Monster AI

[Rizen]

Talk the speculation talk is getting a bit boring, so I thought I would bring up a topic about current mechanics of the game.

I've been watching a lot of Alpha 2 videos and it is kinda hard to gauge whether or not the monster AI has improve by much since Alpha 1. Some monster don't seem remotely threatening to players such as those gorillas and spider mobs in the caves. It kinda seems like they are easily kited and only manage to almost hit players 90% of the time.

I know they are early stage monsters, but they can still pose some threat to players. Can anyone who played Alpha 2 shed some light on this subject?

[r00tabaga]

Apparently they were too tough for the japanese.

[Spellbinder]

Aww c'mon, didn't they only say the beginning areas?

[SilverFoxR]

From what I can tell, the enemies are more agressive now to match the improved combat system. They don't just lumber towards you and try to surround for gang-up attacks. This time, they come straight at you and attack somewhat viciously... kind of like some of the enemies in Phantasy Star Zero (short pauses in attacks... MAYBE).

It's a bit harder as well, since you can't heal quickly anymore... even mates take a moment to use.

[Reia]

Actually I came from a Video about Diablo III explaining difficulties, if PSO2 is using the same difficulty scale as Diablo once more that means that we're currently fighting in "normal" mode where everything is meant to be easy, while you increase difficulty it also means that the enemies will not only improve in status but also in behaviour such as AI, move speed, resistance to knockdowns or flinches, etc.

At the point that Hard will start having lil' chances of death, Very Hard is where people start noticing this is becoming difficulty and Ultimate players must be already experienced to don't die. But remember this is still too much of a casual game being too hardcore doesn't mean the game ain't hard or impossible in ultimate for some others.

[youcantcatchtheblue]

I felt like the enemies in alpha-2 were fine for beginning areas. But if the later levels in the game uses the same AI then I would be totally disappointed. I'm not worried at the moment, but if we don't see some tougher enemies in Beta we might need to step up on the suggestions we send in.

[Griffin]

At least enemies can actually pick players up. I'd like to see my teammates get slung halfway across the map.

[kyuuketsuki]

It's not terribly surprising that the enemy AI isn't very aggressive in the early areas. They have to have somewhere to go to increase monster difficulty in later areas/difficulties besides just increasing their HP and damage.

[moorebounce]

All I know is the AI in the lower levels were kind of suspect but you have to make it where new players won't get discouraged from being killed all the time. Sega could make the lower level enemy's AI more aggressive because you no longer stand in one place when firing your weapons and techs in PSO2. I really never had a problem with the lower level AI because I understood what they were doing in the first place. You never really hear people complaining about the higher level AI in PSO because they move much faster and are more aggressive.


At least enemies can actually pick players up. I'd like to see my teammates get slung halfway across the map.
lol thats just wrong. You would probably get along with my wife because shes a practical joker like that.

[Rizen]

I felt like the enemies in alpha-2 were fine for beginning areas. But if the later levels in the game uses the same AI then I would be totally disappointed. I'm not worried at the moment, but if we don't see some tougher enemies in Beta we might need to step up on the suggestions we send in.

This is why I am a little worried, but also reserving judgement. I guess I was expecting to see some more aggression from enemies in the caves area vs the forest area. They still can be working on the AI as stated several times, but something tells me that they won't be getting any smarter...

[Ark22]

Didn't some of the Japanese players complain about it being difficult at the end of Alpha 2? I know for a fact they complained about the quests being to long. Also More aggressive enemies = More fun.

[Dark Emerald EXE]

Kind of an unrelated question but where the mobs locked to a certain region of the map?
Similiar to how in PSO if you was getting beat up on you could just run out the room and the mobs would go back to spawn area...

Would be funny if mobs acted how they do in ffxi where depending on the mob, they'll follow you anywhere for a good distance from their orginal spawn area and possibly despawn. (opposed to NM where they'd follow you until your dead or you zone out)


As for the difficulty I never played either alpha but hoping to play the beta and like a challenge.
in PSU unless you did a map where you yourself wasn't ready for it(not knowing how to play ur type...or maybe lack PAs and such....there wasn't a "huge" challenge to it....yea there where difficult situation yea but not enough I'd say is "omg I may can't beat this"

[Spellbinder]

Didn't some of the Japanese players complain about it being difficult at the end of Alpha 2? I know for a fact they complained about the quests being to long. Also More aggressive enemies = More fun.

There were complaints of difficulty in the beginning parts when you're level 1 and monsters can kill you in like 3 hits.

[NoiseHERO]

Kind of an unrelated question but where the mobs locked to a certain region of the map?
Similiar to how in PSO if you was getting beat up on you could just run out the room and the mobs would go back to spawn area...

Would be funny if mobs acted how they do in ffxi where depending on the mob, they'll follow you anywhere for a good distance from their orginal spawn area and possibly despawn. (opposed to NM where they'd follow you until your dead or you zone out)


As for the difficulty I never played either alpha but hoping to play the beta and like a challenge.
in PSU unless you did a map where you yourself wasn't ready for it(not knowing how to play ur type...or maybe lack PAs and such....there wasn't a "huge" challenge to it....yea there where difficult situation yea but not enough I'd say is "omg I may can't beat this"

Think I heard of monsters following you to the ends of the earth.

