AI update idea

[wezling]

I've noticed after playing the game for a long time that the AI within the game is predictable and... limited. This become especially apparent in the higher levels of the game (50+) when the field is just flooded with enemies. Which is actually the point I want to make.

The AI in this game is the same throughout the game, enemies just get more health, armor, and numbers. This isn't necessarily bad for all missions and factions. So here is what I propose for some general AI idea changes:

Grineer: Low levels (20-) the AI and scaling is perfectly fine. Higher levels, enemies start appearing in squads and tend to work together within that squad with a set of enemies that work well together to shut down specific game play styles of specific warframes. Health and armor can scale, but not to the extent it does. Instead the AI will make more effective use of cover and supressive fire to move about. Their idea is to not die. This would also allow for adding in new enemy types and also limit the number of enemies within a map at once. 

Corpus: Low levels (20-) the AI and scaling is fine. Higher levels, enemies will appear alone or in small groups and engage in guerrilla warfare. Their goal is to prevent warframes from pushing forward and continuously retreat and slowly build more and more. These units will have one very surpressive ability to use against enemies (not quite the current bubbles those I think are a good idea but a bit too strong, maybe a bigger bubble but only repels/prevents warframe abilities (not dispel) and aoe weapons but doesn't shrink). Basically have more enemies be more like bursas, except for not having the entire area surrounded in bullets. 

Infested: Honestly, the AI and scaling is perfectly fine, maybe just make the platform jumping a bit more smooth and faster. Their entire goal is to overrun you with numbers. However a few changes would be to ancient's auras. In particular the healer aura. I think those affected by the aura take 1-10% damage based on the level and the ancient takes 20-10% of the original damage from each enemy. Basically if a charger get's hit for 100 damage, it would take 10 and the ancient would take 20. At higher levels the charger would take 1 and the ancient would take 10. And CC duration is cut in half for the charger and then games 5 seconds of cc immunity. The idea is that AOE is your friend against infested. 

Also this game is for ninjas, but we play a little more like samuri. So let's encourage the ninjas, basically enemies are a little less like to spot you or notice you, but are much more likely to run to set off an alarm and try to lock you out. This encourages warframes to act more stealthy or more quickly for those who are able. Obviously this won't apply to survival, excavation, and defense like missions. With the alarm on, warframes will see elite units like bursas. And more of them than show up now, say one every minute, and many more troops in general. Once infested raise the alarm is doesn't stop. 

These are just a couple ideas, change as you see fit. My point is I want this game to be less of a game of bullet sponges and more of a game of strategy. But that's just my opinion.

[Orthelius]

Not a bad idea, especially since the 'death squads' we do encounter, like the Grustrag 3 have no cooperation with one another. If they worked as an actual team, they might be formidible as enemies and would be far more interesting when they actually do appear. 

Fully behind AI improvements no matter what!

[(PSN)WetPollito]

but.....warframe is not a "game of strategy" that is why I play this game.

Edited July 13, 2017 by (PS4)AleDiorio

[peterc3]

So DE puts tons of work in to reworking how enemies act and react to the player. I walk in with my loadout with tons of forma on every piece and wipe out the enemies as soon as they spawn. This is time and money that has been thrown into the trash and lit on fire. AI tweaks would have to come with some grand rebalancing.

[wezling]

True... But I think a good step in that direction would be for the majority of warframe abilities being line of sight.
And no your weapons would be just as effective, you just would have to get used to not firing a tonkor shot into a group of enemies, as they would be most likely to scatter and hide rather than stand grouped up in the open.

And personally I think they would be open to the idea of actually looking to update this, as they are making mods and warframes stronger and stronger. They have to come up with a way to beef up late game. And I think this idea is better than them having to flood the map with enemies as it would allow them to reduce the amount of enemies on the map at one time.

I do plan to give some ideas for some slight changes to weapons and damage, but for the most part they aren't major. I like much of the damage system as far as numbers go, I'd focus on procs and melee damage.

[wezling]

An extra measure with this UI update would be the increase of enemies to trigger the lock out mechanisms at higher levels. 

The overall focus is to have warframes slow down in higher level missions and really focus on strategic targets.
Another idea is to have some enemies more able to keep up with the speed of warframes, like grineer maniacs. (They would also deal more damage +1x for each room they pass through without dealing damage, meaning one would want to deal with them as fast as possible rather than ignoring them)

 

Edited July 21, 2017 by wezling