Hey Folks,
while driving through the outback and bullying the local Militech forces I just snapped and felt the need to write a little on Combat-AI and encounters.
I know, I know, it's been said frequently enough - the AI is bad.
I'm writing this to go a bit more into specifics where I see problems and what I'd do about it (there might be a bit of wishful thinking in terms of "If the dev team had infinite time to improve things", but bear with me). Also including a few thoughts on what additional tools to give the AI opposition
I am annoyed with three basic aspects to AI in combat and pre-combat situations:
- Situational Awareness (or lack thereof)
- Individual Combat Skill
- Group Tactics / Cooperation
Situational Awareness
Or the art of perceiving potential threats, planning for it and when to engage.
There are basically two ways to approach an enemy group: Openly or hidden.
When sneaking up on a group, it's up to individual detection capabilities, but when detected there should be a certain amount of suspicion, even if they are not automatically hostile. The person noticing me sneaking up on them might want to alert friends to my presence or threaten me to go away.
If they can see me approaching in a car - for example a lonely base out in the badlands, where it is really hard to miss - all should be alerted, hostiles opening fire on my car, etc.
Currently I can drive up to the camp, until they are alerted by the car (maybe 10m outside of the camp, which is ridiculous), then leave the car. Now I am hidden by the car and since the car with me inside was only for a short time in their threat range, they go back as if nothing happened. I can now crouch and mow them down with my silenced assault rifle. And since it is silenced and I am crouching, none of them go beyond suspicion before the last one is dead.
Yay.
So in short, what we would need:
- Reaction to potential threat
- Better threat evaluation, especially in the context of vehicles
- Threat should not immediately vanish and trigger an investigation in scenarios where I suddenly drop out of sight
Individual Combat Skill
Individually, I Am Not Impressed with the combat skill displayed by the AI.
Simply put, aside from sometimes using cover - and then mostly badly - most enemies appear to do one of either ...
- spray&pray, standing in the open
- run around a lot but not do any harm
The thing here is, they don't even appear to care much about their weapon type as they do so. Being shot at by a gangster from the far end using a pistol is not exactly ... a threat. Or sniper rifle in short range (very fun to encounter a sniper in "run around" mode closing in without shooting).
So, I'd really appreciate a more weapons-suitable distance handling, maybe give the AI characters alternative weapons for different ranges (Imagine a sniper having a Pistol in case of unexpected close combat).
Also find a better balance between sprint, cover and shooting, at least for professional enemies (I can definitely see how a group of gangsters might spray&pray, but I don't really expect that from a Militech elite unit).
Group Tactics
As far as I can see, groups of enemies are really just an assembly of individuals.
Common small units maneuvers are completely missing and there is zero awareness what situation their respective friends are in.
Again, not something each group would be equally good at, but ... well, I'll need to break this down into stats I'd assign to groups then explain what they do:
- Communication
- Cohesion
- Discipline / Teamwork
- Tactical Equipment
- Reinforcements
Communication
The team internal communication quality. Think about it: You silently sneak in and murder an enemy. Silently.
So nobody complains about it unless they find the body, right?
Now, I can definitely see that working out ... with some mobsters.
The thing is ... we play in a world of cyberware and wireless communication. With an installed health monitor, that monitor should realize you are dead, right? Feed that into a simple tactical net and all teammates should get an alert. Maybe not something for a Tyger Claws gang, but I'd be surprised if Arasaka security forces aren't linked at that level. Should also pick up unconscious teammates.
Anyway, the communication level of a team should determine, how aware they are of their fellows and react appropriately.
Cohesion
One thing I don't remember seeing: Enemies running away.
They all appear to fight to the end, sometimes begging to be left alive, but ... still there.
Not something I'd expect out of criminal organizations.
Cohesion is a teams capability to take losses (or other demoralizing events) and not run.
Discipline / Teamwork
Ability to execute tactical maneuvers. Disciplined teams could pull off things such as covering fire, or outflanking the player.
Synchronizing different maneuvers into a cohesive attack. Examples:
- A machine gunner laying down suppressing fire to allow teammates to flank you
- One enemy attacking from cover to keep you suppressed as another teammate sprints from one cover to the next, to then repeat the same maneuver with switched roles
- Using grenades to flush you out from behind cover while teammates are waiting
Admittedly, some of those maneuvers would probably require increasing the vulnerability of the character (currently I can mostly ignore enemy fire).
Tactical Equipment
Basically, enemies appear to simply have their own weapons, perks, skills, armor and cyberware and that's it.
Given what we currently have available, I can only imagine what fun gadgets might be available in 2077. A few thoughts:
- Recon Drone with ballistic processor: Calculates where a shot came from, ruining a hidden sniper's day
- WiFi disruption fields, preventing or hindering quickhacks (at the cost of reduced communication capability, maybe)
- Tactical Combat AI & Taclink: Any teammate can provide targeting info for Smart Weapons or other indirect weapons
Reinforcements
One thing that has always bothered me: No matter what I do, nobody cares enough to send reinforcements.
I can have a minutes-long shoot-out with Militech forces and nobody cares.
Or slaughter a group of 6th Street Gangers, while another group in plain sight doesn't even care.
So how about adding some reinforcements for some groups in cases where you are too blatant:
- A couple of ganger cars arrive and take you from behind
- A Militech copter comes in and drops an elite squat
- Arasaka headquarters sends some indirect mortar bombardment on your location
...
