[poll] So here's my take on bot server difficulty change

[ZZANG1847]

Hello,

Recently Melon changed bot difficulty setting on PR CO-OP server, and there has been quite a talking about whether this change was necessary or not. As melon mentioned in one of previous forum threads, this change is apprarently being reviewed at this point so i won't make a judgement thinking that this is how CO-OP server will be in 2015. However, since it is already being implemented and many regulars, myself included played several matches, i would like to share my opinion about the new difficulty setting. If you think my take on this change is not worthy of your time to read, then please enjoy your time doing other stuffs. Or if you're here because you want to simply comment my thread saying "ZZANG SUCKS," then i guess that's what you're going to do(Yes I am talking about you, Ben).

Anyway, here is my take on the changes:

When i started playing PR few days ago, i realized that there was something different about the server. It was definitely not related to how i was playing, but more like how bots were acting. I talked to other friendly neighbors and they told me that there has been a change of bot difficulty setting. I was generally okay with how Melon changed server settings(like increasing bot number to 40, requiring people to use crates to build FOBs, and etc), so i was hoping to get some fresh feelings about PR CO-OP as bots were too easy to deal with.

Then something happened.
Me and 20 other people started playing Asad Khal on INF setting, and i started to realize how accurate their shots and how manuverable their movements were. It was to the point where infantry squads were getting wiped out left and right and i had to flank around the village flag and take other flag first just to make some breathing ground for these poor souls. After that, bots started shooting at me and rest of gameplay was hiding inside the building around the flag because looking outside the window for more than 2 seconds resulted in my head getting blown up and bots start swarming the building. At this point i was frustrated to hell, but my squad and some other people helped to take a flag, and we won the match by reducing bot tickets to 0, which never happened to me before.

So, with such experience I've got, I was ready to explode in TS by saying that this difficulty is too much and we're here to play against CO-OP bots, not Tier 1 spec ops marksmans. However, I wanted to wait couple more days and figure out whether this affect all aspects of CO-OP or not, and possibly find some ways to still enjoy the game while not getting frustrated 24/7.

And surprisingly, playing anything other than infantry was still fun, with a little more difficulty to make the gameplay more refreshing. Yesterday, me and 8 other players played Kashan Desert, ALT and it was really exciting to win the match. It wasn't no longer just rushing to the flag to cap and move on to the next map. We actually had to coordinate the assult and cover each other's back, as bot tanks were as strong as ours and their shots were deadly on close to medium range.

So how do i feel about the recent change? I think the vehicle gameplay is still fun, even with new setting. However, I, and many others included, believe that there needs to be a further improvement of difficulty tweaks. We all know Shilling and Robot knows how to play PR and they will do just fine with the change. However, we must understand the fact that not everyone is on Shilling/Robot's level of combat skill. By changing the level of bot's accuracy against human players little lower compare to how it is right now, I think we can still make a game that is refreshing for veteran players, but also playable for newcomers like myself.

[LemurLemur]

I think the bot difficulty is fine in my opinion. Though it does get annoying sometimes being shot out of the cockpit going full speed in a huey. I'm not as skilled as robot or shilling, but i think it gives us a chance to progress on our skill as well as building team work skills and strategy (which i think lacks a bit). I do understand there are new players that come in everyday and play, and it might be too difficult for them. Which is why I don't completely disagree with you. i think there could be some changes made like you said that would be a bit of a challenge for vets like us and still be enjoyable for new players.

[Robotfungus]

My combat skill ?? lol I couldn't hit a barn door with a blunderbuss.... you got to use tactics and teamwork to outthink the bots, which is not very hard at all .... you just need to take a moment to observe what is happening.

I see so many squads rushing around, fragmented and disorganised, Hell only yesterday I saw 20 players let the bots capture the docks on muttrah city, there was a 6man trans squad , and a 3 man inf squad lead by a sniper, and then people start crying about bot skill SERIOUSLY !!!!! WTF

[Oliver M.D]

Robotfungus =VG= LAN_WROTE ...
I saw 20 players let the bots capture the docks on muttrah city, there was a 6man trans squad , and a 3 man inf squad lead by a sniper, and then people start crying about bot skill SERIOUSLY

All of this. The bots are very easy to counter if you got a decent squad without lone-wolfing all the way through the match.
Couldn't understand the whining at first when the bots got changed. Had the luck to have shilling around me that night.

At first both of us had obvious issues with 'em and one of us died fast *cough*SHILLING*cough*
But quickly that we managed to drive them back and capture one point after another without many issues.

It was a neat challenge too since we couldn't just rush without actively taking cover and such like before the change.

[Nerojr]

I agree that people now have to be more tactical and teamwork oriented, but the biggest challenge isnt the bot diffuctly, its the constant flux in new to newish players that come through. I am in no way saying im as expirenced or skilled as the veterns on the server, but there needs to be greater attention put towards players who are to inexpirenced using kits or assests in game. I understand everyone has to start somewhere, but there needs to be attention brought to the fact that this server isnt at its current state "noob friendly". And just my opinion

[=VG= Gaz]

I dont play an awful lot of PR, but im starting at least. My take on this if its valid, When i played a long time ago. It generally seemed to be a game of who could run the fastest or get trans first to the next flag. It just want difficult. The most frustrating part was having to wait to aim.

