AI Matching Strategy

OneLastGambit

In the very helpful FAQ which has been started I read that the AI matches tiles based on the following:

1.TU first
2.Match 4
3.Needed colour
4.everything else


I am going to be controversial and dispute this... why?

Today on numerous occasions I have seen the AI prioritise AP denial for me!

Earlier I saw Daken (he was the only character, others were goons) take a match 3 green (which I needed for Thunder clap with hulk) when a blue match 3 existed on the board.

I also saw the AI do the same thing with my OBW when it was against LCap and he needed a match 3 red which was on the board.

At first I thought it was just me being mistaken, but out of curiosity I've watched the AI matches closely to be sure and found out that I'm not mad to be sure. Has anyone else noticed this?

It doesn't happen all the time, so far it seemed only to happen when I need a match 3 to power a skill.

MarvelMan

The goons need green, so it would fall under #3. How they sub-prioritize in there....yeah, I got nothing. For LCap, goons also often need purple.

Though I have seen the AI match a completely non needed color with a needed on the board. Dont fully recall the set up, but it wasnt a match 4. Its possible that it allowed two concurrent match 3s, which seems to be in there somewhere.

JackTenrec

Maybe AI Daken's smart enough to want to trigger Pheremone Rage?

TxMoose

3. needed color

this includes passives for colors which they have no 'need' for

edit: I really think they categorize team ups under 'needed color'. I think its pretty random if there are available team up matches or their color matches - I don't think its automatically team up. they will make a match 4 regardless of color, regardless of whatever else is on the board. not sure I agree with that order.

CrookedKnight

The AI considers any color that it has a power for a "need," even if it can't actually spend the AP. So a team with Snipers will go for green even though Deadly Shot is free, a team with Luke Cage will collect red (even if it means matching its own protect tile, thanks AI!), etc.

OneLastGambit

I stand corrected.

Well I'm glad that's the case and not that the AI is evolving into a denial machine, it's happened so many times that I was genuinely starting to think someone from D3 had altered the programming (and trying not to think that it was thinking for itself and skynet was on the way).

It's darn annoying, I know how it feels to play against myself now ha ha

Unknown

Anybody have the link to the actual article? I think I remember them saying that in-line match-5's aren't prioritized, the game just sees it as 2 match-4 opportunities. However, I've never seen the AI go for a different match-4 when a match-5 is on the board. I've had this situation occur at least 10 times, which is well within the typical bounds of statistical significance (1.7%). If anyone else can share their experiences, that'd be helpful.

OneLastGambit

qkumbredood wrote:

Anybody have the link to the actual article? I think I remember them saying that in-line match-5's aren't prioritized, the game just sees it as 2 match-4 opportunities. However, I've never seen the AI go for a different match-4 when a match-5 is on the board. I've had this situation occur at least 10 times, which is well within the typical bounds of statistical significance (1.7%). If anyone else can share their experiences, that'd be helpful.

It's in the FAQ stickied at the top of the general forum. You're right AI does not prioritise match 5 at all and will often turn a match 5 into a match 4 (I've seen it turn a cross sectioned match 9 into a match 4)

binarypillbug

aesthetocyst wrote:

But Deadly Shot isn't "Free". No goon powers are. The goon generate AP for them, in stead of making matches. But if the team has an active character on it, matching the same color the goon is generating accelerates the goon's ability to fire the power more often.

So, yes, it makes sense for AI teams to prioritize to prioritize goon colors.

They singled out Deadly Shot because it is free, unlike most goon powers.

Dayv

OneLastGambit wrote:

In the very helpful FAQ which has been started I read that the AI matches tiles based on the following:

1.TU first

Nope.

TxMoose

interesting thing on deadly shot - no matter how many of them are there, they will only put out 1 cd. and its a longer cd (6 I think) because its free and out from turn 1

OneLastGambit

DayvBang wrote:

OneLastGambit wrote:

In the very helpful FAQ which has been started I read that the AI matches tiles based on the following:

1.TU first

Nope.

Hmm interesting. In the stickied FAQ I'm sure it said that. Care to enlighten us?

Phaserhawk

This has been my experience as well as a bit of what I have read.

The AI in Phaserhawk 's world does this for priority

1). Match 4 or 5
2.) Match your CD, (I think this extends to other special tiles as well) tile if in an AI color
3/4) Match 3 in their color or block you if you are building
5). Match your special tile if no color of theirs is available

That seems to be it. The AI has TU's so it considers that one of its colors, hence why the AI goes for it I don't think it prioritized over any other

MarvelMan

OneLastGambit wrote:

DayvBang wrote:

OneLastGambit wrote:

In the very helpful FAQ which has been started I read that the AI matches tiles based on the following:

1.TU first

Nope.

Hmm interesting. In the stickied FAQ I'm sure it said that. Care to enlighten us?

Match 4 (even if it destroys a Match 5) is first. I dont think that TU is fully prioritized above other "need" colors, but it does seem the make those a LOT. I just recall situations where Ive intentionally left a match 3 TU out....and they ignored it.

Lemminkäinen

aesthetocyst wrote:

But Deadly Shot isn't "Free". No goon powers are. The goon generate AP for them, in stead of making matches. But if the team has an active character on it, matching the same color the goon is generating accelerates the goon's ability to fire the power more often.

There are other free abilities as well. Detonate at least (or whatever it is, the self-destruct black CD tile that one of the Brotherhood Goons puts down when its health gets low enough - they don't even generate black AP).

Ruinate

From my observations.

