Why is the AI so damn retarded?

[johnny]

I just finished the final battle of the Knights of the Nine addon, won the day, was declared a hero, and now i'm probably off to prison, because in the mayhem i accidentally struck down one of the Nine. When it happened i also got a message that if i made one more mistake like that, i'd probably lose the ability to wear the Crusader armour, and i already had to walk the path of the pilgrim twice because of my infamy rating. So i had to completely back away from the fight altogether, because my fellow knights make a habit out of standing in my way all the time.

I expected stuff like this to happen, so i deliberately went alone to the final battle, but the knights had already assembled in front of the gate. I kept ignoring them and went in on my own, but as soon as i got inside, they were still following me and blindly charged into battle, and in Oblivion it's simply impossible to fight foes when in the company of a henchman, let alone 8 of em.

Wouldn't this be a great idea for a mod, or a patch perhaps? Fix the stupid AI or don't saddle players up with retarded henchmen.

Excuse my rant, but i had to get this off my chest. Now i'm off to prison, because with a price of 1000 Septims on my head, i'm afraid i won't be walking around in peace very long.

[Lucern]

Useful allies was actually something I was expecting...I do know that there is a mod that forgives the first 20 hits on any single ally. That's a start.

I also know that there's a combat mod that adjusts the AI to be a bit more of a challenge (without tweaking damage or anything). Not sure what it does for allies.

[Kyrvias]

Why are you charging ahead? They're the stupid ones, use *them* as a shield

Not very crusader like... but ah well. What can you do?

[johnny]

I'm charging ahead because i'm a sucker for XP and want to deliver as many blows as possible.

[Cyril Darkcloud]

I had the same frustration with the NPCs in the expansion, Johnny. What made it especially annoying for me was that I had just reached a similar point of frustration with the NPC AI in the main campaign as well. One of the most annoying features of Oblivion for me has been the number of times the game imposes NPCs on the player.

[johnny]

I suppose it's unecessary to ask, but will things be any better in Shivering Isles? I just entered the gate, and i already have a henchman, and i was curious if he'll be in my way as well, just like all the others?

[Kazilan]

You guys have got it all wrong, you're supposed to play as a super sneak thief. I was able to bypass most of the combat in the end game without problems, especially when a bunch of meatheads charge the badguys and distract them! I walked right into scary ole oblivion, and right back out without a scratch! Of course, my 'allies' didn't do too well. But their sacrifice was appreciated.

[johnny]

I'm no supersneak thief, i'm a battlemage, and like to do as much damage as possible. I didn't train and buy all these spells for nothing. Besides, wearing heavy armour doesn't allow me to sneak. I always carry that black light armour with me which you aquire early in the game as a thief or assassin (can't remember where i got it), but i only use that when exploring ruins or caves. Why sneak when you wield Umbra's sword?