Pet command changes in the works.

[Inphared]

Link

Alright, well based on the information I have read over in this message post, I feel it is now appropriate to post the new pet documentation that I have written up.  Feedback is welcomed, encouraged, and appreciated SMILEY:)

Here goes:

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

New pet functionality has been added to EverQuest.  This functionality applies to basic functionality as
well as to some of the commands only available through the Pet Disciplines AA.

The following pet commands will function as described:

Pet Hold:
Pet Hold is now a state that your pet is either in or not.  When your pet is in the hold state,
your pet will only attack something when you tell it to, and your pet will continue to
attack anything on its hate list after that point.  Once the encounter is finished, your pet
will automatically go back to a held state.  If your pet is never told to exclusively attack
anything, your pet will never attack anything, even if something is attacking it.

Pet Focus:
Pet Focus is now a state that you turn off or on.  Once pet focus is turned on, if you choose to attack
an NPC, it will focus on that NPC regardless of other aggro's attacks on that NPC, etc.  Once that
npc is dead, the focus target will be cleared and your pet will continue to kill everyone on its
hatelist is a normal fashion.  When your pet is in a focused state, every NPC from then on out that you
tell your pet to attack will be considered a focus target.  When a mob dies that is focused on, the
focus target will then be cleared.

Pet Back:
Pet Back will simply clear the focus target and the hatelist.

Pet Hold + Pet Focus:
For those of you who want your pet to only attack one target, and then do nothing after that, you will need
to turn on Pet Focus, turn on Pet Hold, and then set your focus target.  Once the target is finished being
killed your pet will not do anything and will be in a held state.

Potential UI Changes:
The following UI changes are ideas to implement that will be supportive of the previously described functionality:
Add a majority of pet commands to the pet window that are not already listed there.
Add a section in the pet window showing you who the focus target is.
Pet focus and pet hold will be a UI element that can be toggled either off or on.

Pet Bugs that are to be fixed:
* - Maintain pet focus and pet hold after zoning.
* - Ensure that pet focus works in situations where the pet is hit by an AE or new mobs start to attack the pet.
* - Neither pet focus nor pet hold will clear the other command.  Pet hold and pet focus will be independent
    commands (toggled states) which persist independently of one another.

What all that means:

Pets will now "auto hold", and will literally only attack what you tell them to. No more hitting the Hold hotkey after every mob. Pet focus will not kill Pet Hold, and it should stick through zoning.

[Inphared]

I should add, that whoever this guy is...

I like him.  :-D

[Rureen]

Must be an intern, no way a permanent SOE employee would do something that makes this much sense.

Have to admit, been looking for this for a long time.  Hope it goes live soon.

[Kanan]

mebbe he'll be taking over spells soon ;p

that will make things so much simpler and less damnably annoying at times.

[Orbus]

Pet Hold:
Pet Hold is now a state that your pet is either in or not.  When your pet is in the hold state,
your pet will only attack something when you tell it to, and your pet will continue to
attack anything on its hate list after that point.  Once the encounter is finished, your pet
will automatically go back to a held state.  If your pet is never told to exclusively attack
anything, your pet will never attack anything, even if something is attacking it.

Ok I understand what he is saying but is this worded right? "your pet will continue to attack anything on its hate list after that point" and "Once the encounter is finished, your pet will automatically go back to a held state"...those two statements contradict themselves. Either he will continue killing or he willl stop after the mob you told him to attack is dead..or am I reading it wrong somehow?

When your pet is in a focused state, every NPC from then on out that you
tell your pet to attack will be considered a focus target.  When a mob dies that is focused on, the

Does that mean your "focus target" is moved to the top of the hatelist? I know right now we have to clear his hate list and /pet attack to make sure he is focused on the right mob.

Overall this looks great and I sure wish I would have had it earlier in my beastlord life... might have saved me getting yelled at for forgetting /pet hold  :-o

Adding pet commands to their window would be nice...get rid of sit and what not that I never use, having a hott window for the pet would be nice too.

[Inphared]

Ok I understand what he is saying but is this worded right? "your pet will continue to attack anything on its hate list after that point" and "Once the encounter is finished, your pet will automatically go back to a held state"...those two statements contradict themselves. Either he will continue killing or he willl stop after the mob you told him to attack is dead..or am I reading it wrong somehow?

The section you quoted is assuming that the pet is in a /pet hold state, and nothing else. If you tell him to attack something, and something else agros you, he will switch targets based upon what he sees fit. Once everything dies, he will return to a held state.

Does that mean your "focus target" is moved to the top of the hatelist? I know right now we have to clear his hate list and /pet attack to make sure he is focused on the right mob.

No. Right now, assuming you have pet focus, he will attack exactly what you tell him to, but it doesn't mean that particular target is on the top of his hate list. If you don't have pet focus, your pet will do almost whatever he pleases.

The ending scenario(s) will look like this:

Make a pet, focus and hold it, you're set for the rest of your session.
-- A) You pull one NPC, your pet kills it after you tell it to attack it. After it dies, your pet will be held.
-- B) You pull 2 NPC's, your pet kills whichever one you tell it to attack, and will return to the held state after its target dies. It won't attack the second NPC on its hatelist.

[Kanan]

that makes what I do at present simpler.  I use my kb a ton, and for me.. attack & pet attack are slaved to A&S respectively, so for most attack, i'm hitting them in one motion.

(if you saw the rest of my kb macros & the order I keep my spells in, I guarantee you'd be boggled... it makes sense to me & me alone ;p

[Orbus]

So the first part is assuming just /pet hold, not using pet focus to attack a specific mob. I was just reading more into it than I should have.

Thanks Inpha....

/pet hold and /pet focus across zone lines, I think I am crying  :lol:

and ditto what you said..I like this guy  :-)