Supernatural AI?
But where F.E.A.R. makes up for all this is in how well the graphics integrate with the actual gameplay. Now you can argue that Half Life 2 et al all do this well too and you’d be right but F.E.A.R. takes it a step further by allowing you to use these latest graphical tricks to your advantage in the game itself. The firefights in F.E.A.R. have to be some of the best going, and invariably you’ll not always hit the mark and instead you’ll do a competent job of making an inaminate wall even deader. Well done you. But the side effect of this is to create clouds of plaster and brick dust. In a confined space this will soon make it impossible to see what’s going on… and Monolith have played fair here so if you can’t see anything, the AI can’t see anything either…meaning you can make impromptu smoke screensand then leg it if you find yourself in a tight spot. The real time lighting affects the gameplay too as the AI will react to seeing your torch beam and even your shadow thrown onto a wall… Similarly, you might get the same clues as to their whereabouts by shadows or sound.
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Click for larger imageWhich bring me neatly to the AI itself, which is another class above Half Life 2’s for sure. I have to admit that I didn’t think Half Life 2’s AI was much of a progression beyond that of Half Life and given how much else was improved in that game over the original it was a tad disappointing. F.E.A.R. gives us the AI we were wanting in Half Life 2 and some more on top. Not only do they try and out flank you, these guys will blind fire, lay down huge amounts of suppressing fire and leg it like mad if they get severely wounded or find themselves all alone after you’ve taken out their squad mates. You might well even hear them refusing to move up when ordered especially if they’ve just witnessed you take down four or five of their number.
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Click for larger imageSuperbly, the levels have been designed in such a way that many areas have several ways in and out which means that once you’ve initiated a firefight the AI will perhaps try and pin you down while a couple of soldiers circle around behind you, following a totally different path. Even better, the AI don’t have hawk-like vision or some built in homing ability. If you scamper off and hide somewhere dark they will lose you, allowing you to hide behind a desk in a darkened office and watch them creep by. All of this adds to the realism and immersion of the game, giving you a satisfying and rewarding experience.
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