Please fix Voltaic Sentinel

[Blood Speaker]

Windows: The pet [Sentinel_Ranged.Electrical Blast.Voltaic Sentinel] needs to have pathing fixed. It gets stuck on narrow doorways, elevators and random terrain objects. The power is nearly useless on tight maps, busy maps, or any maps with elevators.

 

(I've utilized every pet power in the game. This is by far the "dumbest" pet, with regard to pathing.)

[Arc-Mage]

Been crying about this since it was changed. I’ve posted here and on Beta forums multiple times until I just gave up.
 

The problem is that it isn’t a widely used power so the chances of the Devs going back to it again are pretty low.

[Blood Speaker]

So, typical response, then. I'd already noticed an extreme lack of response to anything that doesn't affect dozens of vocal players, or more. As with literally a game-breaking bug I've been wrestling with since Oct '22, and finally found a workaround for recently... and NOW other folks are starting to report the same problem. I should have just stopped playing, then, and waited for the inevitable.

 

I get that the current devs have limited time, but this will cumulatively drive people away; that's a major "bug".

[GM Crumpet]

The devs do monitor this section of the forum quite closely, as well as the suggestions one. They make lists and prioritise stuff so they can then decide what they need to work on urgently and what they can put into the "when we have time" pile. I have zero knowledge of what they are actually working on, but I do have a bit of an insight into how they organise stuff from conversations we have had in the past.

 

You have done the right thing by making the post and being succinct about the problem. I've noticed pathing issues with other pets too so it's more a general problem (which hopefully is easier to fix) than a power specific one which I imagine is much harder to narrow down.

[Captain Fabulous]

9 minutes ago, Blood Speaker said:

So, typical response, then. I'd already noticed an extreme lack of response to anything that doesn't affect dozens of vocal players, or more. As with literally a game-breaking bug I've been wrestling with since Oct '22, and finally found a workaround for recently... and NOW other folks are starting to report the same problem. I should have just stopped playing, then, and waited for the inevitable.

 

I get that the current devs have limited time, but this will cumulatively drive people away; that's a major "bug".

 

50 minutes ago, GM Crumpet said:

I've noticed pathing issues with other pets too so it's more a general problem (which hopefully is easier to fix) than a power specific one which I imagine is much harder to narrow down.

While annoying for sure (Singularity seems to have the same issue, so I wonder if flying pets have a harder time pathing for some reason, although I don't recall Phantasm having this problem), in the case of Voltaic Sentinel it's easy enough to just retoggle it when it gets stuck.

I've also found that pathing breaks down when it can no longer see you. So if you stay in line-of-sight as you go thru doorways it will follow you thru. But move to the side and it won't. I have many times gone looking for my Singularity only to find it on the opposite side of the map, or even a different floor. I know Mastermind pets will get transported to you automatically if they get too far away, perhaps this code needs to be worked into VS, Sing, and presumably Galvanic Sentinel too (and if it's already there, figure out why it's not functioning properly). Sentinel is a odd one because it's completely untargetable, and it won't even show up in your pet window, so it can be difficult to figure out where it is.

[Arc-Mage]

It has nothing to do with “harder time pathing” and everything to do with the changes made to Voltic Sentinel in the last major update. It was somehow broken. Pathing worked prior to the changes.

[GM Crumpet]

Reverberant is as bad. I go up stairs to deal with the enemies up there and when I come down it gets stuck. It's like it doesn't path to the stairs but tries to fly straight to me but gets stopped with the wall. I suspect it's all pathing for non corporeal pets. The ones that run around don't have that problem. I understand you are focussed on Voltaic Sentinel but myself and others have experienced similar on other pets.

 

[PoptartsNinja]

That makes me wonder if making Volty truly non-corporeal (able to fly and attack through geometry) would be a good choice.

 

I know Singularity mostly just has trouble keeping up because it's so slow; which is exacerbated by a lot of its powers also rooting it for extended periods. Would it help if they were told to start following more closely? So, rather than staying within 15ft or whatever their current limit is, they try to stay within 5ft and start moving sooner when the player moves away from them?

 

 

Either way, semi-permanent combat pets (i.e. Phantasm, Singularity, Voltaic Sentinel but not Phantom Army) really need to inherit their player's current speed on all movement modes. If they kept up a little better I think they'd be more likely to actually be near the player when they start moving down stairs and etc and less likely to get stuck forever because the player turned two corners or hopped over a railing.

