Are we expecting AI inprovements in new patches?

[Helmut_AUT 0]

Hi Guys. Excuse the rant but this is driving me nuts.

I'm a single player person. I don't have interest or time to coordinate my gaming with other people online.

So I'm really trying to like ArmA singleplayer. Okay, the default missions and campaign are borderline unrealistic, with many "you alone against the world" missions (AT Saboteur anyone?).

But I didn't care, after all I can download many other user-made ones, right?

Yet - it doesn't help - the user made missions still fall short because of the amazingly stupid AI (and that is with them set to expert skills).

A few examples, maybe someone can point out if I'm doing something wrong?

1) Friendly AI can not follow you over hills and into places where the player can easily go. This is very notable for example in EBUDs Woodland Defense and Assault missions. Where in OFP you generally could be sure that they would be in formation when you ordered them, in Arma they often end up wandering around aimless, not finding you, getting themself killed. Normal hill slopes you as player can easily walk on, they will not cross.

2) When they start going "where are you" and you order them to a spot near you, it's still not guranteed that they will find their way there. This is quite annoying when you're trying to run away from enemy, but have to go back and pick up your stuck team. I even had an AI guy stuck so badly (in open space, not inside any building) that I needed to shoot him before he actually starting moving again. He was just standing there with half the SLA army running after us.

3) Why do they insist on using their AT Rockets even against single infantry soldiers when you order them to engage? I had a perfect ambush set with my AI teammate holding fire, ordered to take out an emplaced MG Gunner who hadn't spot us yet. It would have been an easy shot to the body or head to kill the dude before he can swivel the DksHM around.

Instead upon the fire order, my teammate takes his M136, wastes two rockets without hitting but alerting the enemy, and then the return fire kills him and another friendly AI, leaving me to take two simple shots at the MG to get rid of it.

They will even use the M136 against infantry while ordered to "stealth" and having a silenced rifle. Yeah, very sneaky.

4) Pathfinding in towns is horrible. Since pathfinding in rolling hills is also horrible (see above), that leaves you to play on...flat meadows? Sandy beaches?

5) If you use the CRRC boat, even if you move it as close to the shore as possible before AI ordering to get out, chances are they will end up swimming and lose their gear, even if you as player have no problem exiting and walking the last few meters onto dry land.

6) Using special weapons: Human Laser Designator does not work in cooperation with AI Pilots. Yeah, maybe it does 1 in 20 attemps, in other attemps the AI may just kill themself.

One of the coolest mission ideas (SF targeting enemy concentrations for CAS) thus unable to be played offline.

I'm not even going to comment on the enemy super AI and god-like sniping abilitys, which thankfully can be turned down easily enough.

All in all, I really would like to know if upcoming patches will fix these behaviours. That AI is far subpar compared to what OFP offered. From the release notes of the next beta patch, it does mention some AI improvements, but these do not seem to adress the issues mentioned above.

[froggyluv 2136]

Well theres been alot of threads like this one and will probably be merged but I'm pretty much behind you on this one. I was really hoping to see waypoint/pathfinding improvements ,especially bridges on the 1.06 update log.The infantry firing AT's at infantryshould be minimized or erased until tweaked.

If your an SP guy then you're probably ok with mods that will drasticly effect Ai engagement behaviors. I was just playing some OFP modded with FFUR/SLX and was taking pot shots out of a 3rd floor window when 3 Soviets actually came up all of those floors and ambushed me. Arma could definitely use some of that.

[max power 21]

They use their at weapons on troops if you tell them the situation is dangerous. If you keep them on alert, that won't happen.

[Helmut_AUT 0]

Thanks, interesting, I definitly saw them doing that at "Stealth" too.

Something's weird with "Danger" anyway. It also seems to restrict their movement, that is, they won't go to certain waypoints you give them when in "Danger" but under "Alert" they will.

I thought "Danger" was the right thing to chose when in combat or expecting combat anytime soon? Problem with "Alert" is that they mostly keep standing up unless you as leader are prone.

