Let's face it: mobs aren't all that interesting right now. They don't have very interesting behaviors. They attempt to do the same things, if they do anything at all. Before Notch starts adding MORE mobs (which is a possibility with the 1.7 update, even though Mojang hasn't stated anything concrete for or against it), the current ones need to have some updated behaviors so that they are more unique.
The Peaceful Mobs
Peaceful mobs really don't need that much of a change, but here are some possible ideas for them as a whole.
Getting attacked: Currently when peaceful mobs are attacked, they just recoil a little and stare at you. But actual animals wouldn't just sit there and stare at you as you beat it to death, would they? No! My suggestion is that peaceful mobs try to run away from you if you strike them. Obviously this wouldn't be too effective for the mob you're attacking, since you move faster, but other mobs of the same type would try to flee from you as well. This makes it so that you can't just slaughter hordes of innocent little piggys to collect loads of pork; at the very least you'll have to work for your food, pursuing the pigs. Squid, for the most part, don't need to do this, since in the real life other squid wouldn't react that way, anyways.
Eating Grass: In the original Survival mode (created nearly a year ago), sheep used to cause grass on dirt blocks to disappear so that the blocks became simply dirt blocks. Since there is now wild grass in the game, why not have sheep and cows eat it? It's more an aesthetic change than anything, and would probably make it necessary for wild grass to spread like mushrooms. Also, sheep and cows wouldn't raze an entire area to the bare-bones, leaving no grass for you; they would remain within a small area of a few blocks around the initial piece of grass they consume.
Neutral Mobs
While I could easily categorize this simply by Peaceful and Aggressive, I'm keeping the neutral ones in a separate category in case this needs to be updated with new mobs later on.
Wolf Behavoir: Wolves, for the most part, are one of the first complex mobs in my opinion, being the first mob to actively attack another mob without provocation. I like that they attack sheep, but I also think that they could attack chickens, too. It could also be a little comical watching them attack sheep and seeing other sheep trying to run away. :3
Another ability with wolves are commands. These commands would be mostly basic - sit, follow, attack - but would add more fluidity to the game. For example, rather than having to attack something or be attacked by an aggressive mob, you could command your wolf to attack. Also, if you have the wolf sit, then command it to follow, it would follow the exact path you took, meaning that precarious ledges would no longer be a problem. The way this would work would be through a simple dog whistle, crafted as such:
With the dog whistle equipped, left-clicking would bring up the three commands, which you could then click to use. It would take a bit of a learning curve to use the whistle quickly - meaning that you quickly command the wolf to attack a creeper before it blows you up - but it would provide some unique gameplay to Minecraft.
Zombie-Pigmen: I've always felt like zombie-pigmen were just... stupid. And for a mob that somehow manages to survive in the Nether without being ridiculously powerful (i.e. the Ghast), it doesn't make sense that the z-p's would be stupid. I recommend that they change to a group behavior (I know, this has been suggested before), in that they tend to stay together in closely-knit groups. I also think that - since at the moment the Ghast and z-ps are the only mobs in the Nether - the z-ps should try to attack Ghasts, as if z-ps and Ghasts were rivals. This could also work by having some of the z-ps carrying bows rather than the golden swords. Also, z-ps will spawn less frequently, so that the likelihood of having more than 2 groups of z-ps attacking a single Ghast is very rare.
Another idea to prevent zombie-pigmen from hurling themselves off cliffs to attack Ghasts is have them sense whether the drop in front of them is more than 3 blocks. If it isn't, zombie-pigmen will continue their attack. If it is more than 3 blocks down, however, they will move either left or right trying to attack the Ghast until they can find another way to get close to it.
Spider: Spiders have many abilities. They can climb walls. They can lunge at you. They are one of the faster mobs. At day they are friendly, so long as you don't attack them. They are one of the more complex mobs already... but more could be done.
For example, I feel like spiders should actively try to reside either in tree-tops or in caves, and would go down only to attack you or another mob (if a skeleton arrow should strike it or something). Also, it should cover a small area with the cobwebs, which are currently in the game's coding but unavailable except through mods. Destroying the cobwebs would grant you 1-2 spider string (which is in one of the item images-thingies, but not available at all with any mods that I know of). Spider string could then be used to build cobwebs that you could place for mob traps, if you collect four of them (and craft them in a pattern similar to glowstone). Spiders would attack you if you destroy their string, however, so be careful.
