The AI Behind Jesters

[@alteregosocial]

v50 UPDATE: Multiplayer cranking phase is now between 25 - 42 seconds. Singleplayer cranking phase is now between 13 - 21 seconds. NOTE: Jester's Search Precision is NOT 5m, it is 7m. NOTE: Just to clarify (because I didn't explain it well), in the Jester's Following Phase, once it has targeted a player, it will NOT retarget to another player unless the targeted player leaves the facility. challenge: take a shot every time i say “nodes.”

[@Zestyshmoopy]

🍺🍺🍺🍺

[@Bobb243]

*chokes to death

[@imDRunk_boi]

My record is 1:13 before i threwed up

[@Tenshikx]

i can imagine you reading a script with every second word being “node” 😆

[@micahhonig1575]

Done… I can smell colors and see music

[@chboo1897]

It was a pleasure to work with you! You provide some of the best and most educative lethal company content I've seen, thank you!

[@harrisontan4861]

First comment :0😮

[@Frogstersboyfriend6969]

Fortnite

[@chboo1897]

@@Frogstersboyfriend6969 what

[@FriedFanta]

ukillv1Gabrielbjminlbotmy142434youignsnsnsfuckjudgement Bjmin lbotmy 7-4 climax

[@mightymerloebeats6421]

Such an attention seeker comment

[@BrianStuf]

it may be worth adding as an addendum that jesters have a 360 degree "bubble" around it that will block friendly shotgun shot, but not nutcracker shots. so if you're trying to say, kill a bracken or nutcracker, dont attempt it if there's a jester following you. your shots wont work, and you'll waste precious shells

[@SereneLeskovsky]

Its not a bubble. Its just the Jesters hitbox blocking other monsters. It happens with Coilheads too.

[@davidpowers1175]

@@SereneLeskovskyAny invincible monster has this, Bread has a really good video on this.

[@deltawastaken]

The videos are good, but in Bread’s video’s comment section, there is a much better explanation of the internal workings. Basically, a bubble is drawn from the shotgun in the player’s hands to the enemies in front of it. All enemies (and players) inside of this sphere are then considered for being shot by the shotgun. However, there is an error in the code when checking the enemies inside. If an enemy inside is considered “invincible” (jester, coilhead, etc.), then the check immediately ends and cancels all damage dealt from the shotgun. In programming, this is likely the difference between a break statement and a continue statement: a simple mistake and easy fix. It gives the illusion of an aura/hitbox around the jester, but it’s not really. Hopefully this helped!

[@dartyious3842]

removed in V50

[@STIMULAT10N]

@@dartyious3842good to know!

[@dripthanos5595]

ah i see, using nodes makes more sense than just "it'll begin exploring in two directions, going further each time"

[@SIMULACRA37]

Yeah, I'm assuming this is a retcon for the other videos and their AI works the same way. Edit: always watch the full video before you comment, I literally could've waited 30 seconds and he answered this

[@koshkamatew]

4:52 5:05 you getting jumpscared by these jester pops is the funniest thing ever

[@juangabrielgarciajimenez2674]

oo, the morshu man was here

[@jordontp]

i also have four phases including roaming, following, cranking, and run-for-your-life

[@kedykedytheman]

NAWWHHH

[@Squish_Squash]

the sound of the jester's footsteps and its screaming growing closer and closer to the player at an insane pace always activates my fight-or-flight idk what it is about it, it just scares the SHIT out of me (and I don't even play the game! I just watch people play it!)

[@thetherrannative]

Prey instinct, man. Loud big scary chasing you real fast make monkey brain scream.

[@SELF_TlTLED]

Phase 4 being called “run for your life” is funny because if a jester hits phase 4 near you, you’re already dead

[@chronomian4080]

Reminds me of Omae wa mou shindeiru

[@SkippyZii]

The player is already dead, he absolutely knows it

[@jayman1462]

thanks captain obvious

[@SereneLeskovsky]

Unless youre a next level God with stun grenades lol

[@THEGOLDENMONKE510]

This employee is already dead he just doesn't know it yet 🎅🎅🐡🐡

[@nukeson8096]

Im sure it would be nice to mention the fact that around jesters, shotguns from players cannot hurt entities, most likely due to a bug but it still is something pretty important

[@twotruckslyrics]

yess!! it’s like an aura? and ive wasted so many shotgun shells 😕

[@nukeson8096]

@@twotruckslyrics imagine an invisible sphere around the jester

[@homeiswonderland]

Whaaaat

[@alteregosocial]

yes, bread has a great video on that. i decided to leave it out as it seems like a glitch that will be patched soon.

