Skyrim truly looks outdated and average

[dmase]

Getting simple AI to detect textures is hard when working with basic programs. It has to check openings and what not. You can't even use games like God of War as proof because those are scripted events, almost everything that isn't considered environment can be moved or manipulated. And physics in game are really hard.

Oblivion is trying to make it feel and look as real as possible and in the process it looks fake. They can only improve upon themselves but don't expect the realization you seek for another generation or two at least.

Personally I loved the new visuals. I was disappointed by the environments looking very much the same but the characters are impressively more detailed then in the last game.

 

[Demonic Gama]

I think the issue with the AI is somewhat of an aesthetic one, not in the AI itself. There is no animation to indicate that the character is searching for you, but it is happening in the code. The problem with this is a lot of AI animations can force the game to be more restrictive, as there needs to be proper context and in a world as big as Skyrim, it seems to be that it would be very difficult to apply properly.

 

[Smithburg]

Bethesda are the masters of hyping up their games, and exaggerating new game mechanics to make them seem better than they actually are.

I think you mean Lionhead lol

 

[Smithburg]

The game does look pretty average. I just can't wait to be playing Hardcore, have next to no healing items or equipment and WHAM! Dragon shows up. Try to run? Nope, it's going to hunt you. Drop everything useless and cower in a cave for a while? Plan.

Or, if your out in the open... RUN ***** RUUUUUUUUUUUUNNNN!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!

 

[Lilani]

-snip-

I think it's rather unfair and snobby to be judging Bethesda's validity and aptitude as a developer on grainy videos of their unfinished game. How about waiting until you play the final product for yourself before deciding they're inept? I mean, the release date is in November for a reason. They're not quite done yet. They've still got some kinks to work out and details to polish up.

Also, even after reading your edit, you seem to know very little about AI if your standard is really 100% PERFECTION. The fact is, nothing is perfect. And comparing something like Skyrim to a sports or RTS game makes no sense. Those are totally different types of AI and situations. The sports and RTS AI is a bit easier to program because it is much more detached. The gameplay is closer to a game of chess--navigating pieces strategically from a distance. You're not in there in the first person and intimately interacting with the AI at such a close range. The closer you are to something, the clearer its faults will be. Also, there are generally fewer possible scenarios and choices the AI has to process and react to in 3rd person strategic situations like that.

AI is something that has steadily improved as video games have evolved, and gameplay has evolved as well. And the level of control the player has has also drastically increased and improved. But we still have a lot to learn. Even IBM's Watson was outsmarted a few times on Jeopardy. The greatest computer programmers in the world have not managed to duplicate the complex nature of the human mind, creating an AI that has a protocol for every situation. So why on earth should you expect such a rigid level of perfection from game programmers? Sure we should expect and get our money's worth, but at the same time, cut them a bit of slack.

Even the most acclaimed video games of all time have their bugs and flaws. What makes them great isn't a lack of bugs--it's the overall experience that matters. Because when you're playing a great game, you hardly even notice those bugs until your second playthrough. A truly great game will suck you in, and won't easily allow you to come out of the experience long enough to start picking apart the details.

 

[Instant K4rma]

Criticizing a Bethesda game for shoddy AI? What's next? Criticizing a Blizzard game for having its release date pushed back?

 

[Wolfhowl the shadow lurker]

how dare you! how dare you oblivions AI was not that bad

i think your just looking for things to complain about if you have fun with it then you have fun stop worrying about it

in the end skyrim WILL be an epic game and WILL win game of the year again

 

[Deadyawn]

dude, It's bethesda...What did you expect?

 

[trsmassive]

A lot of trolls are saying that I am demanding perfection or I am insulting the developers' work, this is not true, I WILL enjoy the game like everybody else here, but the point is this will feel like a more complete experience for me with AI which doesn't stare at walls for 5 seconds. That is all.

