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| '''Artificial intelligence''', abbreviated as '''AI''', in the [[Super Smash Bros. (series)|''Super Smash Bros.'' series]] refers to the intelligence of any computer-controlled (CPU) character (called '''computer players''' in-game) in the [[Single Player modes|single-player]] and [[Versus Mode]]s. In Versus Mode, players can preset the AI of a computer player with a level setting. In [[Adventure Mode]], [[All-Star Mode]], and [[Classic Mode]], players can still set it to some degree with the modes' difficulty setting.
| | {{redirect|CPU|the California smasher|Smasher:CPU}}{{for|the Florida smasher|Smasher:CPU (Florida)}}{{for|the Japanese smasher|Smasher:CPU1 (Japan)}} |
| | [[File:CPUSmashU.png|thumb|A computer player in {{forwiiu}}, along with its selectable levels.]] |
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| ===Difficulty levels===
| | '''Artificial intelligence''', abbreviated as '''AI''', in the ''{{b|Super Smash Bros.|series}}'' series refers to the intelligence of any computer-controlled ('''CP''' in ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]'' and ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]'', '''CPU''' from ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]'' onward) character (called '''computer players''' in-game) in the [[Single Player modes|single-player]] and [[Versus Mode]]s. In Versus Mode, players can preset the AI of a computer player with a level setting. In [[Adventure Mode]], [[All-Star Mode]], and [[Classic Mode]], players can still set it to some degree with the modes' difficulty setting. |
| Artificial intelligence levels range from 1 to 9, with 1 being the weakest and 9 the strongest. Default CPU level in Versus matches is 3 for ''Smash 64'' and ''Brawl'', and 1 for ''Melee''. In general, the level of an AI opponent determines how likely they are to follow through with a decision, as well as how fast they react, which results in the illusion of more skill - both a Level 1 and a Level 9 AI will decide to do something such as input an attack, but the level 1 will almost never do so, while the level 9 almost always will. Lower level CPUs are also unlikely to [[shield]] or [[dodge]] an attack; in ''Melee'', they roll only for shifting directions, and in ''Brawl'', they randomly and occasionally use their shield as their almost only form of defending. On the other hand, higher level ones almost always defend from attack, generally having good [[powershield]]ing reflexes or dodging any attack when not in lag - the ''Brawl'' AI is the best example of this, where Level 9 CPUs can dodge almost any attack with one-frame reaction. Higher level ones also vary more between attacks: low-leveled ones just move around the foe and randomly input an attack, usually a ground attack or special attack, while high-leveled ones are by far more aggressive and rely more on stronger attacks such as aerials or grabs. Their [[recovery]] also improves as their level is increased: CPUs at low levels tend to recover in a simple and predictable pattern with their [[up special]]s, or may not use them at all in ''Smash 64'', while high-level ones in ''Brawl'' are capable of properly combining or alternating between different recovery techniques. | |
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| In [[Training mode]], besides attacking, CPUs also have many other "modalities" that can be chosen, these being: [[Stand]], [[Evade]], [[Walk (mode)|Walk]] and [[Jump (CPU Mode)|Jump]]. When these are chosen, CPUs will act that way, allowing players to battle in different ways against them, and practice different types of techniques. In ''Smash 64'' and ''Melee'', these are set to a pre-determinated level, also referred to as "Level 0", while in ''Brawl'', they can be chosen from 1 to 9 from the character selection screen as usual, which also improves their reflexes. For example, Level 1 CPUs on Stand will just take on whatever attack is thrown on their way, and recover in a simple and [[gimp]]able pattern, while Level 9 ones will almost always air dodge after [[tumbling]] and will choose better recovery options. When set to Attack, CPUs will fight the player as on usual battles, but while the level can be selected in ''Brawl'', it is always Level 1 in ''Smash 64'' and ''Melee'', which makes it somewhat unfavorable to fight CPUs on Training mode. Players instead tend to train against them on normal Versus modes.
| | ==Difficulty levels== |
| | Artificial intelligence levels range from 1 to 9, with 1 being the weakest and 9 being the strongest. The default CPU level in Versus matches is 1 for ''Melee'' and 3 in all other games, although rule settings in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]'' allow players to select which level CPUs default to. In general, the level of an AI opponent determines how likely they are to follow through with a decision, as well as how fast they react, which results in the illusion of more skill - both a level 1 and a level 9 AI will decide to do something such as input an attack, but the level 1 will almost never do so, waiting for a long time before eventually doing it, while the level 9 almost always will instantly. Likewise, lower level CPUs are unlikely to [[shield]] or [[dodge]] an attack, using [[roll]]s simply to reposition themselves in some instances, and almost never using their [[shield]] at all, or at random times in ''Brawl''. On the other hand, higher-level ones almost always defend from attacks, generally having good reflexes or dodging any attack when not in lag - in all games, level 9 CPUs are able to perfectly land attacks against opponents when at the appropriate range from them, and in ''Brawl'', ''[[Super Smash Bros. 4]]'', and ''Ultimate'', they can defend against almost any attack with one-frame reactions, resulting in disproportionate [[perfect shield]]ing and [[dodging]] capabilities. Also due to this change in reflexes, low-level CPUs are prone to simply standing next to their opponent and using a weak attack such as a [[neutral attack]] or [[tilt]], while high-level CPUs use [[aerial attack]]s, [[smash attack]]s, and [[grab]]s more prominently. |
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| Certain 1-player stages and [[event]]s in ''Melee'' give CPUs a level of 0, such as on the [[Event 19: Peach's Peril|Peach's Peril]] and [[Event 21: Ice Breaker|Ice Breaker]] events, where they don't attack at all, but still follow whatever movement behaviour they would normally have.
| | The AI's [[recovery]] also improves as their level is increased: CPUs at low levels tend to recover in a simple and predictable pattern with their [[up special]]s, or may not use them at all in ''SSB'', while high-level ones in ''Brawl'', ''Smash 4'', and ''Ultimate'' are capable of properly combining or alternating between different recovery techniques. For example, CPU {{SSB4|Luigi}} in ''Smash 4'' only uses his [[Super Jump Punch]] to recover at low levels (specifically Level 1 to 5), while at high levels (6-9) he also makes use of his [[Green Missile]] and [[Luigi Cyclone]]. |
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| ==Training against CPUs==
| | In [[Training mode]], besides attacking, CPUs also have many other "[[List of CPU modes|modalities]]" that can be chosen, these being: Stand, Evade, Walk, and Jump. When these are chosen, CPUs will act that way, allowing players to battle in different ways against them, and practice different types of techniques. In ''SSB'' and ''Melee'', these are set to a predetermined level (levels 3 and 1 respectively), while in ''Brawl'', ''Smash 4'', and ''Ultimate'', they can be chosen from 1 to 9 from the character selection screen as usual, which also improves their reflexes. For example, level 1 CPUs on Stand will just take on whatever attack is thrown on their way, and recover in a simple and [[gimp]]able pattern, while level 9 ones will almost always air dodge after [[tumbling]] (in ''Brawl'') and will choose better recovery options. When set to Attack, CPUs will fight the player as on usual battles, but since the level cannot be selected in ''SSB'' and ''Melee'', it is somewhat unfavorable to fight CPUs on Training mode. Players instead tend to train against them on normal Versus modes. CPUs set to Attack mode in ''Smash 4''{{'}}s Training mode are also much likelier to [[spam]] projectiles and other special moves than in other modes, using them even at close range from opponents. |
| Players commonly fight against CPUs to train when there aren't other players around to play. This is a practice that is criticized by some, as besides even the highest level CPUs being of a lower level than a typical casual player, CPUs do things that human players never do (and will never do things that are common for human players to do), as well as having several exploitable flaws and being completely incapable of [[mindgames|mind gaming]]. Training against CPUs does not adequately train one's cerebral skills (such as the ability to read and bait opponents), and it is often argued that excessive training against CPUs may cause a player to develop habits that work against CPUs but will be heavily exploited by human players. To give a basic example, if a Kirby player used [[Stone]] on a CPU persistently, it would be hit by the attack most of the time, without defending against or punishing it. However, a skilled human player would easily avoid the attack by rolling, sidestepping, shield-grabbing or just walking away, and then punish Kirby with a grab or strong attack, such as a charged smash. Another example is CPUs not fighting off edge-guarders in any of the Smash games, which allows players to KO them with basic edgeguarding techniques, while experienced players would prevent this at all costs.
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| However, training against CPUs does have its merits. CPUs can be used to effectively practice [[combo]]s and [[chain throw]]s, as well as [[spacing]], [[punish]]ing attacks, and other [[tech skill]] related things. CPUs can be more effective than human players in this regard, as they're always available and won't refuse a match where a player just wants to practice the aforementioned things. Many top professional smashers have reported using CPUs to train, such as {{Sm|Nairo}}, {{Sm|Vinnie}}, and {{Sm|Mew2King}}.
| | Certain single-player stages and [[event]]s in ''Melee'' give CPUs a level of 0, such as [[Event 19: Peach's Peril]] and [[Event 21: Ice Breaker]], in which case they don't attack at all, but still follow whatever movement behavior they would normally have. Some also give them other specific behaviors, such as [[Event 3: Bomb-fest]] in ''Melee'' causing CPU {{SSBM|Link}} and {{SSBM|Samus}} to use their [[down special]] moves more often, and [[Event 31: The Ultimate Bodyguard]] in ''Brawl'' causing CPU {{SSBB|Zelda}} to [[crouch]] and do nothing until the stage changes a second time. In ''Melee'', these specific behaviors can be accessed via the {{SSBM|Debug Menu}}. |
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| There is, however, no consensus as to which level CPU is best to train against, with players mostly having their own personal opinion on what level is most effective. Some say level 1 CPUs are the best, as they won't have inhuman power shielding abilities and won't disrupt the player's training. Some say level 9 CPUs are the best, as they will actively try to fight the player and can punish mistakes the player makes. Some others say level 5 CPUs are the best for being a middle ground between the two extremes. Another camp maintains what level is best is dependent on what a player is trying to practice.
| | In ''SSB'', CPU levels appear on the [[character selection screen]] as a digit with two arrows on either side to adjust it up or down, appearing where the selected character's name would be displayed for a human. In ''Melee'', the levels are instead adjusted with a red slider which can be selected with the [[A button]] and then moved with the [[control stick]], which increases in number from left to right, above the selected CPU character's name. In ''Brawl'', ''Smash 4'', and ''Ultimate'', only the level number to which the CPU is currently set is shown at first, now appearing where the option to choose a [[name]] would appear for human players; clicking the number displays a menu with the other levels, scrolled by moving the cursor up and down. In ''Smash 4'' and ''Ultimate'', the numbers appear with colors changing from indigo to red as the level increases, while in ''Brawl'', all numbers appear in black but with an adjective to accompany each CPU level and describe its skill, namely '''Puny''', '''Wimpy''', '''Weak''', '''Normal''', '''Hardy''', '''Strong''', '''Burly''', '''Mighty''', and '''Nasty''' in ascending order. |
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| ==Flaws in the AI==
| | The [[amiibo]] figures released for ''Super Smash Bros. 4'' and ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'' have stored data for a CPU fighter within them. The player may [[character customization|customize]] said character and train them by having them battle. The amiibo is labeled with "FP", and can gain experience to level up after the battle, capping at level 50. Battling amiibo against each other will yield more experience than battling a human or regular CPU. Additionally, amiibo will "learn" from repeated battles by changing its tactics in response to its opponents' behavior (e.g. if the amiibo battles an opponent that shields frequently, it will learn to use its own shield more effectively and counter shielding opponents with grabs). |
| While it is notable that high level CPUs are precise with their reflexes, such as being able to power shield almost any attack, reflect projectiles with little hesitation, counterattack out of knockback the instant they can act, and land or control attacks that human players would find difficult such as Yoshi's [[Egg Throw]] and Pikachu's [[Volt Tackle]], all three games are known for having AI that can be extremely flawed in most scenarios, even when set to level nine. CPUs also never use techniques that are complex or otherwise require specific timing, such as [[edgehogging]], [[chaingrab]]ing and [[edge hop]]ping, nor techniques that weren't intended by the developers, such as [[L-cancel]]ing and [[wavedash]]ing, which are crucial for achieving strong results in competitive play. There are many complaints surrounding the poor artificial intelligence of computer players in ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]'' and ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]'', though ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]'' has also received attention to its flawed AI system; in all three games, particularly noteworthy and amusing AI flaws have been uploaded to YouTube, often while saying that the AI in the games is "just too good".
