Companions/NPC and their takes on accuracy + VATS + Night vision

[tomomi1922]

As title suggests, I want to discuss/have questions answered about how NPC deals with all the weapon/armor mods that pertain to players.

- VATS ... this should be quite obvious. VATS means nothing to NPC, and any mod that + or - VATS cost does not affect them in any way.... Right?

 

- Sight spread, aim speed (how fast to zoom in), recoil should not affect NPC.... Right?

 

- Accuracy value and recoil value MAY have played parts in calculation of hit chance for NPC (since I know Piper misses a great deal last night). Does FO4 plays sound effects on bullet hitting walls? So I can see/hear/feel being pinned down with bullets hitting right around me.

 

- Scope does anything for NPC? Will they see and engage target farther than equipping a hand gun? Night vision scope will help them see better at night?

 

- Last but not least, should I even bother with adding perks to companions or settlers?

For immersive roleplaying, I give the guard on top of my 3 story tower a long hunting rifle with night scope to help him spot target from afar and shoot trespassers down with devastating sniper-like shots. A submachine gun or pistols would not serve him too well. But in game reality, will this hunting rifle make any difference at all whatsoever if the guard can spot enemies farther than most. Or having him at such height actually make it even harder for him to see enemies (if the game calculate vertical distance the same as horizontal distance).

About being pinned down, I have not tested extensively in FO4. I do know when I am pinned down when an NPC is attacking me with something like a Gattling laser, can see all the laser beam coming at me. But because AI is not that smart, they do not keep firing to "pin down" a person (so their teammate can sneak up to engage the player at better vantage point). In real life, the concept if cover fire/pinning down fire, is to scare the receivers. As the receiver, we hear bullets landing around us, all the tiny destruction and debris really scare us from even poking out head out to see what is going on. For most games, we do not have such effect. Mostly it is sound effect because in TPS or FPS we don't look at our back easily. The only way is to hear their distant gun fire (and not knowing if they are shooting at us or our allies), and if we pop out and get hit ... we know ...oh we are being pinned down. In real life, this will kill/cripple most people.

Edited January 21, 2016 by tomomi1922

[oldspice2625]

Virtually all SPECIALs are and stat boosts by proxy are meaningless and worthless to companions since they don't make use of almost any of them. The only one that's worth a damn is Strength for more Carry Capacity and melee damage. Crits are handled in VATS (which is a borderline moronic ideal, but w/e) so luck is worthless, I believe they have a set HP so Endurance is worthless, and, they can't die anyways unless they hate you. INT is worthless since they don't gain EXP, Charisma is worthless since they don't barter or speak, PER is worthless to them because of set stats for the NPCs themselves, and AGIL is worthless since they start with rank 4 sneak and don't use AP.