Aggressive Mobs
This is where the bulk of my ideas reside.
Zombie: Zombies are, well... zombies. They are meant to be the most basic aggressive mob, and I don't want to radically change that since every game needs an enemy like that. I do think that they could use some behavioral changes.
For example, every zombie game deals with HORDES of zombies. Not just a single zombie, but hordes. Why not have zombies spawn in such groups, numbering from 5-6? And make it so that when one sees you, the others do as well, so that you have to contend with the entire horde?
I realize that many other zombie-changing threads have gone over the idea of zombies possibly destroying some blocks, but since zombies are designed to be very basic, I feel that they don't need to have any greater additions.
Another change: the zombie drops. Since zombies were once humans themselves - only they became infected or were raised from the dead or whatever you want to think - it makes sense that they should drop some of the more commonly-found items. For example, a single zombie has the chance of dropping either 2-3 sticks, a wooden hoe, or 1-2 feathers (just to keep that drop in there). In addition to one of those three sets of drops, the zombie would also have the rare possibility of dropping 1-2 iron ingots. It's a bit more realistic for a zombie and makes killing them a bit more rewarding.
Skeleton: Skeletons have always been kind of the least-like monster by the other monsters - it is, after all, the only aggressive mob that can be attacked by other aggressive mobs (if you don't count the accidental Ghast bomb hitting a zombie-pigman). Clearly there are some skeletons who don't want to be held down by their bow accidentally firing an arrow into a zombie's back; perhaps some skeletons could spawn with swords? Also, since skeletons used to wear armor sometimes in the original Survival mode, why not have that as a rare spawn chance, as well?
And now for a behavioral change. Skeletons are terrible archers because they more TOWARDS the target charging at them with the sword. I propose that archer-skeletons will either stay still or move backwards away from you when attacking; since you can still move faster than them, this wouldn't be too big of an issue. Sword-skeletons, however, will rush the player, grouping together (if there are other sword skeletons) to try to overwhelm the player. Sword skeletons would deal little damage (only 1/2 a heart) since even then they could easily take down an unprepared player.
Creeper: Creepers have long since been a bane on the players of Minecraft, constantly destroying hard-built homes, killing players at the worst possible moments, and overall just being a righteous pain in the behind. Well... you may or may not like my suggestion.
I think that creepers should try to be a bit more ninja-like. In other words, if they notice that you see them (and you would have to be within their sight range in order for this to happen), then they will try to flee away from you. However, if you do NOT see them, they will go all kamikaze as normal and, well, you know what happens from there. This would make the bow an increasingly useful item, as it would render creepers nearly impossible to actually kill without either allowing one to get dangerously close or sniping it from afar.
Ghast: My suggestion for the Ghast goes hand-in-hand with my zombie-pigmen improvement; Ghasts would attack zombie-pigmen if they are within range. Since Ghasts now have to deal with ranged z-ps in addition to the player attacking them, the health of Ghasts would increase to 10 hearts (it is currently at 5). Should the player become within range of the Ghast, however, it will switch targets and attack only the player, even should a zombie-pigman hit it with an arrow or sword.
These are just what I think could make the current mobs more interesting and add some development to the gameplay (in addition to some aesthetic changes). Tell me what you think! :smile.gif:
Credits:
Credit for the updated zombie drop goes to Grytrizone
Hmm...I like the idea for the passive mobs to run away from you when you attack them. That would make it interesting when you come across a bunch of pigs, sheeps, or cows.
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I'm afraid that multiple suggestions are- Just kidding. I know that bugs you. :tongue.gif:
Do like! I would think that this would add another layer to fighting. +1
lol
Yep, that's what I thought, too. Plus I just thought it would be cool to actually have mobs interract with one another and react more realistically to what the player does. Because when you think about it, the player is kind of the main focus of the world; he/she is changing the world from what it once was and bending it to the player's will. Even the peaceful animals aren't going to like that, and so should flee from the player should he/she start attacking them.
At least that's what I was thinking when I came up with the idea. :tongue.gif:
I'm sorry, the above just cracked me up. :wink.gif:
Passive-Aggressive Wolf Behavior: "Oh, no, don't bother yourself. I'm fine, sitting out here in the rain. Without food. No, no, it's okay. You're busy. Stuff to mine and all that, down there where it's warm and dry. I'm just a wolf. Not worthy of your attention, really, I understand. (siiigh)"
Wolves, for the most part, are one of the first complex mobs in my opinion, being the first mob to actively attack another mob without provocation. I like that they attack sheep, but I also think that they could attack chickens, too.
