You shouldn’t make a habit of dashing in when the opponent has a bar of power. You’re setting yourself up for a special intercept.
When the opponent blocks you get an opening to hit said block and potentially compel them to use a special attack. The issue isn't getting special intercepted, the issue is the AI faking a block only to then perform a special intercept. This is something we, the players, wouldn't be able to do due to how the controls work. It's also a new behavior occurring during a time when the engine is broken.
The AI really built different these days. When the AI block, then I charge forward the AI quickly dex me like Swedeah on crack and intercept me quickly. Got absolutely crushed by these AI.
One more thing that I realized is, when the AI is standing still doing nothing don't charge forward. You have like 90% chance of getting intercept.
same thing with havok on true strike node. I am baiting an sp2, he blocks and I dash in to hit his block and boom sp2 right in the face, leading to a death
Yesterday I died against superior iron man (laugh) in AQ map 5 while trying to bait his sp1/sp2. He didn’t throw it, cornered me, with parry bug I missed few parries, and he reached sp3. I have observed that it is very difficult to bait sp1/sp2 from these champs in AQ map 5: CMM, Thor, Thor ragnarok, unstoppable colossus, bpcw
I was facing a killmonger on caltrops using Omega Red. I usually bait his sp2, I pushed him above 2 bars and dexed almost 10 times, Inevitably he reached sp3 and recked me.
I also noticed some weird AI behavior yesterday exploring cav EQ. The opponent intercept mid combo with their basic attacks. This can be confusing cos you’re not sure if it’s dropped inputs or AI developing other powers. I’ve had my player dash forward whiles I was holding block and other times by doing nothing. I know they normally move forward when you do nothing for while, that’s not it. In just a sec, they dash forward like a medium attack. Regards the fake blocking, the AI been doing this for a while now. I remember DDDave made a video on it. Your video though looks like they’ve gotten more smarter.
From the vid that looks like the same thing the AI has done for a while. If they spam block and are twitching around then you don’t hit into the block. If they are simply holding the block, it’s absolutely fine.
Has there been a confirmation from the team that AI changes have been made?
I realize it’s obvious to anyone who plays frequently, but I’d like to hear the rationale behind tweaking the AI when the game controls and memory leak issues are still front and center.
I wouldn't have dashed in there if I'm being honest. The "block-twitch" isn't new and has been around a while. I remember seeing it a long time ago when trying to hit into NCs block to get him to switch stance.
Also, I dunno if it's just me but Apoc seems more keen than other defenders to throw his specials so if he has 1 bar I find it's best to bait by idling and dexing back as he attacks.
An interesting part of all this is the AI doing things the player can’t. Sometimes that’s ok. I accept that Luke Cage and King Groot as defenders can slide across half the screen to try to hit me with their specials, even though I can’t do that as an attacker. I expect it and account for it. But I’m not a fan of the AI having much quicker recovery times than players do. If I throw a full combo into the defender’s block, I’m toast. These days a defender can throw a 5-combo into my block, then somehow have time to backdraft / shallow intercept me with a special before I can retaliate. That just doesn’t sit right.
None of this sits right for me either. It's like Kabam saw their quarterly earnings slippage and implemented these changes to AI to get money. The problem with that dangerous line of thinking is you take the player base for granted like we all won't just get up and quit the game within the next few months to a year. Keep messing with AI and you'll keep watching people leave your game. AI manipulation isnt the answer to losing money, Kabam.
Thinking about Hercules infuriate ability. If the AI can be more aggressive in certain situations, then it must also be less aggressive in other situations. This also implies that there is some sort of a baseline in AI behavior. I just wish Kabam would confirm our suspicions on AI’s ever changing behavior (ex. Oscillate and passive behavior, special intercepts after block fake, etc.)
