Hey all, We know turrets aren't always the most responsive things but, that said, they appear to be a bit better of late. However, this has highlighted another issue which, while not new as such, I've not really noticed it be so blatant before. Basically, I'm playing a Reforged Eden Scenario, which ramps the difficulty up quite a bit - including when it comes to Base attacks. I love this, however, I tend to get a bit beaten up at times due to my turrets failing, but not due to the usual lack of responsiveness. In essence, turrets fire at the closest target that meats their targetting criteria - which we know gets a little bit screwy when attacking POI's, the reason why Sentry Turrets (often inside a POI) were taken off the valid targets list. Anyway, what's happening is that when the wave attacks my Base, some of the (heavily armoured) Drones get quite close and managed to get above the Base. As we know, most turrets in the game are unable to shoot upwards, so these Drones sit there unable to be shot at - this is even with widely-spaced turrets on the Base as none of them had LoS on the Drones. Now, while these Drones were closest, they weren't really the biggest threat, that was the several Troop Transports that were still incoming. I had the firepower to probably take these guys down, but the turrets never fired as they were stuck on the Drones as they remained the closest target. When the Troop Transports landed and deployed their troops - eight each IIRC - these also were NOT targetted as that Drone was still closer. This led to a bit of a disaster as my well-armed base, didn't shoot the invading Troops - which are really quite dangerous in RE. The Base is configure to shoot down the transports, not deal with the troopers - sentries are basically one-shotted by these guys, so pretty useless. I was wondering if there's any way the game can switch targets, if it fails to get LoS on it, perhaps going for the next closest target. This would also help vs. POI's, both for the player and AI, as we'd not be able to spoof the AI with burried - bust closer - turrets. Not that I do this, but I see closer turrets on POI's drawing my turrets to them, even if there's no firing solution. Anyway, more severe base attacks is something I quite like, even though I often get beaten up a bit. I don't mind (well, I do but you know what I mean) getting overwhelmed by an enemy when all my defences are working. When they get confused like this however, it sorta spoils the challenge. What do others think? Do you feel that turret targetting priorities need a bit of a refresh?
I absolutely agree that turret targeting AI needs some work. As I see it, these are the biggest problems at present: Turret target switching is REALLY slow. Targeting parameters are too limited. We need to be able to set what we do and do not shoot at in much finer detail. This includes being able to tell turrets if they should fire on targets that have an active shield. We need a way to change how turrets prioritize their targets. Some kind of drag and drop UI to set priority would probably work best. We need the ability to enable/disable true line of sight targeting. Expose all of the above setting to signal logic. As for your specific problem, some flak turrets might help burn through the drones faster. I also tend to build defense towers far out form the main structure using the 'connect to base' option in the build menu in addition to the turrets on the main structure. That way I have a layered defense with maximum coverage. Maybe throw in some sentry turrets specifically for ground troops as well.
Thanks for your reply. Regarding point 1. have you noticed Turrets in general to be a bit more responsive lately than they usually would be? They seem better for me, strangely. 2. Agreed. Further refinement to what they're going to attempt to shoot at would save some ammo at the very least. 3. Some sort of custom list where we say target this *first* followed by that would be nice. I.e. a turret that shoots pretty much EVERYTHING potentially, but has an explicit priority order. 4. Would be great. LoS works well when it comes to terrain, but blocks are largely ignored unless they're part of the vessel / base the turret is actually part of. I get this would cost CPU resources, but it's sorely needed in my view. 5. Yes. Once logic is available in the game, let us tinker with it via signal logic. I'd love to see stuff attached to Sensors too, i.e. deploy turrets if there's a valid target. I'm very early-game, no access to Flak due to lack of appropriate resources. I cannot even build a CPU extender for the Base yet, so have had to build a little Defence base (just two Miniguns and infrastructure to support it) to be able to get enough fire on target. Sentries, sadly, are totally useless vs. Troops in RE, they literally one-shot any they see. They're good to fend off critters, but that's about it. Saying that, I manually controlled one to take down a faster bomber very early on when I had just a sentry turret.
Its better then it has been in the past but that's not saying much. If you have the CPU and resources to spare you can also build a decoy generator in a tunnel somewhere on your bases periphery. This gives your turrets plenty of time to pick off attackers with out taking return fire. Its cheesy exploiting the AI like this but it will see you through the very early game. As for sentry guns, I find they work fairly well in mass. They don't cost much power/CPU and are easy enough to build so I just kind spam them around anywhere that has a little bit of cover. Behind rock, around corners, etc. Use the POI builders tactics against the game. The other option is to build underground or in a narrow valley or crater. If you are strategic about where you place you turrets you can set it up so that those are the only valid targets the AI has. I find putting my base at the bottom of a valley/crater with the turrets up on the ridges gives me the best coverage without the hassle of building entirely under ground. I NEVER build on open ground if I can help it. Also RE seem to really encourage having a basic interceptor type SV early on. The stock Javelin actually works well for this, especially if you upgrade its thrust and add an RCS. Plus it will see you through the your first steps into space. Edit Oh and I tend to build anything that might take a few hits in concrete then upgrade to armored concrete as necessary. It seems to be a little better then steel even if its a pain getting all the stone.
I don't generally like to use cheesy tricks vs. the AI, even though they love doing the same thing to my AI-controlled turrets. I've basically gone for volume, with a total of Eight Minigun turrets spread over two bases. They generally perform ok, but do get stuck occasionally. Just fought off 5-6 heavy Drones and three Dropships. One Dropship managed to delver its complement of eight troopers, but the Miniguns did engage those after a little delay....shot a few myself.
Well, my turrets like to blast away even at the slightest sight of a raptor in the grass, even though the predator setting is off. They have blown so many craters and potholes everywhere (not to mention all the wasted ammo) that the surroundings around my base looks like the South African road network by now. Their targeting could use a bit of work indeed. In your case, they should ignore enemies they cannot aim at. In the meantime, you can place a few turrets vertically to take out drones that end up hovering directly above your base. A minigun turret or two pointing upwards usually does the trick.
I have the turrets fairly widely spaced out, other than the initial group of three, so they should cover each other quite well. Firing delay (not as bad as it was) and target choice are what reduce their effectiveness the most. I'm loving the tougher base attacks, but it highlights a weakness with turret AI quite clearly.
