Group exp loss and group encounter linking

[Kalyper]

Here is a couple things that bothered me alot about EQ2. 1 has been removed fromthe game but the other still exists. First was Sony's idea of group debt. When someone in your group died, you got debt for it. It was an interesting idea for challenge at first, until it really discouraged pick-up groups by far. Now I hve not seen anythin about this system being in place in Vanguard, which is good to me and I hope is never in place. Because there is always someone not paying attention and runs off a cliff, or runs through/nearby a group of deadly mobs. Thus giving you debt even if you are on the other side of the zone heh.

The other thing is linking. I don't mean mobs linking when you pull them. What I mean is your group bascially becomes an encounter. Let's say you guys are split up, far away from each other, or just far enough to avoid agro range. Your puller grabs the mob and dies. The mob just happens to automatically know who is in his group and runs in all kinds of different directions and lengths to ge the rest of his party. That just aggrivated me by far. Another example is say, you are already in a pretty good group and one of the party members has to leave. So you find a rep, but he is a good ways away. So as you are waiting for him to get to you, he agros a pretty high level mob and dies. Now this mob just happens to know you guys were grouped with him and runs an extra mile to kill you now. See where I am getting with this? hehe Does anyone know if Vanguard is going to include this type of agro system?

[Skarlath]

Punishing the entire group for one person's mistake was just silly. It might work in a game where all of the players are fully attentive, and know what they are doing. But considering new players are flocking to this expanding genre you get a lot of clueless players. This system was one of the things that put me off of EQ2 during beta.

As for the aggro, well this falls under 'interesting monster reactions'. Say a ranger draws his bow and lets loose a long distance shot at a wild boar. The wild boar is standing in a small clearing, and the ranger is back a bit amongst the trees. Forgetting for a minute that the boar should just run away, if he is going to attack the ranger he shouldn't instantly know where the ranger is.

The monsters reactions should follow the path:


Identify direction of damage
Move into position where damage is less likely to be taken from that direction (this may include running behind a tree, or a strafing movement)
Locate the attacker
Locate other dangers
Identifying the best way to approach attacker
Chaarge!


Sure, for creatures that aren't too smart they might easily choose a bad method of approaching. They might not notice the rogue sitting in the bushes ready to pounce. But they should still do this sort of thing, and it should he visible.

In current games as soon as they are hit they charge the player. They should be seen to pause, look around, weigh up the situation. This should be somethng the player should be able to exploit - whilst the creature is stunned the archer can hit them again. Maybe a second archer from another position could fire too, as their position may not be identified in the boar's confusion.

So leading back on topic, everything should be based around what the boar can actually see. If they can't see their mysterious attack, they should run away!! This would therefore mean that after goring your friend to death, the boar would not be able to see you and so would retreat to nurse its wounds.