How competent is AI so far in BG3?

[everybe2]

I was actually positively surprised when one of goblins pushed me in to my own Moonbeam and of course pushed of the highground.

In Underdark, i placed grenade to blast of stones out of the way from entrance, but then i decided to finish of enemy before i do that - in middle of that fight they actually rushed towards this grenade and detonated it - it was kinda nice.

[Pan Darius Cassandra]

Eh.

[Malus]

I think it is pretty good. Gtihs wont waste a sleep on elves but if not they will spam it. Things like that make me think they are at least trying to make the AI fun.

[Geawiel]

Definitely a few "damnit they didn't fall for it" moments. Been pushed off ledges multiple times too.

Most notable "didn't fall for it" was a recent play through. Put out thorn field, expecting them to try and charge right through it. There was no other way around. Nope, they sat right on the edge, hitting from range every chance they got.

Also had them put down grease, only to also light it on fire (on purpose) numerous times. I think the AI is definitely being set up to make things challenging. Oh, and they try to get up to high ground as much as possible. Even sometimes ignoring one of my up close peeps, to try and go for the caster I have sitting up on a cliff.

Seems like a good balance is there so far.

[brendan_in_china]

Did a direct assault on goblin camp gate. Charged in enough that archers formed a firing line in the interior - if you try to hang back and kite, they'll take to the battlements to out-range you and attack with height +2.

Anyway, back to the line, my fighter MC took a round of volleys, then Gale misty stepped forward and cast shatter on the lot.

Missile fighting can be tricky at times because sometimes the foes position themselves to have platforms or statues interpose.

It seems to me the AI positioning has been slightly dumbed down a bit from earlier patches to speed combat up. It's a nett gain afaic, I mean between my mis-clicks and heroes getting in each other's way, it's about even.

[Geawiel]

Originally posted by brendan_in_china:

Did a direct assault on goblin camp gate. Charged in enough that archers formed a firing line in the interior - if you try to hang back and kite, they'll take to the battlements to out-range you and attack with height +2.

Anyway, back to the line, my fighter MC took a round of volleys, then Gale misty stepped forward and cast shatter on the lot.

Missile fighting can be tricky at times because sometimes the foes position themselves to have platforms or statues interpose.

It seems to me the AI positioning has been slightly dumbed down a bit from earlier patches to speed combat up. It's a nett gain afaic, I mean between my mis-clicks and heroes getting in each other's way, it's about even.

AI taking high ground, almost every chance, was my experience on early patches too. Outside the druid gate fight, gobby casters and archers always went straight to high ground and obliterated anything on lower. Wyll died quickly, every time, on that fight. I couldn't kill everything fast enough. They focus fired to assist melee. Was brutal. Had to repeat that one and windmill one a few times because of that.

[Milkちゃん]

Abusable(like any AI) but pretty good when playing normally.

[brendan_in_china]

The height thing does get foreshadowed nicely. In the starting grove door battle, the goblin raider chief shouts for archers to high ground and raiders (melee types) to follow him. The adventurers form a line and their archer climbs the high ground. This is logical and believable.

I knew this, which is why my sword and shield fighter presented himself as a target at mid-range so as not to tempt the AI to send the goblins to the battlements. That was the set up for Gale's misty step and shatter (could have been thunderwave actually, room for better efficiency there).

I'm satisfied with the AI targeting. If Gale gets too close he gets targeted a lot, but if he hangs back the frontliners get priority. Anyone concentrating on a spell better take care too, that's shown in the initiative order and both player and AI target them accordingly.

The AI concentrates its attacks to a healthy degree, it feels like they're trying to take down a character yet some attacks get spread out across the party. That's a good feel for D&D combat.

[brendan_in_china]

Originally posted by the_hip_cat:

AI taking high ground, almost every chance, was my experience on early patches too. Outside the druid gate fight, gobby casters and archers always went straight to high ground and obliterated anything on lower. Wyll died quickly, every time, on that fight. I couldn't kill everything fast enough. They focus fired to assist melee. Was brutal. Had to repeat that one and windmill one a few times because of that.

Every turn I press left shift to see the vision cones and if I can hide before attacking, I do. This improves to-hit accuracy by 10-20%, which is a lot more effective turns in a round.

I almost never cast guiding bolt or chromatic orb without hiding first. Hard to hit enemies are noted as Gale's to magic missile.

