Agreed 100%. I just cannot understand how anyone could think that the AI prior to A18 is better, especially in A16. I'm still waiting on a well thought out and articulated argument as to why it was better.
Sure, no problem...
1) In alphas prior to A17, zombie behavior was much more random- I know it wasn't but it appeared so. Since they did not automatically and unconditionally go for the weak blocks, the player could NOT build infinite ramps to exploit the AI. In A17 and A18 the player can use about 20 blocks to build a ramp and the AI will follow an infinite conga path around that ramp forever, and thus becomes absolutely zero threat. The blocks can be made of wood and will never be attacked so you can do this from day 1. Game is now over. Surely exploiting AI with an infinite ramp is not the intended way to play the game??? Now go look at
every youtube video called "best horde base" or similar. Every one exploiting the A17 AI, without exception.
2) After A17 AI change, players can now sit out horde night on top of a converted POI and never ever worry about it. This is akin to the exploiting ramps described in point (1). Because the AI homes in on the weakest blocks, they tend to almost never attack the supporting blocks and will likely just be attacking all the insignificant blocks inside the POI (once the wall is breached). In A16 and prior there was a very high chance for the POI that the player was sitting in to be raised to the ground by the random nature of the horde attacks on supporting blocks - I've seen it happen dozens of times. This is more or less impossible in A17 and later. Again, surely this is not the way the game is intended to be played?
So let's assume the player is
not going to exploit the AI with an infinite path or impregnable POI, yes? Here's still more reasons A16 and prior was better...
3) In A16 and previous, the AI would attempt to path to location where the player was. If it couldn't get there it would revert to attacking the closest block that was blocking it's path to the target player. This actually felt like what a "real" zombie would do and greatly increased immersion. It felt random! Build a 10-block wide wall between zombies and player, and zombies will attack
all those blocks because the player is moving about shooting stuff. Watching an A17 "brain-dead" zombie carefully thread a path around your spike traps, following the clear path where spikes have already been cleared, and smartly heading straight for the single weakest block in your wall between it and the player is just stupid, and not how "real" zombies would behave.
4) In A16 and previous because of the random nature of how zombies behaved, there were many more base designs viable than there are now. The AI switch in A17 actually took a ton of super-fun base designs off the table. The changes to AI in A17 is what gives TFP their reputation of "no fun allowed". Any change to the game that reduces player choice is a bad one in my view. If a player wanted to build a base deep underground and never deal with zombies at all - SO WHAT? That's his business.
I just cannot understand how anyone could think that the AI in A17 and A18 is better. I'm still waiting on a well thought out and articulated argument as to why it is better. To summarise the A17 AI:
a) It is super easy to exploit. Even without infinite ramps you can predict which block they will go for and 100% influence which side of your base they will attack, and where, rendering defense trivial.
b) It removes a lot of fun base designs - like classic forts
c) Zombies should not be structural engineers or dodge their way through gaps between traps, it ruins immersion.
d) A17 zombies *cannot* raze POIs beyond simple tier 1s; A16 and earlier used to regularly do so.
You are a smart kid. Shhhh though, saying what you saidout loud will only piss off those who.....
