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About this mod
Real.AI recalibrates trillions of engine level subroutines using nanoprocessing genome sequences from the future that was beamed into our dimension by Gandalf in order to make Fallout 4's NPCs behave more organically by removing a lot of the limitations left over from the console port. Experience Fallout 4's AI at its full potential.
- Requirements
- Permissions and credits
- Donations
"An excellent piece of modding." - PC Gamer
"Yet another masterpiece from the Rick Sanchez of Nexusmods." - Kotaku
"OP ED: Suspected terrorist releases AI Mod UPON YOUR CHILDREN." - Fox News
"Out of all the recalibrated Fallout 4 AI subroutines I've seen out there, this one takes the cake." - Pablo Picasso
"Science. Plain and simple." - Genghis Khan
"A riveting erotic adventure from the depths of a disturbed mind. 10/10" - The New Yorker
"How did you get my phone number?" - Keanu Reeves
Want a big in-depth showcase of what real.AI is like?
Check out this amazing series by ChillNPlayGames
UPDATE:
I'm going to take a slight break from Real.AI to do some more work on my other mod, OBIV Statesec. This is the mod where I've learned the most about Fallout 4's AI and NPC behaviour, and if you ever want to see some of my more crazy/transformative changes to NPCs, then give it a try. I overhaul just about everything from AI, to animations, to blood/bleeding effects and even add new features such as emittance data and custom voices. It's fun if you want to play something other than Fallout 4. Getting the newest version on discord is recommended if you decide to check it out.
Here's a little showcase.
Welcome to Real.AI. The product of several of my unreleased/discontinued projects and several years of research into Bethesda's AI system going all the way back to my days learning how to mod Morrowind.
There aren't a lot of people who have made AI mods for Bethesda games and understandably so. It involves a lot of blind trial and error using elaborate sets of variables and formulas within the largely undocumented GMST indexes. For several years I've worked on trying to figure out ways to improve and tweak NPC behaviour and little by little I've managed to make some real inroads into understanding the complex maths used by Bethesda's many NPCs.
And today I feel confident enough in my work to actually release the product of those labours.
PLEASE NOTE:
I have seen a lot of criticism directed at this mod based on complaints about gameplay. If you just want Skyrim with a different paintjob, or some AAA run of the mill FPS game then don't use this mod. This mod was made for a post-apocalyptic game. Ever watched Book of Eli? Or The Road? You know those post-apocalyptic settings where even the most mundane moments are charged with tension and danger? How, in the lawless apocalypse, seasoned scavengers move quietly and avoid open areas and treat every nook and cranny as a potential threat?
THAT'S what the post-apocalyptic genre is like. It's a world full of danger. So when I see people complaining about how they can't just saunter across an open field then I would kindly remind them that this is Fallout 4, not The Sound Of Music. So to anyone who wishes to tell me "I don't like this mod, it makes the world too perilous." then all I can say is this:
Alrighty then. So don't use it. It's optional. This mod is mostly intended for people who find surplus enjoyment in the immersion of carefully moving through dangerous environments, and having unexpected twists and turns. Who like a more tense and slower paced game where you need to rely a bit on your instincts and actually take in the adventure and nuances of the world around them. This mod will turn a 5 minute quest into a 30 minute quest, because some people like that. Some people enjoy the book more than the film, and that's the kind of pacing this mod offers.
The reason why your stealth indicator is always at [CAUTION] is because that's war. That's how armed conflicts work. Even when a frontline soldier is enjoying some downtime by cracking jokes and taking turns playing Halo on some shitty jury rigged cathode ray television in their barracks, in their heads they're still at [CAUTION]. Because even though they're supposed to relax, the reality is that at just about any given moment the ceiling could cave in from a mortar shell and turn their immediate surroundings into a hazy nightmare covered in blood and ashes.
I call it real.AI because it's real, because it's based on actual war psychology. I don't wanna go in too much on my past, but I have experiences of this. I was never in the army, but I grew up at a time when my family was targeted by actual terrorists who had plans to kill me and my parents. My dad had PTSD because of how he was involved in an operation where they actually killed the men who were after us. They died right in front of him. I know first hand how that sense of impending conflict affects people, and the way you exist in those circumstances. That's not something everyone wants, but that's what my product delivers. It has a very dark side to it, and some might argue that it's too much for a video game. But that's how creative expression works, you make what you know, it's your only claim to authenticity.
