Why have Conceal when enemies track you anyway? (Confirmed)

[Blue]

Tested thoroughly. While in concealment after about 5-6 turns enemies will all path directly at you regardless of your position. Seems to be in effect immediately on Avatar compound maps.

Just did a trial with an enemy Sectopod. Moved a single unit in concealment to several areas around the map while hidden. The Sectopod would with 100% predictability double move towards that unit regardless of their route- usually crashing through the compound walls to do so. Reloaded a total of 8 times in different directions and every time was the same result.

Also tested on Sectoids, MECs and misc Advent troops. Without fail will follow you until revealed, unless the terrain is impassable, in which cases they stick to the wall and no longer move.

All the bugs are annoying enough, but do we need broken mechanics implamented on purpose as well? I expected better from an otherwise great game.

Modders might want to get on this.

[rdngmikey]

Neer had that happen to me, more often than not I have to chase after them while I'm concealed because their route keeps taking them in the wrong direction.

[Phorth]

Not sure if confirmed. Some pods may simply have different AI behavior, with one of them being hunt. Many times I've had to deal with chasing runners, challenging patrols, or setting up against stationary. From a basic design perspctive, there are likely many different base AI behaviors that are randomly selected for each of the pods, and are based on the map type.
I know black sites tend to have pods of enemies that patrol a great deal around the facility.

[Dragonmaster]

Not true. Tested myself. Several groups have an pathing patrol route. Your just along its line. Went to a mission with no turn limit and sat concealed in one spot with a scout following a enemy pod. Never beelined towards my group.

[Mosey]

I conceal run every map that will allow me to do so, and some of them where it tries to block concealment, and I've never noticed them following me.

If anything, they seem to have predefined patrol paths that they stick to OR they are a stationary pod that never moves.

That doesn't mean you're wrong though, as someone said above perhaps the occasional patrol has a different AI behavior than the others. I'm just saying I've never noticed it, and by now I should have.

[bukkie661]

OP is right in as far as that the enemy 'knows' where you are. They don't follow or bee-line you, but they do gravitate towards the position of your team. I have explained this in several threads already so I'm not going in full detail again.
Basically, the AI tries to force you out of hiding. I don't think that it is AI-cheating or anything. If I feel that I know the general direction of the enemy, then that's where my team's headed.
In Xcom2, the aliens aren't waiting for you so that they can take one for the team.

[Black Jesus]

The AI knows where you are. Easy way to test it is to bypass pods A, B, and C and go straight for pod D on the other side of the map, comeout of concealment, watch as three pods show up during or after combat.

However my devious mind has devised new ways to take advantage of that. However I want some catnip and milk before I'll share.... Maybe a busty catgirl for my bed, or snake girl, spider girl.... Mmm mm.

[Dorok]

It depends of the mission, of the patrol group, and of the team situation.

It's totally right in most missions there's a tendency of ot at least some patrols going to your group but not allways the obvious direct path.

But it's wrong it's allwasy the case, I often seen patrols moving further to my team, but I think it's still a mechanism related to the team, it open a space for your team and engage and will most probably get trapped in.

Missions where I see more patrols going forther yo my team was attaccking alien bases/facilities. But in those missions I also quoted patrols attracted more or less by my group. The global logic is still hard to figure and not to simple and obvious. But overall I think it's more or less right just not systematic or not too straight forward.

I read that the real way to sneak is send a ranger and let the team in back. But Im' a bit skeptical it's really efficient appart by luck and only in few cases.

[The Last Helldiver™]

This can easily be explained by things like

"A VTOL isn't invisible" ~Bradford.

Or:

"Look, a noise"
-Heads towards noise-
"The noise is moving"
-Heads towards noise-

~Codex.

[Mook]

Originally posted by Dragonmaster:

Not true. Tested myself. Several groups have an pathing patrol route. Your just along its line. Went to a mission with no turn limit and sat concealed in one spot with a scout following a enemy pod. Never beelined towards my group.

Yeah I noticed that too. The whole map gets covered in one way or another so yeah. They don't follow you in pac man either.

[Dorok]

Originally posted by Black Jesus:

The AI knows where you are. Easy way to test it is to bypass pods A, B, and C and go straight for pod D on the other side of the map, comeout of concealment, watch as three pods show up during or after combat...

That's not a proof once you are out of concilment you'll be detected from much further and other patrols you sneak continue move. Overall the areas layout don't let enouhg area bewteen patrols so this don't happen.

A better evidence is observation duirng long period of stealth, typically missions not timed.

[Dorok]

Originally posted by ØпiҠanji:

Originally posted by Dragonmaster:

Not true. Tested myself. Several groups have an pathing patrol route. Your just along its line. Went to a mission with no turn limit and sat concealed in one spot with a scout following a enemy pod. Never beelined towards my group.

Yeah I noticed that too. The whole map gets covered in one way or another so yeah. They don't follow you in pac man either.

Yes but not allways, I definitely had patrols changing from different team position and reload the same mission. And sometimes not.

[Mook]

Originally posted by Dorok:

Originally posted by ØпiҠanji:

Yeah I noticed that too. The whole map gets covered in one way or another so yeah. They don't follow you in pac man either.

Yes but not allways, I definitely had patrols changing from different team position and reload the same mission. And sometimes not.

Well, plenty of people did complete ghost no kill stealth missions.

[Dorok]

To answer OP title, Concilement is still very useful anyway. Moreover some rangers could be used as scout even once the party has been detected.

[wolfqack]

Originally posted by Dragonmaster:

Not true. Tested myself. Several groups have an pathing patrol route. Your just along its line. Went to a mission with no turn limit and sat concealed in one spot with a scout following a enemy pod. Never beelined towards my group.

I guess you missed the bit where he said he reloaded and moved them to a different position and the enemy followed regardless. If it was on a set path it wouldn't suddenly change direction and especially not smash through buildings.

I think there are a number of different AIs for dealing with concealment though. Some ignore, some hunt and some retreat. I find it disappointing that they don't genuinely have no idea where you are but whatever.

[Dorok]

Originally posted by ØпiҠanji:

Originally posted by Dorok:

Yes but not allways, I definitely had patrols changing from different team position and reload the same mission. And sometimes not.

Well, plenty of people did complete ghost no kill stealth missions.

Firstly did they really did it easilly, secondly it's probably using the trick to use a ranger and let the team in back, which in many missions will be very tricky with guards at the objective.