A very drastic but positive hireling idea.

[Seikojin]

I think we can all say the current implementation of hirelings and their ai is a bit on the lacking side. They make decent bots to stand around on levers, maybe heal you, buff you somewhat, etc. But when it comes to contributing to doing a quest, they lack the insight into adventuring that they need.

I really think hirelings should have scripts to follow. You have a handful of archtypes to use, so making a barbarian and a fighter would or could use the same script. Instead of having the hirelings a contractual purchase with timers, they should be in the quest panel at the door. Or at the wilderness entrance. You check off the class you want, it has an associated cost in plat, and when you enter, they join.

These NPC's shoul be capable, but should not be capable enough to complete the quest without the players help.

This would allow utility npc's to provide more assistance than they currently do, and offer ways to boost the capabilities of the npc's so they provide a wider range of options in a quest (more than 3 or 4 spells).

[Sunnie]

Ok... and how exactly would changing where and how we get hirelings change something about their AI?

[Loromir]

I think we can all say the current implementation of hirelings and their ai is a bit on the lacking side. They make decent bots to stand around on levers, maybe heal you, buff you somewhat, etc. But when it comes to contributing to doing a quest, they lack the insight into adventuring that they need.

I really think hirelings should have scripts to follow. You have a handful of archtypes to use, so making a barbarian and a fighter would or could use the same script. Instead of having the hirelings a contractual purchase with timers, they should be in the quest panel at the door. Or at the wilderness entrance. You check off the class you want, it has an associated cost in plat, and when you enter, they join.

These NPC's shoul be capable, but should not be capable enough to complete the quest without the players help.

This would allow utility npc's to provide more assistance than they currently do, and offer ways to boost the capabilities of the npc's so they provide a wider range of options in a quest (more than 3 or 4 spells).

Drastic indeed....but in reality, it would require a dev to spend time developing the scripting for 4 hireling types (Melee, rogue, healer, caster) for each quest in the game (I don't know probably over 200 quests ATM). Sounds a little time consuming to me.

[Seikojin]

Ok... and how exactly would changing where and how we get hirelings change something about their AI?

They would lose the freeform AI entirely, and follow a script for that specific quest.

[Seikojin]

Drastic indeed....but in reality, it would require a dev to spend time developing the scripting for 4 hireling types (Melee, rogue, healer, caster) for each quest in the game (I don't know probably over 200 quests ATM). Sounds a little time consuming to me.

The bigger question here would be; would Hirelings that work persuade you to use them?

[Uska]

Sorry don't think its worth the extreme amount of dev time this would take. To be fair even 1% of 1% of a nano second is to much but that's just me.

Seriously it would probably take days or a least a day for a simple quest for just one type of NPC for that one quest.

[Uska]

The bigger question here would be; would Hirelings that work persuade you to use them?

Not a chance

[Seikojin]

Sorry don't think its worth the extreme amount of dev time this would take. To be fair even 1% of 1% of a nano second is to much but that's just me.

Seriously it would probably take days or a least a day for a simple quest for just one type of NPC for that one quest.

Not a chance

LOL, well I am thinking that it would be a wise RoI, simply because scripting npcs is far less buggy and creates less integration issues than tweaking bots to behave certain ways.

[Loromir]

The bigger question here would be; would Hirelings that work persuade you to use them?

I do use hirelings now. As long as you realize their limitations they can be useful.

[Uska]

LOL, well I am thinking that it would be a wise RoI, simply because scripting npcs is far less buggy and creates less integration issues than tweaking bots to behave certain ways.

Crafting 4 scripts for every single quest in the game would be the worst waste of dev time ever including anything else done in history until the end of time. It wouldn't be if everyone used hirelings but they don't. I would rather do a quest without any healing than be in a party with a hireling they are the single worst thing ever added to any game ever. I play a A MMO to play with humans not the computer if I wanted that I would play NW or NW2 or some other CRPG.

See my signature for my 5hpughts on hirelings

[Uska]

I do use hirelings now. As long as you realize their limitations they can be useful.

Exactly treat them like pvp and use them as is no more dev time

[cdbd3rd]

They would lose the freeform AI entirely, and follow a script for that specific quest.

That would potentially turn them into the most useless, and irritating, of all NPC types - the ones you have to escort/protect in quests.

No.

[Ralmeth]

No, because everyone may run a quest differently. What if you want to retreat to recover, or you want to pull a group of mobs to you, but the hireling zergs ahead because that's what they are programmed to do? There's no way a set script could work well.

If the developers really wanted to simplify the AI of hirelings, they could get rid of all hires except melee Fighters, and then you would just call these Men-at-arms, with no abilities to activate. Then the developers could focus their AI efforts on the few stances available (active, defend and passive).