Challenge Mode, Starter Decks and AI Problems

[Swifty4]

Challenge Mode, Starter Decks and AI Problems

Jus went through all the challenges with nothing but the starter decks (I did NG vs NG, NR vs NR etc.). Only lost 3 games, twice with Skellige and once with Monsters so it was great and I just wanted to say really good job on the starter decks as they were all fun to play and from my record, I'd say they work fairly well as well.

However, I do feel the AI is really bad at the game and could be improved. Things like first turn Eithné and positioning boosts so they only hit gold cards are things that even beginners won't do and could be sorted out.

 

[charlieh733]

AI always seems to be awful in card games. I get its kinda hard to program descent AI's, but they could have done a little better.

 

[Esclive]

The last Dagon deck is a pain in the ***. Round 1 it ALWAYS plays the Woodland Spirit (14str + damage the first unit you played) then the 3 crones (20str) so 34str in 2 cards. And since you can't obviously catch up, if you play a card he just passes. Round 2 it spams your board with Impenetrable fog, fogglets and Ancient Fogglets. He even played Ragh nar Roog round 3. I mean, ok it's supposed to be a "challenge" but it shouldn't be a deck that strong for beginners, especially with the starter decks.

 

[DMaster2]

The last Dagon deck is a pain in the ***. Round 1 it ALWAYS plays the Woodland Spirit (14str + damage the first unit you played) then the 3 crones (20str) so 34str in 2 cards. And since you can't obviously catch up, if you play a card he just passes. Round 2 it spams your board with Impenetrable fog, fogglets and Ancient Fogglets. He even played Ragh nar Roog round 3. I mean, ok it's supposed to be a "challenge" but it shouldn't be a deck that strong for beginners, especially with the starter decks.

Yep, i one shotted all the challenges with the starter decks but dagon boss is unbeatable. I'll try again after i bust the kegs open.

 

[zhiphius]

AI is AI........ i've seen AI shackle his own resilient and boosted unit

 

[Brenex]

The point of the challenges is to get you accustomed with all the factions and their possible strategies, it's not a single-player that's meant to be beating you. It's just base ground so you don't go into multiplayer clueless.

 

[-Arkane]

Yep, i one shotted all the challenges with the starter decks but dagon boss is unbeatable. I'll try again after i bust the kegs open.

Yeah Dagon Boss seems like it's impossible with the starter decks.

 

[Whispers_of_Winter]

at least I'm not the only one who thinks Dagon is a little sh!t. even if you make it to the 3rd round, his riders already await you and then he scorches you 2 times. nice...

but I finally got him (with Eredin).

 

[zhiphius]

Last Dagon game was a pain in the backside, even if i did run a anti weather deck >.<
The 2 last nilfgaard matches are quite painful too.

 

[Swifty4]

The last Dagon deck is a pain in the ***. Round 1 it ALWAYS plays the Woodland Spirit (14str + damage the first unit you played) then the 3 crones (20str) so 34str in 2 cards. And since you can't obviously catch up, if you play a card he just passes. Round 2 it spams your board with Impenetrable fog, fogglets and Ancient Fogglets. He even played Ragh nar Roog round 3. I mean, ok it's supposed to be a "challenge" but it shouldn't be a deck that strong for beginners, especially with the starter decks.

I must have gotten really lucky cause I beat it first time lol - it was round 2 I lost in (though admittedly I misplayed a bit)

 

[Swifty4]

The point of the challenges is to get you accustomed with all the factions and their possible strategies, it's not a single-player that's meant to be beating you. It's just base ground so you don't go into multiplayer clueless.

But if they do some REALLY stupid plays you might get confused about why they did that and then it's not teaching you good plays. Though the point in the topic was a congrats on the decks as I feel the new player experience was really good. I don't feel the challenges should be harder (unless they add a heroic mode to them or something).

 

[Impera9]

For the challenges, I used all the factions to try everything out, really fun! Except Dagon... I had to customize a deck for that dude.

