declined Bot Pathing Fix / Let Them Pass Through Us

[Mr.Blitz 57]

Suggestion:
Bots often interfere with player positioning by bumping into us, blocking our view, or outright pushing us off key spots. This especially happens in intense moments where precision and positioning are crucial.

 

Proposed solution:
Let bots move through friendly players rather than physically colliding with them. If that’s not viable, at least improve their pathfinding AI to avoid teammates.

 

Why it matters:

• It prevents frustration during critical fights when bots accidentally ruin our aim or push us into danger.
• It helps maintain the flow of gameplay, especially in modes where position matters.
• It removes the unfair disadvantage of losing a good spot or even a kill streak just because a bot couldn’t go around.
• Bots are there to support the team, not disrupt it.. this adjustment would align them better with their intended purpose.

 

[NikmanGT 4,362]

Declined

Bots are treated as actual players and your teammates in the match (though not being actual) so phasing through them completely defeats the purpose in maps where you have numerous bots present.

Bots are annoying, but that's exactly how they are tend to be designed.

On 5/6/2025 at 6:44 PM, GhostLynx said:

If that’s not viable, at least improve their pathfinding AI to avoid teammates.

Well this is a given, devs are continuously enhancing the way bots work in the battle, because at the end of the day, bots are still bots, not real players and they come with a lot of flaws that do not favor the gameplay we tankers might like.

[Mr.Blitz 57]

On 5/7/2025 at 5:08 PM, NikmanGT said:

Declined

Bots are treated as actual players and your teammates in the match (though not being actual) so phasing through them completely defeats the purpose in maps where you have numerous bots present.

Bots are annoying, but that's exactly how they are tend to be designed.

Well this is a given, devs are continuously enhancing the way bots work in the battle, because at the end of the day, bots are still bots, not real players and they come with a lot of flaws that do not favor the gameplay we tankers might like.

Your response comes off as an elegant way to brush off the suggestion without any real intention of addressing the actual issue. You claim that bots are “intentionally annoying,” yet in the same breath admit that their behavior is being improved.. which is a contradictory excuse meant to cover up the lack of will or capability to fix an obvious problem. These kinds of justification-based nonsense truly deserve to be called out.

With all due respect, your response leaves me (and likely many others) wondering if you're actually addressing the core of the issue.. or just brushing it off with buzzwords. You state that bots are “meant to be annoying,” as if intentional poor design somehow justifies a consistently frustrating gameplay experience. That’s not game design, that’s laziness wrapped in irony. Nobody’s asking for bots to become Einstein-level geniuses. We're asking for them not to ruin our positioning, not to push us off corners, and not to block our shots in the middle of firefights. 

Also, if bots are "treated as actual teammates" in the logic of the game, then why don't they act like teammates? Real teammates don’t shove you off your sniper nest, block your aim, or get in your face during a 1v1. So either treat them like actual teammates.. with behavior to match or stop using that excuse. And saying "we’re continuously enhancing how bots behave" is such a default corporate line. That’s been said all the time while the problem persists. This isn't some high-concept feature we're requesting, it's a basic QoL fix for a long-standing annoyance that breaks immersion and ruins otherwise strategic play. 

 

Players aren't blind or mute. We see what works and what doesn't.. and we know when we’re being fed polite rejections instead of real solutions.

[Hypersomnia 1,695]

On 5/7/2025 at 6:08 PM, NikmanGT said:

Bots are annoying, but that's exactly how they are tend to be designed.

as the Kind Gentleman above pointed out this is a glorified nothing burger response while trying to avoid the actual problem addressed here.

 

who in their right mind would look at bots bumping into players and go 'peak bot design here. no issues found'? if they were for some unknown reason DESIGNED to be annoying and bump into players then why they DONT GET out of their way to bump into you? Now they're just blindly rushing to enemy base or capture point which is why these bumps happen. The bots treat the map as if it's completely empty. 

 

stop coping and just say bots are a half baked update (a generous statement) and nobody and i mean literally nobody likes them so thats even better. Also fixing nothing. WO5s still get matched with legends except now theres 20 bots to act as distraction for legend to not slaughter the low rank constantly. So... guess it works..?

[Mr.Blitz 57]

On 5/8/2025 at 5:10 PM, Hypersomnia said:

as the Kind Gentleman above pointed out this is a glorified nothing burger response while trying to avoid the actual problem addressed here.

 

who in their right mind would look at bots bumping into players and go 'peak bot design here. no issues found'? if they were for some unknown reason DESIGNED to be annoying and bump into players then why they DONT GET out of their way to bump into you? Now they're just blindly rushing to enemy base or capture point which is why these bumps happen. The bots treat the map as if it's completely empty. 