Now theres some reasonable Opposition. I played in an organised game, and the game was amazing, It went very well and we pushed and took pushes. There was quite a lot of casualties and the bots enjoyed using their numbers to over run us, but this was not bad. There was a full squad and we were using the tactics required to win and Honestly. It was A fantastic experience. I Totally enjoyed this. We had the AAV (Recon) in support of us after we chalked off 2x squad members to return him to his AAV in the field. It added almost a sense of mini objectives because Recon was not able to just sprint off backwards and find his AAV, he genuinely actually needed support for this task. We used tactics, people got used to evading fire better later in the match and things got slightly easier but we enjoyed. I loved it.

I then played a game with almost No co-operation in it. Was dreadful. It was hard. There was no tactical movements going on, no support working with Inf. It was every man for himself. We got rinsed for a large portion of the game. We then formed a decent Inf squad, CAS Started lending us never ending firesupport. And we pushed forward, and we actually won that match. It was a insane sense of achievement.

Basically. If teamwork isnt used, people are not going to have fun. This is going to enforce teamwork. People are going to find this change very difficult because you get habbits from playing for so long. New people are not going to be up to scratch, but honestly they are never going to be up to scratch they are new. They will however learn to become veterans of this dificulty. Its increasing their game level to the next tier. It might seem cruel but people are going to from proper squads now because it is just needed to win. Your not going to get your regular 2man locked squad as often because its just genuinely not a viable option. The change is hard, but If you push back just as hard. It'll be like walking down the good o'l PR street again.

[DonChris]

Sorry, but i have to disagree with all that say that change is fine...

Its awfull and u all know it !

Coop was to have fun, not to be frustrated...

And u cannot say this is more realistic, thats bullcrap.... thoose are aimbots and makin them aim more cyborg like has NOTHING to do with realism or PR....

VG coop server was the nicest server, cause u was always able to have fun there. Now it depends on a full server or a lot of Veterans.

Most of the time people now are just on there own, the change did not effect the teamplay to a positiv matter....

I experienced a lot of frustration the last week, not even just for myself, it was every body i talked to on the server.

I highly recommend to return to the old settings, before there is a bigger damage to the servers popularity ;)

For myself ive had it with thoose chuck norris bots, i will join the deployment now more frequent, cause if i have to die, i want to die by human players and not getting raped by aimbots, whats pretty lame !


Love&Hugs,
Don

[zero_tolerance_s]

HEADS UP. I don't think the problem is the bot difficulty. There's something buggy over there. First: the bots are extremely accurate and fast. If the bot faces you, you have 20% chances to shot him. Second issue. I got two reports of heli pilots being shot dead in mid air. I got shot dead through the walls, fences, ducking behind HESCOs or inside houses. I literally saw the bullet piercing the fence. Its like the bots can see through objects. I couldn't find any kind of cover. I believe this is a technical issue that needs to be addressed asap. Otherwise the game will become almost unplayable.
Regards,
ZT

[lordvlad30]

Today i played PR again in quite a while, my first tought was: an increase in difficulty is good, bots were too easy and you could just stand in the middle of the road with 3 bots 50m from you without being killed.

Now i played PR again and i didn't really like it, even in cover you get shot immediately, i sat in a house with my squad and one popped his head out off the window and was shot a second later, even we cant aim and shoot that fast and that precise.
My personel opinion is divided, the bots were to easy and difficulty should be set higher but now it's not realistic and less fun.

(sorry if this text is bad written, english is not my native language)

Greetz,
Lordvlad30

[=VG= Melon Muncher]

bots changed again, made a little easier.

I think a lot of the issues players are having is a sort of placebo effect. That and not thinking about what the bots are thinking.

Bots are idiots, but they do have their moments. They listen and they look. most don't even know bots are attracted to the sound of enemy weapons firing. nor that they will continue to stare at your last known position, like a window that you already popped up in before.

[zero_tolerance_s]

OK Melon. I understand what you say. But how can you explain bots shooting dead helicopter pilots while flying? :)) You cant see that not even in Bollywood Rambo movies. What you said about bots being attracted by sound or staring at the last known position, it juts doesn't apply here. Nor the fact they can shoot through objects. Don't get me wrong. I'm not blaming you but in this situation there is no efficient tactic. I've tried to flank the flag on the right/left side, using suppressing fire, pre-emptive artillery strike, advancing by land, sea or air. Nothing worked. We ended up all dead. I'll see how it works now with bot difficulty decreased.
Cheers,
ZT

[=VG= Gaz]

I've seen a lot of people flying in PR and they all seem to fly Very low and very slow between buildings, thats exactly why they can get shot out. If I was sitting infront of one of those guys flying a heli the way a lot of people there do, well I think it would be pretty easy to nail a guy flying directly down my road just above head hight - All about letting lose rounds at it.