a simple way to control hench actions

Calltarget...

could there be a way that is more simple? A way that is more common sense? If I want my party to all attack a single target "I'm attacking Flaming Pumpkin!" If I want my party follow me instead of attacking, "I'm following Doctor Slugfly!" If I want my party to stay put... well... don't know this one... "I'm using Sit TF Down on Little Thom"???

But how could such an important feature in multiplayer have absolutely no use in single player?

This would also take care of (or at least give more reason for) the feature someone mentioned a while ago of having a calltarget tutorial in pre-searing. This would also allow me to calltarget somebody in particular and then I could attack a different mob and not have to worry about my entire party running off and attacking the same one.

Such a simple solution it seems common sense... so simple one must wonder how it could possibly have not been included thus far...

Yeah this makes Pacifism with henchies practically useless...

actually, henchies DO follow target calls. and as long as you don't constantly attack another target, they will stay with the call. you can even cast spells on your very own target as often as you wish, since it won't make henchies switch targets. only real attacking (read: with a weapon of whatever kind) makes them reconsider targets.

That's what I mean, say I'm using my fire ele, and we're taking on a group of mobs while allied with some npcs. We're fighting the monk, and I can see that the monk is under control with that stud Thom and the rest of his posse. I also see that Rurik, being the potato he is, has aggroed a nearby mob so I want to leave Thom and the gang to bang on the monk while I spin around and firestorm the group that's on Rurik, and then attack the most dangerous among the group with Rurik. But as soon as I change targets, the whole group runs away from the monk, leaving him to heal and they come running over to Rurik's side attacking the mob I targetted.

With this suggestion however, I calltarget the monk and then switch and the henchies don't leave the monk until either he's dead or I call target the next enemy. This simple feature would add heaps to your control over the henchies and could probably be added in the space of an afternoon, perhaps add an evening for a bit of bugtesting.

I agree with this idea. I would even settle for a simple dedicated button to make hench attack. This can be the calltarget button if need be, but i'd prefer their own button which will go like "Sending Henchmen to attack Flaming Pumpkin!" [this will also be alot more clearer if you have henchies AND multiple players and want to put the henchies ONLY onto a target and let players attack something else] .

In other words , they never attack until i push that button, and when i push that button they only attack whatever i focussed on, and then they keep attacking that target until i push that button again for another target [not when i attack or call another target for myself/real players, only when i push that button]. So in the end, if i'm the monk i don't have to attack at all, nor call targets in the "im going to attack this mob"-sense [since technically i won't be targeting anyone except whomever i heal].

Now it is debatale what the henchies do once they killed a target and are getting hit. I'd say then they can get the nearest target until i push my button again. From there, pressing this same button while focussing on myself [i.e. pressing "F"] should cause the henchies to come back to me/stop attacking/aggroing etc. Doing so on another player should force them to go to that player [and thus can keep them out of combat for various tactics]. Almost like a "stay" command.

I agree that the call target is frustrating, but more frustrating for me is that it is nearly impossible to use rebirth to get a dead henchman out of a dangerous situation. Even if you can get close enough to rebirth the dead henchman without the npc's aggroing, the living henchmen that inevitably follow you and then go and start another battle. I would love it if you could just say "stay here" and then go res them without getting killed because they run in and try to fight an army.

I agree there should be a wider range of control over the henchman, one thing which i do find strange is Stefan using charge every time its renewed, strange henchie that one..

I've had problems in the HoH with skilled players being replaced by henchman and the henchman continuously run in and die, ressurect, run in and die again.
Could do with a little bit of tweaking to give a lil more control surely..

As for tweaking them to attack targets, im not sure if this would work as some targets are called to make everyone aware of the first target for when they do engage, not neccesarily a signal to engage. Thats me speaking as a target caller maybe others do it differently. But if i called a target not intending people to run and of course speaking on ts-vent.. and the henchman ran in, thats possibly one team member down before fighting.

Nearly as bad as lina casting a protective spirit on someone who is bleeding to death after the battle is over.

Is it just me or are henchmen even more dumb than before they "fixed" them?

I used them alot in the earlier days but now that i'm so uber, i don't use them much.

My brother and myself wanted to trek to copperhammer from iron mines and we decided to take some extra meatshields.
Silly stefan decided to stay put, even though we were backing off.
Nice aggro though....truly "noob got us pwnzoored" style.

Haha unlucky there, as i've mentioned in other threads i've now had Stefan quite a few occasions in the Hall Of Heroes after someone lagged out. Stefan decided it would be funny to continuously run in to the Korean team holding the altar while everyone else stood off. bad bad stefan- Something that would be nice would be a little bit of intelligence when assigning henchman to teams in the Tomb.

Fighter henchman given to a team of rangers 9 times out of 10 when somebody leaves, mage henchman given to mixed teams with 2 or more warriors as for the rest im not sure. If they assigned certain henchman depending on the type of team maybe like assigning a henchman equal to the class of the person who left.. much easier to control and more likely to fit in with the group.

I'd settle for the ability to get Alesia to notice I'm dieing of slow poison while she blasts away next to me and lets it happen.

being able to attack two mobs without your henchies switching would be nice....
but i would rather have these couple additions added in the form of emote commands that the party leader can use
/kill 2...8 (kills that member of the party, only works on hench) - incase one gets stuck somewhere and no1 else can respawn until it dies and several other reasons similar to the henchman being stuck somewhere
/kill all (kills all henchmen in your party) same as above just faster method
/stay (hench stay where they are currently at)
/follow ( hench being to follow u once more)
/stuck 2..8 (hench is moved next to you, incase it is stuck somewhere but the whole party is still alive)