[@thenintendocyclops1074]

I think what I've enjoyed the most in Lethal Company is that learning how the monsters work hasn't made them less scary, because most of their behavior makes it to where they get the drop in you to varying degrees in-game and you may not get the chance to actually use the information before dropping dead

[@imDRunk_boi]

Bonus : Adding Free Birds as the unboxing song is giving you free confidence and concentrations !

[@The_whales]

Or whistle

[@nnie7461]

the turkey movie

[@Frenchy_bee]

« FREEE BIRD YEAAAH » would be terrifying to hear right as the jester pops, bonus if the following guitar solo plays while the jester is running at you.

[@emmer2919]

@@Frenchy_beethere’s a mod for it! there’s one for the solo beginning as it winds and one for the solo beginning when it pops

[@tequilasunset4651]

unboxing lmao

[@Reach-fm5gu]

One more thing to note (as a bread stream observer) is that jumping can mess with a chasing Jesters' pathfinding ability and buy yourself a little more time if you're the one being chased.

[@uBreeze]

not related to the jester’s ai specifically, you dont exist on the facility if you jump

[@Najemniczkas]

4:54 I like how you knew what's coming, but still got spooked out, haha

[@oFyree]

4:52 bro really got jumpscared even though he knew it was coming

[@evolnizark4712]

4:54 the jumpscare lmao

[@sniddler9114]

more like 2:48

[@m.ceniza4688]

@@sniddler9114whut hahahahah

[@5hark906]

​@@sniddler9114 adi jumpscare. U can't hide from her

[@MiracleSword]

I don’t even play Lethal Company, I just like watching videos about enemy mechanics in games. Yours have been great.

[@alteregosocial]

wow! thanks

[@Tenchua917]

Same hehe, its all so interesting, one day i might download and play it

[@aslightlystablefootsoldier9838]

I like to think Zeekers reused the monster’s AI from It Steals for the Jester hence it can turn corners and stuff so fast.

[@Lukepursley-dy7yq]

I'm 99% sure the bracken idea is taken from it steals or was heavily inspired by it since a monster sneaking up on you is the first level in it steals if I remember Also in it steals when one of the monsters starts chasing you it will run into walls wildly, so maybe the thumper was inspired by it?

[@SereneLeskovsky]

​@@Lukepursley-dy7yqThey used the word reused for a reason- the games are made by the same person. Its not unlikely they just reused pathing AI since you can see a lot of repeated use of pathing in this game too.

[@stuntfumbler]

the ideas are somewhat reused but the code is new. enemy behavior in it steals is very very different from lethal company.

[@thotobliterator1587]

0:24 Phase 1. Roaming Phase 2. Following Phase 3. Crank dat soldier boy Phase 4. FREEBIRD

[@Brambrew]

It's worth mentioning, Jesters have a kind of invincibility "bubble" so if you try to shotgun another entity in close proximity to a Jester, it won't work.

[@uri999el]

i dont play lethal company but i think seeing code and stuff behind horror games is really interesting! :) thank you! excited to see what other monsters you’ll cover

[@traffic9518]

Glad to see your channel finally begin to snowball in growth, KZbin just asked me if I would recommend this video so hopefully it uses my input

[@alteregosocial]

[@SIMULACRA37]

I want to see a supersonic jester that someone traps behind a pressurized door and then lets out after, say, two minutes of ramping speed.

[@banana_Asriel]

That would be Hilarious. I want to see jetser too.

[@A.please_insert_witty_text.M]

I want to see it, is there even a max speed?

[@Xepcon69]

the intro in bracken's video was much cooler. I hope you'll return that old introduction of monsters.

[@omardotbio]

+1

[@jayman1462]

yeah, i don’t like just having the 3d model

[@alteregosocial]

damn i thought this intro was sick. ill reconsider lol

[@Daltonisntabot]

​@@alteregosocialSometimes simplicity is better. It's a cool intro, but I can see a reason to show the enemy in action, maybe taking out a teammate. You could even consider adding a VHS filter so it feels like a video salvaged from a failed exploration by The Company. Just some suggestions.

