List of flaws in artificial intelligence (SSB4): Difference between revisions

Flaws occur in the artificial intelligence of both ''Super Smash Bros. for 3DS'' and ''Super Smash Bros. for Wii U''.

===''[[Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS]]''===

In ''Smash for 3DS'' prior to version 1.0.5, the AI appears to be generally more proficient than that of ''Melee'', retaining most of the improvements made to it with the transition to ''Brawl''; these include properly extending/charging smash and special attacks, as well as using more varied options with them, shielding and dodging attacks more often, using alternate recovery moves (such as side specials) and/or aiding their recovery with them, and having better recognition of items while actively seeking out for powerful ones, generally without ceasing fighting like in previous Smash games.

When not in lag, CPUs will almost always [[shield]] (usually perfect shield), [[roll]] away or [[sidestep]] against their opponents' attacks, to then take advantage of the attack lag suffered and [[punish]] them, commonly with a [[grab]] or uncharged [[forward smash]]. Like in ''Brawl'', CPUs will also try to approach grounded foes at close ranges by using [[aerial attack]]s, rather than just using them to attack foes standing on platforms or in midair, and will [[air dodge]] attacks more prominently when going airborne; high-leveled CPUs will also actively [[tech]] on any nearby solid surface they hit when launched a high distance, and will try to escape from grabs as quick as possible, usually not letting their foes pummel them more than two or three times before being released, even at damage percentages of 100% and over.

Besides shields, CPU characters with [[counterattack]] special moves are also very precise with them, using them more prominently against any direct non-grab attacks when not in lag, and those with [[reflect]]ors or [[absorb]]ers will hesitate to use them against any projectiles (if they are reflectable/absorbable so) shot in their vicinity.

CPUs in ''Smash for 3DS'' are also slightly better at [[edgeguarding]], as characters without projectiles will now attempt to edgeguard offstage more often (though those with projectiles will still usually attack from the edge, spamming them) by jumping a fair distance away from the edge and intercepting with an aerial or special attack (preferably those that [[meteor smash]]), while very rarely self-destructing unlike in the previous games.

As stated above, the AI also makes better use of items than in the previous games, retaining most of their behaviors from ''Brawl'', such as trying to repel other players when going for an item, waiting to use a [[Final Smash]] until they are in close proximity to an opponent (a behavior also exhibited by CPU {{SSB4|Little Mac}}s using the [[KO Uppercut]]), and remaining on their [[revival platform]] until a character using a powerful item or Final Smash finishes the attack. It also seems to be more aware of opposing items; it will tend to stay away from areas where a powerful item covering a wide range (such as a [[Snorlax]] or [[Hocotate Bomb]]) is about to come down, and will avoid walking directly into set [[Motion-Sensor Bomb]]s, [[Pitfall]]s or hostile Pokémon, a flaw that they commonly exhibited in ''Brawl''. Additionally, CPUs will shield and dodge potentially dangerous items thrown at them more often.

As a side note, CPUs in free-for-alls will no longer only target human players, now targeting other CPUs and fighting against each other if a human player is out of range, like in ''Smash 64'' and ''Melee'', though they will still preferably target players with high damage percentages to earn KOs as soon as possible. Unlike in ''Brawl'', CPUs will now avoid taunting opponents after they are KO'd, now doing so rarely (and usually only if they are Star KO'd), leaving them less vulnerable.

CPUs in ''Smash for 3DS'' are not without flaws, however, which are unfortunately much more potent than in ''Brawl''. When at long distances from foes, CPUs will [[spam]] projectiles nearly as much as in ''Melee'', periodically using any [[projectile]]s with significant horizontal distance they have (except Final Cutter), even if these can be reflected or absorbed (though unlike in previous games, CPUs will stop using projectiles after they spot a player with an active reflector or absorber); these include regular attacks that serve as projectiles, such as {{SSB4|Mega Man}}'s Mega Buster attacks and the {{SSB4|Villager}}'s forward air. Unlike in the previous games, CPUs will also still attempt to use projectiles right after shielding or dodging an attack even when at close distances from foes, often leaving them vulnerable due to their usual lag. Characters without projectiles will also spam long ranged, straightforward special moves, even those they didn't use to spam before, such as [[Falcon Kick]], [[Rollout]], [[Spin Charge]] and [[Wario Bike]], using them in the same way, and CPUs with counterattack moves also abuse them to the point they end up spamming them as well, allowing human players to bait them and respond with a grab.

CPUs also have poorer defensive abilities than in ''Brawl'', as they may hold their shield until it's close to breaking when protecting from an attack at a fair distance, or hold it up, drop it, and repeat the process over again until the player comes near, leaving them punishable. They will almost always decide to use rolls over other types of dodges, which can be easily punished when spammed; CPUs may also roll when foes get close without attacking at all, or when they do for dodging their attacks; in the latter case, CPUs will mostly roll constantly towards their foes until they stand still or attack. For punishing attacks, CPUs will almost always use a grab or forward smash after dodging, generally not using other out of shield options (the latter which gives problems to characters whose f-smash is laggy, such as {{SSB4|Ike}} and {{SSB4|Dedede}}), and will almost always grab when a foe is directly at their front in any other situation, causing them to be easily predictable, avoidable and punishable themselves.

