At this past PAX Prime (2011) my interest in Rage was steamrolled into a sledgehammer craving; to play and explore a buffet of body-parts outmatching Grey's Anatomy. FPS is theraqeutic for me. I watch comedies and play shooters for the sake of functional balance to that end. Post-apocalyptic art ala Fallout, Gears of War, etc. hits me in the reptile-brain and likewise when I saw trailers for Rage, this past Spring, I had high hopes. Once I heard what id had designed as to the enemy AI however, I was and am still flabbergasted. Am I the only one a-gasp that they have produced one half of the Adaptive Combat AI holy grail?

Their example, as I understand it, related that opponents never approach the same way twice. Considering that opponents are programmed for reflexive responses to the player's hits - in tandem with aforementioned spacial utility - I have no other criteria for Tactical AI, except; platformer style 3rd person melee and that is way outside the capacity of any developer to put side by side with shooter mechanics yet.

Strategic AI is the other half of the Adaptive Combat AI holy grail. Anyone wondering why Rage is "one long corridor"? Strategic AI is the purview of the RTS genre due to such conundrums as path-finding and resource/troop deployment, let alone designating specific weapons each unit is carrying or troop densities onsite. RTS is pretty flagrantly suited to humans playing each other as of yet and so I cannot blame id for simultaneously keeping design simple traditional. By simplicity they increase immersion by milking the most out of their design as possible.

My question: should Rage require more of the player as to STEALTH during missions or does id need to make opponents in Rage more responsive to the player removing isolated pockets of opponents. The classic issue with stealth kills in reality relates that isolated groups are supposed to check in regularly and therefore require: A ) body removal, B ) falsified checkins, potentially through a captive, and/or C ) simple time limit to maintain continuous stealth through the isolated pockets until a mob battle is unavoidable. Rage seems to be about options while maintaining that less is more... brevity is the soul of wit... whatever. Is stealth incompatible in a larger way? Stealth is a piece of the tactical side of their AI and that makes me question if FPS has an example of perfected bots or has id cracked a much larger programming mystery?

I would have loved a melee stealth mode I know that's not what you are posting about but I thought I would add it to list. Monster placement and alertness would have to be accounted for so that you couldn't abuse it, have different bandits be more alert than others.

I was very much impressed with ai and animation system, one of the bar raising elements if RAGE IMO.

IMO I think it would negatively impact the game, as the fun about it is the action - no matter how braindead it can seem at times. But that's just my opinion.

you sir must be a REPTILIAN!

:frog: :nono:

If you do it right it would Be only affective some times, variety and choice in this case would be a good thing.

you sir must be a REPTILIAN!

Aye! the hind-brain be where the reptiles equipped us to play Rage! As to a converse thought: for a game like RAGE, stealth maybe something to throw away in a favorable terrain setting. Imagine if you could lure enemies that are normally supposed to be further in a structure to you by use of a grenade. BTW grenades have always bothered me in any game where stealth is a factor because the reality should bring anything and everything with ears for a mile or three - in open terrain - to the location of detonation.

sorry for the incorrect quotation just_the_flu

I think the AI is very good, but it could be improved. The enemies tend to flee, even when your hurt. After they hurt you they should become more aggressive, not flee. A lot of times they just ran at you and stood in front of you, giving you a chance to just kill them before they even pull the trigger.

Opposition is a bit spastic in that regard. Shines hard with mobs, especially mutants, but what if the were to flee to regroup? or simply grab something big and nasty to launch at you. The protagonist is fairly imposing by the time Hagar presents the crossbow and whatnot...

That's true, but also, even when behind cover, they pop out, and make themselves vulnerable long before opening fire on you. So even tho their reactions are good, it means nothing if they aren't going on the offensive.

The real holly grail for AI is neuromorphic circuitry, but that won't be put in home computers for another ten years at least.

Point taken. Minibosses are technically the only occasion when something unusually nasty, as in appropriately nasty presents. If only raiders also hired out to the authority for in town assassinations or like Talon Company or Legionary assassins in Fallout 3/NV.

Oh that would be awesome.