this should probably be changed:
Pursue::Pursue(AICharacter *ai_ch, NodePath target_object, float pursue_wt) {
_ai_char = ai_ch;
_pursue_target = target_object;
_pursue_weight = pursue_wt;
// i think this should be added
_pursue_direction = LVecBase3f(0.0, 0.0, 0.0);
_pursue_done = false;
}