"NPCs avoid collisions" cause of poor navigation?

[caiuscosadesonlyfans]

Playing the 0.47 build. Maybe it's faulty memory but I remember in 0.46 being very impressed with how impossible it was to escape from NPCs with tricky maneuvering, but now having played 0.47 with the "NPCs avoid collisions" setting it seems like some NPCs are having difficulty getting to me. Particularly in Addamasartus (smuggler cave in Seyda Neen) I had to go out of my way to goad the NPCs into properly following me through the sections where the water fills parts of the cave, but in 0.46 I distinctly have memories of them navigating those areas better (and in vanilla just getting stuck in the water and drowning). And at least one instance of a Kagouti aggro'ing and then just staring at me for a little bit (while its friend ran into its back) before deciding to charge. Is it generally considered that pathfinding is strictly better with the avoid collisions setting turned on, or does it have some kinks compared to the default behavior?

[psi29a]

We got complaints that NPCs were too smart and would follow you "forever".

This gets back to the argument: do we improve "AI" or do we stay true to Morrowind. So we try to stay somewhere in the middle of two extremes, in the hope that we please everyone, yet I get the feeling that just with all good compromises, everyone dislikes it.

Have you tried with NPCs avoid collisions turned off? Is it then similar to 0.46 behaviour?

[darkbasic]

It's not a matter of being too smart, it's just that AI should stop following you once you are out of sight (ie too far away).

[caiuscosadesonlyfans]

We got complaints that NPCs were too smart and would follow you "forever".

Oh was this something that was intentionally hindered? I didn't really test it that much because besides the situations being difficult to reproduce I also didn't think it would be something that would be deliberately "nerfed".

[FiftyTifty]

We got complaints that NPCs were too smart and would follow you "forever".

This gets back to the argument: do we improve "AI" or do we stay true to Morrowind. So we try to stay somewhere in the middle of two extremes, in the hope that we please everyone, yet I get the feeling that just with all good compromises, everyone dislikes it.

Have you tried with NPCs avoid collisions turned off? Is it then similar to 0.46 behaviour?

Sounds like a post 1.0 feature; make the AI smarter.

Give me AI that knows how to space themselves, group up, flank, and to not give up looking around after a couple seconds of the player hiding.

[Kageseigi]

Give me AI that knows how to space themselves, group up, flank, and to not give up looking around after a couple seconds of the player hiding.

I'd be happy just to have hostile NPC's follow me through a door to a different cell

P.S. If this feature has been added already and I missed it, I'd be very happy for someone to enlighten me!

P.P.S. I want to thank everyone who has made OpenMW and its additions a reality! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

[heilkitty]

I'd be happy just to have hostile NPC's follow me through a door to a different cell

https://www.nexusmods.com/morrowind/mods/50271

[Kageseigi]

https://www.nexusmods.com/morrowind/mods/50271

Now, that is very helpful! Thank you so much!!!

[elsid]

Is it generally considered that pathfinding is strictly better with the avoid collisions setting turned on, or does it have some kinks compared to the default behavior?

"NPCs avoid collisions" is not really a pathfinding feature. It does not affect path planning. It affects only actor movement. After actor finds a path this feature may only diviate it's movement if the current path segment intersects with other actors. Any non-actor objects are not taking into consideration for this feature.

it seems like some NPCs are having difficulty getting to me. Particularly in Addamasartus (smuggler cave in Seyda Neen)

It looks like a problem completely unrelated to "NPCs avoid collisions" feature. In 0.46 actors collision shape was equal in the physics movement solver and pathfinding. With 0.47 it's different because of the change in the physics. Basically the change was made without any consideration how it would affect pathfinding. It's a known issue but so far there was no any work done to fix it.

[elsid]

We got complaints that NPCs were too smart and would follow you "forever".

This has nothing to do with pathfinding nor "NPCs avoid collisions" and acutally solved by "actors processing range" option.