How is single player?

[Timptation]

YES YES I KNOW... The point isn't for single player. I'm just curious what I might be able to expect if I wanted to have a few minutes fun out and about with the Switch version. Is the AI total garbage, is it too hard for a single player to get anywhere, too easy, can you still unlock stuff? Can someone have a reasonably fun time with it here and there?

[Duende Tuneado]

Tha AI is fine, you can still do and unlock most stuff, besides overdrill and 4 player achievements.

[Grey Star, The Rival Defender]

It's difficult but more predictable than multi because bots don't mess things up, but also don't do things like a human player would.

So better than the average pub, but not as good as a good pub.

(Also generally the bots are only really reliable with mods.)

[Strider]

The AI isn't too bright but since they've added the ability to let them carry bags they've become much more useful overall. There are certain heists that are tough (time consuming) to complete alone but those generally are the very large heists such as Big Bank or Golden Grin.

[SHARK]

hi! The AI in Payday 2 is good to carry you tbh, because they have health regen - sometimes in high crimespree or high difficulty you keep a bot in the lobby for a safe revive, you can do One Down missions with bots, you can decide which weapons they have, and you can unlock boosts that really help out a lot, I would give it a go.

[Alucard †]

Well since bots can be equipped now with quite few weapons of your choosing , they can cast inspire and pierce through shields ... I say single player is OK.

[lexilogo]

The AI is garbage, but that doesn't really matter. Each AI teammate gives you bonuses of your choosing that make you significantly stronger, the AI teammates are very unlikely to die, and they can generally handle themselves.

As for concerns about not being able to unlock stuff or do well in singleplayer, the game is designed as a multiplayer game first and foremost, so some objectives in levels are disproportionately punishing if you don't have friends, but it isn't to an extreme extent, and at worst you'll generally be wasting time as opposed to things simply being gated from you. The biggest issue in that regard is that some achievements specifically mandate playing with other people.

[Dope Pope]

The AI is terrible when compared to a (good) human player, but they make for a great bullet sponge and give buffs as well

[Salem]

AI is garbage, but due to all the recent buffs bots received (and also now provides), solo is now much, much easier than multiplayer even with competent players.

[Timptation]

Thanks for the responses guys. It sounds pretty much like what I was expecting/hoping for. Not ideal, but can be fun for a plane ride or what have you. Now I'm just hoping for a decent port.

[Salem]

Originally posted by Timptation:

Thanks for the responses guys. It sounds pretty much like what I was expecting/hoping for. Not ideal, but can be fun for a plane ride or what have you. Now I'm just hoping for a decent port.

Please note that the aforementioned Team AI update has currently been released only on PC. The XB1 and PS4 versions are slightly behind the update it was released (and let's not talk about the XB360 and PS3 versions).
So it all depends on up to what update the Switch release will happen to be.

[drewbstar]

Originally posted by Salem φ:

AI is garbage, but due to all the recent buffs bots received (and also now provides), solo is now much, much easier than multiplayer even with competent players.

Basically this will be the average response.
The friendly AI are terrible and have (extra) terrible pathing/decision making. They're also bad at holding points, even if you tell them to wait.

Originally posted by Timptation:

Now I'm just hoping for a decent port.

If you take a look at literally every single other port...
Don't get your hopes up. Double if you start considering the limitations of the Switch/updating content.

[Thermal Lance]

Without mods. Barely passable.

With mods? makes you wonder why you play with actual people.

[Kitab Langit]

I mostly do my safehouse raid DW solo and it's easy.. when do that in public in Mayhem and mostly going to failed.
:'c

[Timptation]

Originally posted by Salem φ:

Originally posted by Timptation:

Thanks for the responses guys. It sounds pretty much like what I was expecting/hoping for. Not ideal, but can be fun for a plane ride or what have you. Now I'm just hoping for a decent port.

Please note that the aforementioned Team AI update has currently been released only on PC. The XB1 and PS4 versions are slightly behind the update it was released (and let's not talk about the XB360 and PS3 versions).
So it all depends on up to what update the Switch release will happen to be.

One would hope they'd recognise the Switch's need for decent singleplayer and include updated AI, but yeah, I'll be watching out for reviews. Fingers crossed.

[Z3r0_]

Only main complaints are the following:

1) The AI's pathfinding is...not the best. They get hung up on obstacles and sometimes take really indirect paths to get places. They ESPECIALLY struggle on any map with elements of verticality, most notably Lab Rats and Armored Transport: Train Heist (if you go down even ONCE while soloing those maps and don't have a hostage, you may as well reset).

2) Because the AI can't do anything other than shoot, carry bags (if you give it to them first, and they do so very slowly), defend objectives (unless you get too far away), revive you, trade hostages for you (which you'd have to take yourself), and make a half-assed attempt at dominating civilians (they'll shout at them, but it doesn't seem to do anything other than make them stop in the middle of your line of fire), you basically have to do everything yourself. This can be alleviated to a degree with the boosts AI can give you, but there are limits to this, and it gets REALLY tedious on heists with lots of loot to bag (i.e. Golden Grin, Big Bank).

3) The "ECM Rush" method of cheesing certain stealth heists is effectively impossible (with the exceptions of stuff like Bank Heist, Jewelry Store, and Ukrainian Job) playing solo. On the other hand, the bonuses they can provide (i.e. faster interaction, concealment boosts) can make doing stealth "properly" easier if you know what you're doing, albeit still slower than it'd be if you had a crew of competent players to work with (but what are the odds of finding a whole lobby of competent stealth heisters in pubs?).

4) If you get taken into custody without any hostages while playing alone, you automatically fail, because the AI literally can't do anything but shoot. No, jokered cops do NOT count as hostages as far as the AI is concerned (on a related note, they have an annoying habit of killing cops you're trying to dominate).

5) Certain achievements are impossible to get without a four player lobby (but seeing as most of those require all four people to cooperate to get it, you're unlikely to pull them off in pubs anyway).