The behavior of NPCs in video games is a topic that I tend to mull over a lot after the release of games from certain companies, such as Ubisoft and FromSoftware. My reflections always start from the same base: studios have spent years devoting a titanic effort of resources to the graphic section and have forgotten about others such as the AI of the characters that populate the worlds.
Star Wars: Outlaws has put the subject back on the table in my mind. I have nothing against Ubisoft and it’s no secret that I’m a die-hard fan of franchises like The Division, Ghost Recon y Assassin’s Creedbut I think they have particularly neglected the behavior of their characters.
The enemies of Outlaws Not only are they predictable, but they have exactly the same behavior as the drug dealers in Wildlands, the Wolves in Breakpoint, the guards in Watch Dogs: Legion, and any standard enemy in a Assassin’s CreedI’ve been playing all of these games for years and they all behave exactly the same. The most novel trick was pairing up in Breakpoint when you noticed something strange, but Batman Arkham Asylum already did that back in 2009.
Remembering the most infallible enemy I have faced
I’ve spoken to several friends and acquaintances about this over the past week. Many of them praise the work that FromSoftware does with their bosses. Many of them behave in a surprising and astonishing way, but they are convinced that the AI learns from us with each attempt. I disagree, but I do admit that they have some room for adaptation depending on the decisions we make in each attempt.
Others tend to remind me of the AI in franchises like Gears of War and The Division, which tend to take advantage of the chaos caused by their sheer numbers to flank you using the cover system. It’s true that they tend to be very creative when it comes to putting four bullets in your side.
Red Dead Redemption 2 also has some interesting details, especially regarding the wildlife, and Dead Space Remake does a good job of simulating its enemies as intelligent and unpredictable, even if many encounters are predefined by our steps. I’m sure you have some other examples in mind. I encourage you to share them.
In any case, I think the pinnacle of character behavior in video games is Alien: Isolation from 2014, and I doubt I’ll see anything as beastly as its Xenomorph again for a long time, especially considering the absurd race for graphics at the moment. If you paid even the slightest bit of attention while playing, I’m sure you already know where this is going.
On October 6th, 10 years have passed since the launch of Alien: IsolationThere is no better way to pay tribute to him than to remember how the damn Xenomorph made life impossible for all of us, especially those of us who knew how his behavior worked. Knowing this was not a relief, but rather fuel for paranoia and anxiety.
The Xenomorph’s behavior in Isolation has its intricacies. In summary, it can be classified as a Adaptive AIwhich means that it actually learns in real time from our actions, even when respawning after death. Literally everything you do is learning for the alien. It’s a fucking Terminator, but with a lot more bad temper. This is further divided into two systems:
- IA Directora (AI Director): monitors the Xenomorph’s behavior, but does not control it. This is the logical part of it. Its role is to maintain the tension of the game (when to approach and when to give breaths) to make the creature feel constantly threatened, it offers guidance to the creature by knowing where we are at all times, but without telling it directly; and it manages its behavior in response to other game events, such as encounters and environmental causes.
- Alien AI: Control the Xenomorph. This is its instinctive part, the essence of a predator and what really drives us crazy during the adventure. It uses its senses (sight, hearing, touch…) to locate the player. It gives the creature predatory autonomy, giving it the freedom to choose whether or not to follow a possible lead. In other words: it doesn’t fixate on a single stimulus and explores other options. Lastly, it is responsible for learning from the player’s behaviour.
The Xenomorph of Alien: Isolation Yes, it actively learns from our actions. It looks for us at all times, as happens when we alert the AI in Outlawsbut with the difference that it doesn’t follow fixed patterns or obsess over the latest clue. It doesn’t forget from one second to the next either. What makes this bug unbearable is that it gets the hang of our tricks. It doesn’t passively wait for us to do something, but rather actively seeks to get us to do something so it can pull the thread.
The most common thing that is said about this enemy is that it learns to look for you in the places where you used to be. If you use the tactic of distracting it with sounds to escape, it becomes more cautious. If you use hiding places like lockers or tables and it ends up catching you, the AI will know to look for those places in the future, because it has already hunted you there before. It also learns to fight you when you use the flamethrower, and it can even take a flame to hunt you down.
I have played twice Alien: Isolation And I wouldn’t repeat a third one. That beast knows all the tricks and the smarter you think you are, the more times you end up getting caught. Needless to say, it’s not infallible, but it does offer a strategic component that I haven’t needed too much in other games. It’s true that in Batman Arkham Knight (for example) they learn to look at heights, dark areas and in the cracks in the floor, but even so you have a lot of possibilities. With the Xenomorph it’s a constant tug of war, an exchange of knowledge, to see who is the most cunning.
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