Also i would imagine the enemies intellegence would have something to do with them running away. If there smart they will decide to run and live to fight another day if there dumb they will through precaution to the wind and let there primal instincts get the better of them.

Well, there can be checks in place so that radiant AI doesn't see certain items (I think it already exists as a "PC-only" flag in the editor), or NPCs with quest items can't flee, but you're right. There's a reason enemies flee and come back the way they do; gameplay trumps reality, after all, and it svcks to miss out on fat loot just because a Slaver behaved like you'd expect one to.

And this is why when they surrender or flee, they should not be permitted to change their minds again and choose to re-engage. So very rarely do enemies actively choose to heal up before trying again, making it folly to try again, and yet they do. Now that's just plain stupid imo.

Yes, there may be issues or discrepancies, but that's the case with every feature in every game, ever. Bethesda aren't perfect and the problem isn't easy to solve, but they are professionals and saying "Oh, SO many things could go wrong!" is no argument. Of course there is risk, but it is also an interesting feature if implemented properly.

If people eternally feared everything that could possibly go wrong, no-one would ever take any risks and humanity would stagnate.

Yay for ignorance! Why the heck do you even assume I have a gun? Heard something about unarmed or melee weapons?

This is the kind of people that I was talking about, doesn't even think about how it will play out. "Duh! I have a gun so everybody will have a gun, right?!"

Maybe I need them for a quest or something else, fleeing combatants are time and again proven to be nuisances and annoyances in any game they are in.

It adds nothing to combat because they don't engage you in combat! It wouldn't be unique since fleeing enemies are in many games, ruining them so designers with a clue don't include them to begin with. Inconvenience is something like needing to drink every 10 mins, not chasing mobs when you don't even have a skill or stat to boost your speed. That's called frustration.

It would be nice if they were a little bit smarter.

Maybe, just maybe, the guy in power armor carrying the firepower of an infantry platoon isn't the one you want to attack with a........pool cue? Seriously?

In a game where a good 70 - 90% of enemies have ranged weaponry and as a consequence you should optimise to run faster to close that distance before you get shredded. If you're using Heavy Armour and only Melee/Unarmed weapons, you shouldn't expect to be able to catch everyone and everything.

What is nonsensical and ridiculous is to expect every hostile to line up in front of you waiting to get smashed in the face. Now THAT is stupid!

I used Guns and Light Armour and I try to optimise for speed and stealth. You can totally catch the vast majority, if not all, fleeing enemies with little challenge. If you choose to weigh yourself down, that's your own fault. Berserkers have always classically been heavily built and athletic guys in little to no Armour.

It's like complaining that you can't see properly if you're wearing sunglasses or blackout glasses indoors or underground with no light sources. Yeah, no sh*t you can't see and have a hard time hitting hostiles.

Voluntary duress is no defence.

It would be nice if they'd surrender if hopelessly outmatched. I kind of hated killing the Enclave scientists and doctors in Fallout 3. Well, I didn't kill them but my companions did. Bad Dogmeat! Bad!

As long as if they run away they keep running. Enemies that run away only to come back at you a second later drive me nuts.

"I'm Out of Here!!" FO-NV.

Think we'll have something similar. Could be sparing someone's life actually might even reward you once in awhile. You declare a truce to explain to the raiders that they should join you rather than try to overpower. Negotiation leads to discovery that the chief has learned you let those fleeing go because you are not warlike, just protecting yourself and your turf. All comes down whether you play as a smash and trash protagonist, or one mare pacifist in spirit. Again, a bit more depth in the adventure...

I liked how it was in Dying Light. Some enemies, particularly Rais' thugs, would flee if they were facing the player one on one. At night, you had to sneak up on Bolters (zombies with a fear of humans), or use guns (bad idea) in order to kill them. Keeping up was extremely difficult if they caught wind of you and bolted.

Then again, I'm not looking for enemies that always run when facing off against the sole survivor who is strapped up in power armor and wielding a chain gun. If a member of their group has heavy weapons and explosives, or even power armor http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Raider_power_armor, naturally they should be feeling confident in going toe-to-toe with you. Sadly, I didn't see any of that in the footage that was shown. That last bit of the Xbox one demo had the SS in PA with a chain gun, waltz down a street and mow everyone down like they were wood pop-out targets in a shooting gallery.

Maybe they were high as a kite, or maybe they just wanted a set piece to show off for the demo, but I want enemies that have some level of self-preservation and think, "hey, maybe I should find cover, flank this guy, or retreat."

I love this argument. I really do, because it boils down to "enemies should be dumb so nothing bad ever happens to me." And this, as if it wouldn't be incredibly easy to safe guard against issues like this in game.

If you need them for a quest then chase them. There is plenty of nuisance in the fallout series that people put up with because it adds to the game experience.

Uhhh, they do engage you in combat. They are running because you inflicted casualties on their side and they decided to cut their losses and retreat. And it would be unique for a fallout game since it hasnt been done in the series. As for these "many games" care to name a few?

I am honestly surprised there is opposition to improving enemy ai.

There's no 'optimizing', there's a base run speed, the same for all humans and that gets a minor reduction due to armor. A melee character would wear heavy armor, duh, since there'll be a beating that needs to be absorbed since there's no cover, ducking, misses due to range, ranged damage etc. You don't wear light clothes with such a character.

