Game Mechanics: Mobs should turn to face their target when casting a spell

[Droog007]

This is a critical issue facing rogues who are still coming to grips with their classic (pre-SoS) hide/sneak ability.

Mobs used to instantly face their target whenever they initiated a spellcast of any kind. I believe it is currently working for mobs engaged in combat, correctly facing their target when the spell is begun and being frozen at that heading until the spellcast (and associated animation) completes (or is interrupted and a new action is initiated). It is NOT, however, happening when a mob casts a beneficial spell on a nearby ally.

Unfortunately, I do not have any vintage fraps to prove this... but I'm sure anyone who was there will agree with me, and if they don't, they are obviously trolling or thick-skulled.

That is all.

edit: emboldened the important part.

[Erati]

on a side note:

when looking into this behavior...also look into why spell casting mobs will cast spells on people they are not directly meleeing

For example:

I have a charmed pet attacking an enchanter mob. The enchanter mob will ( while continuing to melee my pet ) try to cast Mes/Charm/Stun/Dispell etc on ME even tho theres a pet right in front of it and engaged in combat

I dont believe this or the OP is classic mob behavior at all, the mob should be trying to mes/charm/dispell/nuke what its currently fighting, not peruse down it's aggro list and select someone away from combat range and try to CC them like a player would

I appreciate that mob AI got 'better', however they did not do this in classic EQ.

[Droog007]

I remember mobs casting spells on entities other than their melee target. Turning to debuff the DPS, for example.

It was an aggro level thing, for sure... "I'm mad enough at you to turn and throw a spell at you, but not quite mad enough to disengage the guy right in front of me and chase you".

I believe this is how wizards are able to "steal" the DT away from the warrior ... ride that knife's edge of aggro just beneath (or just above?) the tank ... as soon as their range attack is cooled down ... WIZARD!

The important thing to me here is that they TURN to face that target.

[Erati]

no wizards that steal the DT away from a warrior are just too squishy for anyone to really get melee'd much

if a mob is casting on you, you ARE it's primary target...at least its how I remember NPCs working

maybe some more thoughts/discussion on this for sure, and I DO remember that mobs should turn to face when they cast/buff on targets they are not directly looking at

[Droog007]

I played a rogue and a ranger primarily in the classic and kunark eras, and I distinctly recall fighting at the rear of a mob as it was being tanked by a warrior or a knight - having it turn to face me to cast slow, weakness, root, whatever... and then immediately turning back to the tank.

Again, however - beside my point. Mobs always turned to face the target of their spell, and continued facing that same direction for the duration of the spellcast (casting time plus animation), even if their target continued moving.

[Droog007]

Bump...

I can't see anyway to prove this - I'm just going to have to plead for support. Surely more people, including staff/devs, can recall this behavior.

[Erati]

I remember many frogs doing this

they would twist their lil feet, pivot to buff then pivot back the way they were facing

they would look right at the mob next to them to do this if one was to the right or left

[Telin]

I definitely recall this. For example, I always knew when I was about to be nuked as a healer in oasis by a priest because they faced me before continuing melee.

[Droog007]

Bump. Classic NPC caster behavior, please. Seems like a big deal!