Player V's AI -who really has the advantage

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homeinvasion
homeinvasion Posts: 415 Mover and Shaker
edited September 2014 in MPQ General Discussion
This is half joke half a post for peeps to just vent at, in the (vain) hope of consolidating all the anger on this forum into one thread... which should make the rest of the forums as happy as a Brony at 7am on a Saturday when it's time for a new episode of my little pony. icon_e_biggrin.gif Clearly through my scientific research we can see the AI has an advantage

Player
Gets first turn
Can bring in 3 Team ups, if you have them that’s a fourth character
The Ai will always match 4 over non straight 5 match
The AI will always match 4 over a colour it needs
The Ai will match away its own strike/ countdowns that it just created to begin powering up the ability it just matched away.

AI
Can see above the board – will match a colour it doesn’t need which creates a double cascade into the colours it does.
When board resets they get 90% first turn –
Tends to see traps
Places player special tiles for easy removal
Lets go abilities without the AP (Or did I forget to check? )
Full cup ‘o cascade ‘o Death
Denies colours by filling the board with tinykitty you don’t want
Scaling so hard that the AI does 1,000 damage without strikes
Puts players in the hardest brackets
Offers the player some off colour option as the only possible match which creates a double match 5 into full screen cascade
Mixes goons that generate AP of a colour and a character that uses that colour
Failed to load the poll.

Comments

  • dkffiv
    dkffiv Posts: 1,039 Chairperson of the Boards
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    AI is also always at full health.

    Player wins in the event of a tie, which is nice. Nothing more satisfying than winning with a Ares Sunder, Jugg Headbutt, or Sentry Nova when they're in triple digit life.
  • homeinvasion
    homeinvasion Posts: 415 Mover and Shaker
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    Player gets boosts
  • Unknown
    Unknown
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    AI gets random awesome teamups like Patch's beserker rage, Mageneto's Magnetized Projectiles, etc.
  • modmousests
    modmousests Posts: 63
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    Ai doesnt have to worry about the next match so endlessly headbutts etc.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
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    homeinvasion wrote:
    T
    AI
    Can see above the board – will match a colour it doesn’t need which creates a double cascade into the colours it does.
    When board resets they get 90% first turn –
    Tends to see traps
    Places player special tiles for easy removal
    Lets go abilities without the AP (Or did I forget to check? )
    Full cup ‘o cascade ‘o Death
    Denies colours by filling the board with tinykitty you don’t want
    Scaling so hard that the AI does 1,000 damage without strikes
    Puts players in the hardest brackets
    Offers the player some off colour option as the only possible match which creates a double match 5 into full screen cascade
    Mixes goons that generate AP of a colour and a character that uses that colour

    The only one of these that's true is the Goons giving AP to enemies. All the rest is confirmation bias.

    The player absolutely has the advantage for the reasons you listed, plus the ability to use boosts, and winning when all 6 people have 0 health.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
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    Playing the AI reminds me of the flavor text on Akroma in MTG: "No rest. No mercy. No matter what."

    I don't think they're meant to be exceptionally hard, but they never get tired, and they never show any mercy no matter what, which is something you can definitely use now that Magneto is no longer around to answer prayers.

    The player's advantages over the AI is small other than the boosts, which is huge, but they can be expensive to maintain and it seems likely they'll be phased out at some point. They're also directly responsible for the PvP insanity, as without boosts, Sentry would merely be way overpowered as opposed to godlike, because a lot can happen while you're trying to get 3 yellow, green, and possibly black matches even if that's still the cheapest way to end a game.
  • FaerieMyst
    FaerieMyst Posts: 319 Mover and Shaker
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    I am smarter than the AI. Ultimately that gives me the advantage.
  • Pylgrim
    Pylgrim Posts: 2,296 Chairperson of the Boards
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    Can see above the board – will match a colour it doesn’t need which creates a double cascade into the colours it does.

