(edited by Wooboost.8527)
Clones need better AI
wow. i was JUST thinking this! i really love the clone/trickery concept behind clones but they’re so transparent. i really don’t want to shatter ALL the time and i don’t use phantasms much at all. i was about to post a thread asking if there are any suggestions to make our clones less….obvious. thus i saw this thread, hence me being here.lol. =))
All minion, pet, illusion AI’s need to be worked on, not just yours. Just look at necro minions when they run off and attack the grawl who is not attacking you, then bring him back. Fleshie the golem has aggro’d half of orr for most necros on his own. Ranger pets have issues hitting moving targets, sometimes even telling them to attack they stand there for a few seconds both rangers and necros.
I shatter ALL the time, I use all 4 as much as possible, it works very well, when the clones actually work. I was just in AC and multiple times I would hit Mind Wrack and the clones would run up to the target and freakin stand there, not shattering, the mob would die then they would shatter of course. Are the dev’s worried about us being overpowered? I want to kno if the stupidity of the clones is on purpose, because it’s really starting to irk me. Iam depending on my skills to work properly and they are failing me greatly. They have been pushing shattering with the updates but yet this is what we have to work with, no wonder no one wants to use shattering builds, its flawed.
@gamefreak, I don’t play the other classes, but I could imagine its similar. I too have the issue with my clones running off and shattering mobs I’m not fighting adding additional mobs…so frustrating
(edited by Wooboost.8527)
Illusions should only shatter the target you summon them on; I’ve never had mine attack anything but the mob I summon them on. If you guys have the auto-softtargeting enabled you may want to consider turning it off. Because if you’re accidentally mousing over another mob (even one far away or a critter) when you summon the illusion, it’ll be bound to that target. When you hit a shatter skill they’ll run to whatever they’kittengeting (whatever you wekittengeting when you summoned them). They will not shatter on what you’re currently targeting if it’s not the mob they were summoned on.
For the illusions just standing there and not shattering: I remember there being lots of wierd terrain issues in AC. Is it possible that the mob they needed to get to was ever so slightly out of reach? like it’s nearly impossible to shatter on the ranger boss when he’s on his central pillar unless the illusions have a very clear and direct path to him.
not related to shattering – it would be cool if clone ai had them kite a little or dodge roll some attacks, so its less obvious which is the real mesmer.
(and while we are at it, if you put a mark on the mesmer it should make all clones at same time)
—Fort Aspenwood—
Go play necro for a week. Come back and you will feel op
The ai on clones and phantasms is fine. The ai is extremely simple. Whatever they were originally summoned on is the target they will shatter on, as well as the target they will continuously attack. This has always worked perfectly. If they are shattering/attacking other targets, it means you simply summoned them incorrectly.
The only phantasm that needs a AI upgrade is the defender. (focus #5 skill) He goes to his summoned location and does his whirling dervish move. Then he follows the mob at max summoning range as does it again, hitting nothing. He will never close to melee range after he is summoned. The only way he can do any damage is if you kite a mob or person into him when he starts to use his deflect missile and aoe whirl. So his AI should either follow the mesmer around and deflect arrow, or go to melee range and use his aoe ability for damage. He does neither. He does close to melee range to shatter. The focus is generally used for PvP either SPvP or WvW because of the speed buff or maybe in a dungeon as finisher for shooting through speed buff line. Currently he has very little utility because of his AI issues. A lot of people use the duelist because it has good AI and since it is ranged does not get 1 shotted by AOE’s very often. I have started trying to use a Greatsword, focus/sword weapon combination. That seems to work well. The torch isn’t bad either offhand and the Pistol is FOTM.
On a side note I find it interesting that the warlock just had his time between attacks lengthened. It is pretty long as is.
As far as extra mobs go, the agro range of many mobs is pretty large, so if you kite, it is easy to accidentally pull in friends.
The ai on clones and phantasms is fine. The ai is extremely simple. Whatever they were originally summoned on is the target they will shatter on, as well as the target they will continuously attack. This has always worked perfectly. If they are shattering/attacking other targets, it means you simply summoned them incorrectly.
Sorry your wrong, for the weapons clones you are right. But utilities can sometimes mess up. However those are rare.
Now those that will attack a random target is those that are made with the trait. make a clone when ya dodge.
Ive tested it over and over again.
Dodge clones attack closest tgt as far as I can tell. I have not tested this, but I often notice my dodge clone sticking around after “combat” is over, or taking off to attack behind me when I shatter.
I have soft targeting turned off, and clones can a certainly have the wrong target. Deceptive Evasion will do it all day long. Easy enough to test. Attack a ranged mob, and stand close to something that’s not aggressive. Summon a phantasm on your target, swap weapons, summon another, then dodge to create a clone. It’s important that the non aggro mob be closest to you. Shatter, you will see two phantasms shatter on your target and the clone will run to the non aggro mob you never targeted and shatter on it, making it attack you.
I can’t say it works this way 100% of the time, I have not checked. But it’s VERY easy to duplicate, it happens all the time by accident, if you try to make it happen its easy to see what we are talking about.
I have auto targeting turned off, unless I tab or click a target there is no way the system thinks I targeted something else. Dodge clones will shatter on whatever was closest, even though they attack your target.
The only phantasm that needs a AI upgrade is the defender. (focus #5 skill) He goes to his summoned location and does his whirling dervish move. Then he follows the mob at max summoning range as does it again, hitting nothing. He will never close to melee range after he is summoned. The only way he can do any damage is if you kite a mob or person into him when he starts to use his deflect missile and aoe whirl. So his AI should either follow the mesmer around and deflect arrow, or go to melee range and use his aoe ability for damage. He does neither. He does close to melee range to shatter. The focus is generally used for PvP either SPvP or WvW because of the speed buff or maybe in a dungeon as finisher for shooting through speed buff line. Currently he has very little utility because of his AI issues. A lot of people use the duelist because it has good AI and since it is ranged does not get 1 shotted by AOE’s very often. I have started trying to use a Greatsword, focus/sword weapon combination. That seems to work well. The torch isn’t bad either offhand and the Pistol is FOTM.
On a side note I find it interesting that the warlock just had his time between attacks lengthened. It is pretty long as is.
As far as extra mobs go, the agro range of many mobs is pretty large, so if you kite, it is easy to accidentally pull in friends.
I’m torn between whether this is working as intended or not. Since the iWarden(not defender, that’s a different phantasm) is a projectile absorber/reflecter, it seems to me that it could be designed to be something of a stationary defense emplacement. You drop him, maybe he does some damage, and then you can run and hide behind him when attacks start coming.