 

[TigersEye120]

The worst AI I've ever seen

Here are the "genius" plays the AI pulled on me in the challenges, note that in all those cases the AI opponent had a hand with 5+ cards or even full hands because the game just started:

Using swallow on my unit because it's side was empty.
Using adrenaline rush on my unit because it's side was empty.
Using adrenaline rush on an empty board.
Using alzur's thunder on an empty board (5 times counting, seems to be AI's favorite opening).
Passing in the third round at tie with six cards in hand.
In all three Henselt matches the AI failed to use him correctly.
Apparently keeping cards which can be summoned on the hand in mulligan (like Eskel and Lambert).

And I'm not even halfway through the challenges. At the moment they fail to teach you the factions specific mechanics or even remotely providing a challenge hilariously because the AI plays so incredibly stupid and doesn't even manage to use the mechanics it's supposed to showcase.

 

[Mutajon]

Agreed. Pathetic is a pretty big compliment to this AI.
However, this is a feature which was all together missing from the closed beta, and we are just a day after the open beta launch - and it is still a BETA. I'm pretty confident the next significant patch will see improvements to the otherwise pretty useless challenges.

 

[Vaishar]

The challenges are not useless (just not so challenging), they give you a leader card. Hope when they release new leaders they will put some challenging challenges to obtain them.

What i really want from the A.I. is some tougher Practice A.I. (different dif levels) + the ability to choose the faction of the A.I.

P.S. I still remember that in Closed Beta beginners complained that the A.I. was too strong for them.

 

[TigersEye120]

Hmm ... I've played one practice match in late closed beta because I was curious how good the AI was and it also played terrible, but it didn't make these horrible things you can't even call misplays, it just uses the cards wrong, anyway at least you can get the leaders easy

 

[DMaster2]

Here are the "genius" plays the AI pulled on me in the challenges, note that in all those cases the AI opponent had a hand with 5+ cards or even full hands because the game just started:

Using swallow on my unit because it's side was empty.
Using adrenaline rush on my unit because it's side was empty.
Using adrenaline rush on an empty board.
Using alzur's thunder on an empty board (5 times counting, seems to be AI's favorite opening).
Passing in the third round at tie with six cards in hand.
In all three Henselt matches the AI failed to use him correctly.
Apparently keeping cards which can be summoned on the hand in mulligan (like Eskel and Lambert).

And I'm not even halfway through the challenges. At the moment they fail to teach you the factions specific mechanics or even remotely providing a challenge hilariously because the AI plays so incredibly stupid and doesn't even manage to use the mechanics it's supposed to showcase.

Wait until dagon and you'll change your mind. Get ready for 100% turn 1 woodland spirit plus triple crone, then 100% caranthir and raiders round 2.

 

[Zefyris]

^IA uses that Dagon deck better than the other decks ImO. To add to the turn 1 and 2, he then gold weather at round 3 lolz.
If you don't have a scorch, the NG IA can also surprise you with 50 str single units too.

But yeah the IA seems to ignore the way some cards work, purely and simply. For example It seems to think that discard is to get read of lower str units, so whenever it uses Bran priestesses and Sigrdrifa get discarded (and then the priestesses get chain rez, interesting way to play xD ).

 

[KasumiGoto]

Meanwhile King Bran always discards Sigrdrifa + 2 Priestesses.

And for some reason he can do Priestess -> Priestess -> Priestess -> Unit chain.

 

[Laveley]

And for some reason he can do Priestess -> Priestess -> Priestess -> Unit chain.

I do the priestess chain all the time while playing Skel. They only get banned if you play them, if you discard them than theres nothing preventing you to rez them later.... the "permadead" mechanic is gone (and i think its good since "permadead" is such a clumsy term).

On the subject of the topic; i think they never meant to do a good AI, the campaigns are for newbies get a grasp on the game while still getting rewards and leaders. Once they upgrade the campaigns though, they should improve the AI too.