Yes, I agree, they should attack chickens.
Actually, I think everything should attack chickens. Because I hate them.
But I'd put wolves at the top of the list. And zombies. Which would explain the feathers.
These are just what I think could make the current mobs more interesting and add some development to the gameplay (in addition to some aesthetic changes). Tell me what you think! :smile.gif:
In seriousness, I agree that mob behavior should be more dynamic across the board. But I wonder where the line should be drawn. After all, ultimately, it's not about the mobs. And Notch is a hard one to get a read on when it comes to immersion and how important he thinks it is.
However, what you've suggested doesn't seem too complex. I wouldn't mind seeing it.
Oh! As an aside: I'm aware of a modification that did the following to Creepers: Above ground, they come up and bite you. This makes them sort of like stealth zombies which, as it turns out, is fairly dangerous. Below ground, they a'splode in the traditional fashion.
Passive-Aggressive Wolf Behavior: "Oh, no, don't bother yourself. I'm fine, sitting out here in the rain. Without food. No, no, it's okay. You're busy. Stuff to mine and all that. Down there where it's warm and dry. I'm just a wolf. Not worthy of your attention, really, I understand. (siigh)"
I missed that. Hilarious.
Yeah, I think that the term you're looking for is "Neutral".
OK this is just to get zombie drop suggestions started, but what about random common items as if the zombie was originally a player(not an actual player) and so he died, but somehow hasn't left this earth or his common items behind and can be taken by other players who are still living, but of course they must make sure that zombie is dead before taking his random common items.(since zombies are dumb obviously they would treasure common items instead of rare one lol)
so how 'bout it?
Almost forgot to mention that also maybe sometimes and very rarely like 1/100 zombies could drop iron ingots or diamond or something rare if not then 1/200.
One thing I'd like to point out about skeletons: They don't always charge right at you. When they get within a certain distace, they strafe around you in circles, which makes them a real pain to fight. They're a little more intellegent than you'd think.
I do like the idea suggested by Grytrizone about zombies dropping random common items (maybe sticks, flint and seeds along with feathers) and the occasional rare iron ingot (though I'd say no on the diamond). Iron is so useful for plenty of things, it'd be nice if it were renewable, if very hard to obtain in that manner.
I really like most of these ideas! The artificial intelligence really does need some intelligence, I believe I heard that sheep are going to start eating grass again... somewhere. It's a good idea to make the not-so-hazardous creatures (zombies) that little bit more challenging, there's power in numbers which I should know from experience - I have to fight ~20 zombies whenever I want to check on my mushroom crop (because I'm too lazy to just set up a proper farm :tongue.gif:).
I actually really like the idea of having some of the more common items as a zombie drop, since it fits (zombies WERE once humans, after all) and isn't something ridiculous or overpowered. Definitely no diamonds, but perhaps the rare chance of an iron ingot being dropped.
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Curse PremiumThe Peaceful Mobs
Peaceful mobs really don't need that much of a change, but here are some possible ideas for them as a whole.
Getting attacked: Currently when peaceful mobs are attacked, they just recoil a little and stare at you. But actual animals wouldn't just sit there and stare at you as you beat it to death, would they? No! My suggestion is that peaceful mobs try to run away from you if you strike them. Obviously this wouldn't be too effective for the mob you're attacking, since you move faster, but other mobs of the same type would try to flee from you as well. This makes it so that you can't just slaughter hordes of innocent little piggys to collect loads of pork; at the very least you'll have to work for your food, pursuing the pigs. Squid, for the most part, don't need to do this, since in the real life other squid wouldn't react that way, anyways.
Eating Grass: In the original Survival mode (created nearly a year ago), sheep used to cause grass on dirt blocks to disappear so that the blocks became simply dirt blocks. Since there is now wild grass in the game, why not have sheep and cows eat it? It's more an aesthetic change than anything, and would probably make it necessary for wild grass to spread like mushrooms. Also, sheep and cows wouldn't raze an entire area to the bare-bones, leaving no grass for you; they would remain within a small area of a few blocks around the initial piece of grass they consume.
Neutral Mobs
While I could easily categorize this simply by Peaceful and Aggressive, I'm keeping the neutral ones in a separate category in case this needs to be updated with new mobs later on.
