[Responded] Pointless virtue penalty due suicidal Watchers

1. Title: Pointless virtue penalty due suicidal Watchers
2. Reproduction Rate: 100%
3. Blocker? No
4. Details: Killing Watchers cause virtue penalty. Watchers are suicidal critters
5. Steps to Reproduce: Go any area with hostile NPCs and Watchers. Use any AOE or damage shields like Immolation. Watchers run to PC and keep dying unintentionally.
6. User Specs: Irrelevant

Those watchers are suicidal critters that love to run on character AOEs and damage shields and die. Nothing is more frustrating, that hero need to watch out all the time that some mechanical rats don't kill themselves on them.

 

There is no clear way for the game to know your intent - whether you want to hit them or not - at least when it comes to aoes. I think to change this, we would have to implement some possibly game changing features which would go on the design aspect of our forums (in the general feedback section). I understand your viewpoint however; not trying to dismiss your input as if it isn't important - or anything of the sort. If you have suggestions on ways how this could be improved I'd definitely post them in feedback. It won't get lost there and who knows, it might even gain some traction.
@Wraitteli

 

Well obvious solution would be that killing those mechanical Watchers does not have virtue penalty. After all they are just mechanical scouts, not living breathing things even. Killing a helpless animal should have bigger virtue hit than killing someones robotic camera!

If this does not go well with developers...

Then simple solution for Watchers would be that they avoid/runaway/stay still from all the fights and hostile PCs (PC that are in combat mode).

Most easiest and laziest solution would be that Watchers scan their targets 5 measure units away. That way they avoid at least burning themselves on players immolation and/or die to melee attacks. Watchers after all like to run next to the PC, regardless is PC fighting or not and then die to any melee attack or damage shield.

 

100% agree with this.

 

It isn't just AoE spells though, while there's been a (noticeable) improvement to my spells auto-heading for the nearest rabbit/harmless creature when there are things inches away that are shooting back at me (thank you for this) its still possible to 'misfire' and have spells kill unintended targets such as watchers or those children in Tenebris harbor that spawn all over the 'fighting' area.

Getting a virtue hit on something should be a reflection of intent not a consequence of the targetting system or NPCs being stupid.

If I set the ground on fire to kill bad guys and innocent decide to run headfirst into the flames because of their schedule/path - that is not a reflection of my intent in any way and the fact that it carries penalties is ludicrous. If I hard target a watcher and smash it into metal scraps, fair enough.