-- A Better AI --
-- Mod by DerBK --
-- v1.02 --

A Better AI is the standalone version of the AI improvements that went into the enemy overhaul "A Better ADVENT".
Use this if you do want all the AI changes, but none of the enemy variants.

Attention: If you are already using Better ADVENT, do NOT install Better AI as well. Everything in this mod is already part of Better ADVENT.


Some highlights from the list of changes are:

Tweaking of global AI parameters, such as:
- Enemies stick to cover much more than in vanilla.
- Flanking AI has been improved.
- Mimic Beacon AI has been fixed: Mimic Beacon will still hog the enemies attention and draw their fire, however it will no longer make them commit suicide by running in the open.

Introduction of new logics into the targeting and overwatch routines, such as:
- Overwatch routines that factor in the chance to hit and the number of enemies already on Overwatch make enemies more likely to set overwatch traps instead of just wasting turns on 5% shots.
- AI reaction to VIPs and Evac zones is less extreme now.
- Introduces "Priority Shots" into the AI. Priority shots are Flank Shots, Kill Shots and Shots with >80% chance to hit. The AI will take those shots instead of durdling around with Raise Zombie or similar.
- Panic fix: Enemies can now shoot at panicked targets. In vanilla, they don't and that doesn't make much sense.

Revised and adjusted AI decision trees for almost all enemies:
- The Better AI assigns new AI trees to the following 15 unit types: Trooper, Captain, Stun Lancer, Shieldbearer, MEC, Avatar, Turret, Andromedon, Archon, Berserker, Codex, Muton, Sectoid, Viper, Sectopod.
- Examples for specific changes to unit behavior:
-- Stunlancers are no longer pure melee units. They will use their guns to take any opportunity shots they come across. They will also sometimes randomly decide to use their gun instead of the stun baton.
-- Turrets will no longer waste their second action. Most often, they will choose Overwatch if they don’t find a particularly good shot to take.
-- Codices are more defensive, they will use their Teleport to keep distance and stay in cover, taking shots from there.

Improvements to ability use:
- Sectoids that have only bad shots available will go for Mindspin, hoping to panic someone out of their full cover into a more vulnerable spot
- Mutons use their grenades more aggressively. If they don’t have a good shot on anyone, they will use their grenade on single targets as well, hoping to destroy their cover.
- Mutons may also use Suppress in that situation instead. The chance for grenade vs suppression is 50/50.

For a detailed overview, please take a look at "A Better Manual", the downloadable PDF documentation for A Better ADVENT. It has a chapter detailing the AI changes:
A Better Manual: http://www.derbk.com/Downloads/ABA/ABetterManual.pdf

Note on compatibility: Don't run this mod alongside other AI mods or Better ADVENT. Other than that, there are no problems.

Update note for v1.01:
Minor changes, mostly some number tweaks that should lead to better behaviour when enemies fall back or soldiers panic.
ABAI now includes the Berserker AI fix by ADVENT Avenger which lets Berserkers attack other aliens.
Deleted a bunch of unnecessary files from the mod folder, which should bring down the size to just a few kB.

Update note for v1.02:
Integrated the same Suppression check into the AI for Troopers, Captains and Shieldbearers that ADVENT Avenger did for his mod "AI Suppression Fix". This doesn't add the suppression ability to those enemies, that will have to be done by a seperate mod like ADVENT Avenger's "ADVENT Suppression Ability".