brings them around corners or gets them to switch vertical levels.

 

If you're struggling to get an NPC to move, try CT.  I've been using it for this since I noticed the behavior back when CT was still in beta.

 

Double Edit: Ignore previous edit.

Edited December 9, 2021 by InvaderStych

[Snarky]

29 minutes ago, Shred Monkey said:

I recently ran through all the Pretoria missions.  It's amazing how much better those non-primals are at following.  It seemed that the team-up NPCs will chase you across the entire the map.  I suspect Emperor Cole built those buildings are also built with kidnapping/arresting in mind.

 

 

Not that much better.  Any improvement is remarkable.  Yet Praetorian NPC regularly try to hump staircases for long minutes at a time.  And there are a LOT of staircases in the under ground Prae maps....

[Luminara]

13 hours ago, The_Warpact said:

File a ticket

 

Like this?
 

[Zhym]

I'd really like to be able to make suggestions to NPCs.  Not commands, because they're fully realized individuals with hopes and dreams of their own, but suggestions.  Like, "Would you please come here?" or "Maybe think about not running off and attacking every hostile in your perception radius, if death isn't a thing you're actively seeking?"  Polite requests like that. 

 

Oh, and I'd like a Portable Leash temp power for escort missions.

[JnEricsonx]

12 hours ago, TheZag said:

Perhaps the map is missing some bacon and he turned around in search of it.

 

He could ask for directions but he knows exactly where he is and doesnt need to ask for directions.

Getting this line about bacon told to me by the VA at a con recently nearly had me fall on the floor laughing.   

 

[SuperPlyx]

On my farmer I use the BP Lore pets, and I added the Follow command button to my tray.

When Defiler gets to far away I click the Follow button a couple of times and he come running. Will even jump to get to me.

Wonder if something like that could work......So we need a NPC command window?

I could see Stay command being useful too. On those missions where they insist on fighting even though if they die you lose.

[A Cat]

6 hours ago, Shred Monkey said:

I recently ran through all the Pretoria missions.  It's amazing how much better those non-primals are at following.  It seemed that the team-up NPCs will chase you across the entire the map.  I suspect Emperor Cole built those buildings are also built with kidnapping/arresting in mind.

 

 

Haven't ran into the long underground stairs yet huh?

[Coyotedancer]

Oh, great gods of game design, are City NPCs ever a disaster when it comes to stairs... It's just ridiculous how many times I've seen them get caught on the stairs on the Praetorian lab and underground maps in particular. It's bad enough that it's become a running joke. "Come on, Vanguard guys! You can do this! Walk down those stairs and show them who's boss! We believe in you!"  😆

[Mister Mass]

In CoH, but particularly on Praetorian maps, I have been known to shout: "It's a set of STAIRS!  You are a freaking SCIENTIST!  This isn't rocket science!  Just go down the *@$%! stairs!  Does nobody in Praetoria learn to use STAIRS!!!"  Eventually, if I shout long enough & loudly enough, they usually manage to navigate the stairs. 😉

[Redletter]

Have you considered embracing our lord and savior, [Teleport Target]?

[Snarky]

Strangely enough I just did this mission.  I am soloing the game (every contact, every arc, every side story.  Red.  Blue.  Gold.)  This mission was my first failure on this toon.  A number of factors played into this.  Multiple objectives.  Purposefully confusing maps.  Obsure mechanics.  

 

But I think we cannot overlook the underlying fact that the Dev who wrote this piece of shit was a complete asshole.

[Without_Pause]

I just did this tonight as well. As soon as I saw the name, I was like, "Oh yeah, THAT guy."

 

I have successfully completed this mission once.

 

Once.

[gamingglen]

7 hours ago, Snarky said:

But I think we cannot overlook the underlying fact that the Dev who wrote this piece of shit was a complete asshole.

 

He's been laughing maniacally ever since this thread got started.  He's a true villain. 

[ZorkNemesis]

9 hours ago, Redletter said:

Have you considered embracing our lord and savior, [Teleport Target]?

 

Doesn't work on non-combat escorts, like Harkin.

[Without_Pause]

In the list of annoying things I have found from people you need to rescue are the ones who can't keep pace with you when you have zero movement powers on, no movement bonuses from IOs, and are walking in a straight line on an even plane.

[Ukase]

Clearly, it's time to revamp a number of these missions and change them from Escort to a simple rescue. Our devs, who supposedly play and love this game can't enjoy this part any more than the rest of us. 

[Luminara]

3 minutes ago, Ukase said:

Our devs, who supposedly play and love this game can't enjoy this part any more than the rest of us. 

 

mas·och·ism  /ˈmasəˌkizəm,ˈmazəˌkizəm/

noun

The tendency to derive pleasure, especially sexual gratification, from one's own pain or humiliation.