Cataclysm-dda: Friendly NPCs only shoot hostile NPCs at point blank range

[Taberone]

0.C-20249-ga94ee28 (tiles)
Build 6055

(Note: NPCs are not color-coded like that in the actual game unfortunately, painted them in MS Paint for your convenience)

Companions only shoot at/attack hostile NPCs when they get right into point blank range. To test this, get yourself a companion NPC, instigate a fight with another NPC, and observe. If the NPC doesn't get into point blank range while in the process of trying to kill you, your companions won't lift a finger.

Even if the hostile NPC shoots at your companions for whatever reason (Unlikely, as hostile NPCs tend to gang up on the player and ignore his companions), they still don't attack, either. Even if they have guns loaded with ammo and the appropriate magazine.

[Leland]

@DemAvalon encountered in #21362 not only _friendly_ NPCs shooting from point blank, "in my issue [even hostile] NPCs shot at NO ONE not other NPCs, not monsters, not the player unless they are at point blank range."

[DangerNoodle]

I can likewise confirm, this issue has been on-going for a while and is far more extensive than original post states, NPCs outright will not use ranged weapons until their target approaches melee range.

I would recommend adding this to the 0.D milestone, as this is a major gameplay element that has been completely defunct for several months, without any obvious sign that developers (other than LeLand) know about this issue.

[Coolthulhu]

Just tested it: the NPCs are just overly strict in their aiming requirements and will always prefer actions that don't involve aiming. This is mostly caused by NPC logic not being properly updated with the aim-wrecking changes - first when aiming system was added, then when non-perfectly-aimed shots were nerfed hard.
The first change kinda slipped by because the extra recoil caused by lack of aim wasn't that huge so old math kinda worked.

How to test:

• Spawn NPC
• Strip them naked
• Set all stats to 20 and all skills to 10
• Hand and an AK-74 with mag, ammo, bayonet
• Tell to not attack anything unreachable
• Mutate invincibility
• Spawn a turret
• Teleport the NPC 5 tiles from the turret
• Wait few turns
• The NPC does nothing (actually does something: aims, jut does so silently)
• Tell the NPC to shoot wildly
• Wait
• The NPC shoots now

You can see NPC confidence range if you turn debug mode on. It's incredibly low because it's calculated at current aim, not perfect aim.