[@WobblesandBean]

3:25 I love how you just casually jump on its head

[@twotruckslyrics]

so cute

[@CommanderAmogUs]

Bro jumped onto that jester like an GOOMBA

[@Theo_OFC]

You forgot to tell about the Jester aura When you shoot any enemy with a shotgun (maybe a shovel too) and the Jester is close to you, you will not deal any damage.

[@Qibles]

jester aura is actually a bug with the shotgun, and isn't unique to the jester! it happens with coilheads too enemies have spheres around them for shotgun hit detection, and since coilheads and jesters are both indestructible, they can sometimes block shots unfortunately

[@Theo_OFC]

@@Qibles oh, i didnt knew that. Thank you

[@alteregosocial]

it seems like a glitch that will be patched soon, so i decided to leave it out of the video.

[@tciddados]

@@Qiblesiirc it's not just "blocking" either, since they don't even need to be between you and the other enemy. If an invuln enemy would be hit at all by your shotgun blast, the entire blast gets negated regardless of where the other enemies are in relation to the invuln guy.

[@ulamgexe7442]

For your information, the algorithm name for the roaming phase is called "breadth first search". Showing nodes and the way monsters explore them like you do can be a good support to educate on path-finding algorithms. PS: we players often use depth first search as a tactic to look for scraps (when you explore by always hugging a wall on the left for example) ;D

[@GreatFernicus]

Graph theory my beloved

[@ericwitney5086]

im not sure what youll do after you get through all the monsters but your style, editing, and writing are amazing regardless of what you do with it! shine on, king

[@alteregosocial]

this made my heart happy. thanks eric

[@lethal_rat]

modded monsters maybe?

[@GlobalOutcast]

Lets go, been loving this lil series. I got several hundred hours in LC and you're still teaching me new things

[@dingoguitar]

i love how you upped the quality of these videos, makes them much more immersive, keep up the good work

[@HBr-i1f]

In facility map when you are in the mine, you can actually stuck the jester

[@ApexGale]

you can trap the jester on mansion too. just need to be good at it

[@Djadou]

He probably didn’t mention this because it will likely get patched in future versions, and he wants this video to be valid for the longest time possible.

[@twotruckslyrics]

😭

[@alteregosocial]

nailed it@@Djadou

[@Aelfraed26]

I believe that the top speed a Jester can reach depends on how far away the closest player is, because I've seen a player loop a jester.

[@Great-Griff]

Once we've finished going over the AI of vanilla monsters, i'd love to see analysis videos of custom monsters! Not only would it be just like the analysis videos of the vanilla monsters, but it would also be a nice shoutout to people who make great unique custom monsters (which more people should do imo). My favorite custom monster right now is probably the Locker enemy.

[@nortonlucas]

I just binged every single one of your Lethal Company videos and the only thing i have to say to you sir is that YOU are a great asset to the company.

[@Memes_Confirmed]

I love this video! Though I do have to note that at least from my experience, you can zap the jester. Unless of course that was changed in the update. But I even got a clip on my channel to showcase that. It was modded, yes, but we didn't add any mods that would make us be able to fight back all of the sudden. It was just free bird mod with bigger lobby and small stuff like that. You can zap it and it will reset it's speed, giving you more time to find the exit. And I think you can also zap it while it's cranking to make it pause for a moment

[@carlosramirezsanchez4]

It's also worth mentioning that you can run in loop when he is right behind you and it won't be able to kill you giving time to rest of your crew or for someone to teleport you out

[@Television_guy]

you forgot to mention his hilarious scientific name INSANEUS THINGUS

[@A.please_insert_witty_text.M]

With all caps included of course.

[@furude_kyodo]

you are really invested, your videos are more and more detailed ❤ edit : can you do the ai behind eyeless dogs ? there is much thing to clarify

[@TaxTheHomeless.]

Ur channel is growing so fast congrats

[@alteregosocial]

thank you !

[@missanthropocene2020]

I watched this series to get good, but the information on each mob and their AI is just so interesting--and creative.

[@Agilities847]

I, too, enter my cranking phase when someone shocks me.

