units_XCOMFILES.rul: What exactly unit intelligence and aggression mean

[Abyss]

As a new masochist user of the Brutal OXCE, I strive to provide insights on how BAI should work with global mods. My experience as a player of vanilla OXCE spans over six years with X-Piratez and XCF, and I'm always excited to learn new things.

Recently, different player reported an issue with BAI chryssalids not behaving optimally in open terrain melee situations. I suggested tuning the AI options to consider modder-set intelligence and aggressiveness options, which BAI can already do. However, while looking into the units RUL file, I realized that unit intelligence may not be that straightforward. For example, ethereals may have an intelligence level of 3, while snakemen can have 7, some stormtroopers may have 1, while megascorpions may have 2, and chryssalids have 4 etc.

So my question is whether the intelligence and aggressiveness numbers are on a strict scale from 0 to 10, where 0 represents degenerate behavior and 10 represents battlefield genius, or if they are just markings of presets for a behavioral frameworks that doesn't correlate with the actual gradation (bigger number doesn't mean smarter). The same question applies to aggressiveness numbers. Is it possible that the number is a preset, and actual aggressiveness relies on something else?

Currently, BAI uses intelligence and aggressiveness as markers for how units should behave and how many wrong moves the AI makes. Xilmi has included BAI options that take into account what modders assigned to units in UNITS.RUL in regard to their aggro and intel. However, if the aggressiveness and intel are not straightforward like in BAI, balance could be pretty broken.

Let me explain: right now BAI uses intelligence and aggressiveness as own markers for:
- how units should behave (0 aggro = more cover and ambush, 1 = careful fight, 2 aggro = balanced fight, 3 = careful push, 4 aggro = push no matter what) - how many wrong moves AI makes (0 intel = can do not-optimal move/shot, or even stay open, to 5 intel = each move/shot is a move towards battle won).
When the combined option is enabled, BAI reduces baseline numbers and pluses portion of the numbers which are set by modders, respectfully. Then, unit with intel 9 (like, ghost) under ruleset will behave as most sentient, and unit with intel 1 (like, magma cosmonaut, obliterator, crocs and other guys) will make far more mistakes.

[Abyss]

If you play X-Com Files and want to chat about it, or just want to chat about it

Good day, Sol,
Can you look at the topic above?

[Solarius Scorch]

This question is answered by the Ruleset Reference:

intelligence: Intelligence of this unit's AI. The higher the value, the longer this unit remembers player troops between turns.

(...)

aggression: Aggression of this unit's AI. The higher the value, the more ruthless the unit, the more likely to make a frontal/melee assault. Less aggressive units tend to set up ambushes.

Possible values are:

• 0 = mostly passive
• 1 = balanced
• 2+ = mostly aggressive (meaningful values are between 2 and

[Juku121]

Yeah, 'intelligence' is basically how persistent the unit is in chasing down foes who have gone off the map for a moment.

'Aggression' is kinda like BAI aggression, in a very general sense.

[Abyss]

This question is answered by the Ruleset Reference:

Thank you for clarification, that's quite meaningful