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| ===''[[Super Smash Bros.]]''=== | | ==Training against CPUs== |
| As one might expect from the first ''Super Smash Bros.'' game, the AI is considered poor even with CPUs set at level nine. When fighting, their main form of attacking is to constantly use a [[special attack]], especially if it is a projectile, along with [[smash attack]]s. For example, {{SSB|Mario}} constantly shoots Fireballs, and {{SSB|Jigglypuff}} persistently uses Pound. Other than using [[tilt]]s occasionally, they tend not to use other attacks, using [[neutral attack]]s and [[grab]]s rarely, though high-leveled CPUs do combine these two for a [[jab grab]]. When a player is at a considerable distance and airborne, CPUs attack mainly by using an [[aerial attack]] depending on their distance from the enemy, which makes their attacks very predictable. That is, they often use their [[up aerial]]s after knocking opponents upwards, and commonly use their [[forward aerial]]s when approaching them from the air. Specific CPUs also tend to overuse one type of aerial attack, no matter their opponents' position; these include {{SSB|Fox}} heavily spamming his up aerial against airborne enemies to [[juggle]] them, and {{SSB|Samus}} repeatedly using her [[down aerial]]. When a player stands on a platform above them, CPUs with [[up special]]s which propel them upwards may also attack with them, even if their attack trajectory would cause them to self-destruct. However, CPUs still have good aiming abilities, such as being able to precisely hit with aerial attacks, as well as with attacks that may seem difficult for human players to use effectively, such as {{SSB|Yoshi}}'s [[Egg Throw]].
| | Players commonly fight against CPUs to train when there aren't other players around to play. This is a practice that is criticized by some, as besides even the highest level CPUs being of a lower level of skill than a typical casual player, CPUs do things that human players never do (and will never do things that are common for human players to do), as well as having several exploitable flaws and being completely incapable of [[mindgames|mind gaming]], or even learning from their mistakes and changing their tactics accordingly. |
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| Though these attack techniques are not considered as flawed as in ''Melee'', CPUs in ''Smash 64'' still have poor recovery abilities. For example, if a CPU uses their up special to recover after jumping, but the player interrupts the attack, the CPU will not attempt to use it again. This makes CPUs reliably easy to KO with [[meteor smash]] attacks. They also underutilise the recoveries of certain characters, and, at low levels, they may not use their up special to recover at all. In addition to this, they always recover in an extremely predictable way, always using their [[air speed]] to move towards the stage before using their up special, while never attempting to fight-off edgeguarders with aerials. Additionally, CPUs have poor defensive abilities: for example, when being attacked by a consecutively hitting [[jab]] (such as {{SSB|Kirby}}'s), they just hold their shield while standing in place until it eventually breaks, without attempting to escape the attack by [[roll]]ing, even if the shieldstun is not high enough to lock them into the attack. They do use rolls outside that situation; however, after using the technique once, they heavily spam it, which makes easy for players to punish them with attacks like [[down smash]]es (especially Mario's and {{SSB|Pikachu}}'s). Outside of this, however, grounded CPUs may still defend properly against attacks that may be difficult for humans to defend against, such as item-based attacks or quick ground attacks, as well as being able to [[tech]] succesfully on some stages when launched upwards. Also, {{SSB|Fox}} and {{SSB|Ness}} successfully attempt to use [[Reflector]]/[[PSI Magnet]] against an oncoming projectile; in Ness's case, when playing at [[Saffron City]], he will successfully absorb Charmander's Flamethrower if he's not interrupted, something that may be difficult for humans to do. Despite this, CPUs still cannot recognise these techniques when used by players. For example, they may still throw items against a Fox player with an active Reflector, as well as still shooting [[Absorption|absorbable]] projectiles against a Ness with an active PSI Magnet. Also, a CPU Ness may still attempt to use this move against a non-absorbable projectile, such as a [[Boomerang]]. CPUs additionally have almost non-existing [[edge guarding]] abilities: when knocking a foe offstage, they will just stand on the ledge and throw off their usual attacks whenever the foe comes near. Additionally, if a foe grabs a ledge when a CPU jumps in an attempt to attack, they will mostly decide to [[fast fall]] and attack with a down aerial, which, depending on the character, often causes self-destructs.
| | Training against CPUs is said to not adequately build one's skills beyond basic offense and defense (such as the ability to read and bait opponents), and it is often argued that excessive CPU training may cause a player to actually become slightly worse by developing habits that only work against CPUs and will be heavily exploited by human players. For example, if a Marth player uses [[Counter]] every time a CPU gets close to attack, it would fall for it most of the time (especially higher-level CPUs), without trying to bait the counter or use grabs more often. However, a skilled or even a remotely competent human player would quickly catch onto the Marth player's strategy and exploit it by feigning an attack in the cases where Marth would commonly use Counter, and then punish him with a grab or delayed powerful attack such as a charged smash. Another example is CPUs not avoiding or fighting off edge-guarders effectively in the first three ''Smash'' games, which allows players to KO them with basic edgeguarding techniques, while experienced players would prevent this at all costs. Also in ''Smash 4'' and ''Ultimate'', higher-level CPU's (mostly levels 7-9) also have next to frame-perfect aerial dodging, only doing so when a player or CPU inputs the attack near them, or when items such as projectiles end up close enough to them. As a result, high-level CPUs in the air can only effectively be hit by rapid-hitting moves or through true combos. This can make practicing aerial combos infuriating, especially with characters who rely heavily on their aerial games, such as Marth, Peach, and Jigglypuff; this is further accentuated by their constant hold of the jump command while in the air (even when out of jumps), as they will, more often than not, [[Footstool Jump|phantom footstool]] the player, leaving the CPU in a favorable situation away from the player. |
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| CPUs in ''Smash 64'' are also well known for their tendency to use [[item]]s excessively. Regardless of the CPU level and item, when an item appears, CPUs cease fighting and go for it, often putting themselves in harm's way while doing so, especially because of the incapability to grab items on mid-air in ''Smash 64''. The only exceptions are wandering [[Bob-omb]]s, and Starmen on some ocassions. They also fail to recognize certain items when they are active; they may still walk into their own Bumpers or Motion-Sensor Bombs, resulting in self-destructs. On some stages, they may also walk into traps, such as the tornados on [[Hyrule Castle]]. Additionally, when using a [[Fire Flower]] or [[Ray Gun]], they attack only by shooting with them, and throwing the item after it runs out of ammunition, making their attack pattern predictable. The only exception is when they are battling against Fox or Ness: Level 5 and above CPUs only throw the item against them, never shooting, since they can reflect/absorb the projectiles. In Fox's case, however, his Reflector can still reflect the thrown item. Also, when using a [[Star Rod]], CPUs still shoot stars against these characters. When a foe uses a [[Hammer]] or [[Starman]], CPUs will stay away from the character and, in the Hammer's case, shoot projectiles depending on the situation. However, they may be still easy to hit in the air. Also, when a CPU uses a Hammer and a foe is far away, the CPU will jump towards him, even if the other platform is elevated and there is a pit between them, resulting in the CPU self-destructing. | | However, training against CPUs does have its merits. CPUs can be used to effectively practice [[combo]]s and [[chain throw]]s, as well as [[spacing]], [[punish]]ing, and other [[tech skill]] related things. CPUs can be more effective than human players in this regard, as they're always available and won't refuse a match where a player just wants to practice the aforementioned things. Many top professional smashers have reported using CPUs to train, such as {{Sm|Nairo}}, {{Sm|Vinnie}}, and {{Sm|Mew2King}}. |
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| Additionally, CPUs tend to play strangely on some stages. While their behaviour seems to be normal on simple stages like [[Congo Jungle]] and [[Dream Land]], they may exhibit certain flaws in others. For example, CPUs on the [[Yoshi's Island]] stage won't recognise items dropped on the clouds, and they have difficulty recognising walls on stages like [[Peach's Castle]] and Saffron City, not jumping over them unless an enemy provokes them to. On [[Planet Zebes]], they are also very easily KO'd by the acid, and on [[Mushroom Kingdom]], they may go offstage and SD attempting to dodge opponents.
| | There is, however, no consensus as to which level CPU is best to train against, with players mostly having their own personal opinion on what level is most effective. Some say level 1 CPUs are the best, as they won't have inhuman perfect shielding abilities and won't disrupt the player's training. Some say level 9 CPUs are the best, as they will actively try to fight the player and can punish mistakes the player makes. Some others say level 5 CPUs are the best for being a middle ground between the two extremes. Other players say Level 6-8 CPUs are the best for being challenging but not having inhuman reactions at the same time. Another camp maintains that what level is best is dependent on what a player is trying to practice. |
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| It is a common misconception among Smashers who have not played ''Smash 64'' that the AI in this game is better at KOing than in the later Smash games. However, this is just because of the CPUs' higher tendency to use smash attacks than in the subsequent games, such as {{SSB|Donkey Kong}} and Captain Falcon frequently using their down smashes, as well as their perfect precision with aerial attacks that allows for unexpected combos, plus their ability to easily use techniques such as [[jab grab]]. This, exacerbated by ''Smash 64''{{'}}s powerful aerials and the incapability of air dodging, along with the much more powerful [[throw]]s in the game, tends to cause speculations that the AI in this game is better at comboing and KOing, and therefore it is more powerful than in the other games. This is arguably not true, however, as CPUs in this game have poor understandings of numerous attacks, as well as exhibiting strange behaviours in complex situations, poor defensive play that involves spamming rolls and not attempting to dodge attacks when airborne, and an easily gimpable recovery that allows them to be easily KO'd. These flaws leave them highly vulnerable against any experienced players, or even casual ones if they are able to exploit their flaws effectively.
| | ==Flaws in the AI== |
| | | {{main|Flaws in artificial intelligence}} |
| Therefore, because of these numerous flaws, and despite CPUs using certain attacks more effectively than in ''Melee'', the AI in ''Smash 64'' is considered to be the worst of the three current Smash Bros. games.
