Artificial intelligence
AI stands for "Artificial Intelligence." Artificial intelligence in Super Smash Bros. Melee refers to the intelligence of any computer player in vs. mode and 1p mode. In vs. Mode you can set the AI for a CPU, and in Classic mode, Adventure Mode, and All-Star Mode you can set it to some degree.
AI levels range from 1-9. Level 1 being easiest, level 9 being hardest. Beginners tend not to realize that the best way to practice against a computer is to fight a level 1. The reason for this is that the higher the level, the weirder and spammier the play style. The also have much worse DI. Level 9s fight like no human ever will, so it's giving you the wrong kind of practice. For best results, fight against a level 1 and practice combos.
One of the complaints about SSBM and SSB is that the AI is really bad. There are multiple glitches with the AI and many of them can be seen on Youtube. Examples of Bad AI:
SSB(64)
SSB(64) featured rough AI with flaws such as poor recovery abilities and using the same innefective move over and over again in quick succession.
Melee
Most chars spam tap a on level 9, you can grab the edge normally and continously edgehog and most of them kill themselves by jumping over the stage and using up b. Certain stages are notorious for the bad ai for their stage. Examples include raimbow cruise and final destination and both of the mushroom kingdom stages. The stage that is most known for this is congo jungle. By grabbing the stage and then falling (not in the water) and regrabbing after the cpu dies, they attack and kill themselves without damaging you. It is possible to defeat a cpu by just holding on the edge against chars like mario on level 9. This allows a person to kill a cpu once without taking any damage and then grabbing the edge allowing you to beat cpus without getting hit once.
Brawl
In Brawl, the AI is decent, but it has limitaions. Like the original, the default level for computers is 3, unlike Melee, which was 1. Certain characters (namely Ness) know how to use their recoveries more efficiently in Brawl. If a character gets an item like a Starman, rather than just trying to avoid that character, they'll also use the opportunity to attack any stragglers. When a Smash Ball appears, opponents will aggressively attack it at opportune times, while repelling anyone who tries to get it as well. The AI in Training Mode is also improved drastically, as opponents set to Attack will actively fight the player, rather than walking towards them and rarely throwing an attack like the previous games. One change from Melee is that AI players seemt to focus more on attacking human players than each other.
