Gameplay
Followers - that is, minions, hired muscle contacts, and additional manpower granted via society commands, occasionally follow some of the same rules and additionally each have their own quirks. Understanding these behaviours is key to maintaining a lack of frustration with followers when in a combat scenario.
[Manpower/Soldiers]:
- Soldiers will prioritise attacking other soldier NPCs before moving on to PCs, even if given orders not to do so.
- Soldiers will then prioritise minions and muscle over PCs.
- Soldiers ignore commands given when there are no hostile NPCs on the battlefield or in their sight line.
- The amount of assigned manpower on an operation has bearing on the amount of hostile NPCs that spawn; more manpower results in more spawns.
[Minions/Muscle]:
- Minions and muscle contacts, unlike soldiers, do not automatically assume anything in the field of combat is hostile.
- Someone becomes hostile when the minion or muscle is told to attack it, or when it attacks the minion or muscle.
- They may ignore commands if they are told to target something that they cannot see; remember their sightlines may not match yours.
- Their behaviour is dictated by their disciplines:
- If their melee discipline is the same as or slightly higher than ranged, they will prefer to charge and fire, or fight back in melee if engaged.
- If ranged is higher than melee, they will prefer to disengage and attempt to gain distance to fire, even if attacked when in cover.
- When told to engage atwill, they will only focus on hostile targets, as defined above.
- When told to engage atwill, they will try and assist their commanding PC with the targets the PC focuses on.
- They will follow their last instructions if their commanding PC dies.
- If they were told to follow, they become stationary, attacking hostile targets in range.
- If they were told to attack, they will pursue their target until either they die, or it dies, whereupon they revert to the above.
- If they were told to act atwill, they will actively move to engage hostile targets in their range; otherwise, they are stationary.
- Be prepared to micromanage if you want ideal behaviour out of your minions or muscle contacts; think of follow as a leash.
[Last edited July 7, 2022]
Follower Combat Behavior
Followers - that is, minions, hired muscle contacts, and additional manpower granted via society commands, occasionally follow some of the same rules and additionally each have their own quirks. Understanding these behaviours is key to maintaining a lack of frustration with followers when in a combat scenario.
[Manpower/Soldiers]:
- Soldiers will prioritise attacking other soldier NPCs before moving on to PCs, even if given orders not to do so.
- Soldiers will then prioritise minions and muscle over PCs.
- Soldiers ignore commands given when there are no hostile NPCs on the battlefield or in their sight line.
- The amount of assigned manpower on an operation has bearing on the amount of hostile NPCs that spawn; more manpower results in more spawns.
[Minions/Muscle]:
- Minions and muscle contacts, unlike soldiers, do not automatically assume anything in the field of combat is hostile.
- Someone becomes hostile when the minion or muscle is told to attack it, or when it attacks the minion or muscle.
- They may ignore commands if they are told to target something that they cannot see; remember their sightlines may not match yours.
- Their behaviour is dictated by their disciplines:
- If their melee discipline is the same as or slightly higher than ranged, they will prefer to charge and fire, or fight back in melee if engaged.
- If ranged is higher than melee, they will prefer to disengage and attempt to gain distance to fire, even if attacked when in cover.
- When told to engage atwill, they will only focus on hostile targets, as defined above.
- When told to engage atwill, they will try and assist their commanding PC with the targets the PC focuses on.
- They will follow their last instructions if their commanding PC dies.
- If they were told to follow, they become stationary, attacking hostile targets in range.
- If they were told to attack, they will pursue their target until either they die, or it dies, whereupon they revert to the above.
- If they were told to act atwill, they will actively move to engage hostile targets in their range; otherwise, they are stationary.
- Be prepared to micromanage if you want ideal behaviour out of your minions or muscle contacts; think of follow as a leash.
[Last edited July 7, 2022]