[Updated 29.1.15][Suggestion + Explaination Gif] Sniper Visualization [Or] How To Make Snipers Fairer

[zoboso]

I support, it is fine for some things to be stronger than other things, but those stronger things should have drawbacks, even if that drawback is player wants to kill it on sight.

[Sherbniz]

Check out this thread, it might decrease the problem we have with snipers significantly:

 

https://forums.warframe.com/index.php?/topic/395422-npc-accuracy/

 

Enemy accuracy has been a hot topic for some time, so I thought it would be a good topic for a Developer Workshop post to explain how the system works under the hood and what changes are coming in this week’s update on PC.

 

We’ve been using the same system for controlling NPC aiming for quite some time now - all the way back to the original Dark Sector! When an agent wants to shoot at a target, we consider a cone based on the agent’s accuracy, the distance to his target and the size of the target he is shooting at. We calculate a hit chance and then test to see if he should hit or not. If the shot should hit, we aim the shot at the target. However if the shot should miss, we calculate a position for the agent to aim at that should miss the target, but that should be in the target’s field of view. This should make the situation feel more intense with the player seeing ricochets and tracers hitting all around them.

 

This cone based algorithm has some issues.

A) It’s really hard for designers to control the actual hit / miss chance of the NPC agents. They can adjust the aim error angles, but other than larger aim error angles means less accurate, it is hard to predict the actual hit chance.

B) The actual hit probability has a strange characteristic where most NPCs end up being 100% accurate less than about 12m and their accuracy drops off dramatically until they almost can’t hit you at all at about 30m! A graph of the hit probability for a typical Grineer Lancer illustrates the problem clearly. 

 

These issues really don’t help reinforce the ninja gameplay we’re after, so we decided it was time to retire this venerable system and do something new.

 

Our new system is very designer-centric. We can define an “AimGraph” for the agents to use. This graph explicitly maps target range to hit probably. Each weapon can be assigned a different AimGraph, so we can now make an NPC aiming a pistol more accurate up close and have the hit chance drop off rapidly, while an NPC with a sniper rifle is now far less accurate up close, but gets more accurate at medium - long range before dropping off slowly. This allows us to simulate how unwieldy a weapon is, or the effects of a scope.

 

Pistol graph

Sniper graph

 

Additionally, the agent’s accuracy now will take some time after spotting you to ramp up to his maximum. No more sneaking up on a sniper only to have him spin around and instantly shoot you in the head!

 

Finally, we’ve addressed the accuracy discrepancy between host and client, which has been discussed at length here: https://forums.warframe.com/index.php?/topic/381733-hosting-causes-drastic-increase-of-enemy-accuracy-please-read-de/

 

With the new aiming system in place, designers have more control over the accuracy of enemies and the weapon the NPC is using will have far more impact on his accuracy. You’ll be better off staying at long range against enemies with pistols and shotguns, but getting in close is now a good counter to long range snipers. Combined with the acrobatic aiming penalties, fast, agile Tenno should have plenty of options to avoid danger and dispatch their foes! You’ll be able to put your skills to the test this week on PC!

 

-DanielB