How do enemies know it's YOU walking around, and not their allies?

[MattHunX]

This always annoyed me, especially when it's done through walls or even within the same room, where there are more NPCs with their backs turned. How do any of them just magically know it's not any of their allies walking about? They immediately go on alert, like hearing footsteps could only automatically mean: ME! (I mean it DOES, yes, but they shouldn't know that!).

 

How can developers (definitely not expecting Bethesda here) make this be more dependent on, say, line of sight, for confirmation, when you're moving along a corridor, passing between rooms, so they won't get alerted until they see you and realize it's not one of them. OR, when it's all in one room, one of the enemies pottering about won't automatically switch to search and destroy mode, if they hear some feet shuffle anywhere behind them, because it just might very well be the other person in the room with them (I mean it's NOT, but they shouldn't know that!)

 

Maybe they ought to give NPCs an attribute called "nerves" or something, that, depending on their level and particular skills, would determine their calmness, so they may or may not be jittery. They'd either be generally more relaxed and wouldn't immediately investigate or even care to turn around when they'd hear footsteps that could be from their allies (when they have them - conditional) or they might jump at a flea farting.

Edited September 14, 2023 by MattHunX

[patethenovice]

1) you don't smell as bad as bandits

 

2) nerves. if they hear you but don't see your face, you can get away with quite a lot. skulking behavior demonstration:

 

3) there is a mod 'master of disguise' meant to address this. say if you're high elf, you wear a complete thalmor outfit and walk slowly like npcs, when this mod works correctly the thalmor in the embassy don't attack you. unless you get in the face of npcs who are scripted to always turn hostile, maybe they know no one is supposed to come into their top secret office. but several people have succeeded with this mod in going up to a justifciar guarding a courtyard door you need to get into. everyone else has to kill him as stealthily as possible (tough since he's in the center of the courtyard). but with master of disguise if everything about you matches the expectations of a thalmor and your speech skill is good enough, you can talk to him and convince him your his replacement.

i haven't had the same success with the mod. but maybe that's because there's 0 situations where a bosmer with a fancy hairdo is expected.

Edited October 25, 2023 by patethenovice

[anjenthedog]

Well duh-uhhhhhh. You're dragonborn. You ever smell dragonbreath?

 

But super serially: It's one of many things in Skyrim that were ?obvious? compromises between providing effective gameplay by relative "newbs", on modest computers, and total immersive realism on SOA equipment (and likely with necessary "veteran level" modding skills)