Any thoughts, comments?
while driving through the outback and bullying the local Militech forces I just snapped and felt the need to write a little on Combat-AI and encounters.
I know, I know, it's been said frequently enough - the AI is bad.
I'm writing this to go a bit more into specifics where I see problems and what I'd do about it (there might be a bit of wishful thinking in terms of "If the dev team had infinite time to improve things", but bear with me). Also including a few thoughts on what additional tools to give the AI opposition
I am annoyed with three basic aspects to AI in combat and pre-combat situations:
- Situational Awareness (or lack thereof)
- Individual Combat Skill
- Group Tactics / Cooperation
Situational Awareness
Or the art of perceiving potential threats, planning for it and when to engage.
There are basically two ways to approach an enemy group: Openly or hidden.
When sneaking up on a group, it's up to individual detection capabilities, but when detected there should be a certain amount of suspicion, even if they are not automatically hostile. The person noticing me sneaking up on them might want to alert friends to my presence or threaten me to go away.
If they can see me approaching in a car - for example a lonely base out in the badlands, where it is really hard to miss - all should be alerted, hostiles opening fire on my car, etc.
Currently I can drive up to the camp, until they are alerted by the car (maybe 10m outside of the camp, which is ridiculous), then leave the car. Now I am hidden by the car and since the car with me inside was only for a short time in their threat range, they go back as if nothing happened. I can now crouch and mow them down with my silenced assault rifle. And since it is silenced and I am crouching, none of them go beyond suspicion before the last one is dead.
Yay.
So in short, what we would need:
- Reaction to potential threat
- Better threat evaluation, especially in the context of vehicles
- Threat should not immediately vanish and trigger an investigation in scenarios where I suddenly drop out of sight
Individual Combat Skill
Individually, I Am Not Impressed with the combat skill displayed by the AI.
Simply put, aside from sometimes using cover - and then mostly badly - most enemies appear to do one of either ...
- spray&pray, standing in the open
- run around a lot but not do any harm
The thing here is, they don't even appear to care much about their weapon type as they do so. Being shot at by a gangster from the far end using a pistol is not exactly ... a threat. Or sniper rifle in short range (very fun to encounter a sniper in "run around" mode closing in without shooting).
So, I'd really appreciate a more weapons-suitable distance handling, maybe give the AI characters alternative weapons for different ranges (Imagine a sniper having a Pistol in case of unexpected close combat).
Also find a better balance between sprint, cover and shooting, at least for professional enemies (I can definitely see how a group of gangsters might spray&pray, but I don't really expect that from a Militech elite unit).
Group Tactics
As far as I can see, groups of enemies are really just an assembly of individuals.
Common small units maneuvers are completely missing and there is zero awareness what situation their respective friends are in.
Again, not something each group would be equally good at, but ... well, I'll need to break this down into stats I'd assign to groups then explain what they do:
- Communication
- Cohesion
- Discipline / Teamwork
- Tactical Equipment
- Reinforcements
Communication
The team internal communication quality. Think about it: You silently sneak in and murder an enemy. Silently.
So nobody complains about it unless they find the body, right?
Now, I can definitely see that working out ... with some mobsters.
The thing is ... we play in a world of cyberware and wireless communication. With an installed health monitor, that monitor should realize you are dead, right? Feed that into a simple tactical net and all teammates should get an alert. Maybe not something for a Tyger Claws gang, but I'd be surprised if Arasaka security forces aren't linked at that level. Should also pick up unconscious teammates.
Anyway, the communication level of a team should determine, how aware they are of their fellows and react appropriately.
Cohesion
One thing I don't remember seeing: Enemies running away.
They all appear to fight to the end, sometimes begging to be left alive, but ... still there.
Not something I'd expect out of criminal organizations.
Cohesion is a teams capability to take losses (or other demoralizing events) and not run.
Discipline / Teamwork
Ability to execute tactical maneuvers. Disciplined teams could pull off things such as covering fire, or outflanking the player.
Synchronizing different maneuvers into a cohesive attack. Examples:
- A machine gunner laying down suppressing fire to allow teammates to flank you
- One enemy attacking from cover to keep you suppressed as another teammate sprints from one cover to the next, to then repeat the same maneuver with switched roles
- Using grenades to flush you out from behind cover while teammates are waiting
Admittedly, some of those maneuvers would probably require increasing the vulnerability of the character (currently I can mostly ignore enemy fire).
Tactical Equipment
Basically, enemies appear to simply have their own weapons, perks, skills, armor and cyberware and that's it.
Given what we currently have available, I can only imagine what fun gadgets might be available in 2077. A few thoughts:
- Recon Drone with ballistic processor: Calculates where a shot came from, ruining a hidden sniper's day
- WiFi disruption fields, preventing or hindering quickhacks (at the cost of reduced communication capability, maybe)
- Tactical Combat AI & Taclink: Any teammate can provide targeting info for Smart Weapons or other indirect weapons
Reinforcements
One thing that has always bothered me: No matter what I do, nobody cares enough to send reinforcements.
I can have a minutes-long shoot-out with Militech forces and nobody cares.
Or slaughter a group of 6th Street Gangers, while another group in plain sight doesn't even care.
So how about adding some reinforcements for some groups in cases where you are too blatant:
- A couple of ganger cars arrive and take you from behind
- A Militech copter comes in and drops an elite squat
- Arasaka headquarters sends some indirect mortar bombardment on your location
...
Any thoughts, comments?
