creator of zombies,
Your feedback assessment is quite accurate.
I presume which is always a bad thing that the current level of DARK AI behaviour is somewhat of a basic start point in this further development of FPSC and that the AI is or will be extensible by TGC and the end user and not fixed in source. That it will be extensible via further updates by TGC or through the use of user developed .fpi scripting and or the editor properties dialogue box for an AI entity.
For example as you have pointed out in an outdoor area I use for testing purposes with a large number of enemy AI it is certainly possible to kill them all easily without even getting anywhere near them as they have no idea (cant see the player) you exist if not near them. Neither will they shoot first at the player from a distance of course as they are unaware of your existance (by default) When they do attack their AI response intelligence and animation sequences/behaviours are very limited, by and large providing somewhat static targets easily killed.
I am sure there are many improvements could be made by both TGC and users if the source will provide for the possibility.
My own AI scripts used with versions prior to the introduction of V117 which I had spent some little time developing provide for much harder enemies to kill with rather more awareness of the player and behavioral response when under attack or attacking the player.
However the current DARK AI despite any drawbacks and current bugs or issues has numerous benefits not least of all decent obstacle avoidance and the support for allies. The rest one hopes can and will be improved by TGC on their part and by the user for their part. Hopefully this is not the end but the beginning of better to come for the AI.
Ideally it would be nice to aim for an in editor capability to set up your AI as required through a variety of choices inside the Editor. e.g. choose level of intelligence, attack animations for distance attack or close attack (prone/straffe), approach animations (straffe/straight) or even a choice of a mixture of random behaviours so that characters - an individual one or all do not have the same behaviour so that any individual character might behave differently from one moment to another.
There is already an incling of this as AI responds to obstacles and health and player distance. Of course they dont do much thinking at any time as their in built choices for any kind of decision making are either fixed as you see or non existant - so what they need are more choices and better awareness and response times (they are a bit slow in that area). That means more intelligent AI and more processing power and possibly slower fps.
When V117 is or if ever is completed as it were and has a level of stability then I am sure that all concerned will be able to look at how the AI can be improved and there will be improvements. How far that can be successful depends upon the core engine so whats needed from TGC is to give the users that help and the users will do the rest.
No different to whats always been the case.
The users will use and push the engine and what can be done with it no problem, they just need the core engine to provide the opportunity without which they can do nothing.
TGC are making some of the improvements users have asked for and needed. We dont know quite where we will be in a few months hence but by then I am sure we will have a much better idea of what the users can do with what they will get.
The main issue I fear is not better AI which you have in theory at least it is still gameplay and gameplay speeds in levels both indoors and out worthy of holding it. In the future if you can make a full game, how big will it be? how many levels? how will you store it or distribute it? and can anyone without the latest in super computer technology play it? Not sure how that will equate to the internet? multiplayer or playing a game in a web browser seems to be asking too much except for a simplified small level. A full game I dont see it.
Keep your eye on the product and the Showcase board to see what appears.
