Chasing NPCs is still a pain

Place to discuss Thieves
Post Reply
curiousredmonkey
Posts: 109
Joined: Tue Jul 07, 2015 6:02 am

Chasing NPCs is still a pain

Post by curiousredmonkey »

Even with Blade of Deceit showing them down to movements of 1, they can still move multiple hexes in a single round. Add to that if there are corners, trees, other visual blocks then they can move out of view fast.

Please add something that keeps them stuck to a hex while its effects are active. Thieves do not kill that fast; especially in SK and IR. So, I do not see this request as out of balance.

-ShaDeth
Last edited by curiousredmonkey on Sat Dec 23, 2017 6:17 am, edited 1 time in total.

curiousredmonkey
Posts: 109
Joined: Tue Jul 07, 2015 6:02 am

Re: Chasing NPCs is still a pain

Post by curiousredmonkey »

One of the most frustrating experiences while play a Thief is whittling an NPC down and they run off. And not being able to finish them off because of the map terrain (anything that blocks them from view). This happens less often than it used to because of BoD but it is still so frequent that I MUST post something to change it or just retire my thief.

Since you are not inclined to reduce NPC movements to 0 for a thief (only for mentalists! which makes no sense!). Nor implement any of the other suggestions (viewtopic.php?f=127&t=8610&sid=8830964e ... 89f66c3c63), how about giving the thief the ability to lock a door? This would allow the thief to control NPCs from running off for a limited time, at least when playing in a room with doors. I still argue that the ability to reduce 1 NPC to 0 movement is the best approach but I try to remain flexible by coming up with alternatives.

For example, you could replace the current "lock" command to be a thief only command. The game currently allows you to type the command "lock <direction>". It is currently just a synonym for the "close" command. The current lock command does not lock a door, it just closes it. I would like to change that to making the door permanently locked until someone uses a lockpick on it. I would not want to tie the skill of the thief who locked the door to the skill needed for unlocking it, because I see that as fraught with abuse. So, I would make Thief skill 1, with a lockpick, be sufficient to unlock the door. This assumes that NPCs cannot move through a locked door.

If you don't like it as a command (even under a different name, like "secure" or "bar" or "padlock"), then here is an alternative as a discipline:

Discipline: Lock
Command: Form lock <direction>
Description: You are looking at a locked door. Keep a hand on your sack. A thief is about.
Effect: Allows a thief to temporarily lock any door that is currently closed. While the lock is in effect the only way to open that door is to use a lockpick. The door can be unlocked by anyone with Thief skill of 1. There could be a corresponding "Unlock" discipline but I do not see why since this is meant to control NPCs, not other players.
Duration: 5 minutes
Requirement: The door must be currently closed. The door cannot already be a map locked door. The thief gets the discipline at skill 16.
Possible Side Effects: The Illusion and Door disciplines may be cast on top of the lock but they do not circumvent the lock. Nothing gets around the lock except by picking it or time. Not blown walls surrounding it, not the passwall disc, not the door disc, etc.
Icon/Image: I would prefer a different door icon while it is in effect, something like a lockpick superimposed over the open door. However, any indicator would suffice for as long as the door is locked.

Note: I avoided the runners 90% of the time by forcing myself into hallways (as previously posted). It wasn't fun to do so, because I have to move a lot between zoos. But now that the rooms are where the action is (quest drops, etc.), that work-around has become null and void again. The problem is back to the fore.

-ShaDeth
Last edited by curiousredmonkey on Sun Dec 31, 2017 7:27 am, edited 1 time in total.

curiousredmonkey
Posts: 109
Joined: Tue Jul 07, 2015 6:02 am

Re: Chasing NPCs is still a pain

Post by curiousredmonkey »

Lost track of 20+ kills in the last hour, on my thief in IR. That NPCs can move when a thief is targeting them is too frustrating. Especially, in rooms.

curiousredmonkey
Posts: 109
Joined: Tue Jul 07, 2015 6:02 am

Re: Chasing NPCs is still a pain

Post by curiousredmonkey »

Another alternative to reducing their movements to 0, which I am guessing you like for the mentalist but not the thief; would be to allow the targeted NPC every other round to move to the thief's hex (then the other round to move away then back again). Kind of a lasso's or roping a steer behavior. The NPC is bucking the binding.

However, I can see this approach, which allows the thief to manipulate the NPC's position could get out of your control. They could use the NPC position in a lair hunt, a map based quest, etc.<shrug>

Post Reply