You'd think that the smarter the video game AI the better, but according to Bethesda's Todd Howard, enemy ships in Starfield used to be just that bit too smart.
Getting AI right in games is a tough balancing act - make an NPC too smart, and it can feel unfair, but make them too stupid and it can feel frustrating or overly easy. Speaking on The AIAS Game Maker's Notebook Podcast, Starfield director Todd Howard shared some details on the steps Bethesda took to get the balancing act for the game's enemy ships right in particular (thanks, GameSpot). "Forever we were just jousting," Howard shared.
"It turns out you have to make the AI really stupid. You have to have them fly, they need to turn and basically be like: 'Hey, player one, you can just shoot me for a while.' And then you give the AI tools where the player can see: 'Oh, he's boosting away, I can do that.'"
