Game Mechanics: Sneak pulling

[Raev]

So there was a long thread on the TAKP forums recently about sneak. In short Lazie wanted P99 sneak and the devs pushed back pretty hard. http://www.takproject.net/forums/ind...-any-type.7066 After reading everything, including the Safehouse threads and Autumn's guide I had two ideas:

Theory #1: NPCs in classic EQ had three attack modes:

• initial engage: Every server tick the NPC would check for KOS PCs in it's aggro range and attack them. Sneak eliminates this check while behind the NPC and reduces it in front.
• call for help: When an NPC is first engaged/engages a PC, it immediately calls for help to nearby NPCs who respond if it is inside their assist radius. Sneak eliminates this check while behind the NPC and reduces it in front.
• assist: Every server tick the NPC checks for engaged NPCs in it's assist radius and assists them. Sneak does NOT affect this check.

So if you tag a NPC with sneak, you'll get a single pull if it gets out of the unmodified assist range of its comrades before the server tick, but otherwise not. This explanation has a number of advantages: it explains why sneak pulling was so inconsistent, why it seemed to depend on level and situation, why some people would swear by it and others would put up 10K rewards and refuse to pay out, why it seems to work better when NPCs are pathing back, etc.

Theory #2: we had long threads on invis pulling here and I believe the conclusion was that mobs should not reaggro indifferent players on the FD list. I'm guessing Verant simply didn't have a IsFeigned() function and used IsIndifferent() instead. However, it should not actually clear the FD memory list. If you look at classic screenshots monks don't even have Sneak on their hotbar

However, almost certainly sneak should not clear the FD memory list, and Sneak should drop on ranged attack. Monking on Project 1999 is 100% trivial. You send in a holgresh eye while FD, draw the mobs out, stand with sneak, and tag the last one on the way back. I can pull HOT on Raev solo with 0.0 risk to myself, which is nowhere near classic. Instead Monks should get added to the FD memory list when the eye is engaged, sneak should drop on ranged attack, and sneak shouldn't provide this guaranteed single pull.

Anyway these are just theories; I'd trust whatever Daldaen and Maurice come up with.