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AI Tweaks and the Effectiveness of Taunt
DrZola
Posts: 8,539 ★★★★★
This is, of course, purely anecdotal, but I’m finding the passive AI resistant to taunt debuffs as well. A recent case in point would be the current SQ, where Guardian’s taunt seems to me to be ineffective more times than not at getting the AI to drop its specials. She-Hulk taunt has similarly been less successful for me.
There’s ample complaining about the passive AI—but I’m concerned that the taunt debuff interaction also seems to be less effective under the current AI.
Anyone else finding this? Is there any way we could get an official comment on what some of us see in the most current AI behavior? Have there been intentional changes, or is this unintended?
Dr. Zola
There’s ample complaining about the passive AI—but I’m concerned that the taunt debuff interaction also seems to be less effective under the current AI.
Anyone else finding this? Is there any way we could get an official comment on what some of us see in the most current AI behavior? Have there been intentional changes, or is this unintended?
Dr. Zola
Post edited by Kabam Zibiit on
41
Comments
As for the She-Hulk issues, I haven't tested her too much, but the times I did, I got lucky with RNG and managed to get to 10+ furies very fast. By that point I don't think it would matter too much since the enemy was constantly throwing specials.
I'm seeing it all over, spending double or triple the time to bait out specials, in any normal fight without passive power gain that's fine in most cases, baiting longer doesn't matter as much unless spacing is a huge issue. But if the champion is gaining power over time, it's almost a guaranteed SP3 if you have to bait any specials while they're above 2 bars of power.
Now of course, the plural of anecdotes isn't data, but in a lot of line chats I'm in I'm seeing the same story all over.
It's also not just an issue of the AI throwing specials less, but they also throw them at different moments to before. What I mean by that is that usually, you leave yourself open to bait a special, the opponent dashes at you and you sidestep them and you're open again. In those periods of leaving yourself open that is when the AI throws a special. But now, they are waiting a split second until either you're already dashing back and you are unable to dash, since you're already dashing, or at another point when you're unable to dash. This is especially noticeable against someone like Green Goblin SP2 who requires insanely precise timing.
So, I run map 7 and I take the mix master prove yourself path. We have defenders there such as Vision Classic, Cyclops, Cable and Green Goblin (also Angela but her specials aren't an issue). It is a genuine nightmare baiting specials. Vision and Cable both power gain up to Sp3s and clatter me, not to mention that Vision's Sp1 is unblockable, so when thrown at an inopportune moment, you can't even parry it. Imagine how annoying that is against prove yourself, so he just goes indestructible time and time again. I got to 14 hits 3 times last series, each time caught by a weirdly throw Sp1.
Green Goblin is the worst. I often start baiting at his side of the arena, then dash back leaving myself open time and time again and he will rarely throw it until I'm mostly in my side of the arena. The timing of Green Goblin's SP2 is even worse, because you need to predict when he's going to throw it. You can only dodge his Sp2 if you dash back, and then he throws his special which you will dex. But since baiting is so much harder, and the AI throws specials at very irregular places, he will very often just throw it towards the end of your dex, catching you completely out - no chance to dex again since your first dex animation isn't over.
This really is a huge pain, and I'd urge Kabam to look at some of their data about how often special attacks are being thrown during fights compared to an update ago.
That's near 165% taunt
Brave soul…
Dr. Zola
Whoever moved the thread—care to comment?
Dr. Zola
Dr. Zola
I don’t want to spend more time in game for the same things. I don’t mind challenge or having to test things to find a solution.
But the AI changes are pretty evident to everyone. They seem meant to slow the fights down and to increase the amount of time spent teasing specials (which involves mechanics like dex and can create issues with the newly proficient AI that shallow evades and special intercepts).
We are past the point of “was there a change” in my view. The better inquiry is whether the AI change was done in the face of the problems with the dex/parry bugs or whether it was more of a programmatic change scheduled months ago.
Dr. Zola
I was fighting Mr. Negative with falcon on a Power Start 1/ Enhanced Sp1 node. I baited until he hit 3 bars, then died.
The worst part? I had 2 hits, Mr. N had 1 on me. His gained power was from me hitting his block to get out of the corner
My main take-home from this thread, though, is a feeling of relief that other people are finding GG's SP2 as difficult to Dex as I do...
And there can't be anything said that the AI hasn't changed. It has and we know it.
There’s supposed to be a memory leak update Oct/Nov if I recall correctly. AI behavior is strangely passive. AQ is janky for quite a few maps this week. Variant 8 was buggy. That’s just top of mind for me at this moment.
I don’t envy the team the task ahead of them. And I do think Kabam Boo is trying to make the best of a bad situation (so I don’t blame her or Miike for not being able to provide resolution or answers). But I do think the parts of the team that know what’s going on should arm Boo and Miike with a little more info. As it stands now, most of the official responses to issues don’t inspire my confidence.
Dr. Zola
That said, a more proactive (hate that word) approach to the situations that do happen seems in order. They seem to disappear sometimes to get an official word/update?!? I don't know why, but it feels off-putting.
If a customer (internal or external) asks me a question, I do my best to get a prompt response. If can't, then I promise to get back to them in a specified time, regardless if I have an answer or not, then give a new time/date, just to let them know I am still working on it. Then I actually do that. More communication would be a great start to try to regain some trust from the playerbase. My two cents.