They also seem to ignore the landing lag from air dodges, becoming vulnerable when air dodging close to the ground, while never trying to interrupt them with other actions (features that were neither present in ''Brawl''). Moreover, CPUs will still not attempt to evade or fight off edgeguarders (with the exception of Kirby), causing them to be easily KO'd, and will under-utilise some characters' recoveries, by not trying to use some characters' faster recovery options or not using some special moves to aid recovery. They still have difficulty recognizing walls on stages like [[Living Room]], and will commonly not consider height differences or obstacles when using projectiles or straightforward special moves, resulting in them spamming such moves even when players are higher on slopes, nearby platforms or behind walls, being nowhere near hitting them. CPUs also still exhibit weird behaviors on complex stages such as [[Gaur Plain]], where they have difficulty pursuing players and aiming recoveries, and are prone to being hit by hazards on stages like {{SSB4|Mute City}} and [[Boxing Ring]], as well as being fairly easy to KO in scrolling stages such as [[3D Land]].

 

====Specific examples====

=====General=====

=====Character-Specific=====

=====Item Related=====

===''[[Super Smash Bros. for Wii U]]''===

The AI in the Wii U version is considered much more proficient than in the 3DS version, and even more than in ''Brawl'', having most flaws from both games fixed while keeping their positive attributes from them, such as precisely responding to any attacks thrown at them and using items more effectively. High-leveled CPUs will now use aerial attacks even more prominently, also [[short hop]]ping or [[fast fall]]ing them when necessary, in a style closer to that of experienced players. They will also choose better follow-up options when using certain attacks, now [[combo]]ing throws into aerials more often, and using varied attacks in a more effective way rather than always using the same attack in a given situation, and will also choose stronger out of shield options, now always using out of shield up smashes when possible (something they did very rarely in the 3DS version), as well as occasionally using other smashes or powerful attacks.

CPUs with projectiles will also try offstage edge guarding more often, and CPUs themselves will now finally try to evade edge guarders, as high-leveled ones will always try to air dodge attacks thrown at them when recovering (if possible) while carrying on their recovery afterwards; they will also always [[footstool]] opponents coming near when they have the opportunity, a behavior also exhibited by Mii Fighters in [[Multi-Man mode]]s, including [[Cruel Smash]].

CPUs will now also make wiser use of projectiles and special moves than in 3DS, using them less often and in more effective ways, such as by waiting before they can be executed again (rather than just trying to execute them again for naught), and not using them if the foe is on a position completely out of the moves' range. When launched in [[tumbling]] state, rather than almost always trying to air dodge as in 3DS, CPUs will now more often respond to pursuing players with aerial attacks, not air dodging until a foe directly tries to attack them, and jumping when not menaced at all.

For the first time in the ''Super Smash Bros.'' series, CPUs partaking in [[Team Battle]]s will automatically and immediately [[Share stock|use any remaining stocks]] that other CPU teammates may have, regardless of their level, giving them better chances of success.

Despite all these improvements being made to the AI, though, it still possesses some minor flaws. CPUs will still use projectiles more frequently than regular attacks when at far distances, which, despite their better use of them, still leads to them being predictable and counterable; similar to in ''Smash for 3DS'', CPUs will also sometimes use projectiles at close range from foes, even when direct attacks are more preferable, and some CPUs like {{SSB4|Wario}} and {{SSB4|Captain Falcon}} will still use [[Approach attack|approach special moves]] as much as in 3DS. They still seem to ignore character differences with regular attacks, as for example, they might still use aerial attacks with {{SSB4|Little Mac}}, and will still fight with their usual "playstyle" in free-for-alls, causing them to use grabs or other attacks that can only hit one opponent at a time, instead of others that can hit multiple foes more frequently, giving them several problems especially in [[8-Player Smash]]es (hilariously, a Level 9 CPU can lose against seven Level 1 ones in a Team Battle because of this).

Aside from this, CPUs still behave rather eccentrically in complex or custom stages, where they can have difficulty recognizing walls and hazards or jumping across platforms, as well as aiming recoveries, and can still occasionally self-destruct on scrolling stages like [[Pac-Land]], where they'll remain attacking foes and usually won't escape fast enough from the [[blast line]]s.

Additionally, while CPUs will now always evade edge guarders when possible, they still do this to a fault, as they may prioritize air dodging over actual recovering, which, when attacked repeatedly, can make them miss the ledge or platform they were aiming at (if their recovery move doesn't grant enough vertical distance), failing a recovery that was possible and getting KO'd.

====Specific examples====

=====General=====

=====Character Specific=====

=====Stage Based=====