UPDATE: The people have spoken, here's the real.AI dialogue patch for people who can't talk to quest NPCs etc:
UPDATE: I have now released a minor expansion for Real.AI, take a look here:
FEATURES:
So what does this mod actually do?
The complex and weird answer would be to say that it does thousands of things. But on a less pedantic level I'll try to summarise it with a few noteworthy things:
1. It removes the "blinders" from the NPCs. Bethesda gave NPCs a series of invisible barriers that blocked their senses, meaning that they were essentially existing in a kind of bubble. This mod removes that bubble, allowing NPCs to interact with the world around them and to actually engage with their environment. As a result, snipers will actually snipe. Flanking NPCs will actually flank you. Buildings, firing positions and environmental features will become real to the many inhabitants of Fallout 4, and they will behave much more like living beings.
2. It replaces hard limitations with soft limitations. To avoid the "psychic NPC" problem, a lot of the NPCs have been given weaker senses. So even though the bubble is gone, they are still not without humanising limitations. Their perception is now gradient depending on things like distance, line of sight, light levels, and numerous other factors. They can be fooled, distracted, outwitted, led astray and ambushed... but watch out, they might sometimes do the same to you.
3. It adds elements of unpredictability. NPCs are given more free reign on choices they can make. They can circle around large objects, hide, ambush and attempt to trick the player. They will blindfire and engage targets based on assumptions if they have limited information.
4. Stealth and detection is considerably more organic. You can now hide in the middle of combat, and enemies will search for you and blindfire if they're not actively seeing you.
5. Combat is 1000% less annoying since NPCs will stop goon rushing you the moment you're not immediately visible to them.
Here's a brief demonstration I put together, I didn't have the time to capture EVERYTHING the mod does (since I'd have to record on lots of different environments for that), but I hope it'll showcase some of the difference:
Also special thanks to Arjafield for an even better showcase made with actual effort, give them a like and subscribe:
FAQ:
Q: This mod makes radroaches notice my gunshots and attack me from all over the place!
A: That's not my fault. Bethesda decided to program the radroaches as starving predators with zero concept of self-preservation. Tell Todd Howard to check out the Discovery channel once in a while.
Q: Does this mod work with X?
A: Check the compatibility notes, I don't like making assumptions about other mods that I don't have enough time to test properly. It's not fair to other mod authors, and it's not fair to people who ask the questions either. Unless I can confidently assert that I know about something from experience, then I'd rather not say anything.
Q: This mod makes combat really hard!
A: It really doesn't. It just has a learning curve. NPCs behave differently, which means you have to behave differently. Just experiment with some new tactics and I promise you the mod isn't that difficult. It's like Dark Souls, once you figure out how the combat system works it's pretty much like playing any other game. It only seems difficult because it subverts your expectations of how you're supposed to play it.
Q: Is this safe to install/uninstall mid-game?
A: Yes. If you want to be 100% safe then go to some area without any NPCs around and wait for 12 hours after uninstalling. But I'm 99% sure you could unplug it mid-combat and experience zero problems.
Q: Favourite Bob Dylan album?
A: No idea. I'm a millennial. I use Spotify. I don't even understand how you can have a favourite album when you can just make playlists. I like his song about ducks though. But to be honest recently I've gotten really into Madonna. Just a good way to start the morning you know?
Q: Load order?
A: Unless you use other AI mods or possibly stealth mods, then load order shouldn't really matter beyond personal preference. At least on my end. I could see how some stealth mods might need priority.
Q: Does this mod work with Vortex?
A: Nothing works with Vortex. Don't even mention Vortex. Forget Vortex exists. It's cursed. If you say Vortex enough times then horrible things will happ-OH MY GOD MY HANDS JUST BURST INTO FLAMES QUICK SOMEBODY CALL AN AMBULANCE OR THE FLAME COPS I FORGET WHAT THE WORD IS IN ENGLISH BUT IT'S THE GUYS WITH THE BIG LADDERS ON THEIR TRUCKS SOMEBODY CALL THE LADDER TRUCK FLAME COPS!
Q: Research notes?
A: Work in progress, but yes.
Q: Why did you alter the corpse removal setting?