 

[Apollo45]

The only issue I'm seeing in the things you mentioned is the guy's buddy getting shot and him challenging the wall. I agree that part did look a bit iffy, but the rest of it seems a non-issue to me. The skeleton guy pausing for two seconds? Try a fraction of a second after recovering from busting through a wall, and the pause was more of a 'where exactly is this guy? Ok, he's there. Let me get my weapons ready and there I go' than 'doh, wall, pwetty'. I'm guessing the ragdoll physics will be pretty much the same as Oblivion, with a couple tweaks, and I have no problem whatsoever with that since I always found being able to smash a body against a wall like that entertaining as hell.

 

[Kefo]

A lot of trolls are saying that I am demanding perfection or I am insulting the developers' work, this is not true, I WILL enjoy the game like everybody else here, but the point is this will feel like a more complete experience for me with AI which doesn't stare at walls for 5 seconds. That is all.

Then you are more then welcome to show up at the Bethesda offices and show them how to properly code AI, making sure to include every known scenario that could possibly happen and for ones that you cant think of because of player ingenuity.

 

[Racecarlock]

Oh shut up and laugh. Stupid AI is hilarious. I've seen them try to drive cars through walls more times than I can count. And that was in GTA IV. The way I see it, dumb AI is a staple of gaming. It is the comedy if you will. Sure, it shouldn't really be there, but it is hilarious. It's schadenfreude but without real people so you won't feel ashamed later. If that's not cool, I don't know what is.

 

[Lullabye]

A lot of trolls are saying that I am demanding perfection or I am insulting the developers' work, this is not true, I WILL enjoy the game like everybody else here, but the point is this will feel like a more complete experience for me with AI which doesn't stare at walls for 5 seconds. That is all.

Honestly I think you ARE insulting the developers work. If you van name 1 game with your "perfect A.I" that also includes under it's repetoire:
Dynamic environments
Dynamic boss fights
A large, high quality world almost completely open to exploration and interaction with A.I that reacts to it as well.
,then i will concede my point.

The A.I is improved from other Bethesda games but because of the millions of variables that this game allows Bethesda needs to use an A.I model that works with the rest of their game. This ISN'T Shogun total war, the map is not one small arena with the A.I only having to move and tell units to attack other player units in the area. It's A.I's cannot be dedicated to doing one task and one task only. Even the NPC's in villages are programmed for choppy Bethesda combat.
Which brings me to my final point, I don't think your beef is really with the "A.I" overall, but with the "Combat A.I." Which quite frankly I'm not going to defend as being amazing or anything(though the dragon A.I looks amazahh).
But my question is, why did you make a thread bitching about this if you are STILL going to buy the game and "enjoy it".

 

[Jezzascmezza]

I'm more than happy to overlook the problems you mentioned, as they don't really bother me much at all.
I'm not buying Skyrim for its AI.
Or its physics.
I just want a big immersive world full of stuff to fight and things to do.

 

[skywolfblue]

A lot of trolls are saying that I am demanding perfection or I am insulting the developers' work, this is not true, I WILL enjoy the game like everybody else here, but the point is this will feel like a more complete experience for me with AI which doesn't stare at walls for 5 seconds. That is all.

Honestly I think you ARE insulting the developers work. If you van name 1 game with your "perfect A.I" that also includes under it's repetoire:
Dynamic environments
Dynamic boss fights
A large, high quality world almost completely open to exploration and interaction with A.I that reacts to it as well.
,then i will concede my point.

Red Dead Redemption.
Assassins Creed.

Bethesda is just rather bad at developing AI.

AI for me is one of those things where it goes wrong it can kill the immersion very quickly. I'd rather take a game with slightly worse graphics with flawless AI interaction.

 

[Octorok]

A lot of trolls are saying that I am demanding perfection or I am insulting the developers' work, this is not true, I WILL enjoy the game like everybody else here, but the point is this will feel like a more complete experience for me with AI which doesn't stare at walls for 5 seconds. That is all.

Hey, I'm with you. The AI in that video is unacceptable for release. However, that footage is months old by now, and even by then it might not have been new.

Give them time. Doubtless, it being a Bethesda game, there will be some iffy AI moments, but they'll be tweaking it and fixing it right up until release. I trust that it won't be the slow mess it was in that video.