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| ====Specific examples==== | |
| <!-- READ THE FOLLOWING GUIDELINES BEFORE ADDING ANY EXAMPLES:
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| 1. Avoid adding very specific, situational instances that rarely, if ever, show up, where a computer player may not perform optimally. If you have to specify what level the CPU is, the character, the stage, what the CPU is attempting, and even the exact location on the stage, do not add it. Also do not add examples that require nonstandard gameplay, and do not add examples that you have to write a small guide to replicate.
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| 2. Suboptimal play by the CPU in general does not constitute an AI flaw. For something to be considered an AI flaw, it has to be a repeated behavior by the AI that directly hinders a CPU's performance regardless of outside circumstances.
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| 3. Per the previous guideline, a potential example must be a behavior by the CPU that it will nearly always repeat when the circumstances leading to the example occurs.
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| 4. Examples are ordered, so when putting down an example, make sure it fits the order. The order goes; general flaws > character specific flaws > item related flaws > stage related flaws > character + specific stage flaw.-->
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| Other examples of flawed AI in ''Super Smash Bros.'' include:
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| *Other than not using their up special again after being attacked during their recovery, CPUs also poorly utilize certain character's recoveries:
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| **When a CPU {{SSB|Captain Falcon}} grabs someone with his [[Falcon Dive]] during recovery, he will not attempt to use the move again.
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| **CPUs always aim their recoveries towards the center of the stage; so, if [[meteor smash]]ed on stages such as [[Dream Land]] and [[Peach's Castle]], no matter the strength of the attack, they will go underneath the stage and fail to recover. Similarly, in [[Sector Z]], they may aim recovery towards the Great Fox's cannons, which cannot be stepped on.
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| **A CPU Ness will always aim his [[PK Thunder]] as a recovery in an horizontal, barely upwards angle, even if the ledge is above him.
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| **A CPU Kirby and {{SSB|Jigglypuff}} will immediately use up all their jumps after getting knocked off the stage.
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| ***CPU Jigglypuffs additionally never use [[Pound]] to recover, only using the move to attack foes on the edge after reaching it.
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| *High-level CPUs usually [[taunt]] when they hit an opponent with a high [[knockback]] attack, even if it doesn't KO them. This means they can taunt even if there are traps or other players nearby, and even if the attack is a [[meteor smash]] that leaves the foe at a short distance from the CPU. This makes it easy to punish characters with long taunts, such as Mario.
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| **Additionally, if a CPU in midair sends a foe far away, and then quickly grabs a ledge, it will taunt as soon as it gets up.
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| *When getting close to their opponent in a single battle, high-level CPUs always use a move like a down smash, being easily predictable. If the player is not hit by it, they may use that same move continuously while moving a very short distance forward each time.
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| *High-level CPUs tend to make persistent use of a special move depending on the character, especially if it is a projectile attack, resulting in them underusing other attacks:
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| **CPU {{SSB|Mario}} and {{SSB|Luigi}} persistently shoot [[Fireball]]s against players at a distance from them. CPU {{SSB|Ness}} exhibits the same behaviour with [[PK Fire]], as does {{SSB|Pikachu}} with [[Thunder Jolt]]. This makes it easy for an experienced Ness player to have a large advantage over these CPUs by absorbing the attacks with PSI Magnet.
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| ***Also, though CPU Kirbys use their own special attacks moderately, they may still spam any of these copied attacks.
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| **CPU {{SSB|Donkey Kong}}s almost always charge up a [[Giant Punch]] and cancel it when the player comes near, almost never approaching or using another attack instead. CPU {{SSB|Samus}} behaves similarly with [[Charge Shot]], constantly canceling it and only shooting if a player comes in front of it.
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| ***Additionally, Donkey Kong mostly uses [[Spinning Kong]] to repel enemies at its sides instead of other attacks, and also chases the player after the attack is executed, even if this results in the CPU falling off an edge and self-destructing. This is more noticeable with [[Giant Donkey Kong]]: he tends to use Spinning Kong when the player's teammates approach him. CPU {{SSB|Link}}s behave similarly with [[Spin Attack]], though they rarely self-destruct when doing so.
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| **CPU Jigglypuffs tend to make constant use of Pound to attack players, especially in midair.
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| **A CPU Link will almost always use [[Boomerang]] as its first attack, as well as mostly using it when the foe is at a considerable distance. They may also use the move even if the boomerang was already thrown.
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| **CPU Foxes tend to aim [[Fire Fox]] against players as one of their main attacks. As a result, if a human player runs to the edge of a stage such as [[Dream Land]], Fox will follow him/her and aim his [[Fire Fox]] off of the stage - resulting in a self-destruct.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGPMxhH5Zss | title = Super Smash Bros 64 - Tricking Fox's AI | accessmonthday = Jan 2| accessyear = 2011| author = [http://www.youtube.com/user/JetlagJad JetlagJad]| date = 2007-05-23| format = video| work = | publisher = YouTube| quote = }}</ref>
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| ***Similarly, if a character is far away from it, a high-level Fox CPU may repeatedly use [[Blaster]], even if the enemy is shielding or protecting. This allows players to trick the CPU easily by absorbing the shots with Ness.
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| **CPU {{SSB|Yoshi}} and Captain Falcon may also use [[Yoshi Bomb]] and [[Falcon Kick]] constantly against a player below them when airborne, but not as often as the other mentioned CPUs. This can still be significant, however, as they use these moves even when platforms are below them.
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| ***Additionally, CPU Captain Falcon will almost always jump before using Falcon Kick, which can sometimes cause the attack to miss and become easily punished due to its lag. If the player stays above him during the jumping phase, he will use [[Falcon Dive]] instead, falling helpless and becoming easily vulnerable.
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| *On the [[Kirby Team]] in the [[1P Game]] mode, when the Kirbys are knocked off the stage, they tend to [[fast fall]] as soon as they run out of midair jumps, without even using [[Final Cutter]] to recover. This makes easy for players to KO them, even at Very Hard [[difficulty]].
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| *CPU Marios and Luigis never rise when using [[Mario Tornado]] and [[Luigi Cyclone]], respectively.
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| *A CPU Kirby using [[Inhale]] will only spit out the opponent if it is another Kirby, meaning they won't attempt to steal copy abilites from them.
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| *When [[invincible]], such as by the effect of a Star of when dropping out of a revival platform, CPUs will still shield and dodge attacks thrown against them. Additionally, when a player comes out of a [[revival platform]] they may still attack them during their invincibility period.
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| *When returning on a revival platform, CPUs always reenter the fight instantly regardless of what is happening on the stage. This can result, for example, on an opponent using a Hammer being more difficult for them to evade, when staying on the revival platform would have been more desirable.
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| *A CPU player who picks up a throwing item when another player is below their platform will repeatedly throw the item to the ground until it disappears - even if the item is a Bob-omb, which often leads to the CPU [[self-destruct]]ing.
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| *Other than regular items, CPUs will also attempt to go for [[Bomb (Link)|Bomb]]s left by a Link player. Not only they will cease fighting for this, but they may pick up the bomb even if it's about to explode.
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| *When a [[Bumper]] is set, a CPU Fox or Ness may hold his Reflector/PSI Magnet near it until it vanishes, he gets hit, or another item appears. During this period they will ignore other players, becoming extremely vulnerable.
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| *When standing on moving platforms, CPUs usually won't be conscious about the danger and will stay there like on a normal terrain, which mostly results on them not jumping off and going offstage with the plaftorm, guaranteeing a self-destruct. This can happen, for example, when a CPU comes to attack a foe on the balancing plaftorms at [[Mushroom Kingdom (SSB)|Mushroom Kingdom]], or when landing on an Arwing during recovery at [[Sector Z]].
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| **Additionally, if a [[Crate]] or [[Barrel]] falls on one of the balancing platforms at Mushroom Kingdom, CPUs will still attempt to pick it up, falling down with it and SDing.
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| *As mentioned above, CPUs have difficulty recognising walls. If there is a player on the right side of the [[Saffron City]] stage, CPUs will walk into the doors of the Pokémon trap. Similarly, on Peach's Castle, if a human player stands on the bottom [[platform]], a CPU on one of the moving platforms will run into the wall repeatedly.
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| *On Saffron City, if the player is Player 1 while a level nine Pikachu is set to Player 2, if the player stands on the left edge of the rightmost building after Pikachu is KO'd, it will jump off the revival platform to the right and then approach with [[Quick Attack]], crossing-up the building and self-destructing. This can be exploited indefinitely as long as the CPU is not interrupted by something.
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| *In [[Dream Land]], if a player stands below a CPU Donkey Kong on a platform, it will continously use [[Hand Slap]] until the player gets out of there, leaving it easily open for aerial attacks. <ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rk_EhpxKu8Q</ref>
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| **In a similar scenario, standing on a Dream Land platform above a CPU {{SSB|Yoshi}} will cause it to use [[Egg Throw]], which (when shielded) will be inevitably followed by an infinite stream of [[double jump cancel]]ed up aerials that are nowhere near hitting the player.
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| *In Mushroom Kingdom, CPUs will never attempt to intentionally use the POW Block nor the Warp Pipes.
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| *In most cases, a CPU Kirby using [[Stone]] holds the attack in place instead of ending the transformation by itself. When the attack is used on a slope, such as that of the leftmost part of Hyrule Castle or at the far right side of Sector Z, it may hold the move in place, falling down and self-destructing.
