[Known]Mobs are "Cover"ing when there's nothing to cover on...

In a completely open space, I am routinely seeing "Cover" flash by while attacking mobs. I am not sure what in the world they could be covering behind as there's nothing around to provide cover in the 2 feet separating me from them on flat open spaces.

 

I'd take a screenshot, but the "Cover" word fades away too quickly :/

 

Area: Spectral Foothills (Novia_R1_Forest02_SpectralMines_Exterior) Loc: (9.6, 65.9, 100.5) while fighting an obsidian wolf

 

Area: Spectral Foothills (Novia_R1_Forest02_SpectralMines_Exterior) Loc: (-85.2, 55.4, 85.1) fighting a skeletal mage

 

Additional information appreciated for us to review further: What weapon are you using against these creatures?

 

I'm ranged, so pine long bow.

 

After killing very nearly every creature in the scene indicated with a bow from any variety of ranges, I am unable to reproduce the issue as indicated in the report. Enemies seem to respond to cover as we would expect from current setup, which by not being in cover where standing with nothing in-between you.

Does it seem to be 100% of the time it registers as cover when breaking for you?

 

I think it has to do with slightly uneven terrain.

 

I finally got some screenshots of the behavior:

 

I agree... it was able to trigger it most easily with the lich archer on the steps.

 

In those screenshots, the lich definitely has partial cover. I was having issues where I was the one with partial cover but my shots were getting the "Cover" message but NPC archer's shots were fully connecting. There were other times where the ground was uneven but we were both in plain sight of each other and my shots were "Cover"ed.

 

In the screenshots, it appears that there is, in fact, partial cover occurring as expected. We'd be interested to know instances where
1. A is registering as covered while B isn't
2. A and B are on even ground and Cover is being applied.

 

@Attenwood Ok... Well my first two occurrences should not have been seen as covered... It's not easy to trigger, but I do think it's related to uneven ground as @Barugon noted. As an archer, I fail to see how the lich has cover. Over half his body is exposed.

 

@Attenwood Just got it here, with both the mage and the melee skeletons. With the melee skeleton it happened while it was still laying down before it stood up. With the mage, got it multiple times. Unfortunately it fades so fast it's hard to get the screenshot of it happening. As I noted in the feedback forum, it'd be extremely helpful to have missed "cover" shots logged to the combat window.

Area: Spectral Foothills (Novia_R1_Forest02_SpectralMines_Exterior) Loc: (84.0, 57.4, 94.9)

 

Note that COVER doesn't actually make your attack miss. It just reduces the damage received, currently. The damage that's reported in your log is reflective of what the damage is with the cover-reduction active. Will look into the case presented above. Thank you.

 

Ok, good to know. Is it possible then to put (covered) or something in parenthesis so we know which attacks were affected by cover?

 

@Attenwood Got a covered shot here too: Area: Spectral Foothills (Novia_R1_Forest02_SpectralMines_Exterior) Loc: (68.7, 58.7, 118.7)

 

@Attenwood Happening in Spectral Mines as well, build 451: Area: Spectral Mines (Novia_R1_Forest02_SpectralMines) Loc: (-115.7, -14.6, -124.2)

 

@Attenwood, these are very similar to the situations that I was getting the cover message and the damage that I was doing was greatly reduced.

 

I observe 2 things from reviewing the instances included in these images.
1. In the first image,i can't help but notice that there's a stump directly in front of you. That stump is actually a harvest tree node. Harvested trees maintain their tree's colliders despite having been harvested, so by chance if you had that stump between you and the target, it would be considered a covered attack as the view is obstructed by that node, even though you can't see the tree.
2. At the location you're firing, there is a boulder in front and to the right of you and the mob. Going to this scene and investigating that boulder, we observed some unoptimized colliders jutting out from the left side. If you return there, you will likely find it. An invisible collider that you can jump on directly to the left. Unfortunately, the rays being cast for cover are also hitting that invisible boulder collider and considered it a covered attack between you and the skeleton in the mine.

I have written up a ticket to review the tech in the cover system re. these instances of colliding with invisible geometry that has yet to be optimized.

ID: 41378