 

stop coping and just say bots are a half baked update (a generous statement) and nobody and i mean literally nobody likes them so thats even better. Also fixing nothing. WO5s still get matched with legends except now theres 20 bots to act as distraction for legend to not slaughter the low rank constantly. So... guess it works..?

Hey @Hypersomnia thanks for jumping in.. well said

The reason they rushed to “decline” the suggestion is simple: it hits too close to home.
It's easier for them to play it off with a smug response than to admit there's an actual flaw in the foundation of how bots behave.. a flaw that actively ruins real player experience.

They don’t want to open that door, because then they’d have to acknowledge that bots, as they currently function, are not just broken, they’re bad design masked as "intentional behavior."

The moment you suggest a practical solution that forces them to face that, they slap it with a polite "declined" and hope the thread dies quietly. But when more of us point out the obvious.. that bots move like the map is empty, that they’re not helping, and that we’re sick of pretending this is normal.. they can’t hide behind empty statements anymore.

So thanks again for backing this up. It’s good to see others are tired of the nonsense too.

[POWER-OF-ONE 163]

On 5/7/2025 at 4:08 PM, NikmanGT said:

so phasing through them completely defeats the purpose in maps where you have numerous bots present.

Wrong.

Phasing through friendlies would be a right step in eliminating the constant annoyances of these plebs.

On 5/7/2025 at 4:08 PM, NikmanGT said:

Bots are annoying, but that's exactly how they are tend to be designed.

Wrong again.

Plebs are annoying because the devs are useless.

I thought this kind of stuff was supposed to be thoroughly tested before introduction, obviously not, ergo useless.

On 5/8/2025 at 4:10 PM, Hypersomnia said:

except now theres 20 bots to act as distraction for legend to not slaughter the low rank constantly. So... guess it works..?

Small mercies indeed.

 

On 5/8/2025 at 4:10 PM, Hypersomnia said:

who in their right mind would look at bots bumping into players and go 'peak bot design here

Mods, devs and the mods that give likes to the mods that post. You no the big old 

 

On 5/8/2025 at 6:41 PM, GhostLynx said:

The moment you suggest a practical solution that forces them to face that, they slap it with a polite "declined"

I've lost count how many practical solutions I have made that get ignored.

 

On 5/8/2025 at 2:15 PM, GhostLynx said:

You claim that bots are “intentionally annoying,” yet in the same breath admit that their behavior is being improved.

Reminds me of another mod who never bothered to check what he was posting, always getting things mixed up with contradictions. Basically not understanding how words should work in a sentence.

Never mind I'm sure they will get it right very soon. 

[NikmanGT 4,362]

On 5/8/2025 at 6:45 PM, GhostLynx said:

Your response comes off as an elegant way to brush off the suggestion without any real intention of addressing the actual issue. You claim that bots are “intentionally annoying,” yet in the same breath admit that their behavior is being improved.. which is a contradictory excuse meant to cover up the lack of will or capability to fix an obvious problem. These kinds of justification-based nonsense truly deserve to be called out.

Brush off what ? If you're hoping for bots to behave like actual teammates in the map, move aside if you are rushing in their direction, cooperate with you, call out strategy, (even have some Emily Wilkens or John Majors play with you in the group) then you are confusing them with real players.

An AI bot is supposed to move in a way a "machine" (BIG emphasis here) is designed to, not with a real-life human controlled interaction. They are supposed to stay off collisions paths and not bump into something which they sense might hinder their movement and thus likewise steer off detected obstacles.

If you rush towards a bot (let's say you're running from an enemy in the opposite direction) the bot has no choice but to move either left or right to clear a path for you, but you yourself don't drive in a straight line, you can move in any direction, and hence high chances you collide with a bot and frustrate.

Is it the AI's problem, NO, is it yours (given the heat of the moment in the intense battle) NO. But you seem to believe bot senses your direction of travelling and predicts where you will have to go at any point of time. I say that's a big and clear MISCONCEPTION of how you treat "AI bots" (again I give a BIG emphasis on AI).

As for your suggestion to improve their pathfinding AI, I will say what I already posted, "It's a given". Devs continuously monitor game mechanics and parameters, and given now bots constitute a large portion of space in big maps, I don't think this segment would be left in their operations and testing. Things will improve for how they interact with the players (or so I hope).

On 5/8/2025 at 6:45 PM, GhostLynx said:

if bots are "treated as actual teammates" in the logic of the game, then why don't they act like teammates?