1 - Straight line 5 way match of their usable color including teamups. As mentioned above, goon's ability colors are their usable colors.
2 - Straight line 5 way match of non-usable color
3 - 4 way match of usable color
4 - 4 way match of non-usable color
5 - 3 way match of usable color
6 - 3 way match of non-usable color

From what I've seen, Ai does not intentionally destroy special tiles because they are special tiles or intentionally screw you in other ways. They get destroyed because it's simply going for that color. Same with crit tiles. Crit tiles increases chance for 4 ways and 5 ways and that's why the Ai seems to go after crits often. It is perfectly safe to save a crit tile for later use if the crit does not line up a 4+ match and it's adjacent to non-usable colors for the Ai.

Ai will never take a 5-way match that isn't a straight line unless it is accidental. I don't think it's because the Ai is stupid, I think it is intentional to help the players. Example below






Only look at the blue crit. There is a 50% chance that the Ai will make an accidental 5 way that is not a straight line when it's actually going for a 4 way match.

whoami24601

OneLastGambit wrote:

qkumbredood wrote:

Anybody have the link to the actual article? I think I remember them saying that in-line match-5's aren't prioritized, the game just sees it as 2 match-4 opportunities. However, I've never seen the AI go for a different match-4 when a match-5 is on the board. I've had this situation occur at least 10 times, which is well within the typical bounds of statistical significance (1.7%). If anyone else can share their experiences, that'd be helpful.

It's in the FAQ stickied at the top of the general forum. You're right AI does not prioritise match 5 at all and will often turn a match 5 into a match 4 (I've seen it turn a cross sectioned match 9 into a match 4)

Yep, seconded. Was amused once because the AI had three ways to make a match-5 and it moved the right piece the wrong way to make a match-4 instead. I have screenshots somewhere.

OneLastGambit

MarvelMan wrote:

OneLastGambit wrote:

DayvBang wrote:

OneLastGambit wrote:

In the very helpful FAQ which has been started I read that the AI matches tiles based on the following:

1.TU first

Nope.

Hmm interesting. In the stickied FAQ I'm sure it said that. Care to enlighten us?

Match 4 (even if it destroys a Match 5) is first. I dont think that TU is fully prioritized above other "need" colors, but it does seem the make those a LOT. I just recall situations where Ive intentionally left a match 3 TU out....and they ignored it.

I should clarify:

TU is prioritised (according to sticky) until AI has used it's team up then it is not prioritised at all.

Unknown

whoami24601 wrote:

OneLastGambit wrote:

qkumbredood wrote:

Anybody have the link to the actual article? I think I remember them saying that in-line match-5's aren't prioritized, the game just sees it as 2 match-4 opportunities. However, I've never seen the AI go for a different match-4 when a match-5 is on the board. I've had this situation occur at least 10 times, which is well within the typical bounds of statistical significance (1.7%). If anyone else can share their experiences, that'd be helpful.

It's in the FAQ stickied at the top of the general forum. You're right AI does not prioritise match 5 at all and will often turn a match 5 into a match 4 (I've seen it turn a cross sectioned match 9 into a match 4)

Yep, seconded. Was amused once because the AI had three ways to make a match-5 and it moved the right piece the wrong way to make a match-4 instead. I have screenshots somewhere.

I agree with you guys completely, seen this type of behavior before. I was asking about the following situation:






The AI doesn't seem to go for the green match-4, even though it's "supposed" to 1/3 of the time.

Ruinate

qkumbredood wrote:

whoami24601 wrote:

OneLastGambit wrote:

qkumbredood wrote:

Anybody have the link to the actual article? I think I remember them saying that in-line match-5's aren't prioritized, the game just sees it as 2 match-4 opportunities. However, I've never seen the AI go for a different match-4 when a match-5 is on the board. I've had this situation occur at least 10 times, which is well within the typical bounds of statistical significance (1.7%). If anyone else can share their experiences, that'd be helpful.

It's in the FAQ stickied at the top of the general forum. You're right AI does not prioritise match 5 at all and will often turn a match 5 into a match 4 (I've seen it turn a cross sectioned match 9 into a match 4)

Yep, seconded. Was amused once because the AI had three ways to make a match-5 and it moved the right piece the wrong way to make a match-4 instead. I have screenshots somewhere.

I agree with you guys completely, seen this type of behavior before. I was asking about the following situation:






The AI doesn't seem to go for the green match-4, even though it's "supposed" to 1/3 of the time.

There is a difference between straight line 5 ways like your example and other possible 5 way matches like L and T and cross shapes. Straight line 5 way will always have priority over any other match. That's why the 4 way gets ignored. The FAQ is wrong. The example I provided on the first page is the only time a non straight line 5 way will happen.

Straight lines clear the whole row/column and nets 8ap right off the bat. I believe this is why the ai chooses to turn non straight line 5 ways into a 4 way instead. Either bad coding or an intentional handicap.

BlackSheep101

The non-forum page I saw (a dev blog, maybe?) basically weighted (tiles matched times 10) as the primary consideration in making matches. Since 80 is more than 50, it makes match 4's over non-linear match 5's. There was a minor bump if a match "charges an ability" but it obviously treats passives as abilities since it makes matches for AP it can't spend. Goon abilities are not treated differently from hero abilities.

I've seen many people parroting "prioritizes TU tiles", but have never seen anything in the game to indicate this is the case. Certainly the AI matches TUs more than a player does, but "prioritizes" implies it will pick them over all other matches if present. This is clearly not the case. Best guess is that TUs are treated as any other color that charges an ability.