[@silvenwolfsilven]

I love how when the Jester pops we can see you get startled by your mouse movements hahahaha

[@joevahle2321]

You forgot to mention that sometimes Jesters employ psychological warfare by playing a super loud version of Free Bird instead of the pop goes the weasel song.

[@FarmSum]

we've kinda advanced to a point where this knowledge may not be super practical for real situations, but its still super interesting to see how the monsters work

[@SereneLeskovsky]

Well, if you see a wandering Jester, you can immediately find a way to avoid it if you watch it route for a few seconds. Also notably, being aware of the usability of Stun Grenades can give players a slightly higher chance of escaping once a Jester is popped.

[@alteregosocial]

very true. there is so much more to these AI that i leave out of videos simply because, like you said, its impractical.

[@miguelaguilar751]

Also knowing that everyone leaving the facility doesn't impact stages 2 or 3 cleared up a lot of confusion for me

[@MelissaHyland-lz2mw]

I like to call jesters “day Enders” since when you see one. Welp, day’s over for a bit

[@Vivaldidu14]

I remember once having a Jester chasing players, I was hidden in a corner, crouching, and I heard him running everywhere. My teammates left but the jester didn't get to me and went back to phase 1. I'm not sure if I found a place where it cannot detect me or another kind of glitch happened.

[@zaglezigawa8415]

There is a really big improvement in quality, Great work man!

[@tciddados]

I was surprised to see that jesters used a different pathfinding algorithm than all the other enemies shown that was so similar, but then saw the reveal where it was actually just how the old ones worked anyway, but explained more deeply.

[@YoSuey]

Thanks for making these videos. I've watched my gameplay evolve because of them and people using the information.

[@GoofySlugpup]

Yippee! Jester ai things! Fun fact: the jester aura that blocks bullets is actually faulty check for the shotgunm the shotgun uses a large spherecast, damaging the entities thats in it. If it finds an invincible entity, say, the jester, it stops the code in it's tracks. That means damaging other entities too. Edit: I have a yippee bug plushie coming soon

[@mossychest8688]

so, that means coilheads have the same aura?

[@michelles9621]

I love this channel so much

[@esseren]

Once again a great video! Would love to see nutcracker or ghost girl next!

[@goldenbudgiereal]

I remember a jester trapped me in the mines elevator and I managed to slip out last second

[@princessbubblecum792]

absolutely loving this series so excited for more

[@z3b3r82]

There is also a new discovered mechanic called "jester aura" which makes so you cannot damage any enemies close to jester on the same floor

[@smashpedro]

I like how you got jumpscared when the jester popped

[@jonnaas]

Me and my friends have a modpack for lethal company, one of the mods make it so that enemies can leave the facility. That makes jesters much more terrifying.

[@eyezofcopper3172]

YESSS IVE BEEN WATING FOR THIS

[@Probably_Laurence]

Been waiting for this one :O

[@Lucky__]

I think it's important to mention the jester invincibility field around him rendering shotguns useless when he's near.

[@Shwerl]

babe wake up alter ego posted

[@VinciPlayzz]

This is actually kinda helpful to know cause now i can go into the facility and be confident and not worried about jesters. Also are you gonna do blind dogs anytime soon? Im still struggling to know their walking patterns.

[@alteregosocial]

yes i will be doing them sometime in the few weeks!

[@GnomiumPvZ]

0:16 damn bro, I have those phases too!

[@kornelius9811]

4:54 that startle lmao

[@AltAccount-oh6ey]

5:33 - you can't zap jesters? I'm pretty sure you can (though as it gets faster and faster, it's increasingly more difficult to do so)

[@alteregosocial]

yes, you can zap them. my mistake.

[@dogetacos]

Dude I love these videos very useful

[@carlthesillyroblox]

i cant stop watching these and i want more

[@SereneLeskovsky]

Theres definitely a possibility to zap the jester, its been done before even just on YT videos lol Its difficult to time due to the Jester's constantly increasing speed, but its not impossible by any means.

[@alteregosocial]

yes, the info i said in the video was incorrect.