 

[RemuValtrez]

The main thing I want to point out with the killing of the bandit's friend, is that he was sneaking when shooting, and with how they said they changed the lighting, it makes a difference. Sneak shooting will make it so you will not instantly be noticed. I mean, think about it. You attack someone from darkness at range, they won't know you're there right away. It would break the sneak factor. Also worth noting is you don't exactly know how high his skill was when playing, you can see his other skills while playing, destruction being 73 if I remember correctly. The higher skill = the more benefits you get. If this wasn't implemented like it seems to be, sneaking would be nearly worthless.

As for the dragon attacking the troll, it looks like it has rag doll physics, noting how it's legs suddenly fall backwards.

And as stated, this game is still a few months from release. This is the time where the little things get ironed out so it isn't all buggy for buyers.

I am very eager for this game to come out overall though ^.^

 

[Shadrouge]

Honestly I think you ARE insulting the developers work. 1. If you van name 1 game with your "perfect A.I" that also includes under it's repetoire:
Dynamic environments
Dynamic boss fights
A large, high quality world almost completely open to exploration and interaction with A.I that reacts to it as well.
,then i will concede my point.

The A.I is improved from other Bethesda games but because of the millions of variables that this game allows Bethesda needs to use an A.I model that works with the rest of their game. 2. This ISN'T Shogun total war, the map is not one small arena with the A.I only having to move and tell units to attack other player units in the area. It's A.I's cannot be dedicated to doing one task and one task only. Even the NPC's in villages are programmed for choppy Bethesda combat.
Which brings me to my final point, I don't think your beef is really with the "A.I" overall, but with the "Combat A.I." Which quite frankly I'm not going to defend as being amazing or anything(though the dragon A.I looks amazahh).
3. But my question is, why did you make a thread bitching about this if you are STILL going to buy the game and "enjoy it".

1. I'm curious as to why you've put "Perfect AI" in quotation marks when the post you quote clearly states he has not asked for perfect AI.

2. This is true. Demands on AI differ greatly between genres, and games with a set of gameplay rules are easier to program AI for than open world games.

3. Because there is a difference between "bitching" about things you hate because you hate them, and constructively criticising things you like to help make them better. If nobody ever criticised my work I would never be able to refine it.

It's possible to point out that a game's AI is sub-par, and that you think it would benefit if it improved the AI a bit, but still ultimately enjoy the game.

 

[GonzoGamer]

No but you can blame someone for trying, failing epically, and then charging $60 for it anyway.
I never expect a Bethesda (or any sort of open world game) to be bug free or to have very sharp AI, but they have let some things go to the shelves when it?s painfully obvious that it still needs work.
Hopefully this will buck the trend but I doubt it. I do look forward to exploring Skyrim but I can wait for GOTY and especially the patches: at minimum, I?ll save some money, but if my suspicions are correct, I?ll save some money and a lot of frustration.

Except they didn't fail epic-ly. Yes, There were stability issues for users, doesn't mean it was comepletely terrible (Nor happened to everyone. I reckon it was more of a coin toss. Much like Fallout 3 was as well). The whole Idea is talked up by the people who chose to suffer, chose to complain because it wasn't Fallout 3, then complained because it was too much like fallout 3.

And anyway, it was bethesda who got obsidian, who are a game company who put a lot of depth and choice in their RPG's which create potential for problems if not done right, to rush the game out the door so it can compete with Fable.

Don?t get me wrong. As a game, it was actually one of the better releases of last year, or at least it would?ve been if it was more stable. The fail goes completely to the stability and there?s enough blame for that to be shared by Obsidian (for actually making it) and Bethesda (for obviously not giving them enough support, sending it to shelves before it was ready, and taking a while to iron it out).
You?re right: Fallout 3 had it?s fair share of problems too but it didn?t crash quite so much (for me, NV had a chronic crash problem, sometimes doing a complete CTD which I never saw before on the ps3) and most of the bugs I ran into were goofy visual things rather than frustrating things that interfered with gameplay.