I experienced these things right after apoc became the aq boss. You can be sure that he will launch his special if you dash at him if he has a special activated. It happens in other areas too, even ate a special to the face when doing the inhumans challenge from starlord and venom pool and some other champs. It's muscle memory for many players who have played a long time to hit into block to get a reaction from ai. Seems that is not allowed going forward.
you know i have notice that when you use to dash back when a ai would charge heavy attack they would let it off when you dash back well i remeber that now when i do it i would dash towerd them right after to try and catch them off guard now they just hold it when you dash back and hit you. so it is like they lerned and now that you will dash back towerd you so they just wait and then let the heavy attack off just as you come infront of them. it is wierd
An interesting part of all this is the AI doing things the player can’t. Sometimes that’s ok. I accept that Luke Cage and King Groot as defenders can slide across half the screen to try to hit me with their specials, even though I can’t do that as an attacker. I expect it and account for it. But I’m not a fan of the AI having much quicker recovery times than players do. If I throw a full combo into the defender’s block, I’m toast. These days a defender can throw a 5-combo into my block, then somehow have time to backdraft / shallow intercept me with a special before I can retaliate. That just doesn’t sit right.
None of this sits right for me either. It's like Kabam saw their quarterly earnings slippage and implemented these changes to AI to get money. The problem with that dangerous line of thinking is you take the player base for granted like we all won't just get up and quit the game within the next few months to a year. Keep messing with AI and you'll keep watching people leave your game. AI manipulation isnt the answer to losing money, Kabam.
As I have mentioned before, the issue isn't getting intercepted, nor is the issue when to bait the special. The issue is AI gameplay that had no rhyme or reason and is brand new. I have never in the past seen the AI "fake" or "twitch" a block. Whenever the AI has initiated a block, they've blocked and eaten attacks on the block. That's behavior I have seen and a gameplay style I have utilized for 6 years now. You can clearly watch Apocalyose do a double twitch as if starting to block, only to instead unleash the special as I go to hit the block.
If anyone has video of this kind of behavior happening from more than a month ago I'd love to see it, but it seems new to me and it seems tied to the other issues we see that we still have zero clue on when they will be fixed. It's hard for me to remain confident in playing a game where things like this get changed or tuned without us being advised of the changes occurring.
Comments
One more thing that I realized is, when the AI is standing still doing nothing don't charge forward. You have like 90% chance of getting intercept.
I am baiting an sp2, he blocks and I dash in to hit his block and boom sp2 right in the face, leading to a death
He didn’t throw it, cornered me, with parry bug I missed few parries, and he reached sp3.
I have observed that it is very difficult to bait sp1/sp2 from these champs in AQ map 5:
CMM, Thor, Thor ragnarok, unstoppable colossus, bpcw
I usually bait his sp2, I pushed him above 2 bars and dexed almost 10 times, Inevitably he reached sp3 and recked me.
Safest way to approach an enemy with power is to idle your way over to them.
I’m not a fan of AI that’s taunt resistant though…unless there was a way to block/interrupt SP3.
I realize it’s obvious to anyone who plays frequently, but I’d like to hear the rationale behind tweaking the AI when the game controls and memory leak issues are still front and center.
Dr. Zola
I wouldn't have dashed in there if I'm being honest. The "block-twitch" isn't new and has been around a while. I remember seeing it a long time ago when trying to hit into NCs block to get him to switch stance.
Also, I dunno if it's just me but Apoc seems more keen than other defenders to throw his specials so if he has 1 bar I find it's best to bait by idling and dexing back as he attacks.
I just wish Kabam would confirm our suspicions on AI’s ever changing behavior (ex. Oscillate and passive behavior, special intercepts after block fake, etc.)
If anyone has video of this kind of behavior happening from more than a month ago I'd love to see it, but it seems new to me and it seems tied to the other issues we see that we still have zero clue on when they will be fixed. It's hard for me to remain confident in playing a game where things like this get changed or tuned without us being advised of the changes occurring.
Observed in 2019 by @DNA3000 himself...
I'll see if I can dig up some old footage on YouTube that demonstrates the AI "block-twitch"
Just went back as far as I could find some captured video of my own. May 2020 and it was clearly evident.