Steam release is coming. Our AI squadmates don’t use mortars/AT weapons, hardly utilize cover and are generally cannon fodder.
HOWEVER, there are some tricks that I’ve learned that help them become more of an asset than a liability, to help newcomers and vets alike. Feel free to add your own:
IMPORTANT: Ordering your squad directly onto an objective (aim + x) disables the 50m distance tether.
use Wide formation at all times. Not only does it help survive nades, but bots will spread out over a larger area in cover positions when in “order mode” better than standard.
bots in “order mode” are much more effective and aware than bots in “follow mode” they also sprint and are less random in their movements since the computer isnt having to make adjustments on the fly to follow the player.
use x to order your squad as you move forward around the piles of debris and cover. They will respond to enemy fire and shoot a lot more
certain pieces of cover (sandbag positions/trenches/bunkers) toggle the AI to shoot more agressively when they are “attached” to it via a positioning order.
-bots like to shoot at anything <100m away. Use that to your advantage when flanking
Off the top that’s all I have, but knowing these things has changed the way I play. Its much more effective to use your squad by spamming x as you move forward than relying on them to survive in “follow mode”. My squad consistently score 5-10 kills per life now compared to getting killed before doijg anything of note.
Also it’s good habit to order your bots to move to where you want to go, instead of just following you to your destination. Often I see situations where the squad leader (player) is killed and the whole squad stops in place and becomes easy target.
I wish AI would have dynamic positioning, meaning if i sprint - they sprint, if i take position - they take position, countless times i have been sprinting while my AI were shooting with someone, and it even might have worked well if for example few AI bots would stay behind and shoot to make supressive fire but it doesn’t even exist here lol i wish
also they will get there faster, perhaps even in pair with you, this is especially helpfull if you want to build quick rally and order your AI engineer to help, if you would just keep them following you they wouldn’t make it on time and you would finish the rally point yourself, but slower.
but i got to be honest i never thought about them just standing and becoming a target, that’s another bonus for this method. Now that i think about it i really often finish whole enemy squads this way.
Indeed. Players are easy to spot sprint ahead of the “pack”. Ordering them forward and watching from the rear while moving with them(like a REAL squad leader) allows you to remain alive and spot dangers as they open fire on your men (RIP)
sometimes i like to order them to conquer the point while i sit further back with mg or something, since bots are useless this is really dumb, but it feels great, i always do things that maintain my immersion, even if it doesn’t work at all.
Noticed last night diring a game that bots are less agressive when moving to the point. They stop and shoot more when they are simply ordered to move with a standard X order.