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| ===''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]''=== | |
| The AI in ''Super Smash Bros. Melee'' is notorious for how flawed it is. Computer players, regardless of level, primarily fight by constantly [[approach]]ing to then [[spam]] their [[neutral attack]] and [[dash grab]]s when close to opponents, while periodically using any projectiles they have when opponents are out of the [[range]] of their jab and grab. In {{SSBM|Kirby}}'s case, CPUs repeteadly use [[Final Cutter]] to attack, and with Bowser, they may use [[Fire Breath]] even if the foe is out of the move's range. If the player stays very close to them without flinching away (such as by a low damage ratio), CPUs will instead only spam their jabs, grabbing only if the player shields. Though the exact rates of usage vary depending on the character, the AI will generally avoid using their [[tilt]]s and [[smash]]es outside certain situations, and will almost never use [[aerial]]s to attack unless they were already in the air from trying to reach an opponent's position (such as if they were jumping up to an opponent on an upper [[platform]]) or from being hit into the air from a prior attack. For this case, they also tend to use their [[neutral aerial]]s over other types of aerials, not using the latter ones unless the foe is at the proper distance. Specific CPUs also have a tendency to overuse one move aside from the aforementioned, such as {{SSBM|Ganondorf}} constantly using [[Dark Dive]] when a character is in front of or above him, and {{SSBM|Zelda}} constantly using her [[down tilt]] to "lock" opponents. Some characters also have their own "playstyle": a CPU {{SSBM|Mr. Game & Watch}} never uses projectiles and instead approaches mostly with his [[dash attack]], a CPU {{SSBM|Yoshi}} uses [[Egg Lay]] as often as his grab, CPU {{SSBM|Pikachu}}s and {{SSBM|Donkey Kong}}s frequently use their [[forward smash]] on a foe at a close distance, and CPU {{SSBM|Ice Climbers}} don't grab as often and instead just struggle with their jab as their main attack. The AI is additionally notorious for how terrible it is at [[recover]]ing. While the AI won't give up during recoveries like in ''Smash 64'', the AI still has significant problems with its recovery skills. The AI always recovers in a basic and predictable pattern, which itself causes them to fail many recoveries that were possible, while making no effort at all to fight off [[edge-guard]]ers. This results in computer players being extremely easy to edge-guard, which is exacerbated by ''Melee'''s edge-guarding friendly [[:Category:Game Physics|physics]]. CPUs have, however, precise [[meteor cancel]] abilities, so that it they are hit by a meteor smash during recovery phase, they almost always meteor cancel the attack (except if they are meteor smashed during their special recovery move or near the stage ledge, where they will usually not meteor cancel). A CPU Kirby or Jigglypuff, for example, will meteor cancel almost any attack, even Ganondorf's [[down aerial]] at 100% damage. Interestingly, they meteor cancel like this even at Level 1. Despite this, they are very easily KO'd by other edge-guarding abilities, such as [[Wall of Pain|walls of pain]] or [[spike]]s.
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| The AI in ''Melee'' also make poor use of their [[shield]]s and defensive maneuvers in general. Computer players, even at level nine, will often not use their shields to block attacks, and will often not use [[rolling dodge]]s, [[sidestep]]s or [[air dodge]]s to dodge attacks. As such, computer players will often take whatever attack is thrown their way, expending no effort to dodge it, and when combined with their constant approaching, will often lead to them just walking into a player's [[charge]]d attack, or even a slow and predictable but powerful attack (such as a Falcon Punch). There is an exception to this though with a few attacks that the AI was programmed to dodge at all costs, such as {{SSBM|Bowser}}'s [[up smash]] and [[Bowser Bomb]], where computer players will always [[roll dodge]] away or [[air dodge]] if the attack is being used in their vicinity. This can be observed by charging Bowser's up smash below a CPU, where it will always air dodge away from the attack, or, if on a platform, will roll back and forth until Bowser unleashes his smash. Other examples also include [[Yoshi Bomb]], [[Raptor Boost]] and the last hits of [[Dancing Blade]], where they avoid them the same way. Additionally, despite minimal use of their shields, CPUs are very precise with [[power shield]]ing, so when they do shield an attack, it is usually a power shield. On top of this, while the AI will often not shield physical attacks, higher level CPUs will always shield any projectile if they are not in [[lag]]; level nine CPUs will usually perfect shield to reflect projectiles. They do this to a fault however, which can be exploited with rapid projectiles like [[Blaster]], as when under projectile fire, CPUs will prioritise shielding against all projectiles over all else, leading to the CPU just standing there and shielding against rapid projectiles until the opponent ceases fire or they [[shield break|break their shield]]. Like in the previous game, CPUs also have poor edge-guarding abilities, as they will just stand on the ledge and use their main attacks whenever the recovering foe comes near, and still have a chance of self-destructing in an attempt to attack ledge-hanging players when on air. While there were better chances of the CPU getting a KO in ''Smash 64'', this is rarer in ''Melee'', since jabs and throws are usually not powerful enough to launch the foe into the blast line, and instead they allow the foe to jump and recover again. Some characters, however, will jump offstage and attempt to edge-guard with their [[meteor smash]] attacks: these being {{SSBM|Mario}} and {{SSBM|Dr. Mario}} with their forward aerials (even though Dr. Mario's is not a meteor smash), as well as {{SSBM|Captain Falcon}} with his down aerial. While this has a sure chance of KOing, they always jump horizontally and then pull out the attack in the same way, which, combined with the usual lag of meteor smashes and poor recovery of CPUs, makes it easy for recovering players to dodge, while often causing the CPU to self-destruct, especially when giant or metal. Additionally, there are some rare instances when, if very close to the edge, these CPUs may drop offstage without jumping and use the move (or even fast fall in the case of Captain Falcon), receiving a quick SD.
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| Certain stages are notorious for exploiting poor AI, such as stages with pits like [[Jungle Japes]], where the AI does not properly recognise these pits and will often fall into them to [[self-destruct]] while trying to attack a player near them. The AI also plays especially poorly on moving stages such as [[Icicle Mountain]], where computer players will move up one platform at a time, which is too slow to escape the lower blast line when the stage speeds up.
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| The AI is also extremely incompetent with handling [[item]]s and their effects. When their physique changes, the AI will ignore the changes and will play as if they were normal, which leads to [[giant]] CPUs inadvertently walking off stages, and [[metal]] CPUs plummeting to their death as they attempt to attack an offstage player. When an item appears, CPUs will never pick them up, only picking them up accidentally when trying to attack an opponent next to the item; additionally, they have poor concepts of knowing what items are in front of them, frequently causing them to walk into set [[Motion-Sensor Bomb]]s, walking [[Bob-omb]]s, and into hostile [[Poké Ball]] Pokémon. When picking up battering items (except for the Hammer), the AI still acts and fights as if not wielding it, which often leads into CPUs jabbing with the item persistently and then dropping or throwing it in an attempt to grab opponents. There is an exception to this when there are healing items, [[Poké Ball]]s, [[Cloaking Device]]s, or [[Hammer]]s present; CPUs will usually immediately cease all fighting against the player and will instead flee to pick up these items. They will often put themselves in harm's way while trying to do so, just to obtain said item. Additionally, they don't attempt to grab items while in the air, so that if the item falls on a platform, for example, the CPU will pick it up only after landing on it, while a human player would [[air grab]] it from below, making easy to snatch items away from CPUs.
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| ====Specific examples====
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| <!-- READ THE FOLLOWING GUIDELINES BEFORE ADDING ANY EXAMPLES:
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| 1. Avoid adding very specific, situational instances that rarely, if ever, show up, where a computer player may not perform optimally. If you have to specify what level the CPU is, the character, the stage, what the CPU is attempting, and even the exact location on the stage, do not add it. Also do not add examples that require nonstandard gameplay, and do not add examples that you have to write a small guide to replicate.
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| 2. Suboptimal play by the CPU in general does not constitute an AI flaw. For something to be considered an AI flaw, it has to be a repeated behavior by the AI that directly hinders a CPU's performance regardless of outside circumstances.
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| 3. Per the previous guideline, a potential example must be a behavior by the CPU that it will nearly always repeat when the circumstances leading to the example occurs.
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| 4. Examples are ordered, so when putting down an example, make sure it fits the order. The order goes; general flaws > character specific flaws > item related flaws > stage related flaws > character + specific stage flaw.-->
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| Specific examples of poor AI include:
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| *Computer players have generally poor recovery abilities:
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| **They will never attempt to fight off or evade edge-guarders.
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| **They will only use their midair jumps and [[up special]] move to recover - never any alternate recovery methods such as [[side special]] moves, [[air dodge]]s or [[wall-grapple]]s (as they don't use [[grab aerial]]s).
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| ***{{SSBM|Luigi}} acts as an exception; he will instead always use the [[Green Missile]] and never use [[Super Jump Punch]] to recover, even when necessary. They also never charge it, so they mostly fail to recover if the attack is not a "misfire", though they do use the move periodically. Still, this leads to CPU Luigis self-destructing easily on stages that emphasise vertical recoveries, like [[Mushroom Kingdom II]] or [[Brinstar Depths]].
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| **CPU {{SSBM|Fox}}, {{SSBM|Falco}}, {{SSBM|Marth}}, {{SSBM|Roy}}, {{SSBM|Zelda}}, and {{SSBM|Mewtwo}} will always aim in the same upward diagonal trajectory when recovering, even if using such a trajectory will result in them failing to make it back to the stage while a more desirable trajectory would allow them to recover successfully. A CPU {{SSBM|Sheik}} will instead always aim straightly horizontally or vertically (depending on her position from the edge), never diagonally.
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| **If a CPU {{SSBM|Jigglypuff}} runs out of midair jumps when recovering, it will use [[Sing]], instead of using [[Pound]] or an air dodge, guaranteeing a failed recovery.
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| **A CPU {{SSBM|Ness}} will use [[PK Thunder]] only when recovering if they are set to level nine, and will always aim it in an upwards, barely horizontal trajectory. A lower level CPU Ness will just fall and get KO'd if their midair jump is not enough to make it back to the stage.
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| **CPU {{SSBM|Peach}}es will rarely use the ability to [[float]]: they only use it near the bottom of the stage after falling off with an attack, and unusually not move around when doing so, simply stalling their eventual fall, and always holding it to the maximum length. This allows players to edgeguard them in a simple and easy way, while they would have survived otherwise. CPU Peaches also tend to use [[Peach Parasol]] to recover immediately when close enough to the edge, even when the superior midair jump is available.
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| **Whenever a CPU {{SSBM|Pichu}} uses [[Agility]] and ends up above the edge of a [[platform]] with the first dash, they will always aim straightly horizontally with the second, even if that causes them to cross up the platform and fall down, self-destructing. CPU {{SSBM|Pikachu}}s also exhibit this behavior, though they will very rarely SD due to [[Quick Attack]] giving a shorter distance.
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| *Computer players have poor concept of continuous attacks:
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| **They never charge attacks that require button holding, including [[smash attack]]s (with the exception of the {{SSBM|Ice Climbers}}, who occasionally charge their [[forward smash]]), [[Shield Breaker]], [[Hero's Bow]], [[Skull Bash]], [[Green Missile]], [[Rollout]], and the [[Super Scope]], among others. Zelda with [[Din's Fire]] (depending on the foe's distance) and Sheik with [[Needle Storm]], as well as Ness with [[PK Flash]] against a grounded opponent, are the only exceptions.
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| **They never use the second hit of {{SSBM|Link}}'s or {{SSBM|Young Link}}'s forward smash; as a result, CPUs cannot KO effectively as either character, as Link's forward smash is relatively weak when the first hit connects, while Young Link's first hit deals low, set knockback to set up the second, more powerful attack.
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| **CPUs never hold infinite attacks such as rapid [[jab]]s, [[Fire Breath]], [[Reflector]], [[Inhale]] or [[Hand Slap]] past their minimum length. They also never hold the [[Fire Flower]]'s flames, and never fire the [[Super Scope]] continuously.
