Working title: Sanity

First topic message reminder :

I know platformers are getting so-so nowadays but i want to make a story intensive game to reel the player in.
I was wondering if anyone can offer help with a platformer AI? I want to try something else besides the usual move left-right type. i was thinking of several separate objects all with a rotating sprite(gun) attached to it walking around a level trying to look for the player and firing at whatever angle they want and jumping onto ledges to get a better shot. Any info and ideas are greatly welcome. screenshots will come soon.
please help me out or i end up looking like this smiley --->

<note: not finalized and may be subject to change>
Storyline:
Deep in a research facility, several containment units have broken down. A lone figure awakens after his stasis chamber breaks down along with several others. A lone guard comes in to investigate, unfortunately he bumps into him. The guard is killed without second thought the moment he approaches him. Taking the guard's weapon with the stranger, he sets himself on a journey to find answers. As he leaves the facility through a path in the sewers, he comes across a city that seemed familliar to him.

exactly... i was planning on making the bullets spread but problem is they only spread upwards

i used the on create event:
direction=round(random(45))

i know something's missing since the firing arc only fires upwards and never spreads at an angle less than zero

what I would do is keep it simple and make it so the shotgun fires "five" shots at once in "even" directions, for instance one would go straight , one would go high, one low and two that goes between the other three.
It would also help if each of these "Pellets" were a separate object so to have more control over it/them.