 

A combat teleport of sorts might help. Something like: if player is more than 50 Ft and growing, combat teleport directly towards (or possibly even adjacent to) the player to jump over any railings or etc. they might be stuck on.

[SuggestorK]

Well its not limited to flying pets, as it was reported in different threads, nearly any pet gets stuck in 1st mission on Posi Part 2 TF in the narrow sewer passage before 1st big room.

 

Have seen it over a Dozen times happen on any MM Pet, they get ported to you after you leave the big room cause of the range.

So at least there it must be a geometry issue too, its 100% reproduceable.

[Blood Speaker]

On 3/9/2023 at 12:23 PM, Captain Fabulous said:

While annoying for sure (Singularity seems to have the same issue, so I wonder if flying pets have a harder time pathing for some reason, although I don't recall Phantasm having this problem), in the case of Voltaic Sentinel it's easy enough to just retoggle it when it gets stuck.

I've also found that pathing breaks down when it can no longer see you. So if you stay in line-of-sight as you go thru doorways it will follow you thru. But move to the side and it won't. I have many times gone looking for my Singularity only to find it on the opposite side of the map, or even a different floor. I know Mastermind pets will get transported to you automatically if they get too far away, perhaps this code needs to be worked into VS, Sing, and presumably Galvanic Sentinel too (and if it's already there, figure out why it's not functioning properly). Sentinel is a odd one because it's completely untargetable, and it won't even show up in your pet window, so it can be difficult to figure out where it is.

 

 If the workaround is just going to be "retoggle VS", then the recharge needs to be set to zero. 10 seconds doesn't seem like a lot til you're forced to do this multiple times on a single map.

 

Also, VS needing to "see" me doesn't seem completely accurate, though I've noticed this behavior. However, I've also had it get stuck on a door on a looped map, and had it come find me by backtracking through the ENTIRE map (and aggroing things along the way...) just to get back to me from the "front". It's only ever done this 2-3 times (and not every map would even accommodate this behavior), but it's definitely happened.

[WindDemon21]

On 3/6/2023 at 5:52 PM, Blood Speaker said:

Windows: The pet [Sentinel_Ranged.Electrical Blast.Voltaic Sentinel] needs to have pathing fixed. It gets stuck on narrow doorways, elevators and random terrain objects. The power is nearly useless on tight maps, busy maps, or any maps with elevators.

 

(I've utilized every pet power in the game. This is by far the "dumbest" pet, with regard to pathing.)

They also really need to fix the power to not toggle off when you get mezzed. Less of an issue for sentinels but HUGE annoyance on other ATs especially blasters. I would care less if it suppressed but tbh one of its main things always was that it could attack WHEN you got mezzed. Would be nicer if instead of toggling to keep it on, if instead the toggle meant that it would proc a new sentinel every 20ish seconds that would replace the previous one.

 

Point being for its intention that it would work when mezzed, this way even if suppressed, it shoudl always one have being active generally even if you do get mezzed, but having to toggle it on all the time is getting REALLY old fast on my blaster with it. It's an offensive power after all, even if they just made it so that it suppressed as it's an offensive toggle that's definitely needed. Its end cost also is honestly a bit high for it only doing a single target charged bolts as well tbh.

[WindDemon21]

On 3/14/2023 at 12:13 PM, Blood Speaker said:

 If the workaround is just going to be "retoggle VS", then the recharge needs to be set to zero. 10 seconds doesn't seem like a lot til you're forced to do this multiple times on a single map.

Hence also where I just mentioned how the toggle should PROC a VS like it used to be every maybe 15ish seconds, one that lasts 60 or 30 seconds like the old one, and thus making the toggle a self-toggle which woudl't even suppress anyway. Really the best fix for the VS, heck even if it procced a new one every like 4 seconds then that would helpo the pathing issue too, but if it did so even like 10 seconds that would help it as well, since it's replacing the previous sentinel that's out, woudln't really be an issue for anything too.

[WindDemon21]

It also, since it's not like it takes aggro if you cast it in the middle of a mob anyway too, should cast on you, not location based.