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| ***When approaching, CPU Bowsers and [[Giga Bowser]]s also periodically use Fire Breath even if completely out of the opponent's range, making them very predictable and easy to counter.
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| ***Similarly, a CPU {{SSBM|Sheik}} may periodically use [[Chain]] when approaching, instead of Needle Storm, leaving it easily vulnerable against attacks. They also rarely swing the chain around, and only if the opponent is close to them.
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| **A CPU Kirby under the effect of [[Stone]] will never end the transformation early. Besides allowing players to easily punish a CPU Kirby with powerful attacks, this will cause him to self destruct on some stages, if he hits a breakable platform above the lower blast line or is on a slope that ends offstage, cause him to slide down and off to the lower blast line.
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| **CPU Marios, Luigis and Dr. Marios never move around nor rise when using their respective [[down special]]s.
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| *CPU Kirbys have unusual behavior dealing with [[Inhale]]. When they first use Inhale, they will constantly use it until they can copy a character. Additionally, they will heavily [[spam]] the move they copied. They also never move around with swallowed foes, and spit out an opponent only if it is another Kirby. In this case, they also always spit out the Kirby, even if it has another copied ability that can be stolen.
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| *CPU Peaches, Luigis, Pikachus and Pichus tend to use their [[side special]]s against foes at a distance between close and far from them, not charging them for the latter three (as noted above). While not seemingly problematic, they can be easily punished if the attack misses, and for Luigi's case, he may self-destruct on small stages if the attack becomes a misfire.
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| **As an additional flaw, if a CPU Peach comes offstage with [[Peach Bomber]], she will stall by floating as described above, leaving her easily vulnerable.
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| *CPUs will always throw a grabbed opponent in a random direction, which, combined with their exploitation of the technique, results in edge-guarding CPUs throwing the foe into the stage, or using a throw when another one would have KO'd the foe. Some CPUs also tend to overuse a type of throw, such as Fox overusing his [[down throw]], or Mario and his clones frequently using their [[back throw]]s.
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| *A CPU {{SSBM|Marth}} or {{SSBM|Roy}} will never use [[Counter]].
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| *A CPU {{SSBM|Zelda}} will never use [[Nayru's Love]], not even for reflecting projectiles. A CPU Kirby with Zelda's ability still uses the move, though.
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| *A CPU {{SSBM|Mr. Game & Watch}} never uses [[Chef]], and uses [[Oil Panic]] at inappropriate moments.
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| *CPU {{SSBM|Ness}} never uses [[PSI Magnet]], even when projectiles are shot in his vicinity; he will instead just reflect them by powershielding.
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| *A CPU Jigglypuff never uses [[Rollout]] or [[Rest]]. Strangely, a Kirby with Jigglypuff absorbed will attempt to use Rollout, but will never charge it when using it (as noted above).
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| **Additionally, a CPU Kirby with Jigglypuff absorbed may use Rollout even if near a ledge, which would cause it to fall down in [[helpless]] state and self-destruct. As CPU Kirbys mostly spam copied abilities, this can be easily exploited.
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| *CPU Links and Young Links will never attempt to angle their [[Boomerang]]s.
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| *When a CPU Marth or Roy uses [[Dancing Blade]] or [[Double-Edge Dance]], respectively, after knocking their foe away with the first hit, they will always execute the three lasting hits in that same attack even if the foe gets out of reach. They also never use the up and down combinations of the attack. If the foe is very close to them and doesn't flinch away with the first hit, they may instead only use that one, even when following-up with the others was possible.
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| *A CPU {{SSBM|Samus}} will only use [[Bomb (Samus)|Bomb]] when above a foe in midair.
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| *As they approach the player, CPU {{SSBM|Captain Falcon}}s and {{SSBM|Ganondorf}}s will periodically use [[Falcon Punch|Falcon]]/[[Warlock Punch]], [[Raptor Boost]]/[[Gerudo Dragon]], and [[up tilt]] in the case of Ganondorf, like how other CPUs use projectiles while approaching. They do this despite the opponent being completely out of their range, and the very long [[lag]] of these attacks making it easy for opponents to punish them. They will occasionally use [[Falcon Kick]]/[[Wizard's Foot]] instead, however.
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| **CPU Captain Falcons will additionally always use Raptor Boost after using [[forward throw]] (or sometimes [[down throw]]) on someone, even if it would cause them to go offstage and self-destruct. They may also use Raptor Boost if the player is near the ledge offstage, attempting to hit them, but usually falling off the stage. CPU Ganondorfs however do not exhibit this behavior with Gerudo Dragon.
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| **CPU Ganondorfs will also nearly always use Dark Dive when someone is near above them, even if they're near the edge of the stage, which can cause him to use Dark Dive and then fall offstage, self-destructing. CPU Falcons however do not exhibit their behavior with Falcon Dive.
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| *CPU Kirbys and Bowsers will mostly use their down specials (Stone and Bowser Bomb respectively) on foes below them when they are in midair, regardless of what is below them. Similarly, some grounded CPUs will spam a special attack if a player is above them: a CPU Ness will spam [[PK Flash]], a CPU Pikachu or Pichu will spam [[Thunder]], and a CPU Peach mostly uses [[Peach Parasol]] if the player is at a close range. CPU Yoshis may also use Egg Throw in a similar way.
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| **Additionally, when CPU Peach uses [[Peach Parasol]] as an attack, she will follow the player even if near a pit, making Peach approach it and then, depending on the stage, not being able to reach a platform or ledge, resulting in a self-destruct.
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| **When a CPU Kirby without an ability is swallowed by another Kirby player, due to it being left above the player, it will almost always use Stone, allowing the human Kirby to rack up damage by repeatedly swallowing the CPU.
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| *A high level CPU {{SSBM|Yoshi}} mostly uses [[Egg Roll]] against a player at a large distance, and chase them even if near an edge, so that if the player dodges or just shields against the attack, the CPU may easily fall offstage and self-destruct.
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| *When using [[PK Thunder]] as an attack, a CPU Ness will always aim it in a trajectory between diagonal and horizontal, and will not send it back even if it misses the foe, leaving it highly vulnerable against attacks. They also never use PK Flash outside the above situation, and when getting close to the foe, they heavily spam [[PK Fire]].
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| *A CPU Mewtwo that uses [[Shadow Ball]] in midair (by either falling off an edge when attacking a foe out of range, or sometimes when using the move very close to one) will never [[Charge cancel|cancel]] the attack, and won't just shoot the ball if there are no enemies directly in front of it, simply falling down and self-destructing.
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| *Whenever a player semi-spikes a CPU Mr. Game & Watch and Mewtwo near close to the edge, they will never use their up specials unless they are directly far below the stage or is hit by another player even if it's out of range, leading to self destructs.
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| **As they recover back to the stage after getting semi-spiked, CPU Mr. Game & Watch, Ness, and Mewtwo will attack off stage edgeguarders or another player that attempts to recover back to the stage even if their attacks can be double jump canceled in the case of Ness and Mewtwo. Upon using aerial attacks, CPU level 9 Ness will never use PK Thunder unless he is very far below the ledge near close to the lower blast line. Depending on the length of attack's start up, duration, and lag, this will cause them to fail a recovery that was possible and self destruct.
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| *CPUs will never initiate a [[fast fall]] intentionally, only doing sometimes when attempting to attack with a [[down aerial]] while falling down.
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| *AI players have poor taunting habits. After the CPU respawns, if the player was previously KO'd by it and jumps for a distance while the CPU is walking toward them, it will eventually taunt for no apparent reason.
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| **Upon KOing a character, CPUs will usually taunt, regardless of what is occurring around them. Additionally, when KOing an enemy sideways from the center of a central terrain or platform, they will walk to the closest edge from the KO before taunting, and when Star KOing an opponent, they won't taunt until the animation is finished, leaving them vulnerable depending on the length of the taunt.
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| *CPUs will never initiate a [[dash]] outside [[dash grab]]s and/or [[dash attack]]s, the latter being less common. They also act almost immediately after the initial dash, which makes their attack pattern predictable and easy to avoid.
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| *Like in ''Smash 64'', CPUs will still shield attacks when invincible, and still attack other opponents during invincibility period of a revival platform. When returning on one, they also reenter the fight instantly, regardless of what is happening.
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| *CPUs will never [[sidestep]] intentionally; the only time they will sidestep is when they are trying to both shield and [[crouch]] (either for an attack or for dropping through a platform) at the same time.
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| *While CPUs always attempt to dodge certain attacks (as noted above), their dodging capabilities can still be exploited. For example, a CPU near an edge attempting to dodge an attack such as Bowser Bomb may still roll towards the edge, which can result in the attack hitting and KOing the CPU while it would have survived with another dodging technique.
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| **When [[air dodging]], CPUs also tend to shift themselves into the direction they were previously moving, or may not move at all, even if it causes them to collide with the attack they were trying to dodge.
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| *CPUs never attempt to intentionally execute wall or ceiling [[tech]]s, the former being accidentally triggered when they are near a wall and attempt to shield too late. They also use ground techs only if they are sent at an upwards distance and are not interrupted when reaching the ground.
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| *Other than Fox and Falco using their Reflectors, CPUs always reflect projectiles with powershields only, even though some characters like Mario and Zelda have stronger [[Reflection|reflectors]] that last for a longer time. This results in things such as CPUs not being able to properly reflect Poké Balls (as powershielding them does not change the Pokémon's owner) or consecutive projectiles, or their shields becoming easily broken by rapid-fire projectiles.
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| *A CPU Zelda that holds a throwing item will usually throw it down when close to an opponent, in an attempt to use a down tilt. Not only this may be avoided with little hesitation, but she will easily self-destruct if the item is an explosive.
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| *When an opponent is knocked down or hanging on a [[ledge]], CPUs will only use [[down tilt]]s and [[down smash]]es to attack them, even when some like Captain Falcon's down smash don't reach ledge-hanging foes.
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| *CPUs cannot properly recognise the height differences that occur when standing on slopes, which will lead to things like a CPU flailing above an opponent with their jab when higher up on a slope.
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| *CPUs do not recognise pits as if they were an offstage area, leading to the CPU just walking into them and falling into them as the CPU attempts to carelessly attack an opponent near the pit, which often results in the CPU self-destructing.
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| *Despite the AI's tendency to shield and even reflect any projectile as noted earlier, CPU Bowsers will never shield projectiles when approaching the player, even at level nine. <ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gW7lnHpTzhU</ref>
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| *Picking up either a Hammer or a Starman will cause all the CPUs to run to the opposite side of the stage and stand there until the effect wears off; they will not use any defensive maneuvers whatsoever.
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| *When using a [[Warp Star]], CPUs never change the trajectory of the attack.
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| *If a CPU grabs a Hammer, it will chase opponents until they reach a wall and continually jump in place even if the obstacle can be jumped over. They will also jump offstage to chase opponents that have jumped off the stage, and self destruct in the process.<ref>http://youtu.be/FQ7bCnFYpEs</ref>
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| **Additionally, even if the Hammer's head falls off, CPUs still attempt to chase opponents, putting themselves in harm while doing so. They also never pick up the head intentionally, as with other items.
