# NPCs still buggy?

**URL:** <https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/npcs-still-buggy/9700>\
**Category:** The Bunker\
**Created:** [May 29, 2015, 5:55pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/npcs-still-buggy/9700 "2015-05-29T17:55:06Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 17\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Viewtifulrexx](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/viewtifulrexx/32/1204_2.png) [@Viewtifulrexx](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Viewtifulrexx)\
**Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 5:55pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/npcs-still-buggy/9700/1 "2015-05-29T17:55:06Z")

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I have just downloaded DDA because someone said I should check it out. However they said to play with NPCs disabled because they’re buggy. Is this an old issue or should I play with NPCs turned off? Is there a community mod or something that might fix them if they are buggy?

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**Author:** ![PropaneSoup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e19b73/32.png) [@PropaneSoup](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/PropaneSoup)\
**Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 6:02pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/npcs-still-buggy/9700/2 "2015-05-29T18:02:53Z")

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NPC’s used to be pretty bad, but a lot of work recently has gone into making better use of them. You may want to turn off Dynamic NPCs but leave on Static, simply because there are a few buildings and facilities that would go entirely unused if static NPCs are off.  
And this game is still very much being worked on, if there was some community mod that improved NPCs a whole bunch, it would definitely be in the main game.

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**Author:** ![Cat09](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/cat09/32/285_2.png) [@Cat09](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Cat09)\
**Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 6:03pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/npcs-still-buggy/9700/3 "2015-05-29T18:03:52Z")

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They swear waaaaaaaaaaay too much, so I keep them off.

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**Author:** ![Viewtifulrexx](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/viewtifulrexx/32/1204_2.png) [@Viewtifulrexx](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Viewtifulrexx)\
**Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 6:20pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/npcs-still-buggy/9700/4 "2015-05-29T18:20:07Z")

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Thanks a lot for the reply!

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**Author:** ![TheWumpus](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/thewumpus/32/263_2.png) [@TheWumpus](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/TheWumpus)\
**Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 6:23pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/npcs-still-buggy/9700/5 "2015-05-29T18:23:59Z")

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> [@Cat09](#):
>
> They swear waaaaaaaaaaay too much, so I keep them off.

![](https://scontent.cdninstagram.com/hphotos-xaf1/t51.2885-15/s320x320/e15/11257813_410294505808764_1427759249_n.jpg)

Also they’re greedy sneak thieves that steals our precious (firearms cache). Nasty, tricksy NPCs we hates them we hates them forever gollum.

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**Author:** ![BeerBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c67d28/32.png) [@BeerBeer](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/BeerBeer)\
**Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 6:32pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/npcs-still-buggy/9700/6 "2015-05-29T18:32:14Z")

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Can you trick them into picking up more stuff than what they’re able to carry?  
Can you sell them enough junk items to overload them?  
“Here. Take this truck engine.”

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**Author:** ![Azrad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Azrad](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Azrad)\
**Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 6:37pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/npcs-still-buggy/9700/7 "2015-05-29T18:37:11Z")

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I like NPCs. They make a fine source of food. All the amoral aspic, jerk jerky, and smoked suckers for a nice morale boost.

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**Author:** ![TheWumpus](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/thewumpus/32/263_2.png) [@TheWumpus](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/TheWumpus)\
**Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 6:37pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/npcs-still-buggy/9700/8 "2015-05-29T18:37:38Z")

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[quote=“BeerBeer, post:6, topic:9700”]Can you trick them into picking up more stuff than what they’re able to carry?  
Can you sell them enough junk items to overload them?  
“Here. Take this truck engine.”[/quote]

I think they just drop it. Also note they sometimes have dangerous items on their person. I believe one person posted an account of being handed an active mininuke once…complete with a screencap.

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**Author:** ![Lexx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/df705f/32.png) [@Lexx](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Lexx)\
**Post date:** [May 30, 2015, 5:39am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/npcs-still-buggy/9700/9 "2015-05-30T05:39:20Z")

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The only issue i found in past was their frequency. Now you can dial their spawn rate right down in the worldgen menus. No NPC related crashes for me so far. The threat of a hostile bandit one spawning now and then keeps me on my toes too even once I’m established.

