Getting Friendly NPC Masterminds To Summon...?

Original Post:

Simple question; I've an NPC set as a rescue, with the robotics MM power set. The published arc and the local version are identical, and when I test it in local, he'll summon his robots. However when I run through the published version, he just uses his rifle power set instead, and no matter what will not bring out his robots. Does anyone know what causes this, and is there a work around? Thanks!

SEE POST SIX BELOW PLEASE

Are you using the same character to run the local version and the published version?

Yup, identical at every level... I've even saved from the published version back to local be sure everything matched; at first I thought I'd found the solution, because I'd made some changes when I originally went back into local to address this, and he'd use them correctly again, but of course I was still in test and hadn't realised this was the cause. But when editing the Published version so it uploaded the character changes, it then didn't work... or indeed, with any setting I can give him it seems.
It's just that when I run through it in local he draws them forth the moment he's rescued and the animation completes, but on Live he does the animation only and then follows from there until engaged in a fight, when he uses the second power set instead. It's possibly either the way Robotics works online, or friendly NPC AI, because an Enemy Mercenaries boss correctly summons the moment he's attacked too. It may also, possibly, be reaction to friendly player stealth, as most of my characters have some variant of it... but I've tried to nullify this by making sure it's never selected during that mission, so I suspect it's not that, but I can't be sure.

Query support, but it may be something to do with the new AE anti-farming measures.

They stopped allies being full bubblers, and it may be similar with MM allies.

Maximum MM allies with pets at AV level vs mission AV's would be an easy farm... even for a squishy!

I hope support changes this to affect >1 MM allies, leaving the first MM ally free to use pets.

Well the arc if anyone would care to test it for me (I'm still fiddling with the custom spawn on the final mission to try and make it viable-but-challenging for both lowbies and L50s, so I'd appreciate feedback in general) is #27552 Apocalypse Cow.

The Mastermind is an Escort on the second mission, 1 of 5 randomly placed on the map. The map is a random Medium laboratory, and the mission is set to Levels 25-40. His settings are as follows;

Lieutenant, Ranged, Robotics - Standard, Devices - Custom (Targeting Drone, Taser), Travel Power - None.

Map dependent settings;

* Custom Faction: Belongs to one, (Ruminant Research Division), consisting of him and the other 4 Escorts for that mission. Only he is a MM, but all fighters are set to aggressive. The 5th Escort on the map is a standard NPC which leaves at the door.

* Spawns at mission start (Mission Goal Created: None)

* Required for mission completion

* Enemy Group:

Devouring Earth, Back Placement, Hard Group, Enemy Alignment,

* Character:

Combat - Aggressive, Arrival Behaviour - Follow, Does Not Betray.

* Animations:

Enemy - Threaten (Animal),

Escort - Captured (Cower) (Yes deliberate pun they all cow'er, they all cow'er down here THEY CANT STOP ME AHAHA), Rescue- Touch Screen, Stranded - Default, Arrival - Weapon (Cheering).



I'm going to try importing him into a custom published mission to see if I can isolate which of the differences between settings may be causing it... I'm not too worried about reducing his power set, as the arc is a comedy one not a farm, I just need him to summon the robots, as he's written around a certain TV show that was very popular recently. Because his name is William N'dama, and he doesn't call them robots, they're Sirloins you see, with their little lights going back and forth... The minions are a visual prop to the puns, AND IT ONLY GETS WORSE! *runs off into the distance making moo'ing noises*

Ok folks, after an entire afternoon testing, I think I've got the reason now; But if anyone would care to test it for me themselves please, I'd appreciate it.

My theory is that there's a hidden modifier on certain power sets that, the more Friendly AI NPCs you have at the point of releasing them (or being with them), the less chance there is of them triggering that power. But I think it's a percentage chance not an absolute.

It may also be a bug, but this is what I've done to isolate what I think is the cause;

* I tried a blank document with just the Robotics Mastermind in, and then Published. Every following change was done on Published. When discovered, that NPC always summons his robots the moment he is freed

* I then added slowly in each of his lines in my published arc, and then the settings to match the one publish. No change with the Robots.

* I then changed the map. No change.

* I added in all his companions; at this point he seemed to wobble with his robots.