[@majcommando60]

please do AI Behind the monsters from “It Steals”

[@thedootguy4444]

i dont play lethal comapny but i find this entertaining none the less

[@souzouookami3059]

You know an enemy is a serious threat when its final stage is referred to in the code as "run for your life"

[@SSHSSplishii]

I had no idea nodes were even a thing, that’s actually really interesting!

[@TheSandwhichman108]

It’s actually find of fascinating seeing a jester’s roaming mode in action. Shows the ai for the creatures in Lethal company is more complex than it initially seems.

[@ashlox756]

I'm always in my cranking phase

[@hampurger_]

I be crankin my shi

[@RoboticMagus]

I can't believe this monster cranks it's own crank in front of players and then pops itself!

[@Bubbamacomb]

Am I the only person who just realized the gesture has only one arm?

[@JZNbrother]

Y are these videos so good istg

[@fuchschrafter8512]

i like adi she seems like a cool person

[@Magmabot16]

Please do baboon hawks next, I still dont understand them, some people say you need to stare at them and make noise while others say that staring at them is what makes them mad.

[@-AGGRESIVEPEANUT-]

Do you plan on analyzing any modded enemies after you've finished the vanilla ones?

[@alteregosocial]

possibly. i plan on creating enemies at some point!

[@-AGGRESIVEPEANUT-]

@@alteregosocial that sounds super cool! I can't wait to see what you make.

[@2900dielit]

ive been waiting for vids like these for a long time

[@1998topornik]

Sound design of jester is top notch.

[@gaskinforeman303]

Something to add: For whatever reason, jesters have what is known as "Jester Aura" and will completely negate the effects of ALL player-based shotgun damage when in range. Meaning if you try to shoot a centipede near a jester, it will fail.

[@SereneLeskovsky]

Its called a panic reflex lol

[@gaskinforeman303]

@SereneLeskovsky No it legitimately stops all shotgun damage to any monster near a jester, doesn't matter if you're john wick, you won't kill anything near a jester with a shotgun.

[@SereneLeskovsky]

​@@gaskinforeman303As confirmation, you are actually correct but its not intended. Its a bug with the shotgun specifically and it also applies to other invincible entities like Coilheads

[@Karyl02]

When a Jester starts cranking when I'm playing Solo I start counting up to 60 so I know how much time I have left until it pops. While Im outside I continue counting so that when it pops it has enough time to get away from the entrance

[@totallynotabot8580]

I’m pretty sure you can zap a Jester in phase 4, but because of the delay it’s very hard to time.

[@mister_matt]

So Jesters are actually easier to deal with on facility interiors rather than the mansions? Interesting...fantastically informative video as always!

[@insomnitis]

3:40 this is 100% not true. Jesters will retarget based on closest player in proximity at somewhat random before cranking. 100% sure on this as we regularly trap jesters on rend and it’s problematic when they change target and leave the railing for the setup.

[@alteregosocial]

hmm i need to look into this

[@DungeonBoss1]

Correct me if im wrong but im pretty sure they can also open locked doors in phase 4 if stuck behind one.

[@tangytanger1ne]

Dude I was just binging your content bc my friend sent a tiktok to me this morning. Was just about to ask for a jester vid!!!!!

[@robloxplayer0003]

I like how the only way to handle jesters is "sure hope you know where the exit is"

[@ultraleitor]

4:53 Got scared there, eh? 😂

[@kannaharuka]

I love how you flinched the first two times it popped, good to know youre a human too, not a god thats decended for us mortals. 😊

[@RorieLawson]

You can zap jesters during Run-for-your-life state it will reset its momentum the only problem is that the zap gun must lock on so don’t try it when it’s fast but you can get a easy lock on through doors

[@alteregosocial]

you are correct. my mistake

[@Qoride]

haha windy box go vroom

[@bluebloxen9941]

3:30 you forgot to mention that jesters will immediately set the timer to 0. If they are attacked

[@DKrueger1994]

Once you hear that "Pop Goes The Weasel", that's your cue to get the Hell out as fast as you can

[@haroldlerma3339]

The fact there was no Jester footage at the start of the video shows how hard it is to get footage of it💀

[@danielgoertz8962]

With the Jester, straight up cranking it haha, and by "it", well, lest justr say, my handle.

[@baitposter]

Mod suggestion: visualize FOV cones/boxes for each entity

[@Pur9l3]

5:32 i remember seeing someone zapping the jester in a video