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| *If they are next to the radius of [[Venusaur]]'s earthquake or near [[Wobbuffet]], the CPUs may shield even though they are not in the Pokémon's damage radius. Unusually, they may also hold their shields in place, which can result on a self-shield break, and a SD to Jigglypuff. This is noticeable with the Wire Frames on the [[Event 37: Legendary Pokémon|Legendary Pokémon]] event.
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| **Additionally, if a CPU is knocked on the air near Venusaur or goes above it to approach a player, it mostly uses an instant air dodge, even if it can just be jumped over.
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| *When the player stands still on certain locations in stages, all opposing CPUs will cease all movement and action if the player is not in attack range, until the player moves or one of the aforementioned desired items appears. A notable example of this is the right edge of the middle right platform in {{SSBM|Battlefield}}, which can be exploited in [[Cruel Melee]].
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| *In [[Princess Peach's Castle]], CPUs will always run to the opposite side of the castle when [[Banzai Bill]] appears. During this, the CPU will ignore opponents, and will not attack nor defend themselves unless an opponent comes near. When this does happen, it disrupts their normal behavior pattern and they will sometimes stay on the side of the castle where the Banzai Bill is and get KO'd by its explosion.
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| **Also, CPUs may run straight into the Banzai Bill in order to reach the other side.
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| *In [[Brinstar]], CPUs will always go to the hovering metallic platform in the centre when acid rises from the bottom. During this, the CPU will ignore opponents, and will not attack nor defend themselves unless an opponent comes near.
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| *When at a stop on [[Mute City]] and the stage is about to move again, they will not jump back on the main moving platform unless a player or item provokes them to go on it, leading to them sustaining avoidable damage when the stage moves.
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| *In walk-off stages such as [[Flat Zone]], if the player is close enough to the blast line without getting KO'd, the AI may ignore the player completely and fight other opponents.
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| *In Jungle Japes when the player is Player 1 while a CPU Ness is Player 2, if the player does not move, Ness will try to jump over to the player, but will fall into the river, and self destruct his first stock. Even at Level 9, his PK Thunder would be blocked by the left platform.
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| **Also, if the player stands still on the right platform as a CPU Fox comes off the [[revival platform]] in this same stage, Fox will repeatedly jump into the river, use [[Fire Fox]] below the center platform and fail to recover until he runs out of stocks or time runs out. A CPU Roy will also exhibit this behavior in this situation, aiming his [[Blazer]] to the left, missing the ledge and self-destructing.
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| *For an unknown reason, high-leveled CPUs on [[Fourside]] and Yoshi's Island tend to air dodge on the pits, which depending on the character, mostly leads them to self-destructs when doing so. A notable example is Yoshi, who, if selected as Player 2 to start from the rightmost building, will always air dodge above the first pit and self-destruct.
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| *In N64 [[Yoshi's Island]], if the player stands on a cloud close to the horizontal blast line, CPUs will go towards them with their usual recovering patterns, commonly not using other clouds at platforms. When using their up special, they will also aim for the closest cloud even if it's out of range, leading to self-destructs.
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| *On [[Green Greens]], whenever a player meteor smashes a CPU, it will aim its recovery to the center of the stage even if the blocks don't allow to, or even if it's launched closer to the edge of the stage, resulting on self-destructs.
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| *On [[Mushroom Kingdom II]], when battling against a level 9 Luigi set as Player 2, if the player KOs him and then goes to the right part of the stage, Luigi will jump backwards from the revival platform and miss the ledge, and then use Green Missile on the wall and self-destruct. He repeats the process over and over again if the player keeps there at a distance from the ledge, unless he is interrupted by a platform, [[Birdo]]'s eggs, or an item.
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| ===''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]''===
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| In ''Super Smash Bros. Brawl'', the AI is generally more proficient with character recoveries (most prominently {{SSBB|Luigi}}). If a human player gets an [[item]] like a [[Starman (item)|Starman]], rather than just trying to avoid that character, they'll also use the opportunity to attack any stragglers. When a [[Smash Ball]] appears, computer players will aggressively attack it at opportune times, while repelling anyone who tries to get it as well. They also recognize and use other items (like the Super Scope) as well, unlike in ''Melee''. Additionally, CPUs can now properly charge up or hold smash attacks and special attacks, among others, and choose more alternatives when using certain attacks, such as Kirby spitting out characters more often, Link using his [[grab aerial]] and the second hit of his [[forward smash]], and Donkey Kong throwing foes upwards and/or downwards with his cargo throw instead of just forward. CPUs can now properly use [[aerial attack]]s against grounded foes rather than just attacking from land, and often punish attacking opponents with [[shield grab]]s. Another significant change in AI is that computer players have a preference to targetting human players before other computer players. Their taunting habits are less flawed than in ''Melee'', as they don't use them if there are other enemies or obstacles, and they won't taunt if the player just escapes from them after they respawn. Additionally, CPUs in ''Brawl'' are much better at defending, as they sidestep and roll more often, and, with the change of air dodges, also use this technique properly, as well as being almost impossible for a human player to break a CPU's shield, and high-level CPUs almost always [[tech]]ing on any solid surface when launched a high distance. Plus, when a Hammer, Starman or [[Final Smash]] is being used by a foe, CPUs will just stand on their revival platforms if they were KO'd, instead of just reentering the fight instantly like in the previous games. Another notable change is that, when a high-valued [[item]] appears, instead of just ceasing fighting to go for it, CPUs now try to repel any other character trying to get it, and if it appears too far from them, they will just ignore it and battle as usual (except for the Smash Ball).
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| Another new feature is that the computer's level in [[Training Mode]] can now be selected. The AI is improved greatly, as opponents set to Attack mode will actively fight the player, rather than walking towards them and rarely throwing an attack like in previous installments. Other CPU modalities can also be improved by raising the AI level.
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| Also, for each CPU level, the game gives a word to describe the CPU's skill level:
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| #Puny-1
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| #Wimpy-2
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| #Weak-3 (the default level)
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| #Normal-4
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| #Hardy-5
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| #Strong-6
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| #Burly-7
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| #Mighty-8
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| #Nasty-9
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| Many rumors have circulated about the AI of ''Brawl''. One claims that level 9 CPUs read button commands the player inputs, thereby allowing them to perfect shield and air dodge more often. This sparked general dislike among the community, many of whom labelled the idea as "cheating". There has been no evidence however that the AI reads the player's inputs, and "evidence" presented for it has just shown that the AI has 1 frame reactions.
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| Another rumor claims that there's a system in ''Brawl'' that enables AI players to "learn" from human players.<ref name="CECPUexpBlog">{{cite web| url = http://allisbrawl.com/blogpost.aspx?id=8848| title = The Wonders of Brawl's CPU Experience System| accessmonthday = Jan 2| accessyear = 2011| author = [http://allisbrawl.com/blog.aspx?id=10347 ChurroEmiliano]| date = 2008-12-31| format = blogpost| work = | publisher = [http://allisbrawl.com/ AllIsBrawl.com]| quote = When developing Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Sakurai integrated an experience system in which CPUs (mostly level 9/nasty) would actually learn from other players and try to mimic such strategies. This experience system is subject to all characters. / The way you and others play on your save data, the way they will intend to play, keeping several of their own ways of playing as well. You can tell a huge difference, by comparing...a new fresh save data of Brawl, to a very much used save data.}}</ref><ref name="CECPUexpVideo">{{cite web
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| | url = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4HvhIPOz4I| title = The Wonders of Brawl's CPU Experience System| accessmonthday = Jan 2| accessyear = 2011| author = [http://www.youtube.com/user/ChurroEmiliano ChurroEmiliano]| date = 2008-12-29| format = video| work = | publisher = YouTube| quote = Churro (Snake) vs. Lvl 9 Link}}</ref><ref name="CEFalconPunch">{{cite web
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| | url = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMcEUsMd9Cw| title = Falcon Punch Much? 0_0| accessmonthday = Jan 2| accessyear = 2011| author = [http://www.youtube.com/user/ChurroEmiliano ChurroEmiliano]| date = 2008-12-31| format = video | work = | publisher = YouTube| quote = After having several Falcon Punch free-for-alls, the CPU wanted to fit in.
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| }}</ref> [[All is Brawl]] blogger Churro Emiliano documented much of this widely for the first time in a blog post made at the end of 2008. Aside from some advanced techniques (such as [[dash dancing]] and [[QAC]]ing) and play-styles, the AI have also been reported to "learn" to [[taunt]] a KO by crouch-spamming,<ref name="jerkette">{{cite web| url = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diJX703iC0A| title = ...jerkette| accessmonthday = Jan 2| accessyear = 2011| author = [http://www.youtube.com/user/Hoidsa Hoidsa]| date = 2009-05-13| format = video| work = | publisher = YouTube| quote = }}</ref> and to overuse Falcon Punches after humans play several Falcon Punch free-for-alls.<ref name="CEFalconPunch" /> It is currently not confirmed if there is a learning mechanism or not.
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| The flaws in ''Brawl''{{'}}s artificial intelligence are considerably lesser and less recurrent than in ''Melee'', but they can still be potent. Computer players still tend to be easier to KO and [[edgeguard]] than the average human player, even when set at level 9, due to not utilising survival techniques such as [[DI]] and usually not fighting back when being edgeguarded (except for {{SSBB|Kirby}}, who will use a forward aerial per every jump when edgeguarded). CPUs do, however, [[air dodge]] when sent flying, which provides minimal cushioning for knockback although usually not enough to save them. Computer players sometimes have difficulty avoiding certain stage hazards (most notably on [[Halberd]]), and are prone to self destructing in scrolling stages, such as the [[Past and Melee Stages|Melee Stages]] [[Rainbow Cruise]] and [[Big Blue]]. They have generally poor edgeguarding abilities (though unlike the previous two games, self destructing while attempting to edgeguard is very rare), and will usually stand on the ledge and spam projectiles when the player is recovering; they will usually attack offstage intentionally only with characters that have multiple jumps, such as {{SSBB|Meta Knight}}. And while they are better at recovering than in the previous game, computer players still under-utilise recoveries, such as by not making use of alternate recovery options with some characters, or always recovering in the same direction with a recovery move. A computer player (regardless of level) will also always aim for solid platforms that can be [[edge sweet spot|sweetspotted]] when recovering, even when there are "soft" platforms off the stage.
| | ==Learning AI and reading inputs myths== |
| | While still suffering flaws like ''Smash 64'' and ''Melee'', CPUs within ''Brawl'' came under scrutiny by members of the ''Brawl'' community after analyzing the behavior of them within fights. Two primary theories surrounding the AI eventually became commonplace: |
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| Computer players additionally tend to play strangely in complex custom stages, and in overly large complex stages like [[New Pork City]] and [[75 m]]. And, despite recongising items and using them better than in the previous installments, they may still self-destruct with certain items, such as by walking into a row of Bob-ombs when approaching a player, self-destructing with their own [[Electrode]]s or, when the player is at a large distance, accidentally shooting projectiles into a [[Blast Box]] and being KO'd by it. They still seem to ignore when [[Team Attack]] is on, continuing their assaults even when allies are in harms way as though team attack was off, which can cause them to hurt or even KO their own allies.
