Suicidal AI

[katsuragi]

Ok... so in one instance, I've given a new member and AK 47. They have almost no skills and maybe 2 starts in shooting. They proceed to mow down dozens of zeds easily, sometime literally 360 NO SCOPing them with ease. A little unrealistic I guess but what the hell? I'll take it. Very handy.

Then on the other hand, I'll be using a character I often play myself with maxed out skills including full Gunslinger. They refuse to ever use their gun and mostly just charge into a group of zeds and not even swing their weapon at them. They will literally charge a horde, then turn around to face me while zeds wreck them.

Is there anything I can do to effect these things? Like some way of gearing them so that they will shoot? Because right now, it seems like the more advanced the character is with skills, the dumber the AI becomes.

[❃ Galiäna Krüger ❃]

Sounds like SOD 2 working fine alright = define play right by Undead Labs = AI not doing ♥♥♥♥♥ they supposedly be doing or more conveniently do so (i.e. AI survivor equipped ranged weapon to cover player and have clear zone of 10m+ and chose to run into use melee instead of use range weapon, etc.)

Also on a side note apparently AI survivor can blow up your own car PARKED in base if you equipped them with 40mm - WHICH HAS NEVER HAPPEN EVER ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ EVER BEFORE - until now.

Good advanced toolkit wasted.

[Vexov]

Yep. It is totally normal for the A.I companion to go from absolutely cheating badass to utter brain dead moron that can't even manage ONE ZOMBIE.

I take them when looting, mostly for storage. Best to leave them at when doing plague hearts, unless they got plague resistance and good HP. Also, your survivor being badass enough to keep them alive: able to clear a swarm on them.


Find survivors with Snap aim (That you will be using). Carry stamina pills (they continue to regen stam for a time). You can use Snap Aim with 1 stamina. Snap Aim auto aims to head (doesn't work if zoomed in, i think). You can pop dozens of heads off in a few seconds.

[Protectron]

If you shoot, they also shoot and when you melee they also melee. Mostly, at least.

The AI don't really have specific fighting moves against specific enemies, other than Armored Zeds. They will melee Bloaters and Screamers, and melees Juggernauts from the front with no ability to "read" the Jug's motions and patterns of attack. The same goes for Ferals - when meleeing them they just kick and strike until the Feral dodges and then leaps, with no ability to anticipate this.

What improves when it gets to 8-14 stars in shooting is their accuracy. Before that they hit centre-mass often.

A Shooting Range 2 now improves accuracy. Maybe it also makes the AI be more inclined to shoot? Worth a shot perhaps.

[Sc0rpiTr0n]

I rarely shoot and my followers shoot just fine.

Most important is gun they have.
You should equip them with high rate of fire, high capacity weapons.

AK-47 is solid but AI will use it in single fire mode.

I said it many times before and I'll say it again:
Equip your follower with automatic weapon like Stormbringer, Hordebreaker,
Raider's AR-15 or M4A1 and you will see what they can do to enemies.

Followers will only shoot if more then one zombie approaching.
You should engage zombies in melee and get their attention and follower will do the rest.

Oh and I never seen follower try to melee Bloater.
Unless it is something new in last patch my followers try to shoot and dodge Bloaters.

[Protectron]

Originally posted by Sc0rpiTr0n:

automatic weapon like Stormbringer, Hordebreaker,
or M4A1

Those are all select fire, though. Do they really select auto/burst more on those weapons than other select fire weapons? I'm genuinely curious.

[Cultist]

There are probably multiple issues, but the big one is pathfinding. Both zombies and AI get stuck on terrain constantly, glitch out or decide that the best time to path to a random point with nothing in it 300 feet away is while 6 zombies are trying to eat them. When the AI decides to path somewhere, nothing matters except getting there. Being eaten alive is a small price to pay to fail to move to a spot there is no reason to go, then stand and stare like a moron, fire 1 shot then rush 10 feet to melee a juggernaut.

[Sc0rpiTr0n]

Originally posted by Protectron:

Originally posted by Sc0rpiTr0n:

automatic weapon like Stormbringer, Hordebreaker,
or M4A1

Those are all select fire, though. Do they really select auto/burst more on those weapons than other select fire weapons? I'm genuinely curious.

Yes AI will fire these weapons in burst mode pretty much all the time.

They will fire single shot if there are one or two zombies (and outside melee range)
but if they see several they'll switch to burst mode.

Hordebreaker doesn't even have full auto but it doesn't matter.
It is still devastating in the hands of any follower, even new recruits.

