Does Long War XCom EW Make the AI Better?
XCom: Enemy Unknown is a highly acclaimed turn-based strategy game where players take on the role of a commander leading a global resistance against an alien invasion. The game’s artificial intelligence (AI) has been a subject of much discussion, with many players seeking a more challenging and engaging experience. One popular mod that has gained attention is Long War, which aims to enhance the game by adding new content, increasing difficulty, and improving the AI.
Long War XCom EW is a mod for XCom: Enemy Within that introduces a plethora of changes to the game, including overhauls to the strategic and tactical layers, new soldier classes, weapons, and enemies. One of the key objectives of the mod is to make the game more challenging and immersive, and this includes improvements to the AI behavior.
The AI in the base game has been criticized for its predictability and lack of adaptability, which can lead to repetitive and sometimes exploitable tactics. Long War seeks to address these issues by making the AI more dynamic and intelligent in its decision-making. For example, the mod introduces new enemy types with enhanced abilities and tactics, requiring the player to adapt their strategies to counter these new threats.
One of the ways in which Long War improves the AI is by making it more responsive to the player’s actions. In the base game, the AI may often follow scripted behaviors, whereas in Long War, the enemies are more likely to react based on the player’s movements and decisions. This can create a more immersive and challenging experience, as players must constantly adapt to the evolving tactics of their opponents.
Additionally, Long War introduces changes to the AI’s resource management and decision-making, making it more efficient and strategic in its use of abilities and units. This leads to more unpredictable and varied enemy encounters, requiring players to think carefully about their approach and utilize all available resources to overcome the challenges presented.
Furthermore, Long War increases the size and variety of enemy pods, leading to larger and more complex battles. This forces players to consider new tactics and strategies to overcome the increased opposition, further testing their abilities and decision-making.
In conclusion, Long War XCom EW does make the AI better by introducing a range of improvements that enhance the intelligence and adaptability of the enemies. The mod’s changes to the AI’s behavior, decision-making, and resource management result in a more challenging and dynamic experience for players. While the base game AI has its limitations, Long War seeks to address and improve on these, providing a more engaging and immersive gameplay experience for fans of XCom: Enemy Unknown.