Astarion can use a longbow. Apply poisoning before sneak attack while hiding makes him a serious single foe dropper.

I go all out to for zero losses that battle. Shadowheart might healing word the npcs. It's a little challenge I give myself.

I guess it depends on your main character. I like high AC/good hp warrior types who try to draw attacks and hinder enemy movement, while the party focus fires.

[Geawiel]

Originally posted by brendan_in_china:

Originally posted by the_hip_cat:

AI taking high ground, almost every chance, was my experience on early patches too. Outside the druid gate fight, gobby casters and archers always went straight to high ground and obliterated anything on lower. Wyll died quickly, every time, on that fight. I couldn't kill everything fast enough. They focus fired to assist melee. Was brutal. Had to repeat that one and windmill one a few times because of that.

Every turn I press left shift to see the vision cones and if I can hide before attacking, I do. This improves to-hit accuracy by 10-20%, which is a lot more effective turns in a round.

I almost never cast guiding bolt or chromatic orb without hiding first. Hard to hit enemies are noted as Gale's to magic missile.

Astarion can use a longbow. Apply poisoning before sneak attack while hiding makes him a serious single foe dropper.

I go all out to for zero losses that battle. Shadowheart might healing word the npcs. It's a little challenge I give myself.

I guess it depends on your main character. I like high AC/good hp warrior types who try to draw attacks and hinder enemy movement, while the party focus fires.

I did the fight again yesterday, new party. I made a Ranger Knight beast master. I set up a pincer move using sneak. Myself and Gale took the center high ground cliff. I sent Shadow left, and Lea right. After I hit my cut scene, I attacked. I opened, after marking the gobby that usually goes up to where I was at.

Surprise attack with Gale, Think I used witch bolt on leader, killed him. Blade barrier on 2 more that were grouped. One dropped, another 2 health left. Died on its turn start.

Shadow hit with guiding bolt, on the gobby caster. Took him down.

Lea used a bow to hit another gobby.

Only lost 1 of the refugees that fight. Gobbys didn't stand a chance. It was over really quickly. My wolf was the only one that took any damage, and that was facing the worg thing. First attack unsteady. Second killed it (one other NPC hit it).

[KeepCleaving]

The ai always ends up surprising me a little, altho every once in a while feels a little meta.

[Pan Darius Cassandra]

My biggest issue with the AI is that it rarely actively seeks out hidden characters.

[Malus]

Originally posted by Milkちゃん:

Abusable(like any AI) but pretty good when playing normally.

Very good point. Once you get used to it you CAN abuse it. but choose not to.

[GrandMajora]

Seems like the AI got heavily improved since the last time I played. NPC's on both the player's and the enemy's side will shove each other around to wake them up from the Sleeping condition, and they'll actually throw potions at each other to heal up.

[Tuco]

Originally posted by Pan Darius Kairos:

My biggest issue with the AI is that it rarely actively seeks out hidden characters.

Yeah, this is an issue. I possibly wouldn't even want a mechanic like "hidden characters are automatically spotted" or anything, but at least an active effort from the AI to search areas from which attacks came from would be a start...
Or, you know, moving out of ongoing AOE effects like cloud of daggers even if casted by someone out of the line of sight...

But the worst offender for me and what arguably messes with the AI the most is the fact that hidden characters are allowed to remain in real time outside of the initiative queue even when in close proximity of an ongoing fight. Which also means they are free to alpha-strike enemies already engaged in combat at will at any given moment.

[Klyern]

Originally posted by KeepCleaving:

The ai always ends up surprising me a little, altho every once in a while feels a little meta.

Originally posted by Pan Darius Kairos:

My biggest issue with the AI is that it rarely actively seeks out hidden characters.

These, the thing that the AI actively does do, are well programmed/decided by the devs, but its the places where its lacking, the things that are painfully obvious to any human player, that make it cringe, for example, sometimes the AI shoves when it should, but it shoves in the worst possible angle, only pushing your PCs about half an inch, still capable of pulling off attacks of opportunity..... and sometimes it just shoves when there is no point, for good measure, even if there are 3 characters surrounding it, it doesn't move away, and the enemy it just pushed is up next in the order.

If you do want to see what the AI can do right, just fight the Gith near the bridge, they will decimate you because of ridiculous stat difference (90hp each etc) but they use every tactical advantage they possibly can, as they should.