Randomized AI

[Loboling]

There are a lot of threads giving feedback on alpha 19, and an idea has been thrown around regarding how to solve the issues of zombie AI in this game. The issue of easy exploits. 

First, I want to congratulate the fun pimps on the recent update to the variety of zombie scripts that can now play out. It's not uncommon for a zombie to see me, and walk off to something more shiny first and then come back for me. I see that some attention was made to give each zombie encounter a more randomized feeling, based on environmental conditions. (Some will stumble, some might get distracted by a bright light or a loud noise, or even a random tree... I've seen it.) 

However, generally, once these small subscripts have run their coarse, all zombies obey the same targeting logic. They all eventually seek you the same way, and follow the same AI to reach the exact same conclusions. This makes the zombies easy to predict, which doesn't sound too bad in itself, but it can lead to some strange gameplay. (Like the killing corridor where zombies fall, being confused by the pathing, over and over on an endless loop. It's been shown that a user could afk through very late horde nights with these types of exploits. I'd like to remind the fun pimps, that no matter how large a team they build, the community that plays their game will always far exceed it. We have the time and resources to find exploits, to decipher the AI and take advantage of it. This is standard practice for gaming. 

Now for my question to the community:
Would you prefer randomized (or different AI for each zombie) AI that would force zombies to behave in a variety of ways? For instance, some zombie are unaware of block durability, so they look only at proximity. Some zombies, rather than try to get to you, they target only blocks supporting the player, unless the player walks within 5m of the zombie to break it out of it's daze. Etc.

This idea would give different zombies a real different feel. But it would also mean that a player could never reliably direct all the zombies with one simple construct. The player would need to come up with defenses against each type of vulnerability the zombies are looking for. Or just build something so powerful that it can slaughter anything that comes near it. There's so much potential in this game. It's one of my favorites these days. But, something I noticed I really crave after seeing each zombie have little quirks in alpha 19, is how much I'd love for different behaving zombies in alpha 20. 

If you agree or disagree with the idea, please post and comment on the topic. 

Would you like to see a variety of zombie AI used? Rather than each zombie having the same AI, only differing in their use of a special ability when certain conditions are met. Post & Discuss!😃

[RipClaw]

The AI is already acting partly randomly. Some zombies e.g. interrupt their path when they are near the target but there is a wall in between. This was implemented in A17 and made labyrinth bases useless.

 

The problem with a more randomized AI is that it makes certain strategies harder or even possible. I'm not talking about cheese bases that make the zombies run in circles but bases with choke points or funnel bases with corridors full of blade traps and dart traps.

 

To use such strategies you have to know which way the zombies will use. Currently I can control the zombies quite well because I have a good idea of how the pathfinding works how to force the zombies to go the way I want them to go. This also includes that I make the area where I am weaker than the surrounding walls so that they come to me and do not try to break through the wall. I also use trences and stairs to guide the zombies.

 

What I don't want to have is that all base designs just look like this:

 

 

Shooting from a tower is not a strategy. It's just boring and unimaginative.