LE Take the stupid out of the A.I.

[Gortmundy]

This is a must.

 

+n

[Harkonian]

Except that, let's be honest, sneaking isn't challenging at all. So I think you'd have to accompany the idea with another mod making sneaking more difficult. It's truly ridiculous how close you can get to an enemy (from the front, no less!) with even a moderate sneak skill.

 

Completely agree with this 1000%. It's already too effective at 50 points without adding sneak bonuses. I'm now @ 85 which is even more ridiculous. To offset this somewhat I've increased the combat difficulty and have purposefully _not_ used any of the sneak's"+ % sneak chance" perks. Although it does make things a bit more difficult, the real solution is to make sneak a bonus that mostly doesn't apply once combat begins.

 

Lastly, if you're still bothered by the idea of making the shift from 3 to 2 that quick, it might be worth looking into a system more along the lines of Splinter Cell

 

I like how splinter cell handles it, but something like this could possibly make this mod too complicated. I'm still not convinced that allowing sneak's 3x bow damage and 15x/30x dagger damage once NPCs have been alerted is a great idea. Essentially, a sneak has no penalties between mode #1 and mode #2. It might be worth it to consider some extra lesser damage in mode #2 though -- say 1.5x for bow and 7.5x/15x for dagger once alerted. That along with keeping alert states longer might work. And I'm not kidding when I say that once NPCs reach mode #3 I want it to be painfully long -- at least 10 real-life minutes -- before they drop back down to mode #2 and that mode would stay around for some minutes as well. The purpose here to to severely penalize someone playing stealthily who is seen -- whether by bad luck or poor planning. You won't be able to just run away, wait for the NPC mode to reset a few seconds later and retry.

Edited November 23, 2011 by Harkonian

[Harkonian]

As for the last point, stay in the house long enough, normally about 4-5 warnings of saying get out, they call the guards, and the guards burst in and kill you. Had it happen to be once. lol

But i think some of this defeats the purpose of having sneak as a skill, so lower level sneaks, this should effect.

 

I think the point he was making is you should not get any warnings. If you are found inside a home, that person should immediately start attacking or at the very least call the guards. It does not defeat the purpose of being a sneak. If you are playing stealthily and you are breaking into a house while the owner is home (during the day?) or awake (not late enough at night?) then you are doing it wrong. For whatever reason -- bad luck or bad planning -- once you are caught the penalties should be dire.

[everybodysop]

I endorse this. AI is an integral part of the game, and any flaws reduce the immersion immensely. For all the dynamic parts of the game, skyrim has one of the most comprehensive AI's in a video game, but there are still flaws.

[domanz]

There's mod out that at least makes npcs more responsive to noises you make. But there will be better once the sdk is out.

[Harkonian]

There's mod out that at least makes npcs more responsive to noises you make. But there will be better once the sdk is out.

 

Do you have a link to that mod?

[Oerath]

While we're requesting people to tamper with the AI, can someone un-psycho the horse? Seriously, my horse will charge in from way off to start attacking people. It fights ice wraiths (and wins!). Something needs to be done, because it's just nuts.

[wazzup115]

Yeah, the NPC AI ruins a lot of the fun in playing a thief, assassin or any kind of shady character.

I'm also a bit disappointed that there's no way to knock out guards or distract them.

[NotCras]

Yeah, the NPC AI ruins a lot of the fun in playing a thief, assassin or any kind of shady character.

I'm also a bit disappointed that there's no way to knock out guards or distract them.

 

 

O my gosh non lethal kills would bring a whole new dimension to the game. I remember specifically wanting to KO Aringoth so badly (but not kill him).

 

Also i think AI should have fear too, you know like Batman: Arkham Asylum kind of fear in addition to alertness. That would make all of my sneaking Skyrim fantasies come true.

[Harkonian]

LOL...let's keep this on topic. Non-lethal kills and horse AI are great ideas for mods. But this thread is specifically regarding NPC detection and reaction in order to make stealthy play less hacky.