Question (Poll) Do you prefer games with or without AI companions?

[WoodenSaucer]

You can tell them to go somewhere, but it's a bother to do so. A quick menu to give your companion orders would make them a lot less irritating.

Can you do that with companions that are forced on you for a time? Like in the Thieves Guild quest where you have to go with Mercer Frey into the Snow Veil Sanctum. You have no control over it. You're just forced to go with him, but he lets you lead, and he follows you around. He gets in the way all the time.

 

[ipman]

I don't think having a companion is about the character or player being lonely. That seems a weird idea!

But they can definitely enhance the game if done right. I've only just started GodofWar but isn't Atreus, Kratos's son and comanpanion.
And you can order him to attack with his bow.

Being able to call a bodyguard captain in SofW is the best. You can indicate which targets to take out.

 

[Colif]

ive played some game where you could click on companions and a radial menu would pop up showing what orders to give them. I can't tell you what it was as well... it was a while ago. Might have been Fallout NV actually.
Not all games give them total free will. Companion AI in games isn't up to the task yet.
reminds of a recent Wolfenstien game where you given a companion and can't proceed through areas unless they help. and half time they just stand in doorways being shot and blocking you at same time. Ending up taking too many shots and failing quest for you... Sacred 2 escort quest flashbacks... progress? 20 years later they still failing quests for you.

 

[Pifanjr]

Can you do that with companions that are forced on you for a time? Like in the Thieves Guild quest where you have to go with Mercer Frey into the Snow Veil Sanctum. You have no control over it. You're just forced to go with him, but he lets you lead, and he follows you around. He gets in the way all the time.

Right. I don't think you can do it with animals either, though I'm not 100% sure on that.

I haven't checked if there's a mod out there that makes companions less annoying to deal with. There probably is

 

[ipman]

I never had any trouble with the companions in Skyrim SE. Yes occasionally they block a door, but you soon adapt and by taking the character further into the room the companion follows.
Alea was great because if you bumped into enemy she would get straight in there and fight. Serana would stay back and blast them with powerful magic.

I think I just reach a point in the game, where I know I've got the combat skills, so I tend to pit one enemy against another, or use companions to assassinate. Just helping out if they get overwhelmed. It's more about thinking about enemy skills ad faillings and working out how to defeat them.

I do the same in SofW, picking the best captains to kill enemy ones. But I like the Nemesis system because it always throws wild cards in. You call your bodyguard and an enemy captain turns up, taunting you.
Then there's the betrayals.

Plus like in a few games you can have an animal companion; SofW a big white cat that kills to order, Arthur relies on having a good horse in RD2, one that laughs at wolves. Or in HZD Aloy can ride and create small armies of friendly robot/animals. Then draw an enemy into an ambush.

I think there's a lot of potential as AI companions have got better(was Skyrim the first? probably not)), especially if they can be controlled as well as act independantly. I think I had a mod in Skyrim that gave control.

Also like in SofW you can just dismiss them.

 

[WoodenSaucer]

I never had any trouble with the companions in Skyrim SE. Yes occasionally they block a door, but you soon adapt and by taking the character further into the room the companion follows.
Alea was great because if you bumped into enemy she would get straight in there and fight. Serana would stay back and blast them with powerful magic.

I think I just reach a point in the game, where I know I've got the combat skills, so I tend to pit one enemy against another, or use companions to assassinate. Just helping out if they get overwhelmed. It's more about thinking about enemy skills ad faillings and working out how to defeat them.

Usually when I play Skyrim, I end up gravitating toward building up my one-handed and light armor perks, as well as smithing and enchanting. I end up with all dragon armor and an enchanted one-handed sword, and I'm almost invincible by the end of that playthrough.

But the first time I ever played seriously, I got my Whiterun housecarl toward the beginning of the game, and I didn't know any better than to take her everywhere I went. At that point, I was still very weak, and I stumbled upon a camp of enemies that I knew were way too strong for me to fight at that point in the game. So I decided to just sneak past them. Right when we were at our closest point when passing them, Lydia jumped up and ran right at them, attacking. I tried to just keep sneaking, but she ruined it for me. Needless to say, I died pretty quickly because of that. And I definitely would have been able to sneak past them if I were alone.

