I think they are programmed to do that. In White, I led against Cheren (this is post-game) with my Tyranitar. His Liepard used Fake Out turn 1. Liepard's Fake Out was weaker than the sandstorm that Tyranitar summoned, but Cheren kept doing that.
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The dumbest thing the AI has ever done?
- Thread starter TheGamedawg
- Start date
I think they are programmed to do that. In White, I led against Cheren (this is post-game) with my Tyranitar. His Liepard used Fake Out turn 1. Liepard's Fake Out was weaker than the sandstorm that Tyranitar summoned, but Cheren kept doing that.
I'm positive they do since I've never once seen an AI trainer not use Fake Out when they can.
Or you could do what I did and send in Ferrothorn so they would take extra damage and then just set up Spikes while grinding a lower level Pokémon. (I did that on the Game Freak employee in Pokémon Black.)
I've just seen the game have Sylveon use Baby-Doll Eyes (for those who don't know, +1 100% acc Fairy move that lowers Attack a stage) on my Alakazam. Good job game.
Addendum:
Same battle, I saw it use Thunder Punch on Swampert. *face palm*
Addendum:
Same battle, I saw it use Thunder Punch on Swampert. *face palm*
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POKEMON RED
Blaine uses a Super Potion on his Ponyta when the Ponyta is at full health
Blaine uses a Super Potion on his Ponyta when the Ponyta is at full health
I was EV training with my Tropius in Terminus Cave when I faced a horde of Geodude. Tropius used Razor Leaf, but four of the Geodude hung on due to Sturdy.
One of the Geodude used Magnitude, which KOed its three allies and didn't affect Tropius.
One of the Geodude used Magnitude, which KOed its three allies and didn't affect Tropius.
Rotation battles in the Maison earlier today, using a dual screens team. I have Meowstic-M out, use priority Reflect as Specs Alakazam uses Trick. Alright, that stinks, but at least I can still get both screens up now and I can keep on refreshing Light Screen for five turns, it's something. As I refresh Light Screen later in the match, Meowstic gets Tricked again, this time by Metagross, swapping the Specs for a Toxic Orb. Although I'm poisoned now, I can set up both screens again, so that kinda rules. Poor Metagross has accidentally kinda crippled himself, but it's not too bad for him, as long as he locks himself in a good move.
Instead, the amazingly powerful supercomputer uses... Protect. Choice-locked Protect, new meta folks.
Instead, the amazingly powerful supercomputer uses... Protect. Choice-locked Protect, new meta folks.
I was playing Pokemon Emerald and I was around the 7th gym where you have to join up with Steven and fight team Magma I believe. I had my Hariyama out while he had his Skarmory. The following turn the Skarmory used Toxic, ON ME. That would have been cool and all since Hariyama has Guts but this Hariyama had Thick Fat and not Guts. Well at least it wasn't in my nuzlocke lol.
The Platinum Elite Four seemed to have forgotten about the typechart when I replayed it...
Heracross uses X-Scissor on my Rotom. It knows Night Slash.
Infernape uses Flare Blitz, outside sun, against my Garchomp. Earthquake would have done more damage, but not enough to stop me OHKOing it with Earthquake.
Flareon uses Overheat on Garchomp. Its only other attacking move was Giga Impact, but still...
Cynthia's Spiritomb used Silver Wind on Giratina. Both STABs were super effective.
And there was a trainer whose Machamp used Cross Chop on Rotom. Not a good idea.
Heracross uses X-Scissor on my Rotom. It knows Night Slash.
Infernape uses Flare Blitz, outside sun, against my Garchomp. Earthquake would have done more damage, but not enough to stop me OHKOing it with Earthquake.
Flareon uses Overheat on Garchomp. Its only other attacking move was Giga Impact, but still...
Cynthia's Spiritomb used Silver Wind on Giratina. Both STABs were super effective.
And there was a trainer whose Machamp used Cross Chop on Rotom. Not a good idea.
I was replaying Fire Red a few weeks back and took my Growlithe (which knew Bite) to Lavender Tower to level grind against Gastly. Most of the trainers up there have lone Gastly, and I see this happen at least five times:
Foe Gastly used Curse!
Foe Gastly cut its own HP and laid a curse on Growlithe!
Growlithe used Bite!
It's super effective! Foe Gastly fainted!
michaeloche won the battle!
Thanks, AI. And then this happened at least twice:
Foe Gastly used Confuse Ray/Night Shade/Lick!
Growlithe used Bite!
It's super effective! (was doing about 60% at this point)
Next turn:
Foe Gastly used Curse!
Foe Gastly used Curse!
Foe Gastly cut its own HP and laid a curse on Growlithe!
Growlithe used Bite!
It's super effective! Foe Gastly fainted!
michaeloche won the battle!
Thanks, AI. And then this happened at least twice:
Foe Gastly used Confuse Ray/Night Shade/Lick!
Growlithe used Bite!
It's super effective! (was doing about 60% at this point)
Next turn:
Foe Gastly used Curse!
Expanding on that, Gym leaders/E4/Champions using Potion/Full Restores is generally badly programmed. If you have a 2HKO and outspeed, they just keep using Full Restore/Hyper Potion/whatever, meaning you actually have more chances to crit and OHKO. And even if you don't they've wasted all their healing items anyway.
