10 Gaming Mechanics That Developers Should Have Fixed Years Ago

10. Invincible/Useless AI Companions

Having a computer-controlled companion alongside you has become the norm in many games, so it’s a shame that the majority of them can fall into one of two categories: completely invincible or absolutely useless.

One of these is clearly preferable to the other, but having a companion who can’t die can get distracting after a while. The Call of Duty games are known for this; you’ll be in cover trying to recover from the two bullets that have put you close to death whilst your team-mate will be absorbing gunfire like a magnet. This gets particularly annoying when that team-mate later dies in a cutscene – all the drama gets removed from their death when you’ve just seen them take a D-Day style assault directly to their chest.

On the flip side, having a companion who is useless is even more frustrating. Either they die at merely the hint of danger, causing you to replay the level again, or they just wander around and won’t actually contribute to the battle, leaving you to kill everyone yourself.

Getting the balance of a companion who is vulnerable to death but won’t die at the drop of a hat, and who will help with the mission without doing it for you, is challenging, but it’s something developers need to master