More PvE activities is rad, shaking up the landscape is rad, more enmity from purges is rad (currently, purges are wildly unbalanced; can get an intense nordheimer army down in the desert, and face a pitifully easy yeti or three sitting right next to the forgotten clan), but what makes pve eventually boring everywhere is the predictable attack patterns and lack of adaptability in the AI. Some ranged units do pretty okay in repositioning to hit you, some don’t, but most melee units get circled all day. Throwing more hp on a ‘boss’ enemy just makes it more tedious when you can stab, stab, dodge, repeat nearly 100% the identical maneuver for the next two minutes. Throwing more hp on basic hyenas does far more on making them more difficult encounters, but they all suffer from lackluster AI.
This is also a combat variety problem. Having sorcerer units not even cast spells at us renders their inclusion as more cooks with different loot tables for combat variety. Most of the difference between camps is attribute numbers and what they look like. PvP is fun because of how inventive, dogged and ruthless other players can be. If there were PvE enemies like that in every major camp and in more chance encounters, with more combat variety in encounters, I could easily see playing PvE in this game for several more years.
I do agree that the NPCs need some form of AI. They currently don’t. They pathfind to the weapon’s range and then select a random combo set to do, then repeat. They don’t really react to what players are doing other than if the distance changes.
However that means designing a system from scratch. Since one doesn’t really exist. So I doubt we’ll see this in AoW, if at all. Would be great to have though.
i wonder if how hard it would be to script a health check for both themselves and the player with running the attack script. Like if < 50% health on self, use a different rng for more defensive, and if player < 50% use more offensive. Still rng, but a more “scenario” type.
They’d have to build a new system for even that. By defensive I think you mean block and backflip?
Right now attacks are seen as button presses. If we go by default PC controls, that’s Left Click and Right Click, as well as Ctrl.
Combos are all series of left and right clicks, with one combo being a single Ctrl press. The NPC just chooses from a pool.
The idea you have could potentially work where they just have two pools to choose from. But when the enemy has a Two-Handed Sword, Throwing Axe, Spear, or One-Handed weapon without offhand… they do attacks that aren’t really defensive.
The system needs a rework no matter how its approached. I think we’re kind of underestimating how stupid NPCs are here.
sort of. Also only do 2 light attacks etc. Kind of backup and keep a distance etc. But would also have to have a slow heal function to regenerate small amounts of health per 5 sec etc. Bit yeah was throwing an idea out there, no mayter how far fetched.
Your ideas aren’t bad, and they could work if we can get a real setup based on weapon type… at least more so than it already is. Basically they do need to take the combo per weapon type system and make it a move and attack with combo by weapon.
That might be in the realm of possibility, and would make the system 2x better. Which isn’t a great step forward, but it might feel better.
But if we’re going to do that, might as well eat the turd sandwich and give it a proper revamp. I’d really like to see this.
All great ideas, but realistically way to hard to code. That is why simplist solution is expanding on the existing, with some if/then codong structure to create a better branching ai so to speak.
Now I get that look people gave me when I continued to use “groovy”.
None the less I’d like to see NPC combatants attack patterns change with level. Even if it’s simply they have a better chance doing a combo.
You think you’re bad because you just dropped 3-4 2nd level fighters so you run up to Big butt Bob who, not only blocks your charge attack with his great ax, but then immediately unleashes a heavy combo.
I honestly think people give “AI” far too much credit. It’s no more conscious then a light switch. But yes, you’re right. It would take a fare amount of coding to have a properly responding NPC.
I’m using an older definition of ‘AI’. In this case, something that reacts to player actions. Right now NPCs only react based on distance, and not what weapon you are using or if or when you are attacking.
I don’t know if they could implement something of the sort, but Elden Ring NPCs had a superb AI. Some people even though they could read your controler inputs, but they just reacted very fast to the animation clues your character produced. Something of the sort at least. I read about it, but you guys already know I’m “programing challenged” .
Anyway, it was very fun to fight them. I had a great time playing that game. If FUNCOM could implement half of that, I would quit my lazzyness and buy a freaking gaming PC.
On the topic of AI (even though theres really no “I”), NPC’s with shields are the stupidest things in the game. They walk up their target, stand still and block for 5 seconds. Wait a second or two, then throw a single attack if we’re lucky, and then start blocking again.
Taking a page from Elden Ring, special counter attacks right after a blocked attack would be a sweet addition to both players and enemies.
Blocking with a shield is a single ‘hit’ combo using the special attack. That’s why NPCs with shields are universally bad and why no one should ever use a shield on a thrall.
Yet the first purge almost wiped you because you were sidetracked with the journey steps. That “blue fuzzy unicorn with butterflies” sure kicked you in the jewels, @DeaconElie .
Not wrong. But I hope the version on test isn’t what goes live. I’ve had what I consider bugged purges since I came back to playing; When 3.0 hit test; which was when my favorite BR went F2P and got hacked to death Since it’s an RNG thing I’m going to put it in the “just my luck” box. Looking forward to be able to not opt in if I want.
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Since it’s an RNG thing I’m going to put it in the “just my luck” box. Looking forward to be able to not opt in if I want.