AI uses abilities before board resets

Buret0

So when it gets to the player's turn and there are no possible matches, the board resets and the player is then free to use abilities and make a match.

When the board gets to the AI in a position where the AI could not make a match, the AI uses abilities before the board resets itself. I recognized that a long time ago, but never really cared until the AI used Inferno back to back.

Board comes to the AI in an unmatchable state. AI casts Inferno. Board resets and the AI's inferno tiles are spread all over the board instead of being clustered to the 8 tiles in the middle. Then on the next turn the AI casts Inferno again, because all 8 spaces that inferno appears on are now basic tiles. So the AI has about 13 attack tiles hitting me instead of about 6 or 7.

If the board had reset before the AI was permitted to use abilities (like would happen for the player), the AI's Inferno tiles would not have been spread all over the board. Yes, it is possible to use a board shake ability like Illusions after casting Inferno to move the attack tiles away from the middle of the board, but that risks matching the attack tiles. When the AI gets a board reset, the board is reset into a stable position where no match 3+ exists, but where the AI has at least one swap to make a match 3+. Illusions might just match away your own Inferno.

The AI is also able to 'save' an unusable board. If the board arrives in an unmatchable state, the AI can cast a battery ability to save the board state... often creating a couple of match 3s in the AI's color and leaving the player with a very limited board.

The simple fix is to check the board state immediately after resolving the CD tiles. If the AI couldn't make a match at that time, the board must be reset before the AI can use an ability.

Thank you.

Dayv

I've noticed this before, but this is the first time I've heard an example where it really makes a difference. Inferno is a good example.