Uhm, Bots are treated as teammates, and they act like it. You are giving me the Idea that you don't ever see a real life tanker colliding into you, sabotaging the battle, obstructing teammates, playing not as per your liking. If the chances of that happening for a human in a match is let's say 10-20%, for bots do consider it to be above 65%.  I just saw your topic where you claim to feel resistance from players blocking your path, sabotage etc. (Does it coincide with my statement, humbly YES).

As for your basic QOL fix, this is not a basic problem, making phase-though bots will be a big update. The team is busy with other updates at the moment, Tanki Classic as well on their platter. Plus there are multiple Ideas such as gifts, ratings page, marketing and 100+ more actual QOL updates that will impact the game at a much huge level than the bots issue right here.

Did I say your Idea was wrong ? NO.  Did I mention that it was irrelevant or unjustified ? Not in particular. 

On 5/8/2025 at 6:45 PM, GhostLynx said:

Players aren't blind or mute. We see what works and what doesn't.. and we know when we’re being fed polite rejections instead of real solutions.

You seem to think that moderators and helpers are devoid of playing actual battles and just make up statements based on their assumptions about what an Idea could be. We very much interact with bots as you do, and we play the game daily (at least I do) so you yeah we also see what works and what doesn't.

 

Now as for your Idea, tell me what is the point of bots if you actually phase em through. For that mechanism, they'll most likely start phasing each other (like what happens in the first ghosting period of your spawn). Now bots won't be able to pick up supply boxes, heal you with Isida or any interaction is completely obsolete (because with ghosting, getting them to still actually interact with you will be complex). Your claim was to ease MM, but now you made large maps more boring and situation more complex.

So now it will be just you or 2–3 others in the match actually interacting from your side. Bots had their kill score reduced, even fewer reasons to interact with the enemy bots unless they start shooting you in the first place. So then what is the need for these AI hulls driving around blindly in the map, correct ? Might as well revert the update and remove these floating pieces and let the GS problem collide with the gameplay again.

 

My short and so-ever "polite" message was intended to convey my opinion in a crisp and brief manner. But your hostility to the situation is very much acknowledged. 

I appreciate the parts of your message where you provided constructive criticism, but as for other parts, here is my much-needed text wall that you were hoping for.

[Tekken 374]

On 5/7/2025 at 5:08 PM, NikmanGT said:

 

Bots are annoying, but that's exactly how they are tend to be designed.

 

Lazy programming = feature I got you 

 

there should be levels how good bot can be starting from "noob" for newbies and low ranks getting better as player gets higher ranks and ending up being almost player like and if not "pro" at least "good" 

what OP is describing is a problem not feature, if bot ramms  into me  he should stop and go back not pushing me another 15s until I die because he pushed me out from my cover/ I could not run away from enemy with meele range  or until I gave up good poistion... I swear it sometimes looks like they do it on purpose.... 

 

Another problem,

   98 % of time they are not doing game mode objective ,outside of TDM and JUGG where they just go forward to die fast as they can and ruin game for team

  Speaking of Team juggernaut mode why the heck bots can be juggernaut?? There should be at least 20s pause reserved for players who die so they can get jugg instead of bots.. and if noone is dying from team then after 20s bot has right to be juggernaut, so far it seems like they are prefered option = unplayable and ruined mode  

 

My opinion , bots should have stayed in low and medium ranks and not to be forced in legend matches  thats ideal world. Since we are not living in ideal world let them be in legend matches but  make it at least fun to play against them, reducing points for killing them , adding blaters augment for hull  why ? Are you guys testing how much nonsense can players withstand? 

   Example how bots should look, good decent rewards, (ideally smart bots)  upgrade them with fun combos,  all of them have just few versions - there is only Isida-Hopper combo , why cant they have for example paladin-isida ? Lack of diversity is making it rigid and boring let them have random combos, let them have augments,  let them use ODs at least for legend ranks, you said it  yourself

 

On 5/7/2025 at 5:08 PM, NikmanGT said:

 

Bots are treated as actual players and your teammates in the match 

Then they should have augments, ODs and all the possible combos in game, could be actually interesting to see bots with OP combos, if they are treated as actual player give us actual reward for killing them. 

[Maf 32,300]

On 5/9/2025 at 9:41 PM, NikmanGT said:

If you rush towards a bot (let's say you're running from an enemy in the opposite direction) the bot has no choice but to move either left or right to clear a path for you, but you yourself don't drive in a straight line, you can move in any direction, and hence high chances you collide with a bot and frustrate.

