ship ai and behavior needs overhaul?

[k4Qu]

Does anyone else think that the AI and ship behavior is completely ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥? To me it seems as if the devs never played their own game. There are several things that are just not practible at all.

First thing is that the ranges of harbor defenses are just insane, that alone wouldnt matter if someone would have though of making the raduis they engage in smaller. But they start shooting at max range, even into the opposite direction they are facing across an island over a ♥♥♥♥ing mountain.

The same goes for ships attack range, they just randomly engage stuff in their max attack range, and vice versa get attacked. Now no matter the behavior you have set them too, it always ends up in random sea battles happening that neither the AI nor you have actively sought out. Two ships might be heading somewhere for some reason, but because they cross their max attack range they random start firing at each other. Well for the AI it doesnt matter, but your ships will leave their charted route and engage, even in passive defense, because the AI always attacks by default even if that specific ship wasnt even targeting yours but on the way somewhere completely else.

The third thing is escorts. Depending on what vessels you encounter, and how fast the attacking ship is, and or if the attacking ship is from a quest, or just some randomly passing by AI that is at war with your quest giver, the escorting ship will travel off chasing after their 'target' leaving the ship theyre escorting to their own device. No clue who scripted this, but in previous annos they would behave as you expected following their target and engaging at the same time.

Back to the harbors, it seems under certain circumstances chartered routs get targeted by AI youre at war with, although from my understanding and in most cases they dont, because theyre neutral units. Now that wouldnt be a problem either if you could set their path as you can with your own trade routs. But you cant.

This is all without having touched the whole pathing, grouping and formation issues. Its just cluncky af and lacking configuration. All this points, and im sure you can go into detail about them more, and ive missed something, makes the whole naval battle somehow even worse than in previous annos, because its still just boils down to a giagantic material battle where you just win by mass.

Anything else is just not practible, you could in theory try to micro all your ships, but even if doing so, their behavior and pathing makes them forget about your orders mid battle and they start doing their own stuff again. Not sure if its just me, but they whole map is just a giant♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥of fleets and escorted trade routes crossing each other suiciding into harbor defenses etc.

[Leeown]

Yeah, this is realy something they need to look into. I don't know if any devs will see this on steam though. I have the same problems, and it gets old really fast. Giving orders to a ship and then go do something else only to realise that they shortly after orders were given, just decided to do something else. I had some damaged ships not long ago, that just wouldn't sail on home even though I ordered them to several times. They were in passiv mode, but they CONSTANTLY went to attack ships or harbours, which was way out of range. It makes NO sense.

[Stafoo]

Yeah, Defenses really really need to get looked at, Sending 6 Frigates to destroy 2 Towers and a repair tower then they get wiped out is some serious bs.

[Chompman]

Originally posted by Stafoo:

Yeah, Defenses really really need to get looked at, Sending 6 Frigates to destroy 2 Towers and a repair tower then they get wiped out is some serious bs.

Static defense should be stronger then ships normally and you will need to adjust how you fight.

When one gets to about half health retreat it enough so they target another ship and then bring it back in the fight if you want to risk it.

Otherwise there are various buffs you can get your ships such as the mortar that will deal a decent amount of damage and other similar weapons or npcs to buff your ships.

Early one they can be imposing but as you get more resources like that their effectiveness reduces and they take up valuable harbor space as another trade back.

The only thing I would like is a bigger zoom out as some of the towers is hard to see their range at times.