I am finding Khem Val very irritating as a companion for a few reasons.

 

The most annoying aspect of Khem Val is that his target box is too huge. It means that every time I run towards a quest giver or any interactable object, Khem's target box gets in the way, and he starts talking as if I wanted to have a conversation with him. Of course, every time I accidentally click on him, he goes on in his alien language.

 

The more minor problem is that when I am running around, a third of the time, my whole screen fills up with Khem's back, sometimes his buttocks when I am moving downwards. It is minor issue but has a definite effect on my enjoyment of the game.

 

Of course, there are some solutions I can take myself. Constantly changing camera angles so Khem does not cover the targets in the middle of the screen, or wait till level 25 and get some other companions. I am quite sure that the developers have not intended for him to be such an irritation.

 

Suggestions:

1) Position Khem (or for that matter, any other companion) away from the direct back of the character. Put them a little further to the sides.

2) Reduce the size of Khem. I can see how this would break the RP immersion, though.

3) Reduce the target box of Khem to be the same as smaller companions like Mako, so even if his body is blocking an interactable object, I will still be able to click on it. It takes away the small benefit of easily targeting Khem with a mouse in a fight, but who targets the toon anyway.

I agree with you and suffer the same problem as well.

zoom your camera out further and its not an issue.

I had this problem until I zoomed my camera out.

I have my camera zoomed all the way out. It means that Khem Val does not fill the screen as much, but it still does not solve the problem of him getting in the way of interactable objects in front of my character.

 

I noticed that Khem Val has a really large target box that extends a good 1 in-game foot around his actual body. That gets in the way of conversations and clicking on stuff. His target box should be smaller than his body, not twice the size of his already huge body.

Did you go to preferences and set your max zoom out farther away? This isn't an issue at all with me.

Did you go to preferences and set your max zoom out farther away? This isn't an issue at all with me.

 

Yes, I did. I suppose that's the best solution for the moment. 75%+ and tilting the camera upwards make me feel like I am playing an RTS though.

I used the zoom out method too, but i got used to swinging the camera around too in beta. I got so used to the option reseting so much, that I just swing the camera around any time i need to pick up x or talk to y. Try that as another option. Eventually you won't even realize that you are doing it. Even when I am zoomed out a bit I still do it.

Agreed.

 

Also, please learn him NOT to stand on tables etc. Very, and I do mean VERY often Khem's huge hitbox blocks an object or the quest giver.. so I reposition myself to give a clear line of click, just to have my frigging companion reposition himself as well to be BACK in front of the quest thing !!!

 

Very often he will even stand on tables etc to do this (this happens so often that it is really REALLY annoying)

 

I really like him and all, but the constant alien language and quest blocking means that I now only use him on elite fights.

Bad Khem! Down! No. Not allowed on the tables. --I'm sorry sir, I'm still house training him, he lived in a cave for most of his life, he doesn't know any better.

I got the same problem, it's just annoying me!

I agree with you and suffer the same problem as well.

^ ^ ^

Simple solution: Stop using Khem Val.

 

 

Andy is a waaaaaay better companion anyway.

I suffer from this problem as well. Sure, I spin the camera around to compensate, when trying to loot, scan resources, interact with a quest item/giver, but even though there are ways to get around it, they aren't ideal, and you don't have to do that with the other companions in the game (that I've noticed). It wouldn't, surely, be that much of a job to just make his targeting box a bit smaller. No other companion I've rolled with across all 8 classes have a targeting box that extends that far outside their body area.

Simple solution: Stop using Khem Val.

 

 

Andy is a waaaaaay better companion anyway.

 

The one problem with that is he is the only companion you get for some time. I tried gearing up the droid and bringin him along but he's about as useless as **** on a Boar hog really.

I don't see the problem. Personally I'm a huge fan of his buttocks. I look forward to getting home and staring at them all night long.

 

On a side note, yeh smaller target box would hurt.

Edited January 12, 2012 by Heley

I don't see the problem. Personally I'm a huge fan of his buttocks. I look forward to getting home and staring at them all night long.

 

On a side note, yeh smaller target box would hurt.

 

You like watching Lou Ferrigno and Schwartzenagger movies don't you?

 

 

And for some reason as I typed that a specific scene from Full Metal Jacket popped in my head. R. Lee Ermey is great....

I hardly use Khem Val since I got Andronikos Revel, that guy is a killing machine.

Khem trolls me constantly with this, he's a big piranha-face jerk Edited January 12, 2012 by marshalleck

The one problem with that is he is the only companion you get for some time. I tried gearing up the droid and bringin him along but he's about as useless as **** on a Boar hog really.

 

I know.

 

I learned to turn sidweways when ever I had click something... i.e. I'd run up to the clicky, stop, then swivel to face the left. Khem often either stays right behind where I stopped, or he steps to the left like normal, but either way he's out of the way for the clicking.

 

 

He was really pissing off my buddy who was playing a SW. He kept getting his big ole hit box between my buddy and the enemies.

I don't have the problem with other crew, just Khem. Zooming out helps, but so what? Why should I be forced to play fully zoomed out? Moreover, how about looting after battle? Sometimes it seems he purposefully moves into the way whether it is a quest object or loot. There is not escaping him.

 

He needs to be moved further back, more to the side, and have his targeting box made shorter.

 

In fact, just give me and option to turn off targeting him while not in combat or a rest zone. I really have no reason to listen to his one line phrases.

The funny part is, he's always right up your back except when you step on an elevator, like he has some phobia about them or something.

Reducing his hit box would be a start, but I think a simpler and more elegant solution would be to give us the option--available through the Preferences interface and the drop-down on the companion UI--to click through companions the same as we click through our own avatars. Unless you're a healer, how often do you want to actually click your companion? And even if you're healing the big guy, I would imagine double-tapping F1 would be quicker anyway, and never mind the fact that you could just leave it toggled off if you had to target him on a regular basis. Need to advance the KV quests? Ship/Cantina>Toggle Companion Click On>Quest>Toggle Companion Click Off.

I thought about starting a thread complaining about him also but then I made a War and found how annoying Vette can be by hanging waaaaay back and decided I better not complain or he might become annoying with his lagging behind like her.

 

And yes I too noticed his elevator phobia, he sometimes seems afraid to get on then afraid to step off.

I thought about starting a thread complaining about him also but then I made a War and found how annoying Vette can be by hanging waaaaay back and decided I better not complain or he might become annoying with his lagging behind like her.

 

And yes I too noticed his elevator phobia, he sometimes seems afraid to get on then afraid to step off.

 

I had the same problem with Aric too. The goofy son of gun will sit so far back that half the time he won't even engage in combat.