Do follower NPCs switch from ranged to melee in close combat?

[vonVince]

In previous Fallout games follower NPCs switched from ranged to melee when in close combat, but now...? Codsworth and Curie do change from time to time, but I've paid notice to other follower NPCs (especially Cait, who is supposed to be specialized in melee due to her years in a fighting pit), but I don't think I've ever seen them change to melee : /

[Sivarg]

Only if they have a melee weapon on them. I've noticed several gunners that changed their weapons to stun batons and charged me when I was up close to them.

[Konfusion with a K]

I've seen Curie switch back and forth a lot, but never Cait even once. :p

[lpnlizard27]

They will if you give them a melee weapon, otherwise they will just use a standard punch and try to shoot more.

[< blank >]

i have found (100 percent consistancy) that it is the opposite for companions (other NPC's do weird crap rnadomly that really doesnt make sense)...

companions will switch to melee when ranged away from enemies, and then switch to ranged when in melee distance.
with NPC's in general it seems to be random and sometimes they get stuck in a kind of loop switching between melee and ranged.

melee has been neutered in this game, so limited and damage at low level is so poor that there is almost no point in using melee... this could be true of the AI as well if the NPC is lowish level.

[Vaultbuster]

They do switch from ranged to melee, even if they have ranged ammo. Experienced it on some super muties i killed today. They still had some ammo for their weapons, but chose to close in on me. Depends on what they were coded to do, I guess. So the behaviour might differ from enemy to enemy.

BTW, I cannot get Cait to use any other weapon other than her useless pistol. Did anybody have any luck?

[vonVince]

Originally posted by Vaultbuster:

BTW, I cannot get Cait to use any other weapon other than her useless pistol

Cait doesn't use pistol as her standart weapon, but a double-barrel shotgun. That being said, I've changed her weapons and she has melee as a backup, but I've never seen her actually use melee - which is ironic, considering she is supposed to be specialized in melee.

[Sivarg]

Gunners with rocket launchers, will switch to melee weapons by the way, if you get up close to them.

[vonVince]

Originally posted by Sanford:

Gunners with rocket launchers, will switch to melee weapons by the way, if you get up close to them.

That's all fine and dandy, but the issue is follower NPCs.

[猿神擁躉]

They usually will, but Piper seems bugged out and will only use her pistol even if you give her melee weapons, Curie is also kinda buggy if you change her into synth, she'll stuck on melee weapons or anything with infinite ammo and never switch back.

[猿神擁躉]

However, I've seen Cait uses melee weapon I gave her automatically many times, but she never uses 2 handed melee weapons unless I force her.

[Reverend Belial]

Some do and some don't. Nick Valentine for me seems to be able to intelligently switch between his revolver and a combat knife he picked up, but Strong insists on using his gun-butt instead of switching to his Super Sledge.

[Emmental]

I've noticed curie likes power fists rather than melee weapons.

[Sivarg]

Originally posted by HeyMan47:

They usually will, but Piper seems bugged out and will only use her pistol even if you give her melee weapons, Curie is also kinda buggy if you chnage her into synth, she'll stuck on melee weapons or anything with infinite ammo and never switch back.

This isn't true. I have Piper with me right now, using a rare sword, and she has always used it.
She's had it since 18 nov. http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=557690468

[猿神擁躉]

Originally posted by Sanford:

Originally posted by HeyMan47:

They usually will, but Piper seems bugged out and will only use her pistol even if you give her melee weapons, Curie is also kinda buggy if you chnage her into synth, she'll stuck on melee weapons or anything with infinite ammo and never switch back.

This isn't true. I have Piper with me right now, using a rare sword, and she has always used it.
She's had it since 18 nov. http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=557690468

It is true for me and it is true for lots of people, you can go search the forum or the webs yourself.

You seem don't quite understand what we are talking about. If you "equip" her with it, of course she will use it, but Piper never switchs to the melee weapons "automatically", I have to force her to use it but then she'll use melee forever.

In theory, companions should switch ranged or melee weapons depends on situations automatically, that's how this game's AI works.