 

[ipman]

It's funny how universally Lydia was disliked. I suppose I didn't do much sneaking in Skyrim, just plodded around on that red eyed horse. With my followers running behind. (I always imagine having a team of female protectors, glamourous and deadly).

My first game was Oblivion, I thought the faces were a bit freaky. But Skyrim SE really set the benchmark for open world games and set that sort of historic/mythological setting as a continuing genre.

Have you played SofW?

It's just it reminds me of Skyrim, except the main character really has skills(AI assisted I think), and it would be great if Skyrim characters could fight like that.

Also GodofWar is part of that genre.

 

[WoodenSaucer]

Have you played SofW?

I can't think of what SofW stands for...

 

[ZedClampet]

Hurk! Guaranteed to blow your whole Far Cry group up at some stage

I may have already told this story, but in FC5 in the mission to get Hurk's dad's truck back, when we got back to the house with the truck, Hurk was driving, and instead of pulling into the garage, he slammed at high speed into the garage wall. I sat there for a minute to see if he was going to do anything else and then got out of the car and started running towards the dad to let him know we got his truck. That's when Hurk decided to start backing up at full speed and ran over me. I was disabled on the ground waiting to be revived as I saw him back off the cliff to the left of the house. So much for his dad's truck.

Later we got a helicopter, and I decided to see what would happen if we let Hurk fly it. We lifted off the ground, went about 50 meters and came to a stop over a river. We sat there for a minute and then Hurk took us down until we hit the water. In FC5, if you hit the water in a helicopter you explode, so that was the second time he killed me.

I accidentally got him back later with a grenade launcher,

 

[ZedClampet]

I can't think of what SofW stands for...

I think it's Shadow of War maybe, one of the Lord of the Rings games.

 

[ipman]

I can't think of what SofW stands for...

It's Shadow of War.

It's basically a Tolkien inspired game with a god like(once you attain skills and weapons) character called Talion. Basically a knight defending his castles, but lots of region play. It's just good fun!

This video explains how the Nemesis system created stories and missions.(if you're interested).

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lm_AzK27mZY&ab_channel=GameMaker%27sToolkit

 

[WoodenSaucer]

It's Shadow of War.

It's basically a Tolkien inspired game with a god like(once you attain skills and weapons) character called Talion. Basically a knight defending his castles, but lots of region play. It's just good fun!

This video explains how the Nemesis system created stories and missions.(if you're interested).

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lm_AzK27mZY&ab_channel=GameMaker%27sToolkit

Ok. Yeah, I've seen them. I never could get into those LotR games. The books are my favorites, but I never liked the games. They seemed like they were almost entirely focused on the combat, and that's probably what I like the least about Skyrim.

 

[ipman]

Ok. Yeah, I've seen them. I never could get into those LotR games. The books are my favorites, but I never liked the games. They seemed like they were almost entirely focused on the combat, and that's probably what I like the least about Skyrim.

Yes It's not a game I would have even known existed, but a gamer recommended it because of that story generator. I haven't read Tolkien.

I think it can be played in many ways, I don't do much combat, unless cornered. It's mostly about Talion getting up high on the buildings, across ropes, zip wires etc, he's like an acrobatic parkour guy carrying out stealthily killing the more powerful orcs. It's really a stealth game, played that way. His bow is the best weapon and a stealth dagger.

But it weird because most people probably think the most violently graphic games are maybe war battles or shootouts in GTAV, but two innocuous games; Sniper Elite V2 with it's kill cam, slow mow and SofW are viseral.

The way the Nemesis system uses everything you do in game to generate stories involving many characters is what makes it addictive.

Again all these ideas are possibilities to make gaming more interesting and engaging.

 

[WoodenSaucer]

Yes It's not a game I would have even known existed, but a gamer recommended it because of that story generator. I haven't read Tolkien.

I think it can be played in many ways, I don't do much combat, unless cornered. It's mostly about Talion getting up high on the buildings, across ropes, zip wires etc, he's like an acrobatic parkour guy carrying out stealthily killing the more powerful orcs. It's really a stealth game, played that way. His bow is the best weapon and a stealth dagger.