| | #That the CPU was able to read inputs from human players and thus have perfect reaction times, explaining the excessive propensity of a CPU to [[perfect shield]]. |
| | #That a "learning system" existed within ''Brawl's'' code that allowed computer players to slowly learn to adapt to human players. |
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| Aside from being flawed as stated above, in [[Free-for-all]]s, CPUs will all target the human player even if they aren't [[Team Battle|teamed]]. They will also target the character that has the highest damage to earn a KO, and in doing so will not attack other CPUs, which results in them following each other in lockstep.
| | The former rumor was especially controversial, as many smashers thought that allowing the AI to "cheat" was an unfair tactic, and such a programming decision was considered lazy. The American crew [[SLAPAHO]] attempted to see whether or not CPUs had perfect reaction times, but their results were eventually declared inconclusive, and more tests were intended to be carried out; inactivity by the group, however, caused these further tests to never occur. In 2013, Canadian smasher {{Sm|Toomai}} analyzed [[Talk:Artificial intelligence#The latest claimed AI cheating proof|various animated GIFs of CPUs]] responding to aerial attacks; it was ultimately demonstrated that CPUs had a reaction time of one frame, and thus, did not read button inputs to form decisions. |
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| ====Specific examples====
| | The second rumor was primarily spread by an [[All is Brawl]] blog post by American smasher Churro; entitled "The Wonders of Brawl's CPU Experience System", Churro claimed that CPUs in ''Brawl'' could learn from human players, with such changes being unique from different save files for ''Brawl''. Churro provided video examples of these supposed changes, such as how a CPU {{SSBB|Captain Falcon}} began to more frequently use [[Falcon Punch]] following an all-Captain Falcon match featuring overuse of the move. Other videos by other smashers also appeared to show CPUs using tactics such as [[dash dancing]] and [[DACUS]]es. |
| Specific examples of poor AI include:
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| <!-- READ THE FOLLOWING GUIDELINES BEFORE ADDING ANY EXAMPLES:
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| 1. Avoid adding very specific, situational instances that rarely, if ever, show up, where a computer player may not perform optimally. If you have to specify what level the CPU is, the character, the stage, what the CPU is attempting, and even the exact location on the stage, do not add it. Also do not add examples that require nonstandard gameplay, and do not add examples that you have to write a small guide to replicate.
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| 2. Suboptimal play by the CPU in general does not constitute an AI flaw. For something to be considered an AI flaw, it has to be a repeated behavior by the AI that directly hinders a CPU's performance regardless of outside circumstances.
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| 3. Per the previous guideline, a potential example must be a behavior by the CPU that it will nearly always repeat when the circumstances leading to the example occurs.
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| 4. Examples are ordered, so when putting down an example, make sure it fits the order. The order goes; general flaws > character specific flaws > item related flaws > stage related flaws > character + specific stage flaw.-->
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| *CPUs still underutilise the recoveries of several characters:
| | Initially widely believed, advances in the hacking scene for ''Brawl'' have since disproven the existence of a learning system for CPUs: |
| **A CPU {{SSBB|Ness}} and {{SSBB|Lucas}} will always hit themselves with [[PK Thunder]] in the same upward diagonal trajectory when recovering, even if using such a trajectory will result in them failing to make it back to the stage while a more desirable trajectory would allow them to recover successfully. This is especially noticeable on {{SSBB|Final Destination}}, as Ness will often not make it back to the stage when using PK Thunder to recover (when recovery is possible), while a Lucas will often launch himself underneath the stage lips. | | *Tests showed that there were no differences in CPU behavior from save files that were over several hundred hours old versus fresh save files; comparisons of two files with significant playtime also showed no differences, when such a case was supposed to have significantly different playstyles. |
| ***A CPU Lucas will also never use his [[zair]] for recovery. | | *Disassembling [[Replay]] files showed that no CPU inputs are saved in the file, only human inputs; as such, this meant that whenever a replay was played back, it meant that the CPU would have to react the same way every time in order to prevent desyncing. A learning system could potentially cause CPUs to react differently in replays, thus further disproving the rumor. |
| **A CPU {{SSBB|Ike}} will not use [[Aether]] unless he is directly underneath a ledge. This causes him to self destruct without trying to recover, or waiting too late to use Aether and failing a recovery that was possible. CPU Snakes exhibits similar behavior using [[Cypher]], often choosing to use it too late and self destructing.
| | *Disassembling the ''Brawl'' save file showed that there were no flags or other notes about the AI. |
| **A CPU {{SSBB|Yoshi}} will never use Egg Throw for recovery.
| | *Disassembly of the game's AI demonstrated no coding for learning from human players. |
| **A CPU Luigi will never use [[Luigi Cyclone]] for recovery, and never rise with the move in any other situation.
| | *Videos demonstrating that the AI could learn are thought to have suffered from {{s|wikipedia|confirmation bias}}; what were thought to be cases of the AI learning were cases of the AI performing as expected, including specific overuse of some attacks. |
| **A CPU {{SSBB|Meta Knight}} will never use [[Mach Tornado]] nor [[Drill Rush]] for recovery, and will often use [[Dimensional Cape]] to recover instead of Meta Knight's other superior recovery options.
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| **A CPU {{SSBB|R.O.B.}} will not input any actions after using [[Robo Burner]] until it reaches the ground, grabs a ledge, or is hit by an attack.
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| **If an opponent jumps offstage in front of a {{SSBB|Fox}} or {{SSBB|Falco}} using their up specials during the charge up phase of their move, they may angle the attack against the foe instead, even if it results in missing the ledge and self-destructing.
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| **If a CPU {{SSBB|Mr. Game & Watch}} uses [[Fire]] and fails to recover, he will repeatedly use [[Judge]] until the bottom blast line is crossed. While not necessarily problematic, there are instances where if a CPU Mr. Game & Watch reaches the apex of Fire and ends up short of the stage but in distance of reaching the ledge, the CPU will decide to use Judge too soon, causing him to miss the ledge and self-destruct.
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| *If a CPU KOs a player, while the player has invincibility frames after respawning, the CPU will run away from the player and jump onto a platform if there is one nearby, without trying to dodge the player's attacks.
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| *CPUs will almost always air dodge as soon as possible when launched, which can be punished with [[juggle]]s and frametraps.
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| *When players grab the [[ledge]], CPUs will stand still a safe distance from the ledge for some seconds before pursuing the ledge hanging player.
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| *If a CPU, regardless of level, is hit near the upper [[blast line]] while above an elevated platform, they'll fall straight down until reaching the ground after knockback is finished, while making no attempt to dodge or counterattack a pursuing player.<ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9nursdpKIw</ref> | |
| *When hit by an electric hitbox, a CPU may randomly DI up or down, more often DIing down, which can result in instances of an attack with an electric hitbox KOing them when the computer player would have survived otherwise. | |
| *While CPUs in ''Melee'' could [[meteor cancel]] to a moderate degree, CPUs will never meteor cancel in ''Brawl'', sustaining the meteor smash's full knockback before attempting recovery. This results in meteor smashes KOing computer players at much lower percentages than they KO human players.
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| *When grabbing ledges, CPUs often decide to jump from the ledge instead of choosing other options, which can make them predictable and easy to edge-guard. | |
| *CPUs have [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qryrf87N5OQ difficulty recognising walls].
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| *When using the [[Fire Flower]], CPUs never hold the flames past their minimum length. CPU Bowsers and Charizards replicate the same behaviour with [[Fire Breath]] and [[Flamethrower]], respectively.
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| *When {{SSBB|Snake}} uses his [[down throw]] near an edge on a CPU, the CPU will always roll toward the nearest edge the instant they can make a move. This allows him to infinite them or get an easy KO with an [[up tilt]].<ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lywfn1gCgJs</ref> When done in a soft platform without grabbable edges, they will instead always use a floor recovery attack.
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| *If a CPU Snake plants a [[C4]] sticky on an opponent, it will always move a small distance away and use Cypher, then detonate the C4 after. This makes them extremely vulnerable, predictable, and [[punish]]able. If attacked out of the Cypher, they will simply run away a short distance and then detonate the C4.
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| *When {{SSBB|Ganondorf}} uses [[Flame Choke]] on a CPU, they will never act the soonest they can.
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| *A low leveled Fox, Falco and Wolf will mostly self-destruct when using Landmaster, especially if the target is hanging on a ledge or so. A high level CPU will stay in place and repeatedly perform barrel rolls against opponents grabbing the ledge. Also, regardless of the level, they won't attempt to [[Star KO]] enemies above them by rising, only doing it accidentally when rising on small stages like [[Flat Zone 2]].
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| *When a CPU Luigi uses [[Negative Zone]], he will almost always spam [[Fireball]], even when set to level nine.
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| **Similarly, a CPU Pit using [[Palutena's Army]] will spam [[Palutena's Arrow]].
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| *CPUs with a [[Gooey Bomb]] or [[C4]] stuck on them will repeatedly shield and dodge until it falls off or explodes.
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| *Despite their better recognition of items, CPUs still experiment several flaws when using the [[Hammer]], as in ''Melee''. They still tend to accidentally fall offstage when trying to attack a foe near a ledge and, when on an elevated platform, jump continously in place even if the obstacle can be jumped over. This is however less common with the [[Golden Hammer]]. CPUs also still chase foes when using a Headless Hammer or Golden Squeaky Hammer.<ref>http://youtu.be/E_oOYwlz8iM</ref>
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| *CPUs holding a [[Cracker Launcher]] will not turn around, and will shoot at a slow rate in their current trajectory while repeatedly stepping back if their targeted player is not in front of them.
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| *CPUs holding a [[Team Healer]] will always aim it at their enemies and never their own teammates.
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| *In the underground version of [[Mushroomy Kingdom]], CPUs will sometimes repeatedly attack the blocks, ignoring the player even if items aren't on.
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| *On [[Delfino Plaza]], when the main platform reappears and starts to rise, CPUs will commonly stay on the old stage, which causes them to be lowered towards the lower [[blast line]] to their deaths.
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| ==External links==
| | A rudimentary learning system similar to the above would eventually be used by [[amiibo]] in ''Super Smash Bros. 4'' and ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'', though no such learning system exists outside of this. |
| *[http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIHpRvXPklmin_CBFUfiMDgb2DJwyTaXm A playlist of videos showing the many flaws and exploits of the AI in ''Melee and ''Brawl''.]
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| *[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71yUbTsR54E&feature=related The majority of TAS videos by Andtgar show off abusing ''Smash 64'' AI while perfectly comboing.]
