AI accuracy test

[OMAC 254]

You've probably all seen this, but if you haven't, please vote up:

http://feedback.arma3.com/view.php?id=3480

Are there other good tickets regarding AI accuracy? I haven't found any others...

Having to edit profiles to change AI accuracy is preposterous, and should be completely unnecessary for fun gameplay. In A2, I thought BIS had balance and AI accuracy just about right; I never had to edit my profile for any reason, and often played on Expert with SuperAI. I don't remember anyone complaining about A2 being too hard, and certainly nothing about hyper-accurate, Terminator AI.

I haven't edited my A3 profile, and it usually takes about 20 reverts to get through Infantry showcase on default Veteran difficulty. This is excessive for experienced Arma players, I think.... :rolleyes:

Edited July 2, 2013 by OMAC

[-Coulum- 35]

Having to edit profiles to change AI accuracy is preposterous, and should be completely unnecessary for fun gameplay. In A2, I thought BIS had balance and AI accuracy just about right; I never had to edit my profile for any reason, and often played on Expert with SuperAI. I don't remember anyone complaining about A2 being too hard, and certainly nothing about hyper-accurate, Terminator AI.

I remember lots of complaining about arma 2 terminator ai...

Also, arma 2 the engagement/spotting range for ai was ridiculously low so getting heads-shotted from 500 metres away wasn't likely because the ai didn't even see you at that range. Now that the engagement ranges are increased (good) people are starting to notice the super accuracy at longer ranges (bad).

IMO there is alot of exaggeration concerning this topic, but there is no doubt a problem (just maybe not as bad as some make it out to be - player and ai should be on equal playing field - ai shouldn't be totally unable to be accurate/precise at range like some people seem to want).

[instagoat 133]

I think another problem is the fact that just by fiddling with the sliders in the options you can produce wildly deviant results. There should be some sort of basic testing setup (ie, one difficulty only, no changes.)

For example I ran my AI tests earlier on veteran difficulty, with unchanged values. Towards the end of the alpha, I modified my config again (did this in Arma 2 too, to get the AI competent again after the AI mods nerfed them (but also gave them essential skills like scavenging AT weapons or suppressing)) and stopped doing the arena tests because any result I´d be getting now wouldn´t be what everyone else would see.

Without some sort of guideline as to what settings to use, AI tests become very much diminished in their value. There should be native settings with satisfactory values, but what those are is highly subjective. I would suggest to the BI devs to visit google scholar and try to find some statistics on ammunition expended versus casualties inflicted, and read AARs on top of doing the balancing thing. Flopping about between often very different player feedbacks, some of whom use modified configs and not just the difficulty sliders will not lead to satisfactory results, I think. This isn´t a fine tuning question: there´s something way off in the way the AI handles their weapons right now that needs to be adressed.

Too high precision (or way too low depending on manual setting), very erratic precision, reckless use of handgrenades, sniping machinegunners over hold-fire-at-all-times-snipers running around, AT gunners completely dominating the battlefield, AI standing up all the time rather than ducking or going prone, etc. Again, I still have this mild fear that the AI doesn´t just need adjusting, but maybe a wholesale replacement with a brand new, bottom to top, built with lessons learned engine that also does not impact performance the way the current AI does.

I think the details in themselves are mild, overall, by their individual impact. But I think what you can´t talk away is the amount of problems that the kind of gameplay the AI has to cope with poses to them.

[griffz 1]

i agree with wider view of the initial problem.

few thing i learnt about

- sniping machine gun is probably a symptom of aimaccuracy too high. in a sens, you need specific AI settings for each kind of units. a sniper should one shot. not a machine gunner.

- AT unit are deadly because their guided ordonnance. give them some LAW and aimaccuracy will start to make its job.

- the hold fire works, as long as your unit are not engaged by enemies. you can without problem use a sniper to scan the area.you only job is to get him there stealthly. AFAIK this feature is working flawlessly .

Edited July 4, 2013 by griffz