Wand of Stars should make random choices on auto-battle

Platform, device version and operating system: Steam, PC, Windows 10

Screenshot or image: none

What you were expecting to happen, and what actually happened:
_I have created a team with Wand of Stars weapon and observed it while it was battling the expedition on auto-battle. I was expecting Wand of Stars to randomly choose one of the two options. However it always chooses the second option - it always creates 7 Umbral stars and curses enemies. It never creates elemental stars and never blesses friendly troops. _

How often does this happen? When did it begin happening?
Happens always when I add Wand of Stars to auto-battle. I have tested it in the top position only.

Steps to make it happen again
See above.

4 Likes

Auto-battle means, that the AI takes over. And that one tries to make halfway reasonable decisions (for enemy AIs, this may not always fully apply, as they can get tuned down at low difficulties). Turning an active choice into a coin flip seems counterproductive at first.
Maybe the situation needs a focus on a few more details.

Did it do the curse cast at any point, when the enemies were still cursed?
Did it cast the curse version, when one or more of your troops had a negative status effect and would have instantly benefited from a blessing?
Did it cast curse, while elemental-matchable gems did greatly outweigh umbral-matchable ones?

Those would hint, that the AI is doing a poor job and does not properly weigh the options against each other. Would need some recalibration then.

Has anyone seen the AI choose the spell that creates Elemental Stars? The few defense teams I’ve tried have also always chosen Umbral Stars. I recall someone else reporting that the AI would only choose 2nd option as well.

The few things I’ve tried to force it to choose the 1st spell:

  • Make team that predominantly uses brown, blue, red and green mana.

  • Fill the board with green gems

  • EoE one of the enemy troops

It still casts the 2nd spell for Umbral Stars.

Update: In one match, it did choose the Umbral Star spell while my troops were still cursed from a previous cast.

2 Likes

Just did two fights with Zuulagon team as Elementalist. AI always chose to cast the elemental stars.

Replaced Leprechaun with Thrall (+purple mana), still the same.

Replaced my banner to purple++ / yellow+, added another troop with magic link (purple++++/yellow+),
still always elemental stars. Purple storm did nothing as well.

Finally 3 troops using only purple mana, each with magic link. Purple+++++/yellow+, still nothing … :slight_smile:
Put the Wand in the back behind pure purple users, switched to Archmage. Purple++++++++/yellow+.
STILL always only elemental stars.

As a last desperate measure, I replaced one troop with Orrery for the perma purple/yellow storm.

Not even ONCE I have seen it cast Umbral Stars.

2 Likes

This is starting to seem like it’s set player by player. I just tried the same basic Cent/Zuul team and it only choose Umbral Stars.

Oh I just realized you may have been using it on auto play in Explore.
Just in case that makes a difference, I tested it out there and only got Umbral Stars :frowning: .

Anyone else only get Elemental Stars?

Feels like it only picks what you last picked.

3 Likes

Bingo

Yep sure enough you can get it to switch like that. I swear I tested it before, but I guess not.

It’d be nice if the AI made the choice on it’s own, but I’d rather see other bug fixes and QOL changes first.

Wait, this actually sounds like a pretty significant exploit. Am I reading this right that you can set up which effect the opponent team will pick? Meaning, if you scout a Choose One troop on the opponent team during Guild Wars, you can force it to pick the unfavorable of both options?

5 Likes

Oh, uh… that hadn’t occurred to me. I had only ever tested against my own defense team and then assumed AI was switching because it was my team.

But it seems like you are right, if the other Choose One troops work like Wand of Stars. I just tried it in Casual PVP and the AI consistently picked the same spell as my last cast. Yikes.

EDIT: I tried testing a little with some Vulpacea troops in a mirror battle. The AI seems to choose for itself.

For example, I couldn’t get the AI to choose Fenix’s 2nd spell (summon troop) by changing which spell I choose for Fenix. Even when the AI had an empty spot, it choose damage once when my last Fenix choice was summon.
Same for Vulpphire Hunter. It seemed to choose randomly in some way which damage spell it used.

4 Likes

I just had an enemy use Wand of Stars for Bless plus Elemental Stars.

I don’t know, if that means it has been silently fixed, or if it depends on the specific situation, but it is possible.