To the players that stack mobs

[Tzarhunt]

Well what I'm about to write is much a complaint, but it's addressed to players, and more specifically the ones that make ugly stacks of mobs.

I understand that those stacks are useful in order to train your armor skill, and I don't care you do so; my problem is: you left them is stack and leave! As a result, arena and sewers are full of ugly stacks of mobs staring at the same point (where there's nothing). They're hideous, and break my immersion.

So please, please kill them when you're done. I assume I'm not the only one bothered by the mob stacks, and sorry if I'm wrong, but since there's no IC reason for them could you get rid of what you've done?
There's no aggression in my tone and I ask this as a favor. I'm sure you can kill them since most of the time they're miserable mobs, and you can survive their grouped attacks for long enough to rank up, so you're far beyond the level at which they would be an issue to kill. Maybe there are some exceptional PCs who are tanks but can't harm a rat, but I'm certain most of you mob-stackers can kill them afterward.

[LigH]

I wonder if a kind of "BOID" logic might be implementable so that several MOBs attacking the same char try to avoid each other in a small radius and disperse around the char.

[Tzarhunt]

Then there would be circle of mobs?
They would look like they're having a meeting. That would be funny but not much better.

Maybe something that would make mobs go back around their spawn point if inactive for a certain amount of time or something like this...

[Bonifarzia]

Maybe mobs will act in a much more realistic way once their behavior is governed by tribe objects.
Nevertheless, it should be common sense to clean things up after a training session and not leave a mess, be it with crafting containers or mobs drawn away from their proper spawning points.

[Drogos]

I like the idea about having mobs move back to a spawn pint when inactive for some amount of time. This will then also move back mobs if someone pulled a maulbernaut into the gates of Oja road 1 / Oja road 2 because they could not kill it…

[Earowo]

The only problem, is that spawn 'points' are not points, but they are spawn areas, And the way, npcs move around objects currently, it may have its bugs...as currently if you attack and run, they will 'try' to go around things, but generally I have seen they dont go up or down slopes/ledges, and i have also noticed, the will run into objects.
Anyway, the way I would see it, if they moved towards the spawn area, they would end up being stacked, in their spawn area, unless they were programmed, to go back to the specific spot they spawned, the very last time they spawned...

[jenideandre]

I like the low-tech approach, just kill the bloody things when finished training....

I once ran off after casting dazzling light in the dlayo pit and got...questioned...for leaving dlayos strewn about the arena, rightly so I think too.  I know that's not the same as stacking mobs and leaving them there looking like a neon "powerleveling" sign in Yliakum.  I only mention it because I was asked about my error in a sweet way, and was thinking it would be awfully nice if when people suggest things like this (ingame or out), they do it in just such a kind and direct way (Tzarhunt, exactly like you've done).  It makes even the laziest renegades want to do it (yes I am classing myself with the lazy renegades).

Anyway, great suggestion which I will abide by - when training, kill your mob stack at the end of it. 

[Tessra]

Unless I'm running right back to that same mob, I always kill them when done, but I can't tell you how many times I've seen 4 coamti's at the Gug ramp, or all the riverlings at the Gug portal in the last few weeks.  It should just be common courtesy to other players to return the mobs.  I try to always send them back to their respective areas, no matter what the mob is.

[bilbous]

How about you just try to play in a manner that isn't completely Out Of Character, at least on the role play server. Too bad that is the fastest way to level your characters it is a complete exploitation of the game mechanics. It is playing the mechanics not your character. Standing in a swarm of rats really doesn't help you learn to avoid stronger attacks once you have learned not to trip and fall in your heavy armor.

I'll admit that I often ride my mount into buildings which I really ought not to so I am no purist myself but I do try to get my practice organically, i.e. casting defensive wind and rock armor before combat and not just repeatedly beside the trainer. Heck those Ways are lagging way behind the other ones with combat spells because I usually don't even bother with them. I can use the combat spells to train my armor because it takes longer to kill things that way, all the time being attacked by that one rogue.

It is true though that I have little understanding of how much practice it takes to level the higher levels because after 5-odd years I have no skills even at 100.

Too many maxed out characters are just a joke. I've had long absences but I doubt that if I had played continually I would be anywhere near maxed even now.

BTW when they are stacked like that a few flame bursts or other, better area of effect spell will toast them all.

[jenideandre]

bilbous, but this is making me laugh...yes, from now on, I'm going to carry plenty of leather gloves to throw down dramatically in front of the mobs:

* Karenina throws down the gauntlet with a sneer:  "I dare all of you, yes all!!!  Try just try to chew this plate mail off of me!!"

Even if we did that, it would still end up a mob stack.  I think I'll do it though, because it will crack me up....as a partial aside, I only play the roleplay server, and I do like to level.  Any time I go to train I talk to the npcs, tug on their sleeves to ask for training, and in general pretend like I'm in another universe but just as real.  It looks mad if I'm all by myself but it's immersive which is what I want.  I like it like that.  I like other players in character too, and it pains me for people to smiley face or lol in main....

It's just a different way to play, bilbous's way from my way, both are fine, don't see it as an abuse of game mechanics but an optimization of game mechanics...but from now on, I will personally insult every mob no matter how small...if you see a pair of gloves on the ground, and a stack of rats....

but like I said, I'm killing my stacks when I play again.

[jenideandre]

no, even better, here is my IC training plan....I will decide to preach to the monsters of Yliakum, to try to get them to give up their filthy monsterly ways, and come eat carrots and meditate with me out near the farmer girl on one of the bronze door roads....as I preach (conveniently with plate armor on), I will cast dazzling light, so they can see the truth and be dazzled by it....then will give my martyr complex full rein as I stand completely still while they attack me left and right, mournfully gazing upon them but not defending myself....

Eventually my irritation and fatigue will overcome the martyr complex, and I will smite them all before they kill me...stomp off in a fury...calm down as I walk (towards the trainer)....repeat!

[verden]

*chuckles*

[bilbous]

Hey be sure to sit down within that swarm while you do likewise with 5 or six alts. After all you are not really maximizing your training if you are only training one character at a time. I'm sure if you have enough processing power you could run dozens of clients.

Anyway if combat training was like crafting you wouldn't get any armor practice from those critters that could not affect you and little weapon practice from those too easily dispatched.

I can just see it how Spartacus got his weapon prowess fighting the rats running through his cell and not in the practice arena. What a bunch of righteous self-justifying power levelers you are. You know it is absurd.

[Gen]

Ever tried to train with normal activities? After an hour of *normal* hunting, the green bars of both weapon and armor skills moved by a bit more than a pixel (talking of 100+ level). Even if i always kill the stacks i made, is quite impossible/intolerable long to train *normally*. If you then consider people with short time for PS, making those things is quite necessary to get some sense of advancement.

[bilbous]

I train normally all the time. I may not be over 100 yet but I am upwards of 50 in most combat skills and train a couple weapons an all three types of armor simultaneously. However, as long as the developers can point at maxed out characters and power leveling players with multiple highly developed characters there is no real incentive for them to admit that changes might be needed.

Anyway stacking mobs only really boosts armor training as while you can swing more continuously with your weapons you don't swing any faster.