Bandit Movement in 1.10

[euang]

During the Bandit Move Phase, most bandits that are not within firing range will not move towards me to engage.
Some will move towards me, but I was expecting all of them.
I'm seeing this in most missions.

In this screenshot the Mig23 and Mig21s should move to the right to get in range.

[euang]

Instead, this is what happened, I had expected to see five Migs in the right instead of just the one.

[Erik Rutins]

I don't think that's anything new. During each phase, some bandits have a chance of moving towards you, others don't - that's the behavior I've seen all along at least.

[euang]

I was expecting it to behave like the board game rules:

Bandit Movement
Bandits move after the player’s Hornets move. Each Bandit may
move one area but is not required to move. Bandits do not use
altitude. Use the following rules to determine if and where a
Bandit moves:
If there are one or more Hornets within the Bandit’s range, it does
not move.
If no Hornets are within the Bandit’s range, move the Bandit one
area closer to the closest Hornet. If more than one Hornet is the
closest, randomly determine which Hornet the Bandit moves
towards.


Otherwise it is quite easy to complete the mission by shooting the target from a long distance, and then waiting for the fourth turn as most bandits won't come after you.

[Erik Rutins]

That would make sense, I agree - perhaps Derek or Dan can chime in.

[IPWinsor]

It has been my experience that when they are out numbered or out ranged (particularly the Mig 21s), they move away from the Hornets, or choose not to move closer.
 
I have also seen Migs move 2 spaces at a time.
 
 

[StormcloudCreations]

Bandits have varied behavior, for unpredictability...30% chance they don't move, 40% chance they move towards a close Hornet to engage, and 30% move randomly. This prevents players from planning ways to avoid engaging bandits, and adds to replayability.

[euang]

Thanks for explaining the movement.

Would it be possible in a future patch to change the ratios to make the bandits more aggressive, say for the higher difficulty levels.
I reckon it would make missions harder and more fun [:D]

[IPWinsor]

By the same logic, can bandits who are in range choose not to attach?  I have seen that a few times where I press the Bandit/Site attack button and the game action skips right to Slow Pilot Attack.