Is it the AI's problem, NO, is it yours (given the heat of the moment in the intense battle) NO. But you seem to believe bot senses your direction of travelling and predicts where you will have to go at any point of time. I say that's a big and clear MISCONCEPTION of how you treat "AI bots" (again I give a BIG emphasis on AI).

Mate, they literally drive into you while you're trying to aim. I've had this problem on Dusseldorf, trying to camp behind the wall at the T-junction that overlooks mid, and bots kept driving into me because I was in the middle of their common path to mid. They knocked off my aim multiple times, denying me kills. One of them even caused me to shoot the wall and self-destruct.

Point is, bot AI could definitely be improved. That being said, devs already spent a really long time developing this AI, so I really doubt they will spend more time and resources to rework it since it's already "good enough". But that said again, I don't think the idea should be declined outright.

[Jeers4U 665]

On 5/7/2025 at 11:08 AM, NikmanGT said:

bots are still bots, not real players and they come with a lot of flaws that do not favor the gameplay we tankers might like.

Kinda makes you wonder why they were introduced at all if this is the case...

[POWER-OF-ONE 163]

On 5/9/2025 at 6:41 PM, NikmanGT said:

They are supposed to stay off collisions paths and not bump into something which they sense might hinder their movement

Then why do they constantly collide with team mates and not even try and go around, because they are a useless, lame attempt to even out MM.

 

On 5/9/2025 at 6:41 PM, NikmanGT said:

Is it the AI's problem,

Yes by way of default on the devs behalf.

 

On 5/9/2025 at 6:41 PM, NikmanGT said:

Uhm, Bots are treated as teammates, and they act like it.

Uhm no they don't.

I have never seen bots as team mates, just a pile of annoying garbage.

On 5/9/2025 at 6:41 PM, NikmanGT said:

Now bots won't be able to pick up supply boxes,

Which would be a good thing.

 

On 5/9/2025 at 6:41 PM, NikmanGT said:

Might as well revert the update and remove these floating pieces and let the GS problem collide with the gameplay again.

 

Lets get this straight shall we.

The GS problem as you put it only "collides" with game play because that's how the devs set it up to begin with. Lets remember that everything that is wrong with TO is solely on them. 

We have bots because player numbers are down, not to even out "THE" GS. 

I had a fix for MM years ago and they ignored it.

Only now are they giving more crystals to XP in battles, barely. And even then it only works out that way for high ranked players, not low ranks, which is the way they want it.

All these problems the game has is because of them, no other reason.

On 5/9/2025 at 6:41 PM, NikmanGT said:

here is my much-needed text wall that you were hoping for.

Not really.

[Mr.Blitz 57]

On 5/9/2025 at 7:41 PM, NikmanGT said:

Brush off what ? If you're hoping for bots to behave like actual teammates in the map, move aside if you are rushing in their direction, cooperate with you, call out strategy, (even have some Emily Wilkens or John Majors play with you in the group) then you are confusing them with real players.

An AI bot is supposed to move in a way a "machine" (BIG emphasis here) is designed to, not with a real-life human controlled interaction. They are supposed to stay off collisions paths and not bump into something which they sense might hinder their movement and thus likewise steer off detected obstacles.

If you rush towards a bot (let's say you're running from an enemy in the opposite direction) the bot has no choice but to move either left or right to clear a path for you, but you yourself don't drive in a straight line, you can move in any direction, and hence high chances you collide with a bot and frustrate.

Is it the AI's problem, NO, is it yours (given the heat of the moment in the intense battle) NO. But you seem to believe bot senses your direction of travelling and predicts where you will have to go at any point of time. I say that's a big and clear MISCONCEPTION of how you treat "AI bots" (again I give a BIG emphasis on AI).

As for your suggestion to improve their pathfinding AI, I will say what I already posted, "It's a given". Devs continuously monitor game mechanics and parameters, and given now bots constitute a large portion of space in big maps, I don't think this segment would be left in their operations and testing. Things will improve for how they interact with the players (or so I hope).

Uhm, Bots are treated as teammates, and they act like it. You are giving me the Idea that you don't ever see a real life tanker colliding into you, sabotaging the battle, obstructing teammates, playing not as per your liking. If the chances of that happening for a human in a match is let's say 10-20%, for bots do consider it to be above 65%.  I just saw your topic where you claim to feel resistance from players blocking your path, sabotage etc. (Does it coincide with my statement, humbly YES).

As for your basic QOL fix, this is not a basic problem, making phase-though bots will be a big update. The team is busy with other updates at the moment, Tanki Classic as well on their platter. Plus there are multiple Ideas such as gifts, ratings page, marketing and 100+ more actual QOL updates that will impact the game at a much huge level than the bots issue right here.

