New Artificial Intelligence Mod

[EtherealCoder]

Greetings all!

 

I'm pleased to announce the first in a line of mods dedicated to improving the player experience of Skyrim through improved Artificial Intelligence.

 

The Nexus download page can be found here:

 

http://skyrim.nexusm...om/mods/41364/?

 

For a preview of the new features, and a general review of gaming AI, please refer to the following video:

 

 

 

This mod file contains a small combat-test dungeon with a handful of opponents. Players are encouraged to try it out and share their reflections and experiences.

 

Note that there is no map-based entry point -- to enter the arena, open the Console menu (using the ~ key) and type:

 

coc NewAITestDungeon03

 

Also note that enemies will auto-resurrect after 45 seconds, so there is no need to re-load.

 

Feedback on the AI changes is welcome as I prepare a set of full dungeons. I look forward to hearing from you!

[Veinwolf]

I listened you carefully and see the video with the same interest and I can say now for sure that I want to play Skyrim again, what you explained it's one of the major plague of the modern action rpgs, the relationship between exploration and exploitation it's quite underrated in the last few years, that bring a lot of contest between "pseudo hardcore gamers" that know a lot and nothing and the new one that are fine with an easy playground since the middle stage of the games, both with an hard fanbase that make they blind at some important aspect of rpgs game.

Did you ever played Gothic? What you have done here it's quite the same but a little bit complex, the Gothic AI was more simple but it work even today with someone that played modern action rpgs before him, still give a good equal between exploration and exploitation even at end game phase and without any difficulty bar to set it;
Of course at end game you must feel a little bit the growth of you character, this in Gothic was translated on more possibility to face multiple enemies at the same time in the end game phase without exaggeration and with a good stack of healing potion by hitting and find a good recover position exploiting the exploration phase;

Since you captured my attention, and it's rare I must admit, I want to tell you more about general difficulty in TES games or others rpgs, the economy system:

In TES games you start with about one hundred gold coins and a good start gear, so with the enormous quantity of side quest isn't hard to buy the next phase gear and make the game easier that it is, and so go on since a single side quest can reward you enough to buy more healing potion and a new gear as well or materials to craft it and isn't enough (sarcasm) more high it's your character level and more is the amount of gold that you'll earn from a simple side quest;
From the other side a single healing potion cost you about three side quests at starting and you find healing potion around the world game just like new gear pieces, so you don't need to buy it, you can even find these near a dungeon boss without thinking about a strategic retreat to the village and buy these or make a little bit of alchemy.

What about food and the cooking process? Well you starting to grab raw ingredients around the world just for curiosity, are these useful during the growth of the character? No becouse the bonus are really weak, it's better to find a potion near the convenient door becouse it's easier and require less time, or at last buy it becouse you're full of gold after 10 hours of game since even a word reward you.


Let's talk about hunting then since is one of the major aspect of Skyrim linked to the exploration field, you start killing pack of wolves with a medium difficulty, after 7 hours of game you starting to kill these becouse you're bored about this frequency attack without a single strategy, you arrive at a stage that you don't even open the drop menu to take a pelts becouse are cheap, there're a lot of wolves and they are easy to kill with a gear bought only from reward of side quests or at last you take it to craft and improve the forge ability and grow up more  at industrial quantity.

Let's make the point about general difficulty of Skyrim:

    -Side quests bring you to explore a little bit the world and give you an high reward to     incentivate to grow up faster and become the stronger in the world game in less time.

    -The amount of gears and potions around the world it's too much and these are cheap and easy to  make.

    -Food is useless, it cost to much time for a lesser bonus effect, potions are easy to find and better during a difficult part of a dungeon.

    -Since food is useless hunting is useless too, it's only quite usefull at the start to grow up some ability, but it's easy and you don't need any strategy, just hit in the middle of the pack.


It's Skyrim give the feel of general challenge and incentivate the exploration? No.
Are the amount of enemy HP that change this stage? No, there isn't fun anyway.
There is a factor of exploitation? Yes but only at the start, after some levels you dont feel the necessity to doing better, explore more, take more and earn more and make a long period strategy to chose the best way of growth, you have all.
Is an hardcore mode balance the exploration factor with the exploitation? No becouse it's a game that will give me only few stages and options to face an opponent, and this stages or options are chained to the dynamic character status which in turn it's chained to the wrong economy world system that turn this mode in a banal fictitious difficulty bar that go between the hardest condition to the easiest.

Is the Skyrim economic system a major factor of difficulty imbalance that put in relationship exploitation and exploration imbalance as well? Yes in my opinion.

