[v7.27.7 tactical] alien phobia of smoke

[Oldsmobile]

(Sorry I don't have time to post the saved files, but want to mention this in light of the pending major update.  Probably not a bug.)

I'm noticing that aliens are too afraid of smoke stun damage.  I've had a couple of instances in which Xenonauts were surely doomed by nearby melee aliens (reapers, symbiotes).  The Xenonauts were deep in thick smoke.  Instead of attacking, the melee aliens moved a little to either escape the smoke, or, if they were outside the smoke, they  would move to the edge of the smoke.  Is the alien AI prioritizing avoidance of stun damage?  I feel they should have melee'd instead of running away.  (In the case of the symbiotes, they simply stayed in the same spot next to the Xenonaut instead of attacking - bizarre.)  Is it possible to make the aliens more aggressive?

On a related note, I was treated to the sight of a Sebillian's melee attack.  Unexpectedly entertaining!

Edited September 30 by Oldsmobile

[Kouki]

On 10/1/2026 at 3:35 AM, Oldsmobile said:

(Sorry I don't have time to post the saved files, but want to mention this in light of the pending major update.  Probably not a bug.)

I'm noticing that aliens are too afraid of smoke stun damage.  I've had a couple of instances in which Xenonauts were surely doomed by nearby melee aliens (reapers, symbiotes).  The Xenonauts were deep in thick smoke.  Instead of attacking, the melee aliens moved a little to either escape the smoke, or, if they were outside the smoke, they  would move to the edge of the smoke.  Is the alien AI prioritizing avoidance of stun damage?  I feel they should have melee'd instead of running away.  (In the case of the symbiotes, they simply stayed in the same spot next to the Xenonaut instead of attacking - bizarre.)  Is it possible to make the aliens more aggressive?

On a related note, I was treated to the sight of a Sebillian's melee attack.  Unexpectedly entertaining!

Thanks for the feedback. Not sure how heavy stun damage/smoke are for AI weights but I'll bring this up with the rest of the team in case they make future updates on the AI!

And yeah, it doesn't happen often but glad you liked it (Iirc it also causes a lot of bleeding, which isn't as fun as the animation!)