Wolf Behavoir: Wolves, for the most part, are one of the first complex mobs in my opinion, being the first mob to actively attack another mob without provocation. I like that they attack sheep, but I also think that they could attack chickens, too. It could also be a little comical watching them attack sheep and seeing other sheep trying to run away. :3
Another ability with wolves are commands. These commands would be mostly basic - sit, follow, attack - but would add more fluidity to the game. For example, rather than having to attack something or be attacked by an aggressive mob, you could command your wolf to attack. Also, if you have the wolf sit, then command it to follow, it would follow the exact path you took, meaning that precarious ledges would no longer be a problem. The way this would work would be through a simple dog whistle, crafted as such:
With the dog whistle equipped, left-clicking would bring up the three commands, which you could then click to use. It would take a bit of a learning curve to use the whistle quickly - meaning that you quickly command the wolf to attack a creeper before it blows you up - but it would provide some unique gameplay to Minecraft.
Zombie-Pigmen: I've always felt like zombie-pigmen were just... stupid. And for a mob that somehow manages to survive in the Nether without being ridiculously powerful (i.e. the Ghast), it doesn't make sense that the z-p's would be stupid. I recommend that they change to a group behavior (I know, this has been suggested before), in that they tend to stay together in closely-knit groups. I also think that - since at the moment the Ghast and z-ps are the only mobs in the Nether - the z-ps should try to attack Ghasts, as if z-ps and Ghasts were rivals. This could also work by having some of the z-ps carrying bows rather than the golden swords. Also, z-ps will spawn less frequently, so that the likelihood of having more than 2 groups of z-ps attacking a single Ghast is very rare.
Another idea to prevent zombie-pigmen from hurling themselves off cliffs to attack Ghasts is have them sense whether the drop in front of them is more than 3 blocks. If it isn't, zombie-pigmen will continue their attack. If it is more than 3 blocks down, however, they will move either left or right trying to attack the Ghast until they can find another way to get close to it.
Spider: Spiders have many abilities. They can climb walls. They can lunge at you. They are one of the faster mobs. At day they are friendly, so long as you don't attack them. They are one of the more complex mobs already... but more could be done.
For example, I feel like spiders should actively try to reside either in tree-tops or in caves, and would go down only to attack you or another mob (if a skeleton arrow should strike it or something). Also, it should cover a small area with the cobwebs, which are currently in the game's coding but unavailable except through mods. Destroying the cobwebs would grant you 1-2 spider string (which is in one of the item images-thingies, but not available at all with any mods that I know of). Spider string could then be used to build cobwebs that you could place for mob traps, if you collect four of them (and craft them in a pattern similar to glowstone). Spiders would attack you if you destroy their string, however, so be careful.
Aggressive Mobs
This is where the bulk of my ideas reside.
Zombie: Zombies are, well... zombies. They are meant to be the most basic aggressive mob, and I don't want to radically change that since every game needs an enemy like that. I do think that they could use some behavioral changes.
For example, every zombie game deals with HORDES of zombies. Not just a single zombie, but hordes. Why not have zombies spawn in such groups, numbering from 5-6? And make it so that when one sees you, the others do as well, so that you have to contend with the entire horde?
I realize that many other zombie-changing threads have gone over the idea of zombies possibly destroying some blocks, but since zombies are designed to be very basic, I feel that they don't need to have any greater additions.
Another change: the zombie drops. Since zombies were once humans themselves - only they became infected or were raised from the dead or whatever you want to think - it makes sense that they should drop some of the more commonly-found items. For example, a single zombie has the chance of dropping either 2-3 sticks, a wooden hoe, or 1-2 feathers (just to keep that drop in there). In addition to one of those three sets of drops, the zombie would also have the rare possibility of dropping 1-2 iron ingots. It's a bit more realistic for a zombie and makes killing them a bit more rewarding.
Skeleton: Skeletons have always been kind of the least-like monster by the other monsters - it is, after all, the only aggressive mob that can be attacked by other aggressive mobs (if you don't count the accidental Ghast bomb hitting a zombie-pigman). Clearly there are some skeletons who don't want to be held down by their bow accidentally firing an arrow into a zombie's back; perhaps some skeletons could spawn with swords? Also, since skeletons used to wear armor sometimes in the original Survival mode, why not have that as a rare spawn chance, as well?
