Sneaky AI - a cheat?

[new_civilian]

The Sneaky AI setting.... Is it a cheat, is it broken, is it important or what is it? Or does it work at all? I am totally clueless about this feature.

It is ok that SOME vulnerable AI units try to hide, but doesn't that option break all melee units? Their sole purpose is to go TO the player units and attack them.
Not to hide.
When I started with OXC i always enabled it, as I thought it would improve the AI behaviour, but now I generally turn it off.

and now the next problem:

I wish I could say that it makes a big difference, but I have to admit it doesn't.  I actually wonder if it works at all.

Tried it in several mods and if there is a difference, then it is marginal.

So what is going on with this option, do you guys use it? Any experiences, tips, suggestions, observations?

[7Saturn]

Well, I think, mostly, it changes, where the AI is ending its turn. On base attacks I noticed, that they often are just around the corner, instead of in plain sight. But for the most part, I concur with your assessment. It doesn't seem to change a lot.

[SupSuper]

All the option does is make the AI avoid ending their turn in clear sight. It does not turn it into some kind of sneaky box-hiding stealth-backstabbing monster.

[7Saturn]

It does not turn it into some kind of sneaky box-hiding stealth-backstabbing monster.

Pity!

[new_civilian]

Thanks for the info, SupSuper.

This does however still leave one question open: Don't melee-only units e.g. Reaper suffer from this setting?
What I mean is this: let's say e.g. a reaper sees an XCom soldier far away, it could in theory reach him in 2 turns if it decided to stay out in the open for one turn at half the distance.

Now with the Sneaky AI setting it simply runs forward, sees the soldier, calculates, runs back and hides like it was bound by a rubber leash.
Especially the zombie unit suffers from this as it has very little TU and can't move very far.
It is not a problem for the Chryssalids/Tentaculats with their high TUs. They can cross the entire map, kill all your units, and still have enough TUs to waste.

But Reapers, Zombies, Silacoids and all other low-TU units become next-to-useless when using this setting.

[Arthanor]

Well.. a reaper in the open has a very low chance of survival. A few heavy cannon rounds or other explosives, of one flamethrower burst and it's gone. Isn't it better if it hides, forcing you to approach and once you have, gets out of hiding to bite you?

I don't us sneaky AI, but I always found the reapers sitting in the open a bit too easy. Having them hide and ambush would be better.

[Warboy1982]

But Reapers, Zombies, Silacoids and all other low-TU units become next-to-useless when using this setting.

in fairness, they already were, but i can have a tinker.

[new_civilian]

Thanks, Warboy1982.

[playerxxcc]

i am new user of openxcom extended+ version. for some reason, option for sneaky ai is shaded for me (grey). i tried to change it manually (in config file), but without success. can someone help me? although, in case, if its true, what i read above, its not so important...

[yergnoor]

i am new user of openxcom extended+ version. for some reason, option for sneaky ai is shaded for me (grey). i tried to change it manually (in config file), but without success.

Most likely this is due to some kind of included custom mod. Options in mods can be set on or off, and then the player cannot change this while the mod is running.