You can hardly expect them to program an exception for when the AI would normally use that _ Potion/Full Restore...can you? Making the AI any better than it is, which isn't saying very much, doesn't exactly seem to be on their list of priorities even for the characters that are supposed to be more of a challenge than the average NPC.
I've got another example of immunity stupidity:
Right now, I'm testing my Gym Leader team against some of the teams on my Vs. Recorder. I had my new Gengar, Hemlock, out. She was behind a Substitute and facing a Lucario. I successfully burned it with Will-o-Wisp. The it attacked. What did Lucario use? Aura Sphere. Not only did it do nothing, but it gave me an extra bit of health thanks to Black Sludge and did nothing to my Sub. And it did it twice in a row. The only answer I have to this is that Aura Sphere is the only move it has or the AI is even dumber than I thought possible.
Right now, I'm testing my Gym Leader team against some of the teams on my Vs. Recorder. I had my new Gengar, Hemlock, out. She was behind a Substitute and facing a Lucario. I successfully burned it with Will-o-Wisp. The it attacked. What did Lucario use? Aura Sphere. Not only did it do nothing, but it gave me an extra bit of health thanks to Black Sludge and did nothing to my Sub. And it did it twice in a row. The only answer I have to this is that Aura Sphere is the only move it has or the AI is even dumber than I thought possible.
When it happened I was so dumbfounded I saved the replay: DW2W-WWWW-WWW9-4DGV
If you don't wanna bother yourself with watching that here I go:
-Interior Battle Maison-
I lead with Kangaskhan @ Kangaskhanite, Garcon Caleb leads with Gallade
I switch to Gengar (the standard play when faced with a Fighting type OHKO lead), Gallade uses Swords Dance (ok no big deal)
Gallade uses Shadow Sneak, Gengar at Sash uses Will-O-Wisp
I then proceed to switch Between Gengar and Kanga for 8 turns while the Gallade repeatedly uses Shadow Sneak or Brick Break on whatever is on the field and never realizes I might, you know, switch. Honestly wasn't that surprised it worked but it's still really dumb.
If you don't wanna bother yourself with watching that here I go:
-Interior Battle Maison-
I lead with Kangaskhan @ Kangaskhanite, Garcon Caleb leads with Gallade
I switch to Gengar (the standard play when faced with a Fighting type OHKO lead), Gallade uses Swords Dance (ok no big deal)
Gallade uses Shadow Sneak, Gengar at Sash uses Will-O-Wisp
I then proceed to switch Between Gengar and Kanga for 8 turns while the Gallade repeatedly uses Shadow Sneak or Brick Break on whatever is on the field and never realizes I might, you know, switch. Honestly wasn't that surprised it worked but it's still really dumb.
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That isn't really AI.
The most annoying thing before the first gym in R/S/E
Continuing on my Fire Red run from before, I'm level grinding on Route 19 and send my Fearow to battle a Shellder. I'm running low on PP for Drill Peck, so I opt to use Fly. Turn 1, he reveals Protect as I Fly. Okay, not that terrible. Alas, Fly misses, but he uses Supersonic, which also misses (55% accuracy, hell yeah). Turn 3, I Fly again, he uses Icicle Spear, which obviously misses. You would think he would Protect on turn 4, but instead, he uses... actually, I don't know, because Fly OHKOed.
tl;dr AI handles 2 turn moves a little funky sometimes.
tl;dr AI handles 2 turn moves a little funky sometimes.
I've argued this a couple times in this thread, but that to me isn't the AI being dumb as it is still selecting the right move for that situation. If you had switched in Kangaskhan and it got smacked by Brick Break then that would have been a stupid move by the AI as it would have been aiming the Brick Break at a ghost type. Switch stalling is a common strategy in the Maison/Subway/Tower etc., and if they ever program a way for the AI to predict switches then it would be super difficult.
In fact I wouldn't even call it that dumb in a player v player match. Being able to predict moves and switch in resists / immunities is a fundamental aspect of battling, and if you pull if off it is more a successful play for you rather than a dumb play by your opponent (of course you'll never burn a real person's Gallade to death like you did the AI but you get what I mean).
Well, I guess this depends on the relative scale you're using to rate something as smart. Right now in 2014 pattern recognition is a pretty advanced feature only in super cutting edge AIs, like the kinds being made for university research or something, but if a person did what the AI did I would call them dumb. recognizing patterns and "predictive analysis" are the fundamental tools our brains use to understand the world around us. So someone who can't guess that in a certain scenario I'll take option A based on the fact that I took option A the last 3 times I was in the same scenario, then they are probably being a little dumb. Like you said, no one would let their Gallade burn to death. So perhaps this is just being relatively dumb.
And on the contrary I actually have seen the AI predict switches before, although I assume the way this works is that the AI just made it decision after I input my choice. If you've ever tried the "mock battle" feature on your vs recorder the AI actually makes smart switches like bringing a Water Absorb Pokemon into your Scald. You might call that "cheating" but in some ways it's actually the simplest way for the AI to "fake intelligence." As real players can guess their opponent's moves a certain ratio of the time based on more complex concepts like pattern recognition that require crazy algorithms in computers. So having the AI correctly "predict" your move and take the best course of action based on that "prediction" some ratio of the time can actually much better simulate player v player matches.
At any rate it's not as "dumb" as say, making your castform fire type the turn the enemy is already underground from using a dig that's about to hit you. Because, yeah, the AI was at least taking the right option in the moment. However I would still call this battle pretty dumb, lol
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