Did I say your Idea was wrong ? NO.  Did I mention that it was irrelevant or unjustified ? Not in particular. 

You seem to think that moderators and helpers are devoid of playing actual battles and just make up statements based on their assumptions about what an Idea could be. We very much interact with bots as you do, and we play the game daily (at least I do) so you yeah we also see what works and what doesn't.

 

Now as for your Idea, tell me what is the point of bots if you actually phase em through. For that mechanism, they'll most likely start phasing each other (like what happens in the first ghosting period of your spawn). Now bots won't be able to pick up supply boxes, heal you with Isida or any interaction is completely obsolete (because with ghosting, getting them to still actually interact with you will be complex). Your claim was to ease MM, but now you made large maps more boring and situation more complex.

So now it will be just you or 2–3 others in the match actually interacting from your side. Bots had their kill score reduced, even fewer reasons to interact with the enemy bots unless they start shooting you in the first place. So then what is the need for these AI hulls driving around blindly in the map, correct ? Might as well revert the update and remove these floating pieces and let the GS problem collide with the gameplay again.

 

My short and so-ever "polite" message was intended to convey my opinion in a crisp and brief manner. But your hostility to the situation is very much acknowledged. 

I appreciate the parts of your message where you provided constructive criticism, but as for other parts, here is my much-needed text wall that you were hoping for.

Apologies for the delayed reply.. I needed a moment to process your very generous wall of text... And I must admit, I wasn’t disappointed, it was exactly the kind of verbose sidestep I anticipated.

Let’s break this down, because you seem very eager to lecture about what bots cannot do, instead of considering what they shouldn't do: namely, interfere with player movement in a way that ruins the gameplay experience. That’s the core of this suggestion. You’re trying to frame this issue like I’m expecting bots to write poetry, call out flanks, and take selfies mid-match. I’m not. I’m expecting them not to block me when I’m dodging an enemy or trying to escape with low HP basic stuff.

Now, saying that bots behave like "teammates" because they can pick up supply boxes or use Isida is a stretch. Real teammates don’t glue themselves to your tank, wedge you into corners, or casually body-block you into enemy fire. If that’s your idea of “teammate behavior,” we’re playing very different games.

You said phasing bots would make interactions like healing or pickups more complex or even obsolete. Fair.. but that’s why the original suggestion included alternatives: either phase them only when colliding with a player (momentarily), or improve their pathfinding to avoid close-quarters player contact. Instead of engaging with that nuance, you defaulted to the slippery slope of “Well, then bots would just phase through everything!”
That's a false binary. There’s plenty of room between “they block you like a wall” and “they’re ghosts.”

As for claiming that phasing would “make large maps more boring”..  that’s pure speculation. What isn’t speculation is the frustration real players express when they get stuck behind bots in tight situations. That frustration is visible in every discussion about this issue, and the likes on this very thread seem to reflect exactly that.

And then you say this isn’t a “basic QOL fix” because “there are 100+ other ideas” on the table... That’s not an argument  that’s deflection. Every live service game juggles priorities. That doesn’t mean we can’t call out problems that degrade match quality now. And the fact that bots make up most of the matches these days? That makes this even more relevant, not less... Lastly, I never claimed that mods or helpers don’t play the game,  what I did point out is that players aren’t stupid. We know when we’re being talked down to, and we know when someone’s more interested in defending a broken mechanic than improving it.

You opened your message with “Brush off what?”
Well, let’s not pretend we don’t know the answer. It wasn’t just about declining the suggestion.. it was about hiding behind paragraphs of abstract reasoning to avoid facing a simple truth: Bots should assist gameplay, not sabotage it... Do i need to mention how many times they blocked my hit on the enemy tank so the aim ended up in a useless bot? I think many here understand that.

And no amount of philosophy about AI logic will make players forget how many matches have been compromised because a bot thought the fastest path forward was through its teammate. 

[POWER-OF-ONE 163]

On 5/13/2025 at 2:38 PM, GhostLynx said:

. If that’s your idea of “teammate behavior,” we’re playing very different games

Nope, he's just hardwired to defend the devs and their crazy, useless updates.

 

On 5/13/2025 at 2:38 PM, GhostLynx said:

and we know when someone’s more interested in defending a broken mechanic than improving it.

Here, here.@GhostLynx 

Nice post.

Let's see what mod boy replies with, if at all.

Probably give you a 

 They (mods) seem to think that makes everything hunky dory.