But it weird because most people probably think the most violently graphic games are maybe war battles or shootouts in GTAV, but two innocuous games; Sniper Elite V2 with it's kill cam, slow mow and SofW are viseral.

The way the Nemesis system uses everything you do in game to generate stories involving many characters is what makes it addictive.

Again all these ideas are possibilities to make gaming more interesting and engaging.

If it's a stealth game, then I may like it.

 

[Brian Boru]

AI companions have got better(was Skyrim the first? probably not)

First companion I played is Dog from Half Life 2.

 

[Zloth]

Not sure what Middle Earth: Shadow of War has to do with this? The nemesis system is cool, but those are enemies, not companions!

 

[Brian Boru]

I may like it

Currently 85% off on GOG:

Shadow of War

PS the GOG version is DRM-free, whereas Steam has Denuvo, a DRM with a checkered history.

 

[ipman]

Not sure what Middle Earth: Shadow of War has to do with this? The nemesis system is cool, but those are enemies, not companions!

I think I mentioned that there is companions, or bodyguards in SofW, plus a caragor or spiders you can call to do your bidding. Plus the Nemesis system also sends enemies sometimes when you request your bodyguard.

 

[ipman]

Currently 85% off on GOG:

Shadow of War

PS the GOG version is DRM-free, whereas Steam has Denuvo, a DRM with a checkered history.

Yes I think I picked up game, DLC and graphic upgrade for about £8 on Steam(sale).

@WoodenSaucer Which other stealth games do you play?(I'm always looking for new ones)

I particularly like stealth games; Sniper Elite V2, SofW, HZD are all good for stealth and necessary.

In the first two if you come out of stealth mode, the AI enemies are really aggressive(SofW on Gravewalker), also in HZD stealth gets you past large robots.

 

[WoodenSaucer]

Yes I think I picked up game, DLC and graphic upgrade for about £8 on Steam(sale).

@WoodenSaucer Which other stealth games do you play?(I'm always looking for new ones)

I particularly like stealth games; Sniper Elite V2, SofW, HZD are all good for stealth and necessary.

In the first two if you come out of stealth mode, the AI enemies are really aggressive(SofW on Gravewalker), also in HZD stealth gets you past large robots.

I love the Thief game from 2014. And you can't go wrong with the Dishonored games.

 

[ipman]

I love the Thief game from 2014. And you can't go wrong with the Dishonored games.

Thanks I'll check it out.

I think it is good to have an AI companion to watch your character's back. But they could be so much more.

Another good game series for stealth is the WD's. I remember in WD1, Aiden was stealthily working his way through a compound and had Jordi high up covering him with a sniper rifle and giving him info on enemy. That's the sort of help a stealth player needs.

So future companions only need a few controls. Take out target, fight for me or dismiss like SofW, or cover me with sniper rifle.

I just got into the first Boss fight in GodofWar and without his son distracting with his bow and arrows, Kratos wouldn't stand a chance.

And thats another aspect of AI companions like in GofW or HZD, it allows the game to explore father son relationship, and daughter father in HZD. Which some might see as gaming maturing.

 

[Brian Boru]

series for stealth is the WD's

Western Digital drives can be very quiet, true.

A bit of DuckDuckGoing reveals all… Watch Dogs!

Good stealth:
Crysis & Warhead
All Far Cry series
Ghost Recon—I think series, but Wildlands for sure
Metal Gear Solid the Phantom Pain
Sniper Ghost Warrior series—I've only played 3 & some Contracts
Sniper Elite 4

 

[WoodenSaucer]

You guys are mentioning Sniper Elite. I tried out the newest one, and I just couldn't get into it. The controls, or animation, or something, just felt clunky to me.

 

[Pifanjr]

Western Digital drives can be very quiet, true.

A bit of DuckDuckGoing reveals all… Watch Dogs!

Good stealth:
Crysis & Warhead
All Far Cry series
Ghost Recon—I think series, but Wildlands for sure
Metal Gear Solid the Phantom Pain
Sniper Ghost Warrior series—I've only played 3 & some Contracts
Sniper Elite 4

I want to add Mark of the Ninja to this list. And the Assassin's Creed series of course.

 

[WoodenSaucer]

Someone probably needs to make a stealth thread, but Deus Ex does stealth, too.