AI causing monsters to randomly attack berry bushes, bypass player for structures

45 votes

Patch 0.155.7 changes monster AI some. Now, indeed, monsters will attack structures. They will run right by a player to do so, ignoring the Viking screaming "Coward, come and fight!"

Also, I witnessed both skeletons and greydwarves in the Black Forest destroying blueberry bushes. These were NOT fenced in player structures, so that seems like an unintended consequence. It would be wrong for the monsters to aggressively destroy food nodes in any biome.

Not a bug Suggested by: C.L. Ward (25 Jun, '21) • Upvoted: 17 May, '23 • Comments: 5

Comments: 5

25 Jun, '21
Smiffe Admin
Hi C.L. Ward,

This issue is caused by your MODS.
In the vanilla game, buches counts as enviromental items. In some mods, where players can plant them. They count as player objects and becomes targets of angry mobs who cannot pathfind to you.
26 Jun, '21
Adriane
We don’t run mods and have this problem - they passed us by and went for our boat? Also go straight to our walls as well.
27 Jun, '21
Bernadette
The berry bush problem can be traced to the effect of mods, but not the problem with attack priorities. I have seen wolves go after fenced-in workbenches rather than the player on several occasions, even when it would be easier to reach the player than the workbench. It is a good idea for enemies to attack structures when the player is not accessible, but it should ONLY happen when the player is not accessible. Otherwise, the enemies occupy themselves chewing on easily replaced structures while the player uses the enemies for target practice. (It might be an idea as well to make monster damage to structures absolute; that is, leaving no reusable wood or stone. This would make dealing with monsters attacking structures a more urgent matter. Right now, it's trivial; they knock 'em down, you put 'em up, over and over again.)
28 Jun, '21
ARHU
Hi Smiffe,

please don't ignore the "They will run right by a player to do so" part.

I'll add from my self this strange example:
I was attacked by a Drake, he spits, fly around, like a good drake does, and suddenly starts attacking something away from me (i'm standing on the ground, not sneaking). i go check what he's attacking (he tends to fight with golems) and he's destroying a NEUTRAL STRUCTURE, the half-destroyed log cabin that spawns in the world. All while i'm running circles around that cabin trying to get his attention.

Another example, another world, a greydwarf ride. I have no walls just a hut and klin/smelter setup and i'm running around it trying to not get hit by 20 stones and deal with some of the greydwarfs, All while a brute and a shaman and 5 minions are attacking the klin and smelter. I managed to hit the brute 5 TIMES !! before he stopped destroying the smelter and turned to me.

This is not a MODS fault and i'm easily accessible.
28 Jun, '21
Smiffe Admin
Yes ARHU,

The berry bushes was the issue. The other one is a thing we added. and it needs tweaks I agree now with ALL of you :P