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Ready or Not by VOID Interactive aims to be the most realistic tactical shooter on the market, placing players in the tense role of elite SWAT operators. From planning operations to executing precision raids, the game thrives on its realism—until the AI acts up. While the game succeeds in many technical aspects, one major issue threatens to shatter the illusion of realism: the inconsistent and flawed AI behavior of both suspects and civilians.
In this article, we will dive deep into the AI systems in Ready or Not, examine how their behavior disrupts gameplay, and analyze the broader impact on mission structure, tactical planning, and community reception. Our analysis is structured across ten major aspects of gameplay and design, with a clear focus on the AI mechanics, their current flaws, and how they could be addressed in future updates.
1. The AI’s Role in Tactical Immersion
The core of Ready or Not’s tension lies in unpredictability. You never know who’s behind the next door, whether a suspect will surrender, or if a civilian is actually a threat. This dynamic only works if the AI behaves in believable and reactive ways.
The game’s AI is designed to simulate varied human behaviors—panic, aggression, surrender, or escape. Suspects may run, hide, ambush, or give up. Civilians may freeze or flee. But when these behaviors are glitchy, overly scripted, or lack nuance, the player experience turns from realistic to frustrating.
2. Civilian Chaos: Unrealistic Reactions
One of the most criticized AI problems in Ready or Not involves civilian NPCs. When players enter a room and yell “Hands up!”, many civilians respond by running away—sometimes directly into gunfire or through previously cleared hallways.
This reaction is not just immersion-breaking; it undermines tactical logic. In real life, a civilian confronted by armed officers typically freezes, especially under threat. The game’s current civilian behavior ignores this realism, instead forcing players to chase and restrain erratic, AI-driven targets like they’re herding wild animals.
Why This Matters:
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Breaks immersion
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Risks unnecessary penalties when civilians are shot accidentally
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Encourages unrealistic gameplay (e.g., stunning before shouting)
3. Suspect AI: From Genius to Ridiculous
Suspect AI is another hotbed of inconsistency. At times, enemies act with brilliant cunning—setting ambushes, flanking, and holding fire until the player is vulnerable. Other times, they run directly into your gunfire or crouch in plain sight without reacting.
This inconsistency creates a gameplay imbalance. A suspect’s decision to surrender or fight seems arbitrary rather than based on threat levels, number of officers present, or weapon type. The lack of believable logic behind these decisions makes it hard for players to predict and respond tactically.
Core Problems:
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Surrender logic is random
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Poor reaction time to noise or sight
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Failure to retreat or reposition under fire
4. Surrender Mechanic Abuse
In many missions, players must decide whether to fire on a suspect or wait for surrender. But due to how unreliable the surrender system is, this often leads to frustration. A suspect may look like they’re complying, only to suddenly draw a pistol and shoot—leaving the player penalized for not reacting faster.
This unpredictability could be a positive tension-building mechanic if it were more balanced. However, the time window between surrender gesture and hostile reversal is too short, making the mechanic feel unfair rather than challenging.
Tactical Consequences:
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Encourages shoot-first behavior (reduces realism)
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Punishes lawful tactics (non-lethal options feel ineffective)
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Diminishes reward for risk-taking or patience
5. Hostage Situations: Broken Scripts and Missed Opportunities
One of the most emotionally tense parts of Ready or Not is hostage rescue. However, due to poor AI behavior, suspects rarely use hostages as leverage or shields, and when they do, it feels scripted rather than organic.
Hostage AI also lacks depth. Victims do not attempt to escape or signal for help, and they often stand still in the line of fire, making it difficult for players to execute clean rescues.
Missed Features:
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Dynamic hostage negotiation
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Human shield mechanics
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Fleeing or panicked hostages
6. Ambush Behavior: Rare and Predictable
Ambushes are a hallmark of urban combat. A suspect hiding under a bed or behind a door can be terrifying. However, in Ready or Not, these behaviors are rarely seen and often follow predictable patterns. Once players know the AI "types," the element of surprise vanishes.
Suspects often stay in the middle of rooms or behind weak cover, making them easy targets. This lack of variability removes one of the tactical shooter genre’s strongest assets—uncertainty.
Suggested Improvements:
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Randomized hiding spots
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Behavior trees for flanking and escape
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Noise-baiting mechanics
7. Door Traps and Poor AI Coordination
In some missions, players encounter booby-trapped doors. While this adds a great layer of tension, the AI doesn’t coordinate around these elements. Suspects will run into tripwires or ignore triggered alarms entirely.
Furthermore, AI teammates don’t warn you about active threats. They can walk past enemies without reacting or fail to secure rooms correctly. This puts the burden entirely on the player, which breaks the immersion of operating in a coordinated SWAT team.
Breakdown:
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Suspect AI ignores environmental cues
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Teammate AI lacks spatial awareness
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Traps lack dynamic integration
8. Non-Lethal Mechanics Are Undermined
One of Ready or Not’s defining features is the emphasis on non-lethal tools—beanbag shotguns, tasers, pepper spray, etc. These are meant to be options for de-escalation. But due to AI behavior, suspects often ignore being stunned or resume attacking almost instantly.
This discourages the use of less-lethal methods and undermines one of the core philosophies of the game: minimal force. Players feel punished for trying to play ethically.
Effects:
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Non-lethal loadouts are underpowered
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Reduces incentive for restraint
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Turns every encounter into a kill-or-be-killed standoff
9. Mission Scoring Inconsistency
The game’s after-action scoring system rates players based on performance—shots fired, civilians saved, suspects arrested, etc. However, because the AI behavior is so inconsistent, scoring often feels unfair.
A civilian who runs into a firefight after being secured might cause a mission penalty. A suspect who appears unarmed but draws quickly might lead to a “civilian death” even though they were hostile. These scoring inaccuracies make mastering the game difficult for the wrong reasons.
Why It’s Problematic:
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Penalizes players for AI errors
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Discourages replaying missions
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Damages sense of accomplishment
10. Community Feedback and Developer Response
The community has been vocal about these issues, and while VOID Interactive has released patches and improvements, many AI-related bugs and inconsistencies remain. Modders have also tried to fix these problems, but true resolution requires internal engine changes.
There is optimism, however. The developers continue to communicate with fans, and AI overhauls have been hinted at in future updates. If addressed correctly, Ready or Not could set a new standard in AI realism for tactical shooters.
Ready or Not aims high, and in many ways, it delivers a tactical shooter experience like no other. But the core of its immersion—AI behavior—is still in flux. From erratic civilians and predictable suspects to broken surrender mechanics and unbalanced non-lethal combat, the game’s AI remains its weakest link.
For a game that sells itself on realism, these issues are more than just bugs—they’re contradictions. Tactical decisions must be built on logic and predictability. Until the AI behaves in ways that align with real-world tactics and psychology, Ready or Not will struggle to fulfill its true potential.
Still, with continued developer support and community engagement, there's hope that the AI systems will evolve into the game's greatest strength rather than its Achilles’ heel.