[Griffin]

Think I heard of monsters following you to the ends of the earth.

I wouldn't mind that. Adds flavor.

[•Col•]

There were complaints of difficulty in the beginning parts when you're level 1 and monsters can kill you in like 3 hits.

Yeah, but if you got hit 3 times in a row......... I don't even think lowering the monster difficulty would even help you. D:

There's seriously so much leeway to avoid moves that I'm not even sure how they could make it much easier. Maybe have the enemies instantly die after they execute an attack? Kinda like a bee losing it's stinger or something.

I guess that could work.

[Rizen]

I wouldn't mind that. Adds flavor.

Player: Ooooh, a rare baby Rappy! Let me kill it!
Rappy: I know you did not just try to kill my baby!
Player: OH SHI- *runs*
Rappy: Running outside the gate ain't going to save you this time! *attacks with rappy swarm*
-Initiate Code: Rescue-

[Dark Emerald EXE]

Player: Ooooh, a rare baby Rappy! Let me kill it!
Rappy: I know you did not just try to kill my baby!
Player: OH SHI- *runs*
Rappy: Running outside the gate ain't going to save you this time! *attacks with rappy swarm*
-Initiate Code: Rescue-

Typical example of learning of aggro on FFXI.
Something aggros you....you run off far away and stop thinking everything good then 20 seconds later the aggro music mysteriously comes up and you see it still chasing you lol

That would make the game better on a challenge standpoint. You can't rely on are restriction to recuperate from an assault...

[NoiseHERO]

Player: Ooooh, a rare baby Rappy! Let me kill it!
Rappy: I know you did not just try to kill my baby!
Player: OH SHI- *runs*
Rappy: Running outside the gate ain't going to save you this time! *attacks with rappy swarm*
-Initiate Code: Rescue-

initiate code: facepalm

/starts kicking rappies out of my way to save yo dumbass.

/The explode into kentucky friend rappy

Seriously what was the colonel cooking in PSP2i?

But no seriously I remember someone saying, you could just walk past the monsters, but then they end up catching up to you later while you're fighting another mob.

[kyuuketsuki]

Monsters aren't confined to one area, and can follow you to different areas of the map. They can't go between levels, though, of course (e.g. they can't go from Cave 1 to Cave 2).

The AI is nothing to worry about, at this point. Enemies not being terribly fast or aggressive is to be expected in the early parts of the game.

[Shadownami92]

Typical example of learning of aggro on FFXI.
Something aggros you....you run off far away and stop thinking everything good then 20 seconds later the aggro music mysteriously comes up and you see it still chasing you lol

That would make the game better on a challenge standpoint. You can't rely on are restriction to recuperate from an assault...

Reminds me of one time playing FFXI, we played at the crawlers nest that area was deeeeeeep. So at a higher level I was playing as a Warrior, we had a Paladin, and a Thief. We were all invited to the party by a redmage who used his spells like Sneak and stuff to get us to a pretty low level without aggro. Then he had to go and teleported himself. So we all booked it to the entrance after buffing ourselves and our thief using Run and aggro'd the entire crawlers next (mobs were practically running on the ceiling) and brought them to the entrance.

Good times....

[Spellbinder]

Reminds me of one time playing FFXI, we played at the crawlers nest that area was deeeeeeep. So at a higher level I was playing as a Warrior, we had a Paladin, and a Thief. We were all invited to the party by a redmage who used his spells like Sneak and stuff to get us to a pretty low level without aggro. Then he had to go and teleported himself. So we all booked it to the entrance after buffing ourselves and our thief using Run and aggro'd the entire crawlers next (mobs were practically running on the ceiling) and brought them to the entrance.

Good times....

As all the lowbies who fought in the area near the entrance gape in horror as the swarm returns to its original location. lol

[moorebounce]

Kind of an unrelated question but where the mobs locked to a certain region of the map?
Similiar to how in PSO if you was getting beat up on you could just run out the room and the mobs would go back to spawn area...

Would be funny if mobs acted how they do in ffxi where depending on the mob, they'll follow you anywhere for a good distance from their orginal spawn area and possibly despawn. (opposed to NM where they'd follow you until your dead or you zone out)[/b]

Sonic Team started fixing that issue with episode II by putting enemies in the hallways so you really never had a place to hide. In episdoe IV if the enemy was close enough they would follow you into other areas and the only real safe place was using teleporters.

[ForceOfBrokenGlass]

Does this mean mobs might have a sense of self-preservation?

Maybe not all of them I mean I can understand possessed enemies or hive mind types being expendable and just attacking and attacking till they die, or cornered animals throwing everything they have at you out of desperation, but it seems like in every single game ever made, running or surrendering is not an option even for intelligent foes.

I know, it's about being challenging, but what about when it gets too easy? You'd think most mobs wouldn't just sit there, watch their comrades drop like flies, and just rush in blindly with the same bravado when their enemy closes.

[SELENNA]

I hope they don't make this an easy game. I'm tired of cakewalks. Three hits is fair enough to get killed early on - it requires skill and strategy to not let monsters kill you which I like.

[Macman]

At least enemies can actually pick players up. I'd like to see my teammates get slung halfway across the map.PSU sort of did that with the "blow-away" effect and it drove me insane a majority of the time.