Video: AI not evading exploding vehicle tests (might amuse you)

[Baraz 10]

Wulf, on the Feedback Tracker, suggested I do videos about AI issues (I posted two), so I did it for fun.  

 

I kept the video short with some best/worst moments, which I think might amuse you. 

 

Issue : crews of tanks or other armored vehicles, when 'cooking' (about to blow up), exit but only run a short distance away, stop, and die in the explosion. They need to run further away: simple tweak I presume. It's just very embarrassing and makes it too easy. :P  It is not a major issue of course.  The NATO APCs I used for testing did not really "cookoff" as such, but sometimes did delay before exploding and the crews did not sprint for their lives (only a few non-crew infantry passengers and a few rare crewmen survived).  The AI behaves the same in modded Zeus missions you can view online. Best to discuss it on tracker.

 

This is practically my first Youtube video and had fun doing it.  The next one will try and demonstrate a more important AI issue (AT soldier not firing at commanded target).

[froggyluv 2136]

 

 These are what I call 'AI Deadzones' in Arma and glad you brought this up. The AI need to be aware enough to just run sometimes - like when certain death is imminent! Having a grenade thrown out your feet, leaving your manned Static Turret when an enemy is 5m to your side, and yes,  running from major impending explosions. The technology to 'Just Run' is there, we just need BI AI Dept. to pull the trigger..

 

 

[Vvalerie2 48]

This AI behavior has been a problem since Operation Flashpoint days. The whole AI system needs overhauling, maybe to a more modular approach to enable different tacticts by different types of troops etc but even small things like correcting this would go far. If there was a condition of Fear (Object/condition), the AI would evade things like fires and cooking tanks. Editor object Fall back points would also be usefull in mission making, to give retreating AI units possible map locations to move towards and regroup in. 

[ProfTournesol 956]

There used to be fall back point in OFP,  group starting points or closest vehicles.

[froggyluv 2136]

5 hours ago, ProfTournesol said:

There used to be fall back point in OFP,  group starting points or closest vehicles.

 

 Thats interesting id like to see how that works as i have no recollection of it. Sadly my OFP disk got put out to pasture sometime around when I traded my canon in for a musket and my horse&buggy in for a steam engine..

[Strike_NOR 898]

All in all I am hoping for some better vehicle/AI interactions with Tanks DLC.

 

Stuff like using vehicles for cover, but also keeping a distance when the vehicle is either on fire or about to explode. AI switching crew positions after their fellow crewmembers die is also important. Each vehicle should have prioritized crew-positions so that if, say, the gunner dies, the commander may switch seats in order to keep vehicle combat effective. The least important roles should be loader, radioman, commander. Priority no 1 being driver or gunner, depending on vehicle serviceability. If the tracks are shot, or engine is dead, there is no point in crewing the drivers seat. If the gun/turret is dead, there is no point in crewing the gunners seat.

 

I also hope for way smarter Anti-Tank AI. Somehow the response time can be very slow, and AI hesitate to fire at tanks for some reason. There should be new light anti-tank weapons that fire high-speed HEAT rockets, available to the infantry, not only advanced heavy anti tank guided missiles.

 

I also wish to see vehicle AI that uses concealment better (hiding behind terrain, buildings in relation to known enemy direction). I'd love to see AI crew move tanks into cover or pop-in and out of cover to take shots.

 

Finally it would be nice to see AI Crew suppression effects. AI crew could bail out if one or more crew members were killed. I don't mean to be grotesque, but in real life, seeing your buddy get plastered around the insides of a very small compartment would generally cause most men to freak out. I'd also like to see crew suppression as a temporarily reduced "AI skill" debuff where the crew becomes less effective. Events that would trigger suppressed crew could be: Hit by large HE ammunition (artillery, bomb, IED, mine etc). Own vehicle crew member deaths. Loss of a friendly vehicle in your group. Etc. This would mean that a poorly skilled AI crew could abandon their vehicle upon learning that one or more of their allied vehicles have been destroyed, or render them increasingly combat-ineffective.

 

In fact, a whole new AI parameter "morale"/"mental robustness" would be welcome to the entire game. Just like the Total War games, if morale breaks, the unit panics and may be extremely ineffective or downright try to escape the dangerous situation. Once they reach a "clear" area, their morale resets and they can continue their mission.

 

The way ARMA AI works now makes them more like combat robots, very predictable, no randomness really.

[ProfTournesol 956]

16 hours ago, froggyluv said:

 

 Thats interesting id like to see how that works as i have no recollection of it. Sadly my OFP disk got put out to pasture sometime around when I traded my canon in for a musket and my horse&buggy in for a steam engine..

 

Yup, ofp groups are ordered to retreat to waypoint number 0 (the group starting place) when retreating. Alternatively, they are looking for the nearest armored vehicle iirc. Was nice and simple.

[joostsidy 685]

Vehicles are still a retreat point. If you have to clear an area and are hunting 'the last man', first thing to check is (destroyed) vehicles.

 

Also OFP/Arma 1 is just a few bucks on Steam. I bought it the other day to compare old and new Malden. It's really a no-brainer if you played the original OFP like I did.

[mickeymen 324]

On 27.09.2017 at 11:16 PM, froggyluv said:

 

 These are what I call 'AI Deadzones' in Arma and glad you brought this up. The AI need to be aware enough to just run sometimes - like when certain death is imminent! Having a grenade thrown out your feet, leaving your manned Static Turret when an enemy is 5m to your side, and yes,  running from major impending explosions. The technology to 'Just Run' is there, we just need BI AI Dept. to pull the trigger..

 

 

 

Well said! 
This is what I want in Arma since the release 2013.
I was always surprised, by the primitive gameplay of Call of Duty (in this game, AI always tried to avoid a grenade, if it's next to him) had this AI-ability, but ArmA does not have it! I'm sad. A few years ago, using feedback, I created a ticket with such a petition, but still there is no effect.

[bars91 956]

Yeah, while "strategic" AI is pretty ok'ish, "tactical" level AI playbook set is lacking lots of tools (hazard deadzones included) i.e. little semi-scripted rules for AI to "live by".