Just me or is this harder than I remember?

So, I finally got to playing again, and have to say I have missed the way this game plays. Much more user friendly and prettier than a lot of the games I have been playing. But.. I start a Monk/Mesmer as my first character back, I love healing and being the life of the party, bad pun yes you can flog me for it later. But I seem to be lacking perhaps levels, or just a proper understanding of the Henchmen at my level. Piken Square at the moment and trying to move through, it seems as if I am healing, the NPCs become stupid. If I go to DPS they get less such, what am I doing wrong? Any input would be appreciated.

Monk's generally have a bit of a trouble with heroes/henchmen because they don't target enemies, generally. Therefore your henchmen won't attack properly, at least at the beginning of the battle. As a monk I have formed a habit of calling everything I target when I hero/hench. That way my heroes/henchmen have a target to go after instead of watching me heal Razah as he gets slapped upside the head with an axe.

EDIT: /flog for bad pun!

Also Prophecies isn't exactly best to try to hench through.

Why is that exactly?

Because their AI is programmed to kill what you kill, if you dont wand/ping/attack anything, their AI gets scambled, trying to decide to attack something<hench AI says wand stuff>, or to run away <since you are not attacking>

I just find the henchmen bars to be much better in factions and nightfall more particularly factions than in Prophecies. Also when playing a monk like Stc95 said it does help to call targets.

I recommend you to bring some smitting prayers this and a hench monk for that part of the game... will be easier this way... when you finally get to the shiverpeaks will be easier to heal and help the henchies

Okay now i'm just confused, hence bar? Isthere a chance someone can provide a link to a hencemen guide so I don't continue to pester you all like a newbie. =)

Here is the link for the henchmen builds for each campaign for each individual henchmen.

http://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/Henchmen

I tried doing Rotscale with some H/Henchies, Little Thom & Stephan ran back and forward like idiots on the stairs, don't think they hit Rotscale once

Use ranged henches they usually do a better job.

When you are a caster, it is sometimes difficult to get the henchmen to attack. This AI problem also affects Prince Rurik when he is a member of your party. He just stands behind you twiddling his thumbs.

Only solution is to call your target as stated. Here is the wiki link on the subject http://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/Call

For me the problems come when either there are 2 human players because then they get really confused when players attack different targets move differently or take damage.
Henchmen especially run around totally confused.

The other difficulty is if I am a melee character as I have to be aware totally of the center of the battle.
If I move to far forward I draw my vulnerable henchmen after me and into danger, I find this easier to control if I am a midline player.

Other problems have always been there like when the ai decides that moving away from combat or spell effects means they should move away from friendly support and further into enemy territory.
Enemy ai is pretty stupid about this too especially in prophesies their healers often run away towards me.

But that's always been the problem with computer ai it reacts to a specific parameter while ignoring terrain and where it should be in relation to the rest of its team.

If they ever achieve that kind of intelligence then the human players are in trouble.
Untill then the computer ai has to achieve an edge in other ways, be having faster reactions and or being made stronger than their human equivalent characters with more energy and health etc.

Heroes and hecnhies have waaay faster reaction then most human players, just look at how well the ai can rupt. Slap a few rupts on Gwens bar and lol as she never misses one, as for henchies Zho is a pretty good choice when you need rupts. Obviously the downside is they won't know what skill you want them to rupt - but most human players won't be able to do so effectivley either on key skills.

@OP - people have suggested pinging your targets, which is probably the only way you'll be able to get your henchman to target what you want them to, to ping simply hold ctrl when your clicking your target - this will call it out and your henchman will react to it. I also agree that adding a few skills from the smiting prayers line will help as you will be using offensive spells aswell - a good soultion if you can't be bothered to keep pinging stuff

3 things that can help you:
1. Pull with a longbow, that is use a longbow or flatbow to shoot a few arrows at the desired target, that will usually make hench attack it. It doesnt matter if you do very little damage, its just for opening up battle as you want it to be.
2. Open up battle by casting a smite spell on desired enemy, it will also help the hench forcus fire.
3. Use flagging, order your henchmen to stay at one place so they only start fighting when you desire.
None of these will guarantee a proper battle, but it improves the chances of it

Good information. I wondered how GW managed main target selection with real players. Since I have used henchies for most of Prophecies, I just fire a few shots with my staff at the desired target and most of the time, my henchmen will target the the same.

I have grouped with others for missions I couldn't hench my way thru and have seen pulls done with a longbow. Can any class shoot a longbow to pull or is this a ranger only skill ?

Use "CTRL" + "Shift" to call your targets. This will prevent you from running into the group and drawing aggro you yourself.

I find that if you put the group just outside your aggro circle you can call your target and the henchmen will run into attack without you having to put yourself out of position

My suggestion would be that you stop trying to be a healer when you are just playing with henchmen (or Heroes). I suggest that instead, you play as a smiting monk. The henchman AI works much better if they are helping you "attack", rather than, as has been said, they run around not knowing whether to attack or guard or run.
Templates allow you to very easily change your setup, so, if being a healer is what you enjoy, you can put together both a healing and a smiting build and switch when appropriate. (Get two headpieces and two weapons - one for healing and one for smiting - and switch the build, headpiece and weapon.)
When you are going "solo" with just henchmen, switch to smiting and take henchie healer(s). When you are with other humans, switch to a healer (if you want).

Any class can use a longbow. If it's just for pulling, it can be any longbow (or flatbow), even a white, less than max, piece of crap. You don't need to be ranger primary or even secondary.

Thing is I was calling the targets and had Jora with me too, she had no problem attacking. Guess the AI on heroes must be better than henchies?

She's probably set to aggressive if you open up her hero panel.

just shout a target and hopefully the NPCs will attack that. if not they tend to choose their own target. otherwise it could just be henchmen, they're behaviour changes with the weather (seriously the Monk heroes priority one day is a henchmen taking no damage and has full health while i'm dying, another day they heal me and ONLY me?)

Nevermind Little Thorn and Stephan, me I just run screaming for Mommie!