XCOM2 Reloads and Game difficulty

[undercovergeek]

+ 100

[ghostryder]

you want an example 6:45 at the angry joe review. makes no sense whatsoever why a snakeman would do that--

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Jp8m2SPmzE&index=19&list=PLBBDDA4B202570E78

The A.I. really is horrendous. Taking position and letting them come to you works and works well.

[Windigo]

That snek probably already used its two special abilities and had nothing left in its tool kit to try and score a hit on XCOM operatives. They are notoriously bad shots and shooting at enemy in cover and that have an advantage in height too....

Banzai!!!!!

[ghostryder]

Nothing makes the point better than to see how A.I. improvement mods operate.

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=618390218

This one actually deactivates A.I. routines to improve it. As quoted "The AI will entrench instead of running through your overwatches all the time, as silly as that was. "

Another area it is massively obvious is on terror missions. Here you can't sit back and wait-as your start losing civilians. But if you remember those early FPS games where the enemy stood frozen until you got close enough to activate it---the same applies here. They'll shoot civilians of course, until your close enough--then they will be-line towards you--even if standing right next to a cilvilian. So the strategy here is to send out an expendable soldier to get in range and get spotted-and have him lead the enemy back to the squad. If you take maximum movement to expose the entire map with this guy your regularily see little more than a couple civilian deaths on a mission.

Also note difficulty levels-unlike the first game-do nothing to change the behavior--it just adds numbers and gives aim and defense bonus's. In the first game upping the difficulty activated search and destroy patrols and more cooperative advances of the A.I.....none of that occurs in this game.

[JasonPratt]

Trying to figure out how an expendable troop, going out to maximum aggro all the tangos on the map, would even survive long enough to succeed, much less lead them back into a kill zone...

Failing...


Maybe a highly leveled up assault guy with lots of special dodge abilities and tons of movement points?

[undercovergeek]

Reinstalled yesterday - 2 50% squad wipes on the very first mission, man I'm out of practice - dialling back down to normal from hard and trying again later

[Windigo]

Nothing makes the point better than to see how A.I. improvement mods operate.

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=618390218

This one actually deactivates A.I. routines to improve it. As quoted "The AI will entrench instead of running through your overwatches all the time, as silly as that was. "

Another area it is massively obvious is on terror missions. Here you can't sit back and wait-as your start losing civilians. But if you remember those early FPS games where the enemy stood frozen until you got close enough to activate it---the same applies here. They'll shoot civilians of course, until your close enough--then they will be-line towards you--even if standing right next to a cilvilian. So the strategy here is to send out an expendable soldier to get in range and get spotted-and have him lead the enemy back to the squad. If you take maximum movement to expose the entire map with this guy your regularily see little more than a couple civilian deaths on a mission.

Also note difficulty levels-unlike the first game-do nothing to change the behavior--it just adds numbers and gives aim and defense bonus's. In the first game upping the difficulty activated search and destroy patrols and more cooperative advances of the A.I.....none of that occurs in this game.

That article you're quoting from details a modder's thoughts on how aliens and advent should behave and flogs his product which he calls *cough* an improved AI.

The flag to me is that he considers entrenchment a better option than attempts at flanking. Currently, encounters with activated/patrolling pods feel like an old school fantasy kung-fu movie, lots of movement and special abilities used.  The XCOM2 AI is optimized to utilizing those abilities. So, for example, a gatekeeper is going to crash through a building to get in range to utilize his psi abilities, not hide behind high cover with no LOS to the enemy. If the aliens/Advent entrenched more, I'd love it. Blow up their cover, shoot their sorry exposed selves into oblivion and repeat. Enemy movement brings more uncertainty into planning and executing your moves.

IMO, its easy to criticize AI - even good AI.

[Windigo]

Reinstalled yesterday - 2 50% squad wipes on the very first mission, man I'm out of practice - dialling back down to normal from hard and trying again later

Early game is brutal, I rush research, either mag weapons or the improved armour... just survive and build up those regional contacts.

vigilo confido Commander!

[undercovergeek]

Reinstalled yesterday - 2 50% squad wipes on the very first mission, man I'm out of practice - dialling back down to normal from hard and trying again later

Early game is brutal, I rush research, either mag weapons or the improved armour... just survive and build up those regional contacts.

vigilo confido Commander!

O0

I'd considered bee-lining for psi ops

[Windigo]

Reinstalled yesterday - 2 50% squad wipes on the very first mission, man I'm out of practice - dialling back down to normal from hard and trying again later

Early game is brutal, I rush research, either mag weapons or the improved armour... just survive and build up those regional contacts.

vigilo confido Commander!

O0

I'd considered bee-lining for psi ops

That is not one approach I have tried, but the rush to improved armour has served me well, as has the Alien Hunters DLC weapons.
I don't give a rats ass about recovering loot until I get the special weapons from the mission. You grenade everything! Advent, aliens, civies if they are too close to the baddies.... grenades get you through.

[ghostryder]

he flag to me is that he considers entrenchment a better option than attempts at flanking. Currently, encounters with activated/patrolling pods feel like an old school fantasy kung-fu movie, lots of movement and special abilities used.  The XCOM2 AI is optimized to utilizing those abilities. So, for example, a gatekeeper is going to crash through a building to get in range to utilize his psi abilities, not hide behind high cover with no LOS to the enemy. If the aliens/Advent entrenched more, I'd love it. Blow up their cover, shoot their sorry exposed selves into oblivion and repeat. Enemy movement brings more uncertainty into planning and executing your moves.

IMO, its easy to criticize AI - even good AI.

Running through a turkey shoot is NOT an attempt at flanking. Going around the turkey shoot and flanking would be-but the A.I. doesn't do that. One just needs to open the mod files to observe the commented out routines -- as well as the ones added to see the point.

Trying to figure out how an expendable troop, going out to maximum aggro all the tangos on the map, would even survive long enough to succeed, much less lead them back into a kill zone...

Failing...


Maybe a highly leveled up assault guy with lots of special dodge abilities and tons of movement points?

You certainly want as many movement points on him as possible. Also note you need to be in range to activate the node the A.I. is triggered from-and not your own perception of being in range to attack. Having coded A.I. for so long I'm perhaps better at observing that but I can't see why anyone else wouldn't get the hang of it after a couple tries. Don't forget the number one rule--always end your turn behind full cover. Always take the full sprint movement on this guy. his role isn't attack. it's activate the node and head back to the advancing squad. At most there will be two areas of the map this needs doing. You can spot these on the alien turn as they shoot civilians. Other GOF areas where there are no sounds can be ignored.