My problem with combat AI

@Chris I'm going to use my experiences I had this weekend as an example but you could say that this has been bothering me for quite some time now:

Yesterday, I found some melee enemies that, considering I don't use magic at all, were pretty tough to fight. Most of my frustrations when it comes to "tough fights" is that, typically, I can't "physically" dodge their attacks. It doesn't matter how far I am from them, if they swinging their arms/weapons (which, I guess, only triggers when I'm in range), they're going to hit me. This sucks but I manage to get by and prevail in combat by running around in circles.

I can still get hit by AoEs but, if I shuffle behind them, they can't easily attack me and I get the bonus opportunity of landing Sneak Attacks before they can keep up to turn around and face me. I like this because, while it reduces the difficulty of the enemies somewhat, I'm rewarded for applying player skill/reflexes and it makes the game that much more interesting during combat instead of just standing there exchanging blows.

Engaging one of these enemies at a time, I can typically survive with a little bit more than my health intact.

So where's the problem?

The problem is that, this morning, I engaged the exact same enemies and I couldn't reproduce the same results. As a matter of fact, I'd sometimes win with 9 to 10 health points remaining but I'd usually just end up dying. Over and over again. I've had gained some experience since, some of my skills have improved. I should be stronger... but the fights were near impossible this time around. So what's different..?

The AI behaviour; that's what. That time, the enemies were fixated on me like a turret. Moving as wildly as I could, the enemies were always facing straight at me which allowed them free reign to bash my face in. This also happens quite often when trying using the "Trip" skill. The enemies would fall down, but they'd still be able to track my movement despite being prone. So I'm inclined to believe that there's something that's overriding a particular behaviour.

The problem isn't that I'm suddenly losing fights, dude... I'm running around with a dagger and I'm neglecting crucial magical powers (I don't really care about winning right now)... it's that the enemy behaviour is inconsistent.

This afternoon, I fought the exact same enemies again and I had no problem shuffling behind them; dealing with them like I did the day before. I was initially glad, but quickly concluded that the inconsistency is REALLY annoying.

While I do have a preference to being able to shuffle behind the enemy (or maybe make it so that it's not possible to do so on certain kinds of enemies like wind or water elementals), I don't really care what ends up happening with enemy behaviours so long as it's consistent.

 

There`s something definitely different about the scenes. Yesterday, the South Midmaer bandits had completely dominated that scene for the first time killing off all the opposing bears and wolves. Even the horse that is the landmark for the way to the bandit camp was missing. The bandits BTW were all homing in on me from ranges further than before.

And the siege scene I entered in Ardoris had a similar scenario. The liches had killed every friendly in the defenders camp an even came up to the start of the scene to kill the guard there and me. Something has definitely changed.

 

I don't think something has changed, per say, but that there's something in the code that make the combat AI act a certain way most of the time and, on occasion, it's being completely overridden... or vice-versa. It's something I've had experienced many times throughout the releases; it's just that a particular behaviour would be associated to a particular scene... like the AI seeing through stealth anywhere Novia but were working "normally" in the Hidden Vale areas.

This time, however, it's happening within the same scene. Behaving one way during the morning and another way in the afternoon in the same day (talking real-time, here, not game time).

For me, the scenes look relatively unchanged; not one type of enemy overwhelming an other. It's just that, once I engage in combat, the AI will often go in "turret mode" with perfect tracking. The dice rolling with be the same as usual, but the enemy will be facing me 100% of the time with per-frame perfection. It's not isolated to a few enemies within the scene, but ALL enemies within the scene will react that way... until something happens that will trigger the AI to behave normally again.

What you're describing is no less distressful, however.

 

love it - best thing a game can do is have unpredictable ai. If I can survive it, i like it.

THE HENDOMAN

 

The only thing i hate about the ai is that 10 Obsidian Bears or 20 Wolves arround me run away from me, always...
They keep running and running, then, sometimes, for some odd reason, 1 out of 20 Wolves decides to turn arround and attack.

I mean, i don't mind if something runs away from me, but always?! Expecially when they kinda outnumber me?

 

It's one thing to throw a curve-ball once in a while, it's another to have all AI in the scene being affected the exact same way with no variation what-so-ever. ESPECIALLY when it makes it so that my inputs (moving around) has no influence/meaning in the outcome of the battle. What's the point of trying to move around in battle if the AI is automatically tracking my movements like a robot?

I hate it.

If you've read my post, you'd understand that I can't survive reliably when it happens... because the enemy is constantly facing me and, thus, is constantly attacking.

 

i did read the post and i'm having the same effect - i trained silent attack and stealth just cuz i was excited to hear that it worked well last release. I am disappointed this release. So I hear you., i was just adding that the random is nice, and i agree once in a while, not like it is now.

THE HENDOMAN