    Is this confirmed? I always suspected it because AI gets as many if no more cascades than the player and most of them are "blind cascades" i.e. caused from tiles that fall from outside. Logic would dictate that the players should get more cascades since they can plan ahead and set cascades with the known tiles, meaning that they get to shake the board at will more often. And yet, it is the AI the one that more often gets 30+ AP blind cascades. (Before you talk about confirmation bias, I've actually been tallying for a couple weeks. I've got many more <10 AP cascades than the AI, around the same 10-20 AP ones, but the AI has got at least 3 times as many 30+ AP cascades as I. Taking in account that a 30+ AP cascade is almost game-ending, this is very much not cool.)

    Another item you need to append to the AI list is that HP sacrifice is irrelevant for it, as it doesn't have to worry about health packs. Also, that Team Ups are generally more beneficial for the AI as players focus in getting the colours that they need, leaving more T-U tiles on the board for the AI to match.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
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    Pylgrim wrote:
    Can see above the board – will match a colour it doesn’t need which creates a double cascade into the colours it does.

    Is this confirmed? I always suspected it because AI gets as many if no more cascades than the player and most of them are "blind cascades" i.e. caused from tiles that fall from outside. Logic would dictate that the players should get more cascades since they can plan ahead and set cascades with the known tiles, meaning that they get to shake the board at will more often. And yet, it is the AI the one that more often gets 30+ AP blind cascades. (Before you talk about confirmation bias, I've actually been tallying for a couple weeks. I've got many more <10 AP cascades than the AI, around the same 10-20 AP ones, but the AI has got at least 3 times as many 30+ AP cascades as I. Taking in account that a 30+ AP cascade is almost game-ending, this is very much not cool.)

    Another item you need to append to the AI list is that HP sacrifice is irrelevant for it, as it doesn't have to worry about health packs. Also, that Team Ups are generally more beneficial for the AI as players focus in getting the colours that they need, leaving more T-U tiles on the board for the AI to match.

    They can't see above the board but since AI greatly favors moves that'd lead to greater cascades, they tend to get more tiles created from their moves which gives them more chances to get something useful from the cascade.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
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    I voted that last option because I find it hilarious icon_e_biggrin.gif let Sentry shows Superman who really is boss lol.

    Anyway I think the player actually wins. Because we have all these HP and ISOs while the AI ain't getting anything. Have you seen an AI bragging about his enormous stockpile? Me neither icon_e_biggrin.gif
  • homeinvasion
    homeinvasion Posts: 415 Mover and Shaker
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    homeinvasion wrote:
    The Ai will match away its own strike/ countdowns that it just created to begin powering up the ability it just matched away.
    This is the one I thought was most obvious, but no one mentioned, where the AI will collect 11 red for Star Spangled Avenger, then next turn match the countdown tile for the next Star Spangled Avenger icon_e_biggrin.gif
    Also the player can counter - match, or deny the AI a color, which the AI doesn't seem to do.

    and Yes this is all confirmation bias, wrapped in sarcasm and a healthy dose of fun.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
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    iPulzzz wrote:
    I voted that last option because I find it hilarious icon_e_biggrin.gif let Sentry shows Superman who really is boss lol.

    Anyway I think the player actually wins. Because we have all these HP and ISOs while the AI ain't getting anything. Have you seen an AI bragging about his enormous stockpile? Me neither icon_e_biggrin.gif

    That's because they already maxed everyone out!
  • Unknown
    Unknown
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    The question is, how did you know new MLP episodes air on Saturday, huh?

    As it stands now, player definitely have advantage, just watch your win-to-lose ratio when somepony hit you. Or just ask yourself, do you lose yourself more than 50% of time when you fight against similar power team? I know I don't, but again, I don't even try fighting Ares/OBW where there is so many soft targets around now. AI can still get cascades and wipe you out, but since they can't get 5s unless it's only way for them to make 4 match.

    However, in simple game like this, it would be VERY easy to make AI that does have huge advantage. Namely, as been said, you could program AI to know what falls on board in advance, coupled with them always going for 5s would make them in favorable position. Then teach them basic combos with abilities. Node with super leveled Sentry and 2 goons generating yellow and green - let's see how far your first move and boost let you go, glhf.

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