The older behavior is better

[armigus]

I've been comparing the new 2.x AI behavior to the now venerable 2006/2/16 WarZone and the campaign droids function much better under the old system. For starters combat units will react almost instantly to any approaching threat and fight vigorously, driving some distance toward the target guns blazing then fading back. Under 2.2.1 and some earlier variants units are passive almost to the point of lethargy, sitting and taking fire without even fighting back unless really provoked.

The other point of contention is behavior toward passive barriers like walls. The older units would aim at but not fire on a wall unless specifically ordered to. If a valuable target is on the other side of a wall or other obstruction then current units will fire anyway to clear it. Older units will just try to go around if possible.

Is there any way to restore the old behavior, even if via a mod of some kind?

[Zarel]

...I thought I fixed this for 2.2...

[fisk0]

I'm not sure if this is what you were pointing out, but I also noticed yesterday when I was playing the first campaign missions on 2.2.1 that all the scavenger troops kept firing at my units even when they were not in the direct line of fire (like, obstructed by a hillside or wall), and only begun to move into a position where they could actually hit when I moved my units out of their maximum firing distance.

[armigus]

Some of the new scavenger behavior is actually strategic: assembling a group prior to any serious sortie. You are right about scavenger stray fire as well, fisk0.

My complaint is with the behavior of my own troops, and it appears in skirmish as well as campaign. Fiddling while calculating how to obey a command is fatal in that environment as well as Alpha 5 and beyond.

OMT: It is possible to restore the 0.5 time multiplier? The original had it and I use it for most combat missions in 2006/2/16. Ideally I'd like to see 2.0 and 2.5 as well. 3.0 and 0.1 may or may not be within reason.