More than a month with the game released I am about to update the thread with a bunch of personal feedback.
As we have all noticed I can already testify that there is something strange going on with AI in combat. In
Dev Blog 25/10/18, everything that was mentioned was incredible on paper; however in the game it is not running satisfactorily.
In Bannerlord we have the option to divide troops in battle; a feature that I personally use often and I am very grateful for its implementation.
Infantry:
I've tried everything to carry out different tactics on the battlefield to test the limits of the AI; and I have to say that these are currently low.
I wonder, should a bot leave a formation and thereby ignore a player's order? My answer is a resounding no; the AI must stay within its movement capsule, not make any "tactical" decisions beyond self-protection. Well, this happens absolutely every time in game.
Why do the bots of a line formation which are waiting for an enemy unit to attack suddenly charge within a few meters to it without any charge order being given? This should not be so, or I understand that this should not be so.
For example, I've tried splitting an infantry unit in two by arranging each one in line manually forming a V (inverted wedge tactic) to try to encircle the enemy. As I say, before receiving enemy contact, my bots charge against them without my permission. The most worrying thing is that not all of them are charging, the ones that are farthest from the V-axis do it by intersecting and the ones that are farthest from the V-axis remain motionless without knowing what to do.
When all this escalates badly, is when I decide to split an infantry unit into 3. Three groups in order to "advance" in line formation. When making contact with the enemy, the central unit acts correctly by holding the enemy's attack, however the side units tend to cluster towards the center of the enemy unit. When the two side units are manually signaled their flank position (U arms) they without charging or advancing order ordered charge against the enemy bot units positioned at the sides.
It is absolutely necessary to implement the order (recover from warband) to use weapons. Another case in which the AI decides "too much"; it is the player who should assign how, when and where.
I still think that the passive behavior programmed for the AI in shieldwall formation is not appropriate. If you want to continue with this kind of behavior for Ai, implement width commands (bring back the F8 - Tighter formation/ F9 - Looser formation command) and then be able to articulate high density ranks as an analog shieldwall where the bots do remain aggressive.
Ranged:
In general, they do their job well, but there's a problem that still exists
Issues with archery's ai in close formation. It is not always possible to deploy to a loose formation (where all the bots fire normally); therefore there are still formations where the bots in the secondary rows do not fire, thus losing tactical effectiveness. For example, I have an infantry unit in a circle formation and a ranged unit within it.
If I have them in line they shoot the enemy and rotate, unless it is a unit composed of a large number of bots, which leave the circle of protection provided by the infantry. I lose tactical effectiveness.
If I place them in the loose-column, they automatically go outside the limits of infantry protection. I lose tactical effectiveness.
If I set them in shieldwall-wedge, because of the problem mentioned above; the bots in the secondary rows do not fire. I lose tactical effectiveness.
If I arrange them in a circle-square, the only ones that fire are the bots that have an enemy in their focal field. I lose tactical effectiveness.
Cavalry:
Without a weapons use command, this unit in SP does not unleash its full potential. Charges to enemies from behind (anvil and hammer) or to those who retreat are not executed with the forcefulness that this procedure requires.
An example of the shortcomings of the AI. A cavalry unit split in two prepares to face an enemy infantry unit. The cavalry units are placed in a wedge formation at a considerable distance from the enemy (A1---------E------------A2). A1 is then ordered to charge and after a lapse of 5 seconds A2 is ordered the same. Therefore A1 will charge E first and keep it focussed on them while A2 charges from behind. This maneuver should be devastating and surprisingly it is not. Replace A1 with an infantry unit and the result remains the same. Enemy infantry hardly suffers any heavy casualties.
Mounted Ranged:
I like the way the main behavior of this type of unit is programmed. I like that they form a rotating circle by keeping the enemy inside while firing at it. What I don't like is that once the projectiles run out, the AI decides to charge on their own. I think they should be programmed to keep circling with their comrades until they all run out of ammunition. Once this happens, it would be more logical for the formation to look for the player as a "follow me". Assuming that the player has been killed, then yes, carry out the charge
We are back to the point of the imperative need to implement the use of weapons order. For this type of unit it is essential to.
I think it would be interesting to implement a harassment/skirmish order or function to any mounted projectile unit. Just as infantry units equipped with javelins throw them before close combat, so should cavalry. For cavalry equipped with a bow I like the currently programmed behavior of circling around the enemy. However, it should also be possible to have an order to execute circles without keeping the enemy inside. I'm talking about
cantabrian circles or manoeuvres in a encircling way like the
caracole.
Hot spots:
A statement to be set in stone: The user always decides what, when, where and how in battle command. To make this impossible, impoverishes the player's playable experience.
In short, the bot as an individual must always be subordinated to the structure of the formation. The bot will only leave the formation when it is annihilated, flees or is ordered to retreat.
A fighting bot will always remain aggressive. It is the player who will always have to modify its behavior by positioning with respect to an enemy unit.
A bot on foot should not run unless ordered to charge. The user is the one who decides the pace.
Engage Enemy Order (Alternative replacing Advance order)
The follow command keeps too much space between the player and the following bots. I think that this space should be greatly reduced.
The fallback command still doesn't work. The bots still turn their backs to the enemy when this command is executed. This should not be the case under any circumstances. The bots should always fall back facing the enemy.
Fallback order does not work properly
Implementing an order to use weapons is vital.
Battle Command: Switch Weapon
Implementing a system to " focus fire/ focus attack " should have been considered as a natural evolution for the franchise.
Focus fire on enemy unit
The colliders of each bot should be reviewed. The living space of each bot should be increased as we can see today that the bodies of the bot suffer a totally disproportionate overlap.
Agent overlap issue in flock movement
Hitboxes and hurtboxes should be checked. A lot of inconsistences with shields
Body parts hitboxes leave a lot to be desired /
Shield hitboxes are extremely imprecise /
Inconsistency damage & hitboxes with overhead guard.
At the moment the game does not offer anything beyond the melee cluster.