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| *[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bskBWhu1Hoc A video showing many AI flaws in ''Melee'', some of which are listed above.]
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| *[http://youtube.com/watch?feature=related&v=EZwg37tu6B0 A video showing an AI flaw of Falco in ''Melee''.]
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| ==References== | | ==See also== |
| <references/>
| | *[[Amiibo]] |
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| [[Category:Gameplay]] | | [[Category:Gameplay]] |
- "CPU" redirects here. For the California smasher, see Smasher:CPU.
- For the Florida smasher, see Smasher:CPU (Florida).
- For the Japanese smasher, see Smasher:CPU1 (Japan).
Artificial intelligence, abbreviated as AI, in the Super Smash Bros. series refers to the intelligence of any computer-controlled (CP in Super Smash Bros. and Super Smash Bros. Melee, CPU from Super Smash Bros. Brawl onward) character (called computer players in-game) in the single-player and Versus Modes. In Versus Mode, players can preset the AI of a computer player with a level setting. In Adventure Mode, All-Star Mode, and Classic Mode, players can still set it to some degree with the modes' difficulty setting.
Difficulty levels[edit]
Artificial intelligence levels range from 1 to 9, with 1 being the weakest and 9 being the strongest. The default CPU level in Versus matches is 1 for Melee and 3 in all other games, although rule settings in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate allow players to select which level CPUs default to. In general, the level of an AI opponent determines how likely they are to follow through with a decision, as well as how fast they react, which results in the illusion of more skill - both a level 1 and a level 9 AI will decide to do something such as input an attack, but the level 1 will almost never do so, waiting for a long time before eventually doing it, while the level 9 almost always will instantly. Likewise, lower level CPUs are unlikely to shield or dodge an attack, using rolls simply to reposition themselves in some instances, and almost never using their shield at all, or at random times in Brawl. On the other hand, higher-level ones almost always defend from attacks, generally having good reflexes or dodging any attack when not in lag - in all games, level 9 CPUs are able to perfectly land attacks against opponents when at the appropriate range from them, and in Brawl, Super Smash Bros. 4, and Ultimate, they can defend against almost any attack with one-frame reactions, resulting in disproportionate perfect shielding and dodging capabilities. Also due to this change in reflexes, low-level CPUs are prone to simply standing next to their opponent and using a weak attack such as a neutral attack or tilt, while high-level CPUs use aerial attacks, smash attacks, and grabs more prominently.
The AI's recovery also improves as their level is increased: CPUs at low levels tend to recover in a simple and predictable pattern with their up specials, or may not use them at all in SSB, while high-level ones in Brawl, Smash 4, and Ultimate are capable of properly combining or alternating between different recovery techniques. For example, CPU Luigi in Smash 4 only uses his Super Jump Punch to recover at low levels (specifically Level 1 to 5), while at high levels (6-9) he also makes use of his Green Missile and Luigi Cyclone.
In Training mode, besides attacking, CPUs also have many other "modalities" that can be chosen, these being: Stand, Evade, Walk, and Jump. When these are chosen, CPUs will act that way, allowing players to battle in different ways against them, and practice different types of techniques. In SSB and Melee, these are set to a predetermined level (levels 3 and 1 respectively), while in Brawl, Smash 4, and Ultimate, they can be chosen from 1 to 9 from the character selection screen as usual, which also improves their reflexes. For example, level 1 CPUs on Stand will just take on whatever attack is thrown on their way, and recover in a simple and gimpable pattern, while level 9 ones will almost always air dodge after tumbling (in Brawl) and will choose better recovery options. When set to Attack, CPUs will fight the player as on usual battles, but since the level cannot be selected in SSB and Melee, it is somewhat unfavorable to fight CPUs on Training mode. Players instead tend to train against them on normal Versus modes. CPUs set to Attack mode in Smash 4's Training mode are also much likelier to spam projectiles and other special moves than in other modes, using them even at close range from opponents.
Certain single-player stages and events in Melee give CPUs a level of 0, such as Event 19: Peach's Peril and Event 21: Ice Breaker, in which case they don't attack at all, but still follow whatever movement behavior they would normally have. Some also give them other specific behaviors, such as Event 3: Bomb-fest in Melee causing CPU Link and Samus to use their down special moves more often, and Event 31: The Ultimate Bodyguard in Brawl causing CPU Zelda to crouch and do nothing until the stage changes a second time. In Melee, these specific behaviors can be accessed via the Debug Menu.
In SSB, CPU levels appear on the character selection screen as a digit with two arrows on either side to adjust it up or down, appearing where the selected character's name would be displayed for a human. In Melee, the levels are instead adjusted with a red slider which can be selected with the A button and then moved with the control stick, which increases in number from left to right, above the selected CPU character's name. In Brawl, Smash 4, and Ultimate, only the level number to which the CPU is currently set is shown at first, now appearing where the option to choose a name would appear for human players; clicking the number displays a menu with the other levels, scrolled by moving the cursor up and down. In Smash 4 and Ultimate, the numbers appear with colors changing from indigo to red as the level increases, while in Brawl, all numbers appear in black but with an adjective to accompany each CPU level and describe its skill, namely Puny, Wimpy, Weak, Normal, Hardy, Strong, Burly, Mighty, and Nasty in ascending order.
The amiibo figures released for Super Smash Bros. 4 and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate have stored data for a CPU fighter within them. The player may customize said character and train them by having them battle. The amiibo is labeled with "FP", and can gain experience to level up after the battle, capping at level 50. Battling amiibo against each other will yield more experience than battling a human or regular CPU. Additionally, amiibo will "learn" from repeated battles by changing its tactics in response to its opponents' behavior (e.g. if the amiibo battles an opponent that shields frequently, it will learn to use its own shield more effectively and counter shielding opponents with grabs).
Training against CPUs[edit]
Players commonly fight against CPUs to train when there aren't other players around to play. This is a practice that is criticized by some, as besides even the highest level CPUs being of a lower level of skill than a typical casual player, CPUs do things that human players never do (and will never do things that are common for human players to do), as well as having several exploitable flaws and being completely incapable of mind gaming, or even learning from their mistakes and changing their tactics accordingly.
Training against CPUs is said to not adequately build one's skills beyond basic offense and defense (such as the ability to read and bait opponents), and it is often argued that excessive CPU training may cause a player to actually become slightly worse by developing habits that only work against CPUs and will be heavily exploited by human players. For example, if a Marth player uses Counter every time a CPU gets close to attack, it would fall for it most of the time (especially higher-level CPUs), without trying to bait the counter or use grabs more often. However, a skilled or even a remotely competent human player would quickly catch onto the Marth player's strategy and exploit it by feigning an attack in the cases where Marth would commonly use Counter, and then punish him with a grab or delayed powerful attack such as a charged smash. Another example is CPUs not avoiding or fighting off edge-guarders effectively in the first three Smash games, which allows players to KO them with basic edgeguarding techniques, while experienced players would prevent this at all costs. Also in Smash 4 and Ultimate, higher-level CPU's (mostly levels 7-9) also have next to frame-perfect aerial dodging, only doing so when a player or CPU inputs the attack near them, or when items such as projectiles end up close enough to them. As a result, high-level CPUs in the air can only effectively be hit by rapid-hitting moves or through true combos. This can make practicing aerial combos infuriating, especially with characters who rely heavily on their aerial games, such as Marth, Peach, and Jigglypuff; this is further accentuated by their constant hold of the jump command while in the air (even when out of jumps), as they will, more often than not, phantom footstool the player, leaving the CPU in a favorable situation away from the player.
However, training against CPUs does have its merits. CPUs can be used to effectively practice combos and chain throws, as well as spacing, punishing, and other tech skill related things. CPUs can be more effective than human players in this regard, as they're always available and won't refuse a match where a player just wants to practice the aforementioned things. Many top professional smashers have reported using CPUs to train, such as Nairo, Vinnie, and Mew2King.
There is, however, no consensus as to which level CPU is best to train against, with players mostly having their own personal opinion on what level is most effective. Some say level 1 CPUs are the best, as they won't have inhuman perfect shielding abilities and won't disrupt the player's training. Some say level 9 CPUs are the best, as they will actively try to fight the player and can punish mistakes the player makes. Some others say level 5 CPUs are the best for being a middle ground between the two extremes. Other players say Level 6-8 CPUs are the best for being challenging but not having inhuman reactions at the same time. Another camp maintains that what level is best is dependent on what a player is trying to practice.
Flaws in the AI[edit]
Learning AI and reading inputs myths[edit]
While still suffering flaws like Smash 64 and Melee, CPUs within Brawl came under scrutiny by members of the Brawl community after analyzing the behavior of them within fights. Two primary theories surrounding the AI eventually became commonplace:
- That the CPU was able to read inputs from human players and thus have perfect reaction times, explaining the excessive propensity of a CPU to perfect shield.
- That a "learning system" existed within Brawl's code that allowed computer players to slowly learn to adapt to human players.
The former rumor was especially controversial, as many smashers thought that allowing the AI to "cheat" was an unfair tactic, and such a programming decision was considered lazy. The American crew SLAPAHO attempted to see whether or not CPUs had perfect reaction times, but their results were eventually declared inconclusive, and more tests were intended to be carried out; inactivity by the group, however, caused these further tests to never occur. In 2013, Canadian smasher Toomai analyzed various animated GIFs of CPUs responding to aerial attacks; it was ultimately demonstrated that CPUs had a reaction time of one frame, and thus, did not read button inputs to form decisions.
The second rumor was primarily spread by an All is Brawl blog post by American smasher Churro; entitled "The Wonders of Brawl's CPU Experience System", Churro claimed that CPUs in Brawl could learn from human players, with such changes being unique from different save files for Brawl. Churro provided video examples of these supposed changes, such as how a CPU Captain Falcon began to more frequently use Falcon Punch following an all-Captain Falcon match featuring overuse of the move. Other videos by other smashers also appeared to show CPUs using tactics such as dash dancing and DACUSes.
Initially widely believed, advances in the hacking scene for Brawl have since disproven the existence of a learning system for CPUs:
- Tests showed that there were no differences in CPU behavior from save files that were over several hundred hours old versus fresh save files; comparisons of two files with significant playtime also showed no differences, when such a case was supposed to have significantly different playstyles.
- Disassembling Replay files showed that no CPU inputs are saved in the file, only human inputs; as such, this meant that whenever a replay was played back, it meant that the CPU would have to react the same way every time in order to prevent desyncing. A learning system could potentially cause CPUs to react differently in replays, thus further disproving the rumor.
- Disassembling the Brawl save file showed that there were no flags or other notes about the AI.
- Disassembly of the game's AI demonstrated no coding for learning from human players.
- Videos demonstrating that the AI could learn are thought to have suffered from confirmation bias; what were thought to be cases of the AI learning were cases of the AI performing as expected, including specific overuse of some attacks.
A rudimentary learning system similar to the above would eventually be used by amiibo in Super Smash Bros. 4 and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, though no such learning system exists outside of this.
See also[edit]
