Noisemaker Arrow

[CountMorillonite]

I've tried using the noisemaker arrow a few times and it never attracts the AI's attention. I've pointed it close by, against a wall, different directions, and no response. I once hit a guy with it and he DID react, but only him with everybody else paying no attention. He walked around a bit with his sword drawn, stayed within a small radius, and quieted down after a short period of time. And this occurred not in one mission, but quite a few. So do I have to go back to the training mission to see what I'm doing wrong, or is this something else.

[grayman]

Check your AI hearing level, available in the menu settings. Crank it up if possible and see if that helps.

[CountMorillonite]

Check your AI hearing level, available in the menu settings. Crank it up if possible and see if that helps.

 

I didn't know that was an Option. As a matter of fact, many of my audio values are muted. So I have to figure which one could possibly relate to the AI's hearing sensitivity. Would it be SFX Volume? Player Voice Volume? Narrator Volume? First guess would be SFX Volume. I will experiment.

[grayman]

Its called AI Hearing

[CountMorillonite]

Its called AI Hearing

I found what you were referring to. I was looking in the Audio Menu, not the Difficulty Menu. And yes, I had the AI Hearing set to "nearly deaf". That should clear things up with respect to using the Noisemaker Arrow. Thanks for your help.

[jaxa]

Interesting. So one end of the setting makes them not notice noisemaker arrows, and the other makes them more likely to hear your footsteps (making the "run up behind them and blackjack" strategy impossible).

[grayman]

Interesting. So one end of the setting makes them not notice noisemaker arrows, and the other makes them more likely to hear your footsteps (making the "run up behind them and blackjack" strategy impossible).

 

Both statements are true.

[grayman]

I found what you were referring to. I was looking in the Audio Menu, not the Difficulty Menu. And yes, I had the AI Hearing set to "nearly deaf". That should clear things up with respect to using the Noisemaker Arrow. Thanks for your help.

 

np

[CountMorillonite]

 

Both statements are true.

I LOVE to blackjack. And I was finding sneaking up on people in Dark Mod to be significantly harder than in the Thief Series. Even with them in "deaf mode". For me to crank up AI Hearing would mean to compromise stealth activity. The solution I suppose would be to increase AI Hearing capability when I want to use the noisemaker arrow, then revert to deafness after. A juggling act.

[CountMorillonite]

To confirm, adjusting AI Hearing solves the Noisemaker problem. There are 4 settings to choose from:

 

1. Nearly Deaf ( great for blackjacking from behind)

2. Forgiving

3. Challenging

4. Hardcore

 

Simply go up a notch from Deaf to Forgiving worked in alerting the AI to the noisemaker arrow. But they weren't too inquisitive and moved slowly toward the sound, returning pretty fast. Under Challenging they are quicker and faster to explore. In Hardcore, they rush toward the sound and linger. This is probably the best setting depending on what your goals are. Just remember to return to deaf mode after you accomplished what you want to do

 

 

[KCat]

Interesting. So one end of the setting makes them not notice noisemaker arrows, and the other makes them more likely to hear your footsteps (making the "run up behind them and blackjack" strategy impossible).

Ironically, the "easy" (nearly deaf) setting makes it harder in some circumstances. In the first non-tutorial mission, there's a helmed guard in front of the tavern that you need to get by, but you can't blackjack him because of his helmet. His position and electrical lights also makes it impossible to get around him (either behind or the other side of the street) without him seeing you. Using a noisemaker arrow to distract him is apparently how to avoid him, but with his hearing set to low you can't distract him far enough away. You can move him a little by shooting close by, but he's more likely to turn around and still see you. As a beginner at stealth games likes this, with everything set to easy, that was an annoying difficult thing to deal with.

 

Given that the noisemaker is used to purposely distract guards, it actually makes more sense to me for the effect of AI hearing to be inverted when responding to it. So setting it low should make them more likely to be distracted by noisemaker arrows, making the AI more forgiving with mistakes.

[grayman]

,,, that was an annoying difficult thing to deal with.

 

The voiceover when you encounter the guard says "...find a way to distract him, or find another way in."

 

Once you've discovered that distracting him is a bit difficult, you still have the alternate solution of finding another way in.

[KCat]

The voiceover when you encounter the guard says "...find a way to distract him, or find another way in."

 

Once you've discovered that distracting him is a bit difficult, you still have the alternate solution of finding another way in.

It's likely my noviceness, but I can't find a way to get into the tavern that doesn't involve getting by him. I found there to be a basement door I could get in, but it's on the other side of the tavern that still requires distracting him to get around to it. I couldn't find any other paths that would get me in, nor any doors or reachable ledges that would lead me get over there. I'm not saying there aren't other ways, just that me being a novice the only apparent ways require distraction, which the noisemaker arrow fails at doing despite the the AI being on "easy".

[Springheel]

His position and electrical lights also makes it impossible to get around him (either behind or the other side of the street) without him seeing you.

 

 

You can actually get behind him without him seeing you, though it's tricky.

 

 

can't find a way to get into the tavern that doesn't involve getting by him. I found there to be a basement door I could get in, but it's on the other side of the tavern that still requires distracting him to get around to it

 

 

If you put out the brazier across the street, you can go through that tunnel and around to the other side without being seen. There's also another way to get to the basement door, but you have to look for areas to climb behind the tavern.

[teh_saccade]

Do you remember the issue with visportals and noisemakers?

Sometimes, a broadhead or simply throwing something works in such instances.

tbh - I've stopped using noisemakers and take more broadheads as they are more effective and do not cause alert. A broadhead will make a guard turn or walk over to investigate it (and, if it's stuck in wood, is reclaimable).

 

/* also, if you creep off the box behind the guard at the door and land on the bale while still creeping, it's easy to sneak behind the door guard (or take the thieve's highway near where the bird nest is). You can also kill him if you shoot him in the face or after a bunch of leg-hits with the sword. It's faster to creep, but more stealthy to use the thieve's highway [which I'm guessing is the alternate route] if you're playing ghost. */

 

// never realised that lowering the ai difficulty would have that effect. Crank everything to full and get rid of the light-gem - it's more fun.

Edited February 17, 2018 by teh_saccade