Game Mechanics: If you give a mob a bow + arrow or it should gain ranged attacks

CrazyPro · #1 Yesterday, 01:55 AM

Ever wondered why archer mobs drop a bow and a single arrow?

Well, that's what gives mobs ranged attacks in the first place.

You should be able to trade a bow and an arrow to any mob in the game and it will gain ranged attacks based on the stats of the ranged weapon and ammunation you gave it.

It still works this way on live:

In this video on live, I charmed a rat (because mobs will give items back to you when uncharmed on live, unlike on p99 where some mobs will equip items you give to them and utilize them but not drop them unless they were charmed when you traded it to them) and gave it a bow but no arrow, and then broke charm, kited it around, and it never shoots at me, so I charm it again, give it a single arrow, break charm, and then it starts spitting infinite arrows at me out of it's mouth. I killed it, found another rat, charm it, and then I gave this rat a throwing weapon, broke charm and kited it around just out of melee range and it never threw at me, so that rules out throwing. (makes sense since there isn't any documentation of of fire giants throwing their throwing boulders at people) I kill it, and then find yet another rat, charm it, give it a single arrow, break charm, and it doesn't shoot at me.

So that narrows it down to this:

If a mob has a bow and an arrow in it's inventory it will gain ranged attacks, that's why mobs with ranged attacks have always been guaranteed to have a bow and single arrow since the game's release.

I can't find a single bit of information regarding this online literally anywhere, not even now, because I guess it was too stupid of an idea to try that nobody has bothered to test it out until now, but that's how it works.

No matter what kind of mob you give it to, be it a mage pet, rat, or raid boss, if it accepts items, it will shoot arrows at you if it ever gets a bow and an arrow in it's inventory.

This behavior is absent on p99, I believe the devs mistakenly just manually added ranged attacks to these mobs in their special_attacks string.

On P99, I can give an axe to an orc pawn (uncharmed) and he equips it and starts slashing. I go to another orc pawn, give him a bow, and then a single arrow, and aggro him, and he never shoots it.

CrazyPro · #2 Yesterday, 02:27 AM

The only mobs that should be using the special_abilities string to forcefully give them ranged attacks would be Kromrif Spearman (or any other throwing attack mob)

I know that ranged mob on P99 are using the values for ranged attacks in this string instead of the actual bow + 1 arrow mechanic because I killed this centaur foal (which did indeed shoot me with arrows) and he dropped a bow and no arrows.

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Here's a video of me massacring a bunch of centaur foals on live, and every single one drops a bow and a single arrow, no exceptions. It's obvious that ranged bow attacks are supposed to be tied to having a bow and an arrow in the inventory.

CrazyPro · #3 Yesterday, 03:00 AM

Also, I think that on p99 the three tiny halflings at the end of A4 aren't dropping their bow and single arrow like they're documented to have always dropped way back when? At least according to the p99 wiki, it doesn't have it listed.

CrazyPro · #4 Yesterday, 03:50 AM

https://web.archive.org/web/20010309.../063380-5.html

Quote:

posted 03-05-2001 05:01 PM
Just screwing around testing things, I found something hillarious. Get either Dabbis or Abbis to attack you with taunt or something. Run out so the one attacking you is directly behind the other. Then wait for a second, it's arrows will hit the other halfling.
Eventually it summons you and beats the living day lights out of you, so click on the picture to go to my right hand room. Camp, then run back, watch them kill each other... Somehow that just struck me as incredibly ricoculous tonight... http://www.swtoys.net/pom/abbisvsdabbis.jpg *Needs a long break when things like this strike his funny bone*

Looks like mobs' arrows could collide with each other in classic and cause mobs to get into fights.

Jimjam · #5 Yesterday, 05:40 AM

Bug on p99 is mobs deplete their arrows as they fire. Idk if it is since fixed, but only players should consume fired arrows.

CrazyPro · #6 Yesterday, 02:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jimjam [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Bug on p99 is mobs deplete their arrows as they fire. Idk if it is since fixed, but only players should consume fired arrows.

Nah, the coldain guards with crossbows always drop a single bolt after firing at me repeatedly.

feniin · #7 Yesterday, 08:19 PM

Similar, related, issue on p99 is that mobs should only use and equip items if they are charmed - currently NPCs will equip items even if they are uncharmed (i.e. charm pet -MR kits on Tunare).

Should have to charm them to get them to equip anything you hand them. Should not be able to give a charm pet kit to Tunare.

CrazyPro · #8 Yesterday, 09:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by feniin [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Similar, related, issue on p99 is that mobs should only use and equip items if they are charmed - currently NPCs will equip items even if they are uncharmed (i.e. charm pet -MR kits on Tunare).

Should have to charm them to get them to equip anything you hand them. Should not be able to give a charm pet kit to Tunare.

That's not a bug, that's the classic behavior. That was only ever changed in Luclin when they made mobs hand items back to you that they didn't need so you couldn't accidentally turn in quest items to the wrong NPC.

feniin · #9 Yesterday, 11:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CrazyPro [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

That's not a bug, that's the classic behavior. That was only ever changed in Luclin when they made mobs hand items back to you that they didn't need so you couldn't accidentally turn in quest items to the wrong NPC.

They would only equip if it was charmed. They would just eat them otherwise.

Jimjam · #10 Today, 01:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by feniin [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

They would only equip if it was charmed. They would just eat them otherwise.

O donmt think you’re remembering right. Often Priest of Discord would be twinked to the gills with bronze armour, etc. I don’t think it was only enchanters/bards doing so.