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Ideas for Wingman AI

Posted: Mon Jan 28, 2019 2:43 pm
by Flatfingers
For what it's worth, here's an interesting article I ran into today on how friendly NPC AI works in Ghost Recon Wildlands. (Hint: it cheats.)

Some of the systemic concepts seemed like they might be applicable (if only in part) to a Limit Theory-style space game with a fleet combat mode.

Re: Ideas for Wingman AI

Posted: Mon Jan 28, 2019 8:35 pm
by zircher
Interesting article, thanks for sharing.

Re: Ideas for Wingman AI

Posted: Wed Jan 30, 2019 2:57 pm
by Damocles
Its a balance between those mechanics helping to keep the game have a fun gameplay-loop, and the player getting aware of those tricks, and then feeling the world-mechanics are staged.
It might be fun if such a mechanic helps you, but it will the total opposite if the enemies gain an unfair advantage in a similar way. Then the player would feel cheated, (or even just assumes to be cheated as his own party member can cheat in a similar way)

Re: Ideas for Wingman AI

Posted: Fri Feb 01, 2019 1:52 am
by Flatfingers
Damocles wrote:
Wed Jan 30, 2019 2:57 pm
Its a balance between those mechanics helping to keep the game have a fun gameplay-loop, and the player getting aware of those tricks, and then feeling the world-mechanics are staged.
It might be fun if such a mechanic helps you, but it will the total opposite if the enemies gain an unfair advantage in a similar way. Then the player would feel cheated, (or even just assumes to be cheated as his own party member can cheat in a similar way)

I think that's a fair point. AI interference can't be too overt (such as obvious rubber-banding in kart racer games), or many players will conclude, if they succeed or fail too dramatically, that it was more because of the game than their own skill. That's no fun.

On the other hand, never underestimate the human eagerness to believe that positive outcomes are mostly due to our own skill. ;) (And the complement of this: that negative outcomes are mostly due to external influences, such as luck or the hostile interference of others.) Some AI effects, and plenty of game design patterns, exploit human psychological phenomena -- see Jamie Madigan's work for examples.