AI Pathfinding Rant

[Lance]

AI Pathfinding in some games REALLY annoys the hell out of me.

Take Saints Row 2 for instance. I've just started - grabbed a nice Attrizone (Lamborghini) and I'm cruising along at a couple hundred KM's an hour. There's a car in front of me in the other lane and just as I'm about to shoot past it, for NO reason, swerves in to my lane and forces me to loose control and trashing the Attrizone. Of course then I have to get out, kill the guy and take his money to cover the costs of repairs go to the nearest Rim Jobs and get it repaired. All this time could have been better spent actually doing missions but nooooooo I have to go repair my trashed car because people in Stillwater drive like morons.

Anyone else get annoyed by AI pathfinding?

[Jason]

Hell yes. Although I should point out at this point that that is exactly the sort of thing I'd deliberately program into the game if I had the chance. Nothing like ruining the day of a flash bastard. ;)

But yeah, AI pathfinding is a major bugbear, which is perhaps part of the reason I hate 'escort missions' so very, very much. All they do is ruin your day and highlight the weaknesses of the AI. I'm not suggesting it's an easy thing to get right, but on the same note, you think they'd at least try and smooth over the cracks rather than highlight them...