A: I altered one redundant corpse removal setting. Corpse cleanup is based on a timer AND a corpse limit. All the timer does is delete your loot randomly without any real value to optimisation. Since this mod focuses on NPCs and getting rid of console limitations, I felt like it ticked 2/3 boxes. It just fixes a bug basically.
Q: I can't see the sniper that's shooting me!
A: Congratulations, you've figured out why people become snipers. Try retreating.
Q: This mod is garbage, it makes NPCs wander across the map and do stuff, and they're too busy to stand around for an eternity and wait for me, the divinely anointed protagonist, to wander into their meekly existences.
A: Yeah, that's why it's called Real.AI. Because people are living in the world just like you are. They might clear out some raiders or patrol the nearby area, or go on a trip somewhere. They don't care about your precious sense of entitlement.
Q: More like Chaos AI (profound thought btw, never heard that before.)
A: Anything is chaos to an idiot. Chaos is just looking at stuff without investigating cause-effect relationships in natural behaviours. Just because you're coping with confirmation bias doesn't mean I did a bad job. Moreover, it's not chaos. I could make a chaos AI, where NPCs have a targeting deadzone of 360 degrees, try to hit you with melee weapons from 500 metres away, have their pathing behaviour ignore fall damage as they all jump to their deaths from cliffs and skyscrapers to save time during travel, and sneak whenever you turn on your pipboy radio. But until then, stop acting like it's all random. It's not. It's just organic, and organic things aren't always going to be 100% intuitive.
Q: Hello, I'm one of the dozens of people who are here to shill for pack-attack.
A: I don't care one way or another. Although you have to wonder how a good a mod is when its community has to send spammers out to everyone else's comment sections. Generally speaking you don't need to rely on spam messages when your product is actually good. Food for thought.
COMPATIBILITY:
Real.AI is compatible with pretty much everything, even other AI mods. That's the beauty of GMST records. You just prioritise which ones you'd prefer in your load order.
This does not alter combat styles, packages, companion orders or anything else related to normal data records. It's a very minimalistic mod in that sense. But still very powerful.
EDIT:
Actually, you know what? This mod is incompatible with other AI mods. Not because it is, but because I keep getting comments from people using my mod in combination with other AI mods, and then tell me it's not working as intended. Of course not! You're combining it with other mods. It'll function just fine, but it'll do something different when you have mods installed that cause a different outcome. I figured this would be like... tautological levels of reality, but I guess it needs spelling out.
PERMISSIONS:
I prefer to give open permissions to all my mods. But truth is, my life is kind of awful right now. I'm sick, I struggle with surviving, I can't seem to catch a break. So until I get back on my feet I'm gonna need to monopolise this mod and score some donation points. I'm really sorry about that. I do feel like a dick for how I can't stick to my principles.
EDIT:
If you want to port this mod to console, contact me. I don't mind as long as it's not some sneaky opportunist who wants to ride my coat tails. I want a competent and trustworthy person to do it. Also, I insist that the Bethesda port has to plug the charity I sometimes work for that provides food for low income families. If I can't get any cash out of it, then at least I think some kids should so they don't have to grow up like I did. This is non-negotiable. DM me for details.
POSSIBLE ISSUES:
It's HIGHLY RECOMMENDED to use one of your favourite ballistic/bullet physics mods. Because of the AI's ability to engage at long distances, hitscanning can get pretty merciless. For those of you who don't know what hitscan means: It's a way to optimise the game by pre-calculating bullet trajectories using beams instead of moving projectiles. Kind of like laser tag. It's useful to make games run well on console or in multiplayer FPS games, but for a single player PC game it just makes combat feel needlessly fake. Consider using something like Weapons Of Fate to resolve this if you're getting shredded at long distances.
OH and I totally forgot: Use a darker nights mod. The reason enemies can see you sneaking at night is because everyone would be able to see you sneaking at night. Bethesda's nights are just blue sunlight. Also make sure it's a mod that darkens the night using ambient light as opposed to a postprocessing effect. In the future I might make a patch for this but for now I am going to focus on giving them real senses.
Also set actor fade to max, or use a config tool/word processor to make draw distance even further. I figured that would be kind of obvious when I said snipers can actually snipe now but according to the angry people on reddit I guess I overestimated some people.
PERFORMANCE:
Honestly? I doubt you'll take much of a performance hit as long as your PC is relatively modern. I think a lot of these AI limitations are left over from Bethesda's gamebryo years when they were working with far more limited system specs.