[❃ Galiäna Krüger ❃]

Originally posted by Vexov:

Yep. It is totally normal for the A.I companion to go from absolutely cheating badass to utter brain dead moron that can't even manage ONE ZOMBIE.

I take them when looting, mostly for storage. Best to leave them at when doing plague hearts, unless they got plague resistance and good HP. Also, your survivor being badass enough to keep them alive: able to clear a swarm on them.


Find survivors with Snap aim (That you will be using). Carry stamina pills (they continue to regen stam for a time). You can use Snap Aim with 1 stamina. Snap Aim auto aims to head (doesn't work if zoomed in, i think). You can pop dozens of heads off in a few seconds.

Yooo the other day I had a fresh recruit follower I just stand next to her watch her try to kill a armless zombie (I chopped them off) for 3 minutes struggle with horrible melee skill LAWD

[Morbidius]

I like equipping my survivors with guns that shoot lots of bullets and only have one firing mode. Namely full auto so no guns with single bullet firing mode.

My current game is only Dread difficulty so I don't know if it works on higher difficulties. But I went to the Bounty Broker and bought the FBI fighting rifle or whatever it's called from the World War pack that is going to rotate out when october comes around. It costs either 500 or 600 influence I think.

First I went and bought 5 of them and unequipped the mod that is on them and instead put on advanced brakes on all of them for even more damage and range. Then I played a couple of days and went over there and bought 5 more FBI guns that I also equipped with advanced brakes.

[Sc0rpiTr0n]

Originally posted by Morbidius:

I like equipping my survivors with guns that shoot lots of bullets and only have one firing mode. Namely full auto so no guns with single bullet firing mode.

My current game is only Dread difficulty so I don't know if it works on higher difficulties. But I went to the Bounty Broker and bought the FBI fighting rifle

Full auto only guns for survivors works very well on lethal.

But to me Stormbringer, Hordebreaker or Eternal Guard's Infinite Rage are even better.
And B50FG too of course.

[❃ Galiäna Krüger ❃]

Originally posted by Sc0rpiTr0n:

Originally posted by Morbidius:

I like equipping my survivors with guns that shoot lots of bullets and only have one firing mode. Namely full auto so no guns with single bullet firing mode.

My current game is only Dread difficulty so I don't know if it works on higher difficulties. But I went to the Bounty Broker and bought the FBI fighting rifle

Full auto only guns for survivors works very well on lethal.

But to me Stormbringer, Hordebreaker or Eternal Guard's Infinite Rage are even better.
And B50FG too of course.

not 40mm on base guarding npc? I know they once, ONCE blew up my parked car :P I revoked that particular survivor's right to use 40mm

[Protectron]

Originally posted by Sc0rpiTr0n:

Originally posted by Protectron:

Those are all select fire, though. Do they really select auto/burst more on those weapons than other select fire weapons? I'm genuinely curious.

Yes AI will fire these weapons in burst mode pretty much all the time.

They will fire single shot if there are one or two zombies (and outside melee range)
but if they see several they'll switch to burst mode.

Hordebreaker doesn't even have full auto but it doesn't matter.
It is still devastating in the hands of any follower, even new recruits.

Originally posted by Sc0rpiTr0n:

Originally posted by Morbidius:

I like equipping my survivors with guns that shoot lots of bullets and only have one firing mode. Namely full auto so no guns with single bullet firing mode.

My current game is only Dread difficulty so I don't know if it works on higher difficulties. But I went to the Bounty Broker and bought the FBI fighting rifle

Full auto only guns for survivors works very well on lethal.

But to me Stormbringer, Hordebreaker or Eternal Guard's Infinite Rage are even better.
And B50FG too of course.

But I often give the Eternal Guard's Infinite Rage to my survivors and they almost exclusively fire single rounds, except if they have Watchtower duty.

Do you play with Red Talon operatives, perhaps?

[Sc0rpiTr0n]

Originally posted by Protectron:

But I often give the Eternal Guard's Infinite Rage to my survivors and they almost exclusively fire single rounds, except if they have Watchtower duty.

Do you play with Red Talon operatives, perhaps?

No, normal survivors without any mods installed.

I think you're mistaking when they fire in bursts, 2 or 3 bullets, for single fire.
Or you are attacked by lone zombie.

They rarely go for longer, sustained fire except against large number of enemies.

That is probably reason why you see this more in base
especially when few hordes join ongoing siege.