Am I alone in disliking invincible NPC allies in FPS games?

[Brawndo]

I literally cannot remember the last FPS I played that had NPC allies that could be killed. It has basically become a staple feature of the genre. Sure, sometimes there are nameless grunts on your side who can be gunned down, but even they usually die scripted deaths just to highlight the supposed danger the player is facing (for a particularly egregious example, play the Vorkuta mission in Black Ops; almost all of the NPC prisoners die the same way every playthrough).

I look back to the old days of Perfect Dark and Rainbow Six with nostalgia. The reason I liked having NPCs that could die is that it made me feel more like I was merely part of the action, rather than the focal point, and the action was real, not just that everyone was making a fuss of fighting to entertain me. I also liked knowing that enemies would actively combat NPCs, and not just all aim for me like I was wearing a giant neon sign.

Now I'm sure many of you will argue that mortal NPCs automatically equals the dreaded ESCORT MISSION, but AI has come a long way from the N64 generation. Also, there can even be a happy medium: instead of NPC allies getting killed permanently, there could be a mechanic where when story-critical NPCS take enough damage they become incapacitated, and the player or another NPC must "revive" them in some manner. This way players are not punished for stupid suicidal AI, but at the same time, you cannot just hide behind cover while your computer-controlled comrades kill everything (*cough* Cuba mission *cough*).

 

[inglioti]

Yeah, I hate it when one random NPC just takes a minigun to the face for a couple of seconds, and then runs and hides. It's also annoying to see them firing and not killing anything, or just flip flopping around acting like scenery.

On the other side of the equation, it's god damn annoying when they all die instantly. A happy medium should ensue -

I just finished Mass Effect 2 and liked that - although the squad members were a bit dumb at times. They did stuff though.

 

[Z of the Na'vi]

But, if you have invincible NPC's, it means you can punch your Dad into an unconscious mess and leave him drooling onto his office floor while you hop around jumping and spinning, not taking the G.O.A.T.

In the end, isn't that what it's about?

 

[Worgen]

I would rather have invincible ones then ones that are stupid and die and make you have to restart

 

[AmrasCalmacil]

Modern Warfare allows non-plot characters to die in battle, so does Halo, and ArmA, and Operation Flashpoint, and I'm sure there must be more.

The system you mentioned though is already in Rainbow Six: Vegas 2. If one of your teammates is down you have to go and revive him with a handy syringe, or order the other AI squadmate to do it.

 

[Hero in a half shell]

It took me a while to get used to it, I always had to work hard in MOH Allied Assault to keep my allies alive, they could handle themselves, but getting them ALL to the end of the level alive added a bit of threat and challenge, even though I played the level hundreds of times. It took me a while to realise that my teammates in COD4 MW were unkillable, and then I never paid them any attention again, I was as much a team player as DOOM guy, because I didn't need to worry about them.

It was be annoying when my allies would die, but having them unkillable removes a bit of their humanity and relatability.

 

[Netrigan]

About the only one that struck a decent balance for me was Half-Life 2, where Alyx wasn't fragile, but she could be killed. During low-ammo areas, I'd usually let her do all the shooting, but in a proper siege, I couldn't hide in a corner and expect her to survive.

Otherwise it's one of the following.

1) Indestructible teammates that make you the worst in just about every fight.
2) Indestructible teammates that can't kill anything that only exist to split the enemy AI's attention and break immersion when you realize they've been battling the same cannon-fodder enemy for the last 15 minutes.
3) Disposable teammates that are constantly being killed and replaced by other disposable teammates.
4) Essential teammates that you have to constantly monitor because they die easily and enjoy playing in traffic.
5) Indestructible teammates who have no concept of tactics and exist to jump in front of your gun-fire.

Then there's the patented Gears Of War teammate AI, which goes running into fights, gets their ass handed to them in three seconds, then expect you to tussle their hair and make them feel better.

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

The reason developers make NPCs invincible is because they have badly programmed AI, and would die just as easily as any of the idiot enemies if given half a chance. That's also the reason why the PC has to do all the work, because the NPCs are programmed with the same terrible aim as the enemies.

 

[Twilight_guy]

You mean like what they did in Fallout(twice)?

Other NPCs are killable (all of them except kids anyway) unless they are key characters. In fact when you do have an allies you can turn right around and stab him in the fac yourself if you'd like.

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

About the only one that struck a decent balance for me was Half-Life 2, where Alyx wasn't fragile, but she could be killed. During low-ammo areas, I'd usually let her do all the shooting, but in a proper siege, I couldn't hide in a corner and expect her to survive.

I'm not sure what you're talking about, both Alyx and Dog were virtually invincible.

Alyx regenerates health faster than damage can be done to her, and Dog has more health than all of the weapons in the game could possibly do damage to him.

It's not possible to kill either one in game.

 

[Mr. Omega]

It's a "lesser of two evils" thing... that's all I've got to say.

 

[bushwhacker2k]

but AI has come a long way from the N64 generation.

Either I clearly do not remember the N64 generation or we are playing different games, AI still blows last I checked.

