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Old 10-25-2014, 07:53 AM
Torven
Sarnak
 
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 52
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I'm a bit sad to not see a reply to this post, because certain inaccuracies are hugely imbalancing to the game on emu servers right now, and preventing me from some database entry work.

Having a little more knowledge of how EQEmu works under the hood now, it's obvious to me that what needs to be done is to decouple the NPC logic from the PC logic. NPC monks on EQEmu were for example using attack delay values from the bare fists delay table for PCs, which is silly. (demonstar fixed this I believe) It's clear to me that NPCs have their own separate simplified combat logic. Even the ability to bash isn't linked to class-- Trakanon for example is a necromancer that bashes. SOE devs seemingly set if NPCs can bash or not independent of class, and just often not gave it to caster NPCs. Class also has no bearing on dual wield or double attack availability or rates, as I mentioned previously.

Caster NPCs not double attacking is a huge, huge balance issue and easily resolved. Right now it's impossible to make Trakanon double as he should be; it's either single attack rounds (which should never happen for any NPC in the entire game, minus perhaps level 1 mobs which I have not confirmed either way) or quad rounds without weapons-- there is no other state to set the mob without changing its class to a melee class.

Also, flagging an NPC as dual wield capable is making it quad without weapons, so nothing can be set to dual wield in the database right now without making the mobs always quad. This has large implications for charmed pets and NPCs that naturally spawn with two weapons, like guards.

Lastly, I learned two more important things since I started this thread: One, level 2 mobs can double attack (just very rarely of course), and Two, NPCs cannot wield a weapon in a particular hand unless the weapon is flagged for that hand just like PCs can't. I.e. Trakanon was only doubling me even though he had multiple teeth (which are daggers) because he couldn't offhand one because it was PRIMARY only.
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