i have already let a programmer, yes a real to life AO programmer know about this, and he acklowedged and made comments about it to me last night. so problems are known to the devs.
This is what i have found to be the problem with pets in missions.
so, to give you some insight on how i study pathing in missions: i run missions 1st person with that little map open. i have the monsters, players, and machine updgrades to the map, so i can see my pets in it.
Running around in missions, i have noticed that if there is good distance between me and the pets (i.e. they're not directly behind me) they will just about 100% of the time hit the wall when i go through a door. Also, i'm starting to see more missions with "S" shaped corridors, these actually have helped me prove the problem i see with pathing.
are we ready for the reason? here we go..
Pets path indoors as though there are no walls or obstructions between it and its master or target
There are ways to then manipulate pets while in missions to path how you want them to. Example: if you go through a door and the pet hits the wall the door is on.. do not go back into the room the pet is in, rather, get at an angle that is line-of-sight through the door to the pet. the pet will then (by my testing) come to you in the new room.
those "S" shaped corridors, i found the only way to get a pet through them is to just terminate them and recast after you get out of it. my pets keep going back and forth in it with the ocasional stop to hit a wall. as though its confused trying to figure out how to get closer to its master with the walls in the way.
anyhow. thats my conclusions. will post anything that changes.