Hi!

I was just attacked by a lone viper with a lead pipe whilst standing in full power armor and a minigun. Now, should weaker enemies (such as lone raiders with a lead pipe) just plain avoid you if you're wearing very powerful gear?

Having this be the case can make wearing different gear both incentivized and punished depending on what you're after. For example, if you use great gear, you're less likely to get loot since more enemies will flee from you. It may also make the player feel very powerful, since enemies react to the player's presence in a very respectable fashion. It also gives the player one more reason for using lesser gear, should the player wish to not deal with fleeing enemies.

However the biggest negative is probably the elephant in the room, that it can get annoying if enemies flee from you too often.

What do you think?

Yes I would like the enemies to be a little smarter. The weaker run if you look too tough for them to handle.

Drugged - up Fiends, crazies, etc. would still come after you because they don't know any better.

I think it would be annoying to chase badguys across the map over and over.

Not necessarily. Assuming he even knows what power armor is he might just be so hungry and tired that he doesn't really care.

YES RUN LITTLE COWARD RUN TO YOUR MASTER!! BEWARE OBLIVION IS AT HAND!!! but no I dont want to chase little sum [censored] across the map to loot his stuff.

If anything I think you should be able to intimidate weak characters, but only with a high enough charisma attribute.

Many RPGs have a "threat level" system in place. It also includes a "perceived threat level" which is what a normal intelligent NPC would believe your threat level to be, so you can bluff and or sandbag your actual threat level. Note that this also works in reverse (so you can think you are approaching a passed out drunk leaning against a wall and it's actually a trained assassin waiting to ambush you).

Just mentioning this as this is WAY beyond anything an Action RPG like the Bethesda Fallout games could manage (tho the VATS system and some perks in perception COULD make an interesting attempt).

While Charisma plays a role in intimidation, other factors are actually more likely to play a bigger part. Physical Strength, visible (and readied) gear/weapons, and overall reputation (if known to the NPC) are more likely to be "intimidating" but the PCs actual Charisma is certainly going to play a huge role in any conversation beyond the initial encounter.

I've always felt that a characters Charisma has more to do with his ability to ALTER the initial encounter perception the enemy may have.

EX. you encounter a Viper and you have on a pink bunny suit and are holding a carrot in a threatening fashion. You would need a massively high Charisma to intimidate the guy, but the same encounter with you wearing PA and brandishing a Plasma Thrower would allow you to intimidate the guy with no Charisma check at all.

Well, they do in my games, but they do it in a way that is totally stupid. They will engage but then run away to support forces, even forces that are hostile to them and will fight them (and usually kill them). This is true for all enemies, even animals.

To do it right, they need to have much better AI packages than we see currently. They need separate AI packages for different types of enemies (human, Raider, Super Mutant, Ghoul, animal, robot, etc.) and they need a variety of AI packages under each of those broad categories. I'm sure that they try, but right now, it's pretty bad. We'll have to see if this has improved with FO4.

I think if you achieve a certain level of fame, that weaker enemies would run if they recognize you.....for example, if you were a Raider would you stand and fight if a Level 30 Lone Wanderer showed up? I would think they would crap their pants and run for their lives.

Sure if they had the time and tech to do it but I would first like to see them work on the AI's combat before they tackle the AI's fleeing.

No I'd rather all things attack when appropriate.

Just by being around? No thanks, as a respons to high single attack dmg or a short TTK? Sure why not.

I think all enemies should run from the player character, because they know that they will eventually be killed. It would make gameplay quite unusual and challenging.

if im walking by a few raiders who only have a bat or a crummy little handgun and im in PA with a minigun then yea they should know better or at least if i take out their leader with one shot the rest should run away like little girls.

...Don't chase them then?

Lmao.

Anyway, enemies should run/withdraw when they start taking casualties. I cant fathom why every group of enemies you encounter in the wastes is so determined to kill you that they will watch you gun down their entire clique and still come at you. The vast majority of engagements should end with the last few enemies running for their lives(more disciplined professional enemies would make use of cover and suppression to do this, while raiders and the like would just run).

Having every enemy fight to the last man is sort of immersion breaking for me.

I have seen this in a few MMOs. As the player out-levels an enemy their aggro goes down, eventually becoming completely non-hostile. I think it would be great if player level, stats and gear effected the chance that an enemy might attack.

What I would not want is for enemies to flee when badly hurt. I've used mods that do this and, to me, this gets irritating after awhile.

Smarter enemies with a little more common sense would be nice.

However, drug-crazed and desperate wasteland denizens shouldn't always be so predictable, and just like the Play-Character, might want to try their luck at attempting to take out a target that might benefit them.

I don't think I'd try to fight a Deathclaw with a baseball bat after just exiting the vault at level 1, but, if I saw an enemy NPC with some nifty gear, even if they looked intimidating and haigh level, I'd certainly do whatever I could to make their nifty gear mine.

Depends. If the raiders are high out of their minds, kinda makes sense for them to attack. Same with animals/robots. If its an enemy that is supposed to be something more than a mindless murderer, would be nice if they assessed the situation tactically or, with enough charisma, laid down their arms for you to take.

As mentioned by others, I think an overall improvement in the AI is needed. Enemies should flee if they feel overpowered, or if they're about to die, and should have the option of surrendering depending on who they are (Super Mutants, drug crazed Raiders and such probably wouldn't surrender). Just an overall desire to survive would be nice. If you feel the odds are against you, don't attack (unless they're smart enough to launch a fake a attack and then retreat to lure you into a trap). Tactics and strategy for groups would be awesome.

...Then why dont you run away from the battle if you dont want to fight to the last man?
Lmao

Reminds me of Morrowind when naked Ashlanders with chitin weapons would charge my Ebony armored PC. I just had to force myself to assume they were smoking something.

I would LOVE to actually see enemies either just run away on sight or after a couple good pops and they realize they are totally outgunned run for their lives or beg for mercy. Course this doesn't work if the random enemies are upped in level based on the PC's level.

Eventually there will be a mod to correct some of that behavior. Already in FO3 with the FWE overhaul AIs acted a lot smarter. They actually took cover and wouldn't come at you if they had a good long range weapon and they'd run away when they hit like 1/3 health or something. Have faith in the community =)

In F3 and FNV I chased down those injured enemies who fled. Jerks attacked me so they get no mercy. Plus, loot.

Always wondered if the game tracked that in any way.

This is hands down the most clownish post I have had the pleasure of reading on this site. Laughed a good 30 seconds at this one.

First, running when you have complete and total fire superiority over your enemy is not done, and your hilarious semantics approach to this argument assumes I have no companions with me.

Sorry to make you look so silly man. But you bought it on yourself. You may thank me now.

There was a perk I had in New Vegas (likely from a More Perks! mod) that basically did, like, double damage with ranged weapons to FLEEING foes, and the perk text had some pithy line about how you hated Cowards (Cowardice! may have been the perk name). While fiends and robots may continue to attack even in the face of overwhelming superiority, others ~should~ know when discretion is the better part of valor and beat-feet (or try to). Yes, it can be annoying, but it just makes -sense-.