Should AI opponents target a player over other AI targets?

[Laralyn]

Another point to keep in mind is that it’s very difficult to create a reliably fun experience for players if the content is all generated dynamically. That’s not to say it can’t be done, but it’s really hard to do it. 75% of the time, you’re better off consciously creating fun moments than relying on algorithms and AI to spontaneously create “fun.”

You can make a comparison to special effects in movies. They don’t give the bad guy a gun full of bullets to shoot and hope he hits the mirror and whiskey bottles behind the bar. You give the bad guy blanks, and carefully plan out what will shatter on cue as he shoots to create the greatest effect on screen.

The best games think about the player’s experience the same way–you craft it very carefully. Game design is always a balance between these carefully created elements and moments, and interactivity.

[Sander]

This is easily one of my biggest gripes with the GTA series. The fact that the cops 90% of the time only come after you really kills the whole world in a PC feeling that gives the game its luster.

I can see the problem how games can degenerate into chaos leaving the player almost a bystander. It brings to mind the initally promising Midtown Madness series. The races were fun, but the fact that you were racing against a bunch of ai drivers who didn’t care if they finished the race was a pretty crappy feeling.

[rambar]

@Raife

In Freelancer, player ships always took precedence as targets for AI enemies. The only evidence I have is my own play, but I did play through both the storyline, and ran four or five pilots fairly high in the freestyle mode (whatever it was called). No matter what they were doing, who they were fighting, or what I was flying, I always got targetted by every enemy when I came into range.

In some cases it’s because your AI allies are invincible, for story purposes. I’d just afterburner away from the fight, kill the one or 2 ships that followed and hang out while my allies won the fight.

[russellmz00]

@Laralyn

Another point to keep in mind is that it’s very difficult to create a reliably fun experience for players if the content is all generated dynamically. That’s not to say it can’t be done, but it’s really hard to do it. 75% of the time, you’re better off consciously creating fun moments than relying on algorithms and AI to spontaneously create “fun.”

You can make a comparison to special effects in movies. They don’t give the bad guy a gun full of bullets to shoot and hope he hits the mirror and whiskey bottles behind the bar. You give the bad guy blanks, and carefully plan out what will shatter on cue as he shoots to create the greatest effect on screen.

The best games think about the player’s experience the same way–you craft it very carefully. Game design is always a balance between these carefully created elements and moments, and interactivity.

the proper analogy would be if the bad guys in the movie ignored every sidekick/ally/redshirt next to the protaganist and aimed at him instead. instead of the mass chaos of d-day in saving private ryan you got every german trying to drill tom hanks and ignoring the other thousand extras.

and scripting the bottles getting hit is nice in movies but, for example, in a game like freedom force buildings collapse because of what you and the ai does, instead of just going “primary goal accompished, now building collapses” or “fourth hero joins team, now collapse building”.

but you’re right, ff has cutscenes and gameplay that are scripted too.