Since I've mentioned Gothic let's make the same points of this game (It can be made even with others game just like Divinity II):

In this game you start with few coins (little pieces of metal ore really used as coin), the villagers are poor as a villager must be, they wasn't make to reward you with all the gold that they have, they are make it to give you task and feel the exploration sense of the world, they pay you with at maximum (in the best case) with 30 coins or a piece of meat with some bread.
You start by grabbing some mushrooms for the cook, you find the first wolf during the exploration and the research, you kill him easly and take the pelt and the meat from him and you see that a single pelt worth 30 coins, a lot! You go on on the mushrooms research and you find a pack of three wolves and you see not three wolves but 90 coins to buy the raw steel and make a startup sword for you sell the rusty iron sword that you find for the precious amount of 10 coins, you face they and you die, why? Strategy, they surrend you and during you're facing one from the front the other two are hitting you from the back.
End the quest and you're reward with something to eat, you'll do other side quest to buy a raw steel bar and make a sword, you doing the sword with 90 coins and see that the blacksmith have a good war axe for 150 coins so you think to sell the sword and earn 100 coins, buy a new raw steel bar for 90 coins and make a profit of 10 coins for each sword that you make.
You take a side quest that bring you in a challange against 4 villagers, one villager it's easy to kill, two are easy, three need a good strategy, but there is the fourth that is wearing an heavy iron greaves and it's resistent to your weak attacks, so retreat to eat something and kill him later.
After you want his armor set, at the blacksmith the cost is about 200 coins in a game where you earn about 15-20 coins for quest, so you start exploration for pelts and raw food, with the pelts you take the armor, with the food cooked heal yourself in a game where the less healing potion cost 120 coins and if you want to craft it you must search for multiple weeds and face enemies in an unknow land full of they that can kill you if you dont use a proper strategy and a good gear;

Make the point:

   -Side quests bring you around the world without a generous reward, you're boost to do it becouse everything can be usefull and you'll need it.

   -Potions are rare, they cost a lot and they are reserved for the magic classes more becouse with alchemy as base skill they can easy make these.

   -Armors aren't rare for a warrior class, but if you want these you must explore to find the good materials and craft it, if you want to buy it they cost a lot (in this game a good gear that  make you of steel can cost even 21000 coins and the reward from the quests still the same).

   -Food it's the best alternative to potions, especially if it's cooked, a raw piece of meat an heal the 5% of HP, a cooked one the 15% where the less healing potion can heal the 20%.

   -Since the general economy it's poor exploration with hunting, seaching for weeds o raw materials it's a must and you must explore and feel the growth of the character at the same  time.


It's this game give the feel of general challenge and incentivate the exploration? Yes.
Are the amount of enemy HP that change this stage? No, there isn't fun anyway.
There is a factor of exploitation? Yes, you need to explore, do more, understand and study a strategy for your character without exageration that can give you the feeling of growth of your character during the play time.

 

In the end you cover one of these major factor and i thank you so much, but stand at your video review about relationship between exploration and exploitation you need to see over the enemies AI, Skyrim need an overhaul in more fileds and you started very well, I whish you luck with your work

Regard

Veinwolf
 

P.S Sorry for my bad english :|

Edited August 31, 2013 by Veinwolf

[EtherealCoder]

@Veinwolf: Greetings! And, WOW, thank you for the detailed feedback!!!

 

Glad I was on-target with the movie and core drive behind this overhaul. Unfortunately, I never played Gothic, but I’m glad to hear that there were some titles that had a solid balance between Exploration and Exploitation.

 

As for your notes on The Elder Scrolls series and the economy: I’ve only played Skyrim, so please excuse any knowledge-gaps of prior games.

 

I agree that the “starting curve†was a little harsh. As a low-level character, you’re pretty much scrounging for everything – and though you have many options (food, potions, etc.), it takes a LONG TIME before you can really improve your equipment significantly.

 

Conversely, once you get to a certain level threshold, you’re pretty much invincible – only a handful of enemies can really damage you, and you’re so bloated with cash that you can easily get the best armor and weapons in the game.

 

So, yes, I completely agree with your conclusion that the economic curve can sharply dictate the player’s enjoyment of the game: When they’re too low level, exploration is dangerous. When they’re too high level, exploration leads to the same conclusion – easy kills on everything.

 

I would LOVE to see things like cooking and other bare necessities take on a more essential role – I know that some modders out there have introduced systems for food and shelter that are simply amazing.

 

Similarly, your comparison to Gothic’s economy seems appropriate: changing the relative cost of items can alter player behavior significantly, and can lead to a completely different approach to the game.

 

Ultimately, I agree with your premise – a different curve for equipment / stats augmentation would make Skyrim a completely different game. Implementing it would be tricky, but definitely do-able. Could I pull it off? Maybe.

 

In order to really do it right, I’d have to present the players with an alternative which was preferable to the worldwide system already in place – AND give extra incentives to abandon the current wealth / items they’ve amassed. In many ways, it’s almost like building a new game from scratch. I don’t know if I’m up to that challenge, as it would take a TON of research and time.

 

However, as I build new items and quests into the game, I will DEFINITELY keep your points in mind! You articulated the impact of the game’s economy very well, and it’s something that I need to carefully consider as I move forward.

Again, thank you for your time and input!!!

[Veinwolf]

Greetings to you, I'm glad that you've appreciate the feedback;
I know, it's hard to build up such idea inside a consolidated system, especially for the food and general item overhaul (putting a percent restore system against a timed one must be tricky, but give a sense to a lot of things even on highs levels), but for the equipment price and availability someone already made a good work, I'm talking about Skyrim Unleashed of Laast, hope that he could help you and thanks to you for your work, I'll follow you and support on the nexus as well for sure, may you have a nice day