 

[Netrigan]

About the only one that struck a decent balance for me was Half-Life 2, where Alyx wasn't fragile, but she could be killed. During low-ammo areas, I'd usually let her do all the shooting, but in a proper siege, I couldn't hide in a corner and expect her to survive.

I'm not sure what you're talking about, both Alyx and Dog were virtually invincible.

Alyx regenerates health faster than damage can be done to her, and Dog has more health than all of the weapons in the game could possibly do damage to him.

It's not possible to kill either one in game.

I've had her die in some of the major enemy assaults. I was playing on Hard, so this might be the difference.

In any event, I felt she held her own well enough that I didn't feel completely rushed during battles... but I wasn't able to just let her handle it. I knew as long as I kept fighting, I'd be the one who failed, not her... but at the same time, if I tried to hide and let her do all the heavy lifting, I'd lose.

 

[lacktheknack]

How about what Silent Hill 4 did?

Eileen is freaking invincible (which is ironic, now that I think about it), but if she takes too much damage, she'll pass out in the short run and have horrible things happen to her in the long run, potentially affecting your ending.

Basically, you COULD stand by and let her murder all the tongue-dogs and twin-ghosts herself with her purse (cleaning up as she passes out), but don't be surprised when she begins screaming for her mommy and smacking you in a fit of bizarreness before fleeing into very plot-relevant danger.

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

About the only one that struck a decent balance for me was Half-Life 2, where Alyx wasn't fragile, but she could be killed. During low-ammo areas, I'd usually let her do all the shooting, but in a proper siege, I couldn't hide in a corner and expect her to survive.

I'm not sure what you're talking about, both Alyx and Dog were virtually invincible.

Alyx regenerates health faster than damage can be done to her, and Dog has more health than all of the weapons in the game could possibly do damage to him.

It's not possible to kill either one in game.

I've had her die in some of the major enemy assaults. I was playing on Hard, so this might be the difference.

In any event, I felt she held her own well enough that I didn't feel completely rushed during battles... but I wasn't able to just let her handle it. I knew as long as I kept fighting, I'd be the one who failed, not her... but at the same time, if I tried to hide and let her do all the heavy lifting, I'd lose.

It takes five simultaneous Overwatch Sniper Rifle shots to kill her. If the shots aren't simultaneous then she'll live through them because she regens health almost instantly after taking any damage. Her dying is VERY unlikely, so the fact that it happened to you means that you're really unlucky.

 

[Netrigan]

About the only one that struck a decent balance for me was Half-Life 2, where Alyx wasn't fragile, but she could be killed. During low-ammo areas, I'd usually let her do all the shooting, but in a proper siege, I couldn't hide in a corner and expect her to survive.

I'm not sure what you're talking about, both Alyx and Dog were virtually invincible.

Alyx regenerates health faster than damage can be done to her, and Dog has more health than all of the weapons in the game could possibly do damage to him.

It's not possible to kill either one in game.

I've had her die in some of the major enemy assaults. I was playing on Hard, so this might be the difference.

In any event, I felt she held her own well enough that I didn't feel completely rushed during battles... but I wasn't able to just let her handle it. I knew as long as I kept fighting, I'd be the one who failed, not her... but at the same time, if I tried to hide and let her do all the heavy lifting, I'd lose.

It takes five simultaneous Overwatch Sniper Rifle shots to kill her. If the shots aren't simultaneous then she'll live through them because she regens health almost instantly after taking any damage. Her dying is VERY unlikely, so the fact that it happened to you means that you're really unlucky.

Maybe my memory lies. It's been ages since I played it. But I swear I remember her dying during some of the major Combine assaults... more than once.

 

[Netrigan]

About the only one that struck a decent balance for me was Half-Life 2, where Alyx wasn't fragile, but she could be killed. During low-ammo areas, I'd usually let her do all the shooting, but in a proper siege, I couldn't hide in a corner and expect her to survive.

I'm not sure what you're talking about, both Alyx and Dog were virtually invincible.

Alyx regenerates health faster than damage can be done to her, and Dog has more health than all of the weapons in the game could possibly do damage to him.

It's not possible to kill either one in game.

I've had her die in some of the major enemy assaults. I was playing on Hard, so this might be the difference.

In any event, I felt she held her own well enough that I didn't feel completely rushed during battles... but I wasn't able to just let her handle it. I knew as long as I kept fighting, I'd be the one who failed, not her... but at the same time, if I tried to hide and let her do all the heavy lifting, I'd lose.

It takes five simultaneous Overwatch Sniper Rifle shots to kill her. If the shots aren't simultaneous then she'll live through them because she regens health almost instantly after taking any damage. Her dying is VERY unlikely, so the fact that it happened to you means that you're really unlucky.

Youtube video of her dying. So, I guess my memory didn't lie.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqvdwuxOD5U

 

[TH3_D15HWA5H3R]

theres nothing id love more then to shot my ally in the back and tea bag his NPC corpse... i hate team mates... i roll alone

 

[WolfEdge]

I typically stop complaining about it when one jumps in front of my sniper scope.