18.6.12 Have any released MMOG's solved Z-axis pathing and aggro issues? Has Sigil?

The super cool thing is that the amount of precalculation that one can do for this stuff rapidly becomes more and more silly as computers get faster. NP-Hard, meet my 3.x ghz machine. Don't hurry yourself, I have time to wait. Just kidding.

Seriously, I can't imagine an in-development MMOG not taking the z-axis into account. Our pathing really doesn't care if a goal is set on a different Z from the current location, as long as there is a valid, navigable route to get there. Because of this, all the other gameplay Z issues are open for solving. I believe some earlier MMO solutions ignored the 3rd axis for simplicity.

Aggro should be a combination of things: Does the mob perceive the PC (can it see or hear it)? If so, how does the mob feel about that PC? Is attacking that PC more important than the mug of ale in front of the NPC? If it really thinks that PC should die, can it get to the PC? If not, can it recruit friends who can get there? etc etc etc. The most important piece in terms of your question is the perception, which should involve some true 3d check.

Oh, and things won't randomly damage you through the floor. - Amanda Poe, Senior Programmer

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