[twisted 128]

i have noticed AI improvements in the beta patch. are you using it yet?

with it, AI have no problem following me except if the slope is way too steep. They use nades much more. I have even seen AI go on rooftops sometimes (enemy AI i was not controlling). the m136 instead of rifle does still happen but not as much as before for sure.

that said, the AI does stand to get more improvements.

machine gunners should really open up and not go bang...bang...bang... and enemy should be able to be suppressed (second's mod goes a way to accomplishing this). i actually thought the ArmA machine gunners used to really rock n roll but recently i notice that they shoot bang..bang...bang...

enemy AI should group together (operate in small teams and not as individuals).

Leader AI should be different to individual AI. maybe it is already? sorta like a shepherd with sheep but armed with guns.

individual AI should have a bit more 'self preservation' skills and seek cover/ concealment (with scaled level of what to choose - wall is better than bush which is better than grass). As well as react (flank/run back/throw smoke) to seeing 15 dead bodies (instead of 'oh, look 15 of my friends lie dead, i'll just stroll over and see what killed them'.

bounding overwatch should be the default way units move when on danger (number of group divided by two then move alternately while other provides cover in direction of movement). plus fire and maneuver should be used by them if they know general areas of enemy (covering fire/ recon by fire/ panic/ etc).

AI awareness needs to relate to formation. in this i mean each AI should have a direction they scan more [in a diamond the guy on the left scans left and forward while the guy on the right looks right and forward most.)

More info on AI FSM would be useful and help the community really tweak the AI. To which point I'd ask BIS to remove any hardcoding of AI (like the civilians always being afraid of OPFOR) or make it over-ridable so FSM can be most flexible possible. this to me is most important cause then BIS will have best AI in world cause community will make sure of it. I'd love to start mucking around with AI FSM but the tools released from community aren't quite user friendly and a more drag and drop approach to FSM would help a diversity of people do more interesting things with FSM.

[fabrizio_t 58]

I hope too AI will get some substantial improvememts in future patches.

i've recently played S.T.A.L.K.E.R campaign at "master" difficulty level and i have to say that i've found its AI way better than AA under in "movement & cover" area. Also AI there tend to do flanking and suppression fire quite effectively. Here are the areas where AA is lacking.

NOTE: Please don't consider me as a S.T.A.L.K.E.R fan boy since i am not and don't let this thread degenerate into a useless S.T.A.L.K.E.R vs ARMED ASSAULT thread.

[max power 21]

I hope too AI will get some substantial improvememts in future patches.

i've recently played S.T.A.L.K.E.R campaign at "master" difficulty level and i have to say that i've found its AI way better than AA under in "movement & cover" area. Also AI there tend to do flanking and suppression fire quite effectively. Here are the areas where AA is lacking.

NOTE: Please don't consider me as a S.T.A.L.K.E.R fan boy since i am not and don't let this thread degenerate into a useless S.T.A.L.K.E.R vs ARMED ASSAULT thread.

There's one thing you can count on in the future. Expect the AI to be nothing like STALKER's AI and you should be good to go!

[colt 0]

Is there anyway to get the AI to strafe?

If they could strafe whilst attempting to get to cover or while retreating / advancing , it would seem more immersive.

[NeMeSiS 11]

Well, a combination of UPS, this and lowered accuracy in your profile file makes the battles with/against the AI ALOT more immersive, to be honest i cant play without these changes anymore

[Spindry69 0]

It's not just AT weapons your troops use on enemy infantry, they also use Stingers. During one mission my assult on a town was held up as I stopted to observe the spectacle of a Stinger's smoke trail flying an eratic path across the grass.

[max power 21]

It's not just AT weapons your troops use on enemy infantry, they also use Stingers. During one mission my assult on a town was held up as I stopted to observe the spectacle of a Stinger's smoke trail flying an eratic path across the grass.

Hahaha, that's stupid!

[Call911-AGE- 0]

Loooooooooool the guy admin these forumns is gonna be busy tomoroww lmao