Just one frustrating thing...

[SickCat]

I enjoy this game quite a bit. There a problems with it, most I can abide...but there's one system-wide issue that never stops making me mad. The split second a mob starts moving, it's actual location instantly jumps ahead of it's visual avatar by 3 steps or so and zips all over the place as the mob turns. On the melee end of things, we can chase a mob and see our fists/weapons striking through our opponent, but no damage numbers or "miss" messages come up. Just you swinging at the mob, seemingly hitting them, and a lot of swing noises. What makes it more intolerable is that while I'm swinging, if I'm faster than the mob, I'm actually slowed down by what the client is showing me is my target! So according to the game, I'm bouncing off the back of this mob, but I can't damage it in the position I'm in. This is evidenced when I actually run in front of the mob...I start doing damage. I actually have my back to my target, yet damage numbers appear.

While this aggravates me to no end (especially when I hit a special move and the mob moves at that exact time and his ACTUAL location instantly moves 2-3 steps away, out of reach), it, in my opinion, is 50% of the reason ranged combat is in such bad shape. I had a lvl 20 repeater build. I noticed SO often that I'd shoot at a target and I wouldn't get anything...no numbers, no "miss" messages. The pattern was pretty easy to pick out. When a mob was standing still, I'd connect (or get miss messages) with all 3 shots...when it moved any way but directly at me or directly away, and was on level ground...I'd get nothing. This was due to the game client firing my weapon at what it was showing me was my targeted mob, but the actual mob was several steps ahead...so my ammunition shot harmlessly through the air.

I'm now in the habit, on my melee guy (I've since LR'd my ranged guy into a thief acrobat), of starting my swing at a mob before he gets to me...it works, but it really shouldn't be that way...again, in my opinion. Fixing this would go a long way toward making ranged combat more viable, and me a lot less frustrated in melee combat, as I fight to work around what I believe to be a flawed game mechanic.

Thanks...that's about it.

[SquelchHU]

The problem you mentioned does bother melee characters quite a bit. However it most often comes up when the mobs are being kited, generally by a ranged attacker and is the primary reason why ranged attackers are loathed.

If the ranged attacker themselves is missing, that's not because of the bug. It's because if you move around at a 90 degree angle, most straight shot stuff (arrows, ray spells, etc) will go towards where you were and not where you are, causing a miss. Try it. Find any archer mob, scorching ray caster whatever. Circle strafe em.

The reason why ranged isn't viable isn't because of a lack of ability to hit the mob, but because of a lack of ability to hit the mob fast enough. You're lucky to get one shot a second outside of Manyshot. And that's at level 20 with speed boosts.

[vmsbass]

I made a repeater build once and ended it early for the very reason you mention.

As for the melee attacking, I notice this to be a much bigger problem with my unarmed monk than it was with a 2h pally. I use a fearsome robe a lot, so it is not unusual for me to be chasing a feared mob and trying to hit it; and yes, you are basically piggy-backing on the **** thing and can hardly hit it.

I hear ya.