2
Sorry no video for this topic...yet.
I am impressed with how far WG has come with their human replacement counterparts for filling matches.
Wargaming has finally been able to reproduce a multitude of behavior patterns that mimic other NPC characters.
It is interesting that they have a controlled set of Air Defense Aircraft ( ADA ) that are still inadequate to be competitive.
While they may do a good job of choosing the first target that arrives into the area they lack the ability to make alternative choices by threat.
What they lack in escape and evasive tactics or patterns they do make up for by way of lack of altitude limitations.
WOW them suckers can climb fly high and catch a bomber. Meanwhile your stalling trying to gain the same altitude.
What I find disappointing is how once the sector is captured the remaining ADA just explode.
Right in the middle of shooting an ADA while one is pecking your tail, then BOOM they disappear.
The normal enemy NPC's that operate freely across the map could use a little more escape an evasive programing.
Currently the Heavy Fighter NPC's that fly high altitude are target fixated on bombers and can easily be dispatched.
It is easy for a player to know that all they need do is find a friendly bomber and engage the NPC Heavy that will or is
engaging their friendly bomber. It is a set pattern and standard on every map. The NPC will not even disengage to defend itself.
Nor will the NPC disengage when their hit point pool drops below a certain value. I can understand the Bomber players frustration
and their " head hunter bot " illusion. It can become disheartening to fly bombers when you have no support due to lack of humans
within a match. Currently there are no NPC's counter parts to assist bombers. Not even a " clear my tail " call for help is of any value.
There could be a little improvement if the NPC bomber chasers would behave in a similar fashion to the bots that engage a GA.
The bots ( NPC's ) that engage GA tend to pull off and choose another target when they are out of turret range or low on hit point value.
It is, in my experience, rather bothersome when you need 5 turret kills and the bots keep disengaging or get out of range.
For the most part the fighter/ multi-role NPC's are somewhat of decent value when engaged, if they engage.
There needs to be more randomness in the direction they travel or area of operation they choose to cover.
I can see no reason for the same 1 or 2 NPC's to continually attack a captured Garrison when there are more higher priority
targets to engage or defend.
There have been many matches where I can see the NPC making a straight run for a captured area and be completely oblivious
to the human player that is within visual distance. If I can see it then it should see me and move to engage rather than daydreaming
on its way to the programmed area.
The NPC ground attack seem to have a fairly decent target priority algorithm that i wish the humans would learn.
It might make the game a little more interesting and better balanced with closer wins than 600 to 46 point difference.
Seriously, how many humans actually still think that a Garrison has more value than the Command center.
Even the BOT GA are programmed to head for the Command Center and shoot stuff on the way.
Go ahead, jump in your GA and follow your BOT GA a few different maps.
There is a huge improvement in the terrain following making it much harder to crash bots into the side of a mountain.
Although the bots still crash it is significantly less and not game breaking. I can't seem to win a match getting all the bots to crash.
Yes, I have video proof of doing that.
All in all and despite my preference of Player vs Player the NPC or BOTS are reminiscent of all the other games that can be played
at the MEDIUM difficulty level.
