Best Follower/Companion AI in games?

[G00N3R7883]

Its already been said, but it was the first game that came to mind: Dragon Age Origins and Dragon Age 2.

The tactics menu is fantastic, and if you know how to use it, you can program some really cool moves that your companions will follow. My favourite is to get a mage (I normally bring Wynne) to cast petrify and then follow up with stonefist for an instant kill. You can set up a healer (again, Wynne ftw) and leave them to it, without worry about them doing something else and letting your people die.

Such a shame that Inquisition removed 95% of the tactics menu.

 

[Darth Rosenberg]

Its already been said, but it was the first game that came to mind: Dragon Age Origins and Dragon Age 2.

Ditto'd. Companions in that were great, full stop, 'cause you could make them behave like a precision unit in battle with Tactics (and yeah, it was appalling of BioWare to gut Tactics in DA:I).

In terms of reasonable AI and nifty followers? I suppose Veronica and Cass in New Vegas were good company, and actually got shit done if you outfitted them properly.

The superpowered allies in Saints Row IV could be a little dim, but when 'set off' they caused admirable destruction and chaos... Kinzie FTW, on that count.

Yes Elizabeth counts, in the fact that she isn't the character you control, but she does follow you around during gameplay.

She's a great - and supremely likable - character, but I'm not sure she does 'count'. Given that the thread seems to be about AI, Elizabeth doesn't really have any coding that makes her particularly impressive. Sure, she hands out supplies, but those are triggered responses. Ditto her use of portals, which are triggered by the player. Otherwise she's just a static, unkillable asset doing absolutely nothing. I still cared about her during scraps, but that's not what the OP was about.

The AI for the ME companions in general was pretty damn good though. They were responsive to commands for deployment, weren't stupid about finding cover (most of the time), and were fairly adaptive tactically to what you were doing.

Eh, very much disagree with that. F'instance, in ME1 on hostile uncharted worlds at range, your allies can be standing still and get their shields whittled away - and all they do is *****, and continue to stand there getting shot...

I'm currently going through ME2 again, and the pathfinding can be atrocious; I direct Tali to new cover, and she runs around the back of the cover she's in, and then hops over the cover to run forward. Why not, y'know, just break cover and head in a straight line, maybe? Also, I activated a drone on Haestrom, and it lingered after combat. I told Garrus to move, and whilst there was ample space around the drone, he just stood there like a lemon behind it... as his shields got fried by the sun. ME's AI isn't the worse ever seen, sure, but it certainly isn't a good example of it. Especially so, given that almost all players choose when to use their allies powers instead, making the allies little more than distractions/cannon fodder and conduits for their powers.

 

[Ambient_Malice]

I can't leave without my buddy Superfly!

Spoiler

Please don't ban me.

 

[DementedSheep]

This might be cheating but how about Dragon Age: Origins/Dragon Age 2, given you can program the AI tactics rather specifically, especially with mods. Carefully constructed, they'll mostly do exactly as you want them to.

As opposed to say, Dragon Age: Inquisition, where they have the IQ of a rock.

Yep, being able to set your companions behaviour scripts and when to use skills should be a standard feature for party based RPG. The auto flank toggle for rouges from the mods was a godsend as well because otherwise you have stop to reposition them if the enemy so much as takes a step.

 

[Kyrian007]

Ezio's horse was the perfect companion AI. Not there at all until I whistled for him, and then he teleports in out of nowhere and guarantees an escape and then quietly vanishes not to get in my way until I whistle again.

 

[Squilookle]

She had some truly annoying escort moments, but all is forgiven because in the Jungle, she laid down the law.

Accept no substitutes.​

 

[ZeroFarks]

The Companion Cube from Portal, of course.

It had by far the best, most advanced AI programming that I've seen put into a follower. Not once during the entire game did ever run in front of me when I was shooting, get stuck in a door frame due to bad pathfinding, or rush up behind me and knock me over a ledge. It never once charged into enemy fire and it always stayed exactly where I told it to.

I also had a great deal of emotional attachment to the little... uh, guy? Girl? Whatever. When he/she/it finally died I was heart broken, HEART BROKEN I tell you! Again, no other video game sidekick ever managed to get the level of real emotional investment & connection than Companion Cube did. The rest of them might as well have just been faceless, hollow boxes for all I cared about their terrible dialog, lazy writing, bland backstories and insufferable canned cutscenes.

I think a lot of game developers could learn a lot about good sidekick design from our friend the Companion Cube.

"Il semble que la perfection soit atteinte non quand il n'y a plus rien à ajouter, mais quand il n'y a plus rien à retrancher." - Antoine de Saint Exupéry

 

[WolfThomas]

I've got to agree with Boone from New Vegas. I really considered him an equal. When we suicidally assaulted caesars camp that was some great team work.

I remember one part where a Praetorian punched the marksman's rifle out of his hand and then staggered him with another punch (I was playing hardcore so he could die). The praetorian instead of finishing him with a punch snatched up the marksman's rifle and turned to shoot Boone. Boone however rose to feet rapidly unslinging his battered hunting rifle he originally used and firing from the hip explode the guys head.

It was like something out of a film.

I also used Rex a lot. ED-E had too large a profile for my tastes and I used a mod that made the game really dark, so I could use nightvision from the ranger helmet (again modded). Boone's spotting ability allowed me to see enemies at nights and Rex's let me find their bodies for looting.

 

[WolfThomas]

The game may be new but boy do I love Chumbucket from Mad Max.

Edit: He gives you your vehicle. He performs all the uprgades. While driving he mans the secondary weapons like the harpoon. He repairs the car as soon as you pull over. He can drive the car while you snipe. He can bring the car to you close or far. He shouts out when he sees enemies and otherwise shuts up.

He's the best. Admittedly he is often just an extension of you, but I've never been pissed off by him.