Thanks for the info.

When I described grunts getting "lost", I mean they'll run form one info_node to the other, sometimes running right past the player without confronting the player. And the info_nodes are carefully placed. I usually spend a whole day just to tweaked the info_node positions just right so to minimize their suicidal behavior. (Yeah, I shouldn't have used the word "scattered all over". I just meant that there is sufficient number of info_node strategically placed.)

And Campaignjunkie has a really good point about the purpose of the AI. I never thought of it from that perspective. I just figured they should do their darnest to kill the player, whichever way they can (even risking their meager lives). But I agree with your point of view.

I also found that, sometimes the grunts will stand right in front of you (facing you) without shooting you. And you can just start pumping them with bullets while they say "Ah, is that's all you've got?" or "Medic!" right before they die.

So Valve is really exaggerating when they claimed that the AI is dramatically improved. It's a sham (and a shame) that they use this ploy to market the game, yet it's really not true. Just changing the name of the entity doesn't ultimately mean the AI is unscripted.

The AI in FarCry is better, but too bad I can't play the game because of my anemic hardware.

Guess I was expecting too much from the grunts when I design my maps. I tried to make maps that require stealth to evade the grunts, and most of the times that'll just make them seem too stupid. Occasionally, there would be a major fire fights in their vicinity, and they would just stand there, daydreaming about their girlfriends instead of jumping into the fray.

Another interesting grunt behavior is that sometimes one of them would keep trying to run away from the player, except that he's actually running against a wall. You can walk right up to him, start whacking him with a crowbar, and he *still* wouldn't turn around (even though he's got an assault rifle). He'll just keep on running in the same spot until he's dead. Perhaps it's a strange encephalitic virus that has affected his prefrontal cortex?

I should try to make all the grunts on the same squad. Perhaps that'll solve some of the issues. But at least Valve made some attempts at upgrading the AI in HL2.

Thanks for all the feedback.