Military AI

Capabilities

What it handles

How to use it

Getting started

1. Place the Military AI moduleDrag the Military AI Skill module into Eden. It doesn't need syncing to anything; it applies mission-wide once placed.
2. Pick a skill tier for each factionIn the module's attributes, use the Skill Tier Factions picker under Skill Presets by Faction. Cycle the tier button through Recruit, Regular, Veteran and Expert, then tick the factions for each tier (Ctrl+click and Shift+click select several at once).
3. Set up a custom tier if neededFor a faction that needs exact values, put it under Custom in the picker, then set the numbers under Custom Skill Values (Aim Accuracy, Aim Shake, Aim Speed, Spot Distance, Spot Time, Courage, Cowardice, Reload, Commanding, General). Endurance has no effect in Arma 3 and is marked unused.
4. Turn on Enable Debug for a log entrySet Enable Debug to Yes to have the module log which factions went to which tier, the Custom values, and a line for each soldier whose skill is set.
5. Run the mission and compare factions in a firefightPut one AI faction on Recruit and another on Expert, start the mission and watch them fight. The Expert faction should shoot more accurately, react faster and hold its ground; the Recruit faction should miss more and flee sooner.
6. Turn on Soldier Behaviour if you want itSet Soldier Behaviour to Yes. It works on ALiVE's own soldiers on foot in spawned groups, never the group leader, on whichever machine owns the group: the server or a headless client. Each soldier hands back to his group's orders after a spell of quiet (15 seconds for experts, 20 for factions in no tier, 30 for recruits), when the group gets new orders, when a player joins the group, when the group moves to another machine, or after Max Time In A Fight.

Settings

Every setting, and what it does

These settings decide how well the AI of each faction fights: how accurately they shoot, how quickly they spot you, how brave they are and how well their leaders command. You tick factions into one of four fixed skill levels or into a Custom level, and the Custom Skill Values section sets the numbers that Custom level uses.

Quick setups

Overhaul

What changed

• Military AI, with Soldier BehaviourThe module is now called Military AI in Eden and has a Soldier Behaviour section, off by default. With it on, soldiers in spawned ALiVE groups take cover and fire back on their own when shot at: over low walls, round corners and trees, and out of windows when garrisoned, at a pace set by their skill tier.
• Enable Debug worksChoosing Yes used to do nothing, with no sign of why. It now writes the faction list for each tier, the Custom values and a line for every soldier whose skill gets set to the log.
• A unit that matched one skill still gets the restA soldier who already matched one of his tier's aiming skills was skipped, so he kept his old skills. Now he's only skipped when all three aiming skills already match.
• Script-made modules use the editor's Custom valuesA Military AI module created by script rather than placed in Eden used to fall back to 0 for every Custom Skill Value, so custom-skilled AI were as poor as they could be. Each value now falls back to its editor default.
• An empty module says it changes nothingWith no faction ticked in any tier, Custom included, Military AI sets nobody's skill. The Skill Tier Factions tooltip now says so.
• Minimum and Maximum Ability are hiddenThey never made any difference to a soldier's skills, so they're no longer shown under Custom Skill Values. A mission's saved values still load.
• One picker for every tierSkill Tier Factions replaces the old per-tier list boxes. Cycle the tier button, tick factions (Ctrl+click and Shift+click select several), and switch tiers without losing ticks. Missions saved with the old list boxes still load.

Status

Where it stands

Testing

How you can help

Place a Military AI module in Eden, open its attributes, and try the consolidated faction picker: cycle between Recruit, Regular, Veteran, Expert and Custom, tick several factions in one tier using Ctrl+click and Shift+click, then switch tiers and confirm the previous tier's ticks are still remembered. Check that the multi-select hint text is visible in the tooltip and reads correctly if you switch the game language. Confirm the Endurance field under Custom Skill Values is labelled as unused, and that Minimum and Maximum Ability aren't shown. Place a module with no faction ticked and check that nobody's skill changes. Set Enable Debug to Yes and look for the tier lists and a "Skill set on" line per soldier in the log. In a test mission, assign one faction to Recruit and another to Expert, run the mission, and watch for a noticeable difference in how each side shoots and reacts (a fully-manned firefight is the easiest way to feel the difference). If something behaves oddly, note which faction, which tier or custom values were set, and include the mission's game log (RPT) if possible.

Changelog

Updates to this page

• 2026-11-02
  With Soldier Behaviour on, soldiers in cover look over walls, round corners and out of windows to shoot back, and garrisoned men keep their post.
• 2026-11-02
  Soldiers handed back by Soldier Behaviour no longer stay kneeling or hold their group up.
• 2026-11-02
  Soldier Behaviour carries on when groups move to a headless client.
• 2026-11-02
  Soldier Behaviour follows the skill tier: recruits go to ground sooner and stay down longer, experts hold out and look out sooner.
• 2026-11-02
  With Soldier Behaviour on, soldiers under heavy fire get behind something solid, kneel, and rise to shoot back.
• 2026-11-02
  With Soldier Behaviour on, soldiers feel the fire aimed at them: rounds passing close or hitting nearby raise their alarm, explosives most, rifles least.
• 2026-11-02
  The AI Skill module is now called Military AI in Eden, with a new Soldier Behaviour switch (off by default). Saved missions load unchanged.
• 2026-11-01
  In Eden the custom skill values only show when a faction is set to use them.
• 2026-10-27
  In Eden this module's settings now sit under shorter headers, at most 8 settings in a group, and the Settings section here follows the same headers. Every setting keeps its name and default, so saved missions load as before.
• 2026-10-03
  An AI Skill module made by script now uses the editor's custom skill values instead of 0 for each.
• 2026-09-28
  Minimum and Maximum Ability are no longer shown under Custom Skill Values, as they made no difference to a soldier's skills. A unit that happens to match one of its tier's skills now gets the rest of them too.
• 2026-09-18
  The Enable Debug option works. Choosing Yes did nothing at all, with no sign of why. The skill values the module works out for each faction now appear in the log.
• 2026-07-27
  Overhaul briefing first published.