Mob Aggro Hit and Run

madgrendel · May 2014

So I'm not sure if this is intentional, but, I figured I'd ask since I don't see anyone else saying it, or at least I haven't come across it. This is the first game I've seen where if I turn and hit mobs that are chasing me, when they have run out of and away from their usual spawning area, they turn tale and haul ass away from me.

To me that seems odd. They should either stop chasing me at some point ( I know some do ) or if I turn and and start fighting, they shouldn't just run away after one hit, every single time. Is this just a mechanic that needs work or is it acceptable and/or intentional?

Thanks!

-Mad Grendel
#Dominion

Laerian · May 2014

Yeah it is hilarious, after I'm been chased by mobs spamming attacks, I turn around thinking "ok I'll kill these @#~@%$ ... and they flee!. Sometimes they flee not even at a big distance of the spawning area, it seems this is to prevent farming.

ZomZom · May 2014

They also return to 100% health which is infuriating if you're kiting and winning.

PBpsy · May 2014

I think it is pretty much a standard in MMOs from what I have seen.
The only thing that is annoying is that the chase range is not the same for all monsters some lose agro if you get around 20 m from them which is infuriating because you can get out of combat by mistake.

Abigail · May 2014

This is by no means standard in MMOs. Usually, so long as you're kiting (occasionally firing into the mob, then retreating) you can hold aggro indefinitely. Just for fun I dragged a boss clear across a game world doing this. I often play squishy, lightly armored healers, so I'm well versed in mob psychology and kiting.

I believe the problem in ESO may have something to do with our old friend, Phasing.

kieso · May 2014

it is in fact pretty standard in the later MMO's. Mob's usually reset after they're pulled a certain distance from their initial spawn point nowadays.

Pyatra · May 2014

Yeah, lots of games have a set distance, but hitting you once and running is just being a jerk... just hoping to wack you with that one last attack.

vyndral13preub18_ESO · May 2014

Abigail wrote: »

This is by no means standard in MMOs. Usually, so long as you're kiting (occasionally firing into the mob, then retreating) you can hold aggro indefinitely. Just for fun I dragged a boss clear across a game world doing this. I often play squishy, lightly armored healers, so I'm well versed in mob psychology and kiting.

I believe the problem in ESO may have something to do with our old friend, Phasing.

In all large name mmos i have played in the mobs behave exactly as the do here inESO. WoW, Rift, Swtor, GW2. And even some of the smaller, Like Tera. And they do it for exactly the reason you state. In WoW, people would drag world bosses into town, or newbie areas, and newbies were slaughtered by the handful. And while it is amusing and fun, i can also see where a game trying to appeal to the largest market it could find, really didn't want people quitting because they couldn't make it out of town, or came back to their 'safe' area to find themselves dead.

ZiRM · May 2014

No kiting allowed past a certain point. It's lazy programming just like how enemies can shoot you even when your out of line of sight of them through walls etc.

jircris11 · May 2014

NiRN wrote: »

No kiting allowed past a certain point. It's lazy programming just like how enemies can shoot you even when your out of line of sight of them through walls etc.

Not lazy programing despite what people may think programing a set of "laws" or paths and rules for an AI is not that simple. Most mmos do this as one of the post mentioned to prevent those who round up a WHOLE area then kill them. As for being hit behind a wall, i have not had this issue, but i have also made sure i was fully behind the wall.

Natjur · May 2014

The problem is their 'follow/attack' range is larger then their 'engage' range.

If they are outside their 'engage' range and attacked(damaged) they will return home and get full health.

If they are inside their 'follow/attack' range, they will try to attack.

So you are seeing is them outside their 'engage' range but inside their 'follow/attack' range. In this 'between' they will happily attack you (and kill if they can) unless they get damaged and then they will reset and run home.

zaria · May 2014

jircris11 wrote: »

NiRN wrote: »

No kiting allowed past a certain point. It's lazy programming just like how enemies can shoot you even when your out of line of sight of them through walls etc.

Not lazy programing despite what people may think programing a set of "laws" or paths and rules for an AI is not that simple. Most mmos do this as one of the post mentioned to prevent those who round up a WHOLE area then kill them. As for being hit behind a wall, i have not had this issue, but i have also made sure i was fully behind the wall.

Yes it would allow an team to pull loads of mobs with the tank and then aoe them down, or somebody running away pull 30 mobs out of the area.
And yes this can be used for griefing, how about pulling world bosses down to the starting city.

Yes this has been done before in an really legendary scale.
In WOW an group of horde managed to pull an world raid boss into the alliance capital, this took so long the boss was enraged, an state where it wipes raid groups in seconds so neither players or the npc guards was able to kill it, it ended in an GM had to use /kill on it.
After that they enforced pull limits.
(hopefully the players doing this was suitable rewarded, one year free subscription would be fitting for something who would leave sheogorath green of envy.)

fredarbonab14_ESO · May 2014

^^^ This. I love how they get one hit in before running back and reset, sneaky.

Sihnfahl · May 2014

Or you time it so you hit them just as they get in range, and then they skedaddle for home.

zaria · May 2014

If you play an sorcerer this get even more funny as the summon tend to get into a lots of fights without you, so you summon it again and it run back to the stupid mob following you.

Cry_Wolfe · May 2014

I like to think that they are guarding their area, they chase you out all huffy puffy, but the moment you are away from their mates and turn to fight they hightail it

CoH had an annoying mechanic based on morale. If you aggroed a large pack of mobs, then took out a few really fast, the rest would lose morale and flee ...
looks good on paper, but they would flee and flee and flee till they'd eventually (sometimes minutes later) despawn, long after you'd probably given up chasing them (or trying to find them~they'd really bug out and and turn lots of corners and generally try to escape

).

Natjur · May 2014

I am just glad there is no chain aggro in this game. Attack a group of mobs, knock one of the cliff, it would then run the long way to get back to where you are, and along the way, any 'mate' he would tag to come long.

You had no idea you knocked one off until five mins later, SURPRISE, 60 mobs turn up all wanting a piece of you.

Or when you running to join a group and no idea you have 50+ mobs after you until you get to the group and they start camping out.... What.... Did I bring some friends?