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**Author:** ![Pthalocy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/22d042/32.png) [@Pthalocy](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Pthalocy)\
**Post date:** [May 31, 2015, 5:12am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/npcs-still-buggy/9700/10 "2015-05-31T05:12:35Z")

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I stick with static npc’s. There’s a few very interesting building locations with very nonstandard npc’s (better dialogue, questline sort of things) that are worthwhile. It’s the dynamic ones that run around “HEY BUDDY LET’S TEAM UP GIMME UR !@#$ MONEY OR I SHOOT” and randomly sprint around doing karate bullets at everything that moves. Karate bullets is my least favourite passtime.

I always ask the one static npc that starts at spawn to follow me. He gets marked an ally and ceases to swear and talk at me randomly, and ultimately gets killed before I do. Free loot!

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**Author:** ![Zero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a88e57/32.png) [@Zero](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Zero)\
**Post date:** [June 1, 2015, 3:34pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/npcs-still-buggy/9700/11 "2015-06-01T15:34:56Z")

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It’d be nice if when they wanted to talk to you they didn’t keep hunting random squirrels. It’s annoying to try to sleep and see the “Hey, buddy let’s talk” spam all night.

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**Author:** ![Azrad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Azrad](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Azrad)\
**Post date:** [June 1, 2015, 3:38pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/npcs-still-buggy/9700/12 "2015-06-01T15:38:10Z")

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Pretty much yeah. They want to talk, and all of a sudden they’re chasing squirrels and flies, and next thing you know they’re in a forest or moving close to a zombie infested city.

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**Author:** ![Pageman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Pageman](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Pageman)\
**Post date:** [June 5, 2015, 1:16am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/npcs-still-buggy/9700/13 "2015-06-05T01:16:17Z")

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If the NPC joins you, you can order then around like stay here, follow me, don’t use guns, don’t trow grenades, only attack what I attack first and so on.

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**Author:** ![Zero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a88e57/32.png) [@Zero](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Zero)\
**Post date:** [June 5, 2015, 2:09am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/npcs-still-buggy/9700/14 "2015-06-05T02:09:10Z")

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Yeah, but before you recruit them they _say_ they want to talk but they’re chasing dragonflies up and down the map yelling at you to hold on BUDDY.

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**Author:** ![Azrad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Azrad](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Azrad)\
**Post date:** [June 5, 2015, 6:01am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/npcs-still-buggy/9700/15 "2015-06-05T06:01:27Z")

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I think the only bug I’ve encountered, and this happened more than once, is when I’d ask an NPC to teach me something. If they agree, and I get the list of things they can teach, if at that point I cancel the game crashes. If I cancel while they’re in the process of teaching, no crash.

Also, if I ask for a cash reward if I finish their missions, most of the commands like guarding and teaching skills become 0 percent. On the other hand, if I give them items that exceed the amount of cash they have, teaching skills and guarding a position seems to become permanently 100 percent success.

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**Author:** ![saltmummy626](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/saltmummy626/32/300_2.png) [@saltmummy626](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/saltmummy626)\
**Post date:** [June 5, 2015, 6:50am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/npcs-still-buggy/9700/16 "2015-06-05T06:50:45Z")

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They also stand in front of your moving car while pumping bullets through the windscreen. There was a quote somewhere about cataclysm with wandering NPCs on being like ASCII DayZ. watch out for the ones with flame throwers and/or molotovs/grenades.

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**Author:** ![Soyweiser](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/soyweiser/32/37_2.png) [@Soyweiser](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Soyweiser)\
**Post date:** [June 8, 2015, 2:01pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/npcs-still-buggy/9700/17 "2015-06-08T14:01:13Z")

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Only bug I found was an NPC disappearing from the game. There was a debug message, and according to the minimap, and the debug screen he is still in the shelter. But… he isn’t ingame. So they seem a lot more stable to me.

I suggest you try them.