And now for a behavioral change. Skeletons are terrible archers because they more TOWARDS the target charging at them with the sword. I propose that archer-skeletons will either stay still or move backwards away from you when attacking; since you can still move faster than them, this wouldn't be too big of an issue. Sword-skeletons, however, will rush the player, grouping together (if there are other sword skeletons) to try to overwhelm the player. Sword skeletons would deal little damage (only 1/2 a heart) since even then they could easily take down an unprepared player.
Creeper: Creepers have long since been a bane on the players of Minecraft, constantly destroying hard-built homes, killing players at the worst possible moments, and overall just being a righteous pain in the behind. Well... you may or may not like my suggestion.
I think that creepers should try to be a bit more ninja-like. In other words, if they notice that you see them (and you would have to be within their sight range in order for this to happen), then they will try to flee away from you. However, if you do NOT see them, they will go all kamikaze as normal and, well, you know what happens from there. This would make the bow an increasingly useful item, as it would render creepers nearly impossible to actually kill without either allowing one to get dangerously close or sniping it from afar.
Ghast: My suggestion for the Ghast goes hand-in-hand with my zombie-pigmen improvement; Ghasts would attack zombie-pigmen if they are within range. Since Ghasts now have to deal with ranged z-ps in addition to the player attacking them, the health of Ghasts would increase to 10 hearts (it is currently at 5). Should the player become within range of the Ghast, however, it will switch targets and attack only the player, even should a zombie-pigman hit it with an arrow or sword.
These are just what I think could make the current mobs more interesting and add some development to the gameplay (in addition to some aesthetic changes). Tell me what you think! :smile.gif:
Credits:
Credit for the updated zombie drop goes to Grytrizone
Teacher, gamer, and writer.
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Creator of "The Wizard Gandy" Minecraft map series.
I'm afraid that multiple suggestions are- Just kidding. I know that bugs you. :tongue.gif:
Do like! I would think that this would add another layer to fighting. +1
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Yep, that's what I thought, too. Plus I just thought it would be cool to actually have mobs interract with one another and react more realistically to what the player does. Because when you think about it, the player is kind of the main focus of the world; he/she is changing the world from what it once was and bending it to the player's will. Even the peaceful animals aren't going to like that, and so should flee from the player should he/she start attacking them.
At least that's what I was thinking when I came up with the idea. :tongue.gif:
Teacher, gamer, and writer.
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Creator of "The Wizard Gandy" Minecraft map series.
I'm sorry, the above just cracked me up. :wink.gif:
Passive-Aggressive Wolf Behavior: "Oh, no, don't bother yourself. I'm fine, sitting out here in the rain. Without food. No, no, it's okay. You're busy. Stuff to mine and all that, down there where it's warm and dry. I'm just a wolf. Not worthy of your attention, really, I understand. (siiigh)"
Yes, I agree, they should attack chickens.
Actually, I think everything should attack chickens. Because I hate them.
But I'd put wolves at the top of the list. And zombies. Which would explain the feathers.
In seriousness, I agree that mob behavior should be more dynamic across the board. But I wonder where the line should be drawn. After all, ultimately, it's not about the mobs. And Notch is a hard one to get a read on when it comes to immersion and how important he thinks it is.
However, what you've suggested doesn't seem too complex. I wouldn't mind seeing it.
Oh! As an aside: I'm aware of a modification that did the following to Creepers: Above ground, they come up and bite you. This makes them sort of like stealth zombies which, as it turns out, is fairly dangerous. Below ground, they a'splode in the traditional fashion.
Personally, I'm rather fond of that adjustment.
"You few select people have been flown in from all corners of the world as we unveil now what Gorillaz cunsitaztube... THE FUTCHA!" - Murdoc Niccals
I missed that. Hilarious.
Yeah, I think that the term you're looking for is "Neutral".
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Curse PremiumI also missed a spelling error in the little sub-title. Time to fix that, too.
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so how 'bout it?
Almost forgot to mention that also maybe sometimes and very rarely like 1/100 zombies could drop iron ingots or diamond or something rare if not then 1/200.
I do like the idea suggested by Grytrizone about zombies dropping random common items (maybe sticks, flint and seeds along with feathers) and the occasional rare iron ingot (though I'd say no on the diamond). Iron is so useful for plenty of things, it'd be nice if it were renewable, if very hard to obtain in that manner.
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Curse PremiumGonna' go change that now. Thank you! :smile.gif:
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