* I then started taking them out, and he seemed to get more likely, although not certain, to get his Robots. When it was just him, he always got them again.

* It seems to be around 3 or 4 other companions that he never gets them.

* I then left the others on the map, and stealthed to him. Stealth doesn't seem to have an effect on him pulling the robots.

* I then experimented with rescuing them in different orders, and I noticed if I picked him up first (stealthing around the others if he was closest to the door), he always got the robots. Second, after another NPC and he mostly seemed to get them. Third and he often wouldn't. Fourth hardly ever, if at all. Fifth, never.

* I then realised that, because in Test I'd leap straight to him to check how he was working, I'd ALWAYS discover him first. So I went and ran it properly, making sure he wasn't the first I released, but the fourth. Suddenly, he wasn't getting his robots. AHAH. Thus I think I know what the problem is.

So can a few people confirm this? Can you set up a multiple Escort mission (Arachnos Warehouse Set is a good one, set them all to Front) and see if you are witnessing different rates of pet summons when you collect the MM before or after other friendly combat NPCS?

Thank you; I've petitioned this too... personally I'd prefer to have the MM discovered last, because I want the second mission in my arc to remain challenging, and most of the spawn should be dead by the time you find him. But if this is an anti farming measure, and not a bug, then I'll have to move him forward I guess for that joke to work

Tested this a bit.

Mm is an extreme eb droid summoner. He is always tohe last to get rescued.

First test 0 extra allies. He summons all his droids
2n test 1 extra allies (minion), He summons all his droids
3d test 2 extra allies (one boss, one av), He summons nothing
4d test 2 extra allies (both minions), He summons tier 2 droids.

Sadly, Support weren't much support;

Sounds plausible. However I think it sounds like a bug rather than a deliberate change, since you can easily have multiple allies in a mission. As someone has pointed out, MM pets are killstealers, and if one were to exploit an MM ally you would do the reverse; remove their pets and give them a buffing secondary. It could be that the additional allies confuse your MM ally.

I've managed to get a bit more testing in tonight, and moving that NPC forward so it's almost always the first or second NPC found seems to guarantee the Minion spawn... I tried running it with my own Mastermind and having all his Minions out didn't affect him, nor did rescuing the fleeing NPC and making sure he'd left the map before triggering the MM NPC... so I'm pretty sure it's the number of NPCs with you when you find them that confuses or nerfs them.

It just means I have to throw out the spawn balance I spent so long on tweaking to give a solid challenge, as he's a little too strong for the start of the map... Hard Patrols here we come again

I published my new arc for a short time last night so me and some SG mates could run a team rewards/difficulty test. Sure enough, my ally MMs were summoning differently than during unpublished testing. The first MM summoned his guys fine, the second and third summoned nothing, and the fourth summoned correctly.

Having the player be aided by petless masterminds wasn't quite what I was going for.

This is beyond issues of just MM's spawning pets, I realize now; I think there's another thread about allies in general not using powers correctly. I was just testing one of my arcs to see how the MMs behaved there, and yes, the pet spawning was erratic or non-existent; but also the Brute allies I have were only using one power in their set, and in one case the Brute was only using throwing knives, despite the fact that his target was grounded.

Sent a bug report in-game on this one, but it boggles me.

I wonder how this affects what I was trying to do -- which is basically the opposite of the OP's issue.

I want my NPC to NOT summon her minions when she's rescued, but to wait until she betrays the user. (The user is supposed to be surprised that this isn't just a little old lady). I didn't want to spend a whole afternoon testing, like the OP, but the Mastermind may or may not summon when rescued, and it may have to do with the number of friendly NPCs and whether she's set to Aggressive or Passive. Any suggestions?

Plan B is, instead of using the Mastermind powers, make an Ambush that triggers when she betrays the user. Is that possible?

Set her to Passive and then Betray, that might do what you require; alternatively, you can also when setting up the character, customize her power set and take the Mastermind summons out; however this will not allow her to summon them later either.

Also, it is possible to set an ambush for arrival at the door or rescue point, set the trigger as "Escort Name Is Completed". However, an Aggressive or Defensive character will summon the pets the moment they are rescued if not made Passive or denied them, and if you want the ambush to arrive quickly, you'll need to set it near the completion point, usually Front if it's the mission entrance.