[Greycat]

1 hour ago, WindDemon21 said:

They also really need to fix the power to not toggle off when you get mezzed. Less of an issue for sentinels but HUGE annoyance on other ATs especially blasters. I would care less if it suppressed but tbh one of its main things always was that it could attack WHEN you got mezzed. Would be nicer if instead of toggling to keep it on, if instead the toggle meant that it would proc a new sentinel every 20ish seconds that would replace the previous one.

 

Point being for its intention that it would work when mezzed, this way even if suppressed, it shoudl always one have being active generally even if you do get mezzed, but having to toggle it on all the time is getting REALLY old fast on my blaster with it. It's an offensive power after all, even if they just made it so that it suppressed as it's an offensive toggle that's definitely needed. Its end cost also is honestly a bit high for it only doing a single target charged bolts as well tbh.

 

Brought this up during beta, but "oh it's a toggle it's awesome I don't have to click something" won out.

[WindDemon21]

13 hours ago, Greycat said:

 

Brought this up during beta, but "oh it's a toggle it's awesome I don't have to click something" won out.

Until you're clicking it MORE times to toggle it on than you did before. I'm saying the toggle should just PROC the pet, making it a self toggle that wouldn't suppress or toggle off when mezzed and provide some help like it used to during.

 

There is absolutely zero justified reason this can't or shouldn't be done. This power is absolutely absurd as it is detoggling when mezzed.

[WindDemon21]

Cause note as well, before, it would replace itself with cast anyway, so you'd only have to cast it once every minute, but now, you literally have to recast it every time you get mezzed for even .001 seconds, HUGE pain. Please fix this.

 

Again, solution, make it a self toggle that PROCS the sentinel every 10ish seconds that replaces the previous one, given it the old 60s or maybe 30s duration of the actual sentinel, thus the toggle only suppresses WHEN mezzed, for creating a new sentinel. Also eliminating the super dumb "having to select where to recast" the sentinel as well, as it would just automatically cast the sentinel when it procs on your location.

 

Which gives me yet another idea, of having the sentinel just be more like a halo above your head, so it doesn't even have to deal with pathing, and instead just is always right above your character, COMPLETELY eliminating any pathing issues entirely this way, and can even have an additional bonus added where it has a small radius conductive aura or something to help when enemies get close.

 

I'd also honestly advise that the sentinel also targets through you only attacking your target or attacking only the last enemy you attacked and not aggro-ing what you don't want. Because having it attack at random makes it also fairly useless in most fights until there is only a boss or AV left as any random attacks it does to enemies usually gets muddled in any aoe you do anyway.

[srmalloy]

1 hour ago, WindDemon21 said:

I'd also honestly advise that the sentinel also targets through you only attacking your target or attacking only the last enemy you attacked and not aggro-ing what you don't want. Because having it attack at random makes it also fairly useless in most fights until there is only a boss or AV left as any random attacks it does to enemies usually gets muddled in any aoe you do anyway.

So... Make Voltaic Sentinel's combat logic different from that of every other non-MM pet in the game, because it's not convenient for you to have it attacking a target other than the one you want it to attack. Sounds to me like you're playing the wrong AT, then; if you want pets you can control, play MMs.

 

However, I do agree that making VS a droppable, rather than suppressing, toggle makes it inconvenient in a mez-heavy environment.

[WindDemon21]

13 minutes ago, srmalloy said:

So... Make Voltaic Sentinel's combat logic different from that of every other non-MM pet in the game, because it's not convenient for you to have it attacking a target other than the one you want it to attack. Sounds to me like you're playing the wrong AT, then; if you want pets you can control, play MMs.

If it did aoe, or some other effects I'd agree, but since it only does one single target attack at a time, I stand by my suggestion, as it's mainly there to help out the lower single target damage that elec blast has, and to help keep killing if you get mezzed.

 

When it's popping shots off at random all around, it's pretty much useless. At least if it only attacked your target, it would be doing it's job at all times.

 

But that being said, If they'd at least fix it for those other things I'd be happy *enough*.

 

 

15 minutes ago, srmalloy said:

However, I do agree that making VS a droppable, rather than suppressing, toggle makes it inconvenient in a mez-heavy environment.

Proccing* not droppable. It was droppable before, and it was changed to the toggle for a reason, it just wasn't done the right way. It should still be a toggle, just one that procs the VS pet, not a toggle that gets mezzed off.