Can the AI get un-dumbed a bit please?

Feature Requests and Game feedback
1

In general, I’m quite happy with the 3.1 changes to the AI, so that it’s no longer possible to skull-bait it reliably and casting extra-turn spells before/instead of taking 4-matches from the board. However, at the same time, the AI started doing some outright stupid things. I can vaguely understand why it would make sense to take a 3-skull in favour of a 4-colour match in some situations. But I’ve seen it take 3-skull matches in favour of 4-skull matches. And whenever there’s this setup on the board…

OXOO
XOXX
OXOO

… the AI will (almost?) always take that as a 4-match instead of a 5-match. I personally found the game more fun, when I didn’t feel like I was playing against random or deliberately inferior moves. Can the AI be at least changed so that it takes the largest possible match of a kind?

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2

It might not be an AI thing, but more of a programmed behavior from the defending player.
If they tone down a particular color too far, it does mean 4+ matches of that color will be ignored over something with higher priority setting.

3

The cases I am talking about are when the AI takes an inferior move of the same colour. A 3-skull instead of a 4-skull, or a 4-blue instead of a 5-blue.

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4

Yeah, I can’t quite explain that either. It seems like they intentionally turned on the “newbie” AI that makes mistakes, for everyone? Kinda?

Has Console always been this way?

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5

I read your post and was specifically looking if this is happening regularly. IDK what is different, but no, I don’t see AI taking 4-match in this configuration unless there might be some other matches or better color denial. It might heavily depend on the specific color AI is set as top priority either through tuning PvP defence interface or the code. Technically speaking, while taking 5x gives 10 mana plus bonus of X and 3 mana plus surge for O, taking 2 4-matches gives 4 mana for X and 4 mana for O and no surges after the latest patch. So, if priority is set to O and X is not needed at all, AI might take 2 4-matches for more O.

6

Just now, the AI took a 3-brown instead of a 4-brown, so it even happens with 3 vs 4 on regular colours.

7

The O’s are usually mixed colour, not all the same, so the AI just gets a single 4-match there, not two.

8

I certainly cannot confirm this is happening with just random other colors unless there is something else somewhere on the board which might have higher priory. Is that a console thing? I’m on PC/mobile.

9

No, mainly since the update that brought in guild wars as far as I can remember, or possibly the one before. I can’t recall which one but it never used to take 3 skulls if there was a 4 skull available. I do like the ai, maybe not the cascades, but the ai is pretty good. Bizarre moves now and then aside. I miss 4 matches all the time, especially on 4x as I seem to play quite quickly now. Oh, it also does this with colour matches too.

10

I’m on PC/Mobile. And I kinda doubt that the AI looks ahead to leave a better/worse board after taking an inferior match. I’d provide a screenshot but usually I can’t anticipate the situation and wouldn’t react quickly enough anyway. Maybe I should just screencap an entire play session and then extract the relevant frames.

11

I can’t believe it. Just a few days ago people were yelling to fix the cheating AI because they couldn’t win.

Now it needs to be harder cause of winning too much?

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12

The AI making dumb moves has nothing to do with the AI getting too many cascades (if that’s even a thing) or having more luck with random effects (if that’s even a thing). These are indepedent problems and they should be treated independently.

That said, I don’t have any kingdoms at 5 stars, and I’m routinely fighting teams with a 9.7k team score and I have a very decent win ratio, so I don’t really see how the AI is anywhere near too difficult. If people have trouble beating teams their own score at 50:50, I could understand the issue.

13

im fine with ai skipping 5->4 and 4->3

it gets enough cascades with or without those extra moves

14

I mean, it’s not like the whole forum speaks with one voice. Some people find the game too easy, others too hard. That’s part of what makes balancing it so difficult.

2 Likes
15

YES, I’ve brought this up in console threads for 2 years. As far back as Mr. Strange. I like the occasional mis-step as it makes things interesting! But the Unity AI has almost always picked a 4match over a 5. No response yet…

I suppose it’s due to developers hardly ever playing in unity. Perhaps now it might change.

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16

Yeh. I can understand that. I’m just saying…noting personal against the OP. I’m just sayin. It never ends does it.

Maybe too…this is all new to me. Ie. Being a gamer.

I’ve never played a game where it was fun to play the game…be part of that games community…watch it grow…the game and community. And I realize I haven’t seen much. For there are lots of people that have been playing this game from the start.

Hell I’ve only been playing since February. So my point is…

I suppose I better get use to the bickering.

Good talk.
I feel better.

Oh and I’m not even a gamer. Since this is the only game I play. Lol…