There's a no 'catching', aside from you people dreaming about it. Thankfully Bethesda had more sense than that until now, anybody who tried to run was due to low health and at a reduced speed. That's the only way it needs to happen.

GJ not giving a damn about anyone else other than your own. Berserker huh? Fistfight a deathclaw with leather armor next time and tell me the outcome.

It boils down to "there are different playstyles endorsed by the game's system so AI shouldn't favor one above all just because some dudes believe it's a cool idea".

I talked about OP's message due to the thread, not any other suggestion. It hasn't been done in the series because the series don't need it. There's a plethora of games but one good example is Halo, alien dwarves constantly running away and they were the most reviled enemies. It's like cliff racers inverted.

Combatant AI running away just because you 'look powerful' isn't smart but is a dumb idea. Any enemy that powerless shouldn't exist in the game world to begin with. Has no purpose whatsoever.

I'd be happy with some variation in AI across monsters - just so they don't all attack the same way.

I don't really care if they run away or not. It's not like I'm going to let them go fetch friends.

I'm not sure how a Yao Guai would would assume that you, the player, are stronger than it. Same goes with any robots so no.

Animals understand intimidation, otherwise cobra hoods and blowfish expansion would never have evolved.

*in gravelly voice* "You N'wah!"

I'm ok with them running away after I injure them enough. Hopefully though, if they do run away they won't make the mistake of attacking me again later.

Two points :

- There is a perk in NV that increases your run speed by 10%(?) in Light Armour.

- Deathclaws deal an absurd amount of damage, especially in New Vegas. As far as I am aware, trading blows is still tantamount to suicide. Every melee user I know says to either use the Implant GRX or to learn to block, dodge and counter. Relying on your Armour and it's negligible DT/DR against Deathclaws is not a bright idea.

Furthermore, why would Deathclaws run from you? So, why would you have to chase them? And playing melee-only is still a player choice, as in a restriction you have actively chosen to inflict upon yourself.

As for not giving a damn, I don't see how or why you're making a mountain out of a molehill. Some enemies who do not want to die will run away from you if you're mid to late game with high-end equipment and if they're smart enough to realise that they don't stand a chance.

If anything, you're the one not "giving a damn" about other opinions.

I wouldn't mind it on the rare occasion, especially if it is a three party mixer.
Say a couple of raiders- they might have no problem attacking the PC, even if they are lesser in power than the PC. Hey, they might get lucky.
But throw in a couple of radscorpions? Maybe they should have some sense to flee and live to raid another day.
Could be great. Maybe even with small amount of extra XP for stopping them before they can flee

I don't understand why people are annoyed by enemies running away from them, What, do you really believe you have to DESTROY EVERYTHING in front of you? What, is your character some kind of derpy-low-grade android that just wants to kill? That's so si-

Oh wait.

Anyways, it's more realistic of the enemy to run, or hell, even surrender, screaming out "I GIVE UP! SCREW THIS! I KNEW WE SHOULDN'T MESS WITH YOU! I'LL TELL YA EVERYTHING! I'LL TRADE AND STUFF, JUST PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!" and crap. Self preservation, especially in the Wasteland, will always be high. The only time this passes is if you're facing Fiend-type Raiders, those drugged beyond comprehension? Oh yeah, they'll come running out there with their fists to beat on your Power Armor.

I think it would be fun. In Fallout 3 and New Vegas there have been situations where a raider would yell out "Don't kill me!" and start running. I would imagine we will be seeing more of this, and hopefully the AI is improved so much that enemies may realize right away they are outmatched and decide not to engage.

No

For me if the enemy has balls enough to attack me then I dont care how far they run I will find them and I will kill them those filthy savages dare attack me?! ME?! Hahaha I dont think so! Leave none alive!.
I can only see human enemies doing this though if deathclaws did this then you better hope you crippled them before they run because you aint catching them.
And from what i remember in skyrim didnt bandits run away from you when there health was low? And I dont think the dragons ADD was fun when you were fighting them it was annoying as [censored]!

yes this is true but what would intimidation mean to a hulking deathclaw or a pack of feral irradiated dogs? When they see a lone wanderer traveling by himself? (I know people will have companions but ( figure we would be traveling alone at some point and then there could ne areas inaccessible to companions) and then there was the deathclaw vs the main character in power armor if a big mean looking walking tank doesnt scare that thing then nothing will. But enemies like mole eats and small things will probably run away.

Because after playing enough games where enemies lead you on endless chases through winding mazes, across half the countryside (sometimes through multiple other groups of enemies), etc.... we know that it's incredibly tedious/frustrating/annoying.

Admittedly, this is in multiple styles of games (MMOs, ARPGs, RPGs, action games, etc) with different game mechanics in each one, but it's still trained us to automatically think "fleeing enemies = terribad".

Only hostile enemies that get in fights with me, but otherwise.... yeah. it's a game. They're badguys.

Also, they have loot.

Really, though, it's not something that involves lots of deep thought - it's a trained instinctive reaction at this point (kind of like "escort quest? OH GOD NO!"). I hear "fleeing enemies" and just get annoyed.