So mobs have great pathfinding AI. And yet they still seem stupid and don't provide
much of a challenge. Why is that? While pathfinding AI was improved, the same basic
combat AI used in early alpha is still used today. If the combat AI were improved, maybe
surviving at night WOULDN'T be so easy.
Zombies
Zombies are traditionaly swarm-based enemies, so let's work with that.
First of all, they should be able to see players from further away, maybe around
25 blocks, and sense them through walls from 7 blocks away. When a zombie
targets a player, any zombie currently without a target will follow that zombie until
they get within range of a player themselves, assuming the zombie is in sight.
Also, they should use a sort of swarm attacking AI. Each zombie would maneuver
around the player to attack at a random angle, instead of all of them just charging
straight at you and being easily pushed back with spam-clicking.
Skeletons
Skeletons, being archers, should have farther eyesight than most overworld mobs.
They can now see up to 35 blocks away, but can not sense players through blocks
at all. They can fire from 20 blocks away. They will ALWAYS try to stay at a distance
of 6-8 blocks from their target, even running backwards. They can still be caught up to
of course, just not as easily. Additionally, they will try to position themselves at an
angle behind zombies where they can still fire past them, but the player is likely to get hit
if they charge straight ahead.
Spiders
Spiders would retain their current eyesight/sense radius. At a distance
of around 5-6 blocks, the spider will leap at the player occasionally. They
will also randomly gain a 1-second 50% speed boost when near the player,
sort of like a "strike" attack.
Creepers
Creepers will become even more crafty and creepy. The player will be
given a "field of alert", a cone which follows the field of view, but is 50%
wider. It serves no pupose for the player. Creepers start out in stealth mode.
In stealth mode, they will sneak around, moving behind the nearest opaque
block when they come into the player's field of alert. They will keep sneaking
up closer and closer until they get into striking range. When the creeper comes
within the inner 30% of the field of view, it realizes that it has been spotted, and
charge at the player as fast as a spider. They will also have a vision range of
28 blocks, and once they target a player, they can track the player over 40 blocks
away and through walls. If the creeper can not find a way to the player, they
will blow up the blocks nearest to the player.
With all of these changes, exploring uncharted caves or walking around at night
would be just as tense and exciting as doing those things in a survival game should be.
Before someone says "HURRR DURR NOPE THIS IZ NOT ZLEDA OR SKYRIM", that's
my point exactly. The current mobs feel like enemies from an action-RPG rather than
a wilderness survival thriller.
Perhaps, or maybe as a sepearate "Extreme Survival" mode where you can still change the difficulty
setting to adjust the ammount of damage mobs do and various special behavior like door breaking.
If you make mobs better without being harder, then you have my support. These suggestions are great, but they would make the game much more difficult, and the only way I can think to compensate for that is to reduce the damage done by mobs.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
This signature is currently under construction. We apologize for the inconvenience, and are doing our best to resume our normally scheduled wittiness and derision of copypasta signatures.
much of a challenge. Why is that? While pathfinding AI was improved, the same basic
combat AI used in early alpha is still used today. If the combat AI were improved, maybe
surviving at night WOULDN'T be so easy.
Zombies
Zombies are traditionaly swarm-based enemies, so let's work with that.
First of all, they should be able to see players from further away, maybe around
25 blocks, and sense them through walls from 7 blocks away. When a zombie
targets a player, any zombie currently without a target will follow that zombie until
they get within range of a player themselves, assuming the zombie is in sight.
Also, they should use a sort of swarm attacking AI. Each zombie would maneuver
around the player to attack at a random angle, instead of all of them just charging
straight at you and being easily pushed back with spam-clicking.
Skeletons
Skeletons, being archers, should have farther eyesight than most overworld mobs.
They can now see up to 35 blocks away, but can not sense players through blocks
at all. They can fire from 20 blocks away. They will ALWAYS try to stay at a distance
of 6-8 blocks from their target, even running backwards. They can still be caught up to
of course, just not as easily. Additionally, they will try to position themselves at an
angle behind zombies where they can still fire past them, but the player is likely to get hit
if they charge straight ahead.
Spiders
Spiders would retain their current eyesight/sense radius. At a distance
of around 5-6 blocks, the spider will leap at the player occasionally. They
will also randomly gain a 1-second 50% speed boost when near the player,
sort of like a "strike" attack.
Creepers
Creepers will become even more crafty and creepy. The player will be
given a "field of alert", a cone which follows the field of view, but is 50%
wider. It serves no pupose for the player. Creepers start out in stealth mode.
In stealth mode, they will sneak around, moving behind the nearest opaque
block when they come into the player's field of alert. They will keep sneaking
up closer and closer until they get into striking range. When the creeper comes
within the inner 30% of the field of view, it realizes that it has been spotted, and
charge at the player as fast as a spider. They will also have a vision range of
28 blocks, and once they target a player, they can track the player over 40 blocks
away and through walls. If the creeper can not find a way to the player, they
will blow up the blocks nearest to the player.
With all of these changes, exploring uncharted caves or walking around at night
would be just as tense and exciting as doing those things in a survival game should be.
Before someone says "HURRR DURR NOPE THIS IZ NOT ZLEDA OR SKYRIM", that's
my point exactly. The current mobs feel like enemies from an action-RPG rather than
a wilderness survival thriller.
Perhaps, or maybe as a sepearate "Extreme Survival" mode where you can still change the difficulty
setting to adjust the ammount of damage mobs do and various special behavior like door breaking.
Agreed! I support this guy!
Every brony wants to be a pony!.