BF3 Hands-On: Artificial Intelligence Analysis

After playing the first four levels of Battlefield 3's
single-player campaign it looks like I should temper my expectations
and dismount the hype train. There's no denying how fantastic the
Frostbite 2.0-powered visuals appear, but that's only one facet of this
shooter: I'm interested in how the game's Artificial Intelligence
performs under the heat of battle. Will the enemies have the IQ to flank
my position, or will they charge headlong into my bullets? What happens
if I play devil's advocate and ignore the objectives, how will my squad
mates perform? These were the important A.I. behavioral questions I
wanted to answer during a recent look at Battlefield 3's campaign.

We've no complaints with the graphical prowess.



Friendly Fire
My squad is very good at going to their predetermined locations, but not
much else. The set pieces are scripted, with my squad's behavior
consisting of kicking down doors or diving for cover. Unlike co-op
there's no revive mechanic in case someone on my team becomes
incapacitated. The upside is that I don't have to worry about them
taking too many bullets (their fates are tied solely to how the game
plays out). They like to hang back in their cover positions and wait for
me to complete the marked objectives, occasionally picking off an
incoming enemy who exhibits little more than an ability to charge and
pop into cover.

"Enemy troops have me surrounded and pour forth from a spawn tunnel like mindless target drones..."
These
observations are taking place in the "Operation Swordbreaker" level,
which kicks off in a vacant parking lot. Enemy troops have me surrounded
and pour forth from a spawn tunnel like mindless target drones, an
infinite supply of bullet sponges that won't stop until I take out two
marked targets in an adjacent building. No matter how long I stood to
the side of the spawn tunnel, picking off waves of enemies, my squad
wouldn't make a conscious effort to take out the two marked enemies in
the building until I personally satisfied the mission objectives.

Later in the level I'm pinned down on a rooftop as incoming sniper
rounds pass overhead. I follow the squad leader's commands and crawl
into cover. Again, the responsibility falls to me in order to take out
the sniper (with a rocket launcher no less) because I'm "the best shot."
I don't mind these scripted events -- they're designed to make me feel
like the best soldier in the world -- and the results of a rocket
blasting a chunk out of a building is radical.

Squaddies don't seem to notice your presence.



Enemy Intelligence
The enemy A.I. seems to be less robotic than my mates with their
behavior changing based on the situation... but it's not perfect. In one
spot during the "Uprising" level, two of them appeared to be on a
coffee break, completely ignoring a firefight that was taking place just
a few yards away. Only after I tossed a grenade at their feet did they
snap out of their relaxed state and get involved in the battle.

It
appears that many of the enemy soldiers haven't graduated from Combat
101, rarely taking a conscious effort to flank my position, electing to
stay in cover and pelt at me from a distance. This same behavior was
true for both open areas and tight corridor environments. Later in the
same level it becomes clear they're either incredibly brave or
remarkably stupid, running directly into the righteous fire of my Humvee
.50 cal without a care in the world. Granted, this behavior almost
suits this turret section, but it'd be nice if they'd at least attempt
to stay alive.

I'm aware this is the early part of the game that's typically reserved
to teach players how the game works. My hope is that there will be more
involved scenarios in the later parts of the campaign where I work
hand-in-hand with my squad mates, instead of them waiting for me to
perform every objective. Still, I'm concerned about the awareness (or
lack thereof) for some of these enemy encounters.

Not quite Einstein
With the retail release just a few weeks away, these behaviors are
fairly indicative of what the final A.I. routines will be capable of, at
least during the early missions from the game's single-player campaign.
From what I've seen it appears the campaign will stick to the formula
of scripted scenes and relying on infinite enemy spawn locations, along
with my ability to take care of mission objectives (ala Call of Duty).
Like previous Battlefield games it appears the multiplayer component
will be the real highlight rather than the much hyped campaign, but I'll
reserve final judgment until the game hits retail.


Spy Guy says:
Given we've seen very little of Battlefield 3's singleplayer campaign
up until now, I'm not too surprised that it's not quite the holy grail
of cinematic solo shooting that it's been hyped up to be. Does it really
matter though, considering you'll spend exponentially more time with
its multiplayer? Sound off in the comments.

I AGREE