List of flaws in artificial intelligence (SSB4)

The following is a list of flaws in the artificial intelligence of Super Smash Bros. 4., present in both games up to the most recent version (1.1.0), unless otherwise stated. Note that all flaws listed with a symbol refer to Smash 3DS prior to version 1.0.5, where the AI was updated to match that of Smash U.

General

Category	Description	Character
Attack choices	When a foe gets very close to them after they roll, land from midair or finish another attack, CPUs will nearly always use a grab, or occasionally a jab is the foe is not shielding, becoming predictable. If the player constantly stays a safe distance away from the CPU, it will aggresively dash towards them and use a dash grab or stop the dash in close, making its approach predictable. During this period, the CPU also won't attempt to dodge the player's attacks.	All
	When launched upwards, CPUs tend to fall down above the player and use a down aerial when in close range, or a stall-then-fall special if they have one, even though this can be easily shielded and punished, when landing safely away from the player would have been a better option.	All
	Like in Melee and Brawl, CPUs that launch a foe a significant distance upwards will just wait for them on the ground to spam up tilts and up smashes as they come near, rarely using other attacks.	All
	As mentioned above, CPUs make constant use of their forward smash and grab to attack at close range.	All
	CPUs persistently try to use certain projectiles or special moves even when only one of them can be out at a time, or when a certain period of time must pass for the special to be used again; they will just use it again with no results, causing them to become vulnerable most of the time. These moves include Clown Cannon, Mechakoopa, Wario Bike, Banana Peel, Robin's four special moves (of which Thunder and Arcfire suffer the most from this behavior), Robo Beam, Gyro, Pikmin Throw and Bonus Fruit. When at a long distance from a player, a CPU may even stall in place trying to spam these moves, without trying to approach the player at all for a long while.	All
	When at a moderate distance from a foe, most CPUs often jump before shooting projectiles, even if these are fired in a straight horizontal trajectory, such as Water Shuriken or Charge Shot, or at an otherwise more vertical angle, such as Shot Put, causing them to miss if the foe just stays on the ground.	All
	When using a projectile repeatedly, CPUs tend to not move and reposition themselves between uses of it, causing them to constantly miss with projectiles that only cover a specific distance, such as Shot Put and Explosive Flame, leaving themselves open.	All
	CPUs are extremely incompetent at attacking foes hanging on ledges: when this happens, they most of the time just stay in place and spam their usual special moves, even if they don't reach the foe at all, and attack with a down tilt or smash only if they were previously near the ledge, rarely approaching at all. This easily allows the player to get up freely or stall the CPUs on the ledge by edge hopping and attacking them from above.	All
Shielding and Dodging	If a CPU is not in lag when a nearby player has intangibility from a roll or sidestep, it will also roll, taking the intangibility as a menace; if this is done repeatedly, the CPU will continously roll around, seemingly rolling in lockstep with the player, attacking only if the player is not intangible as the CPU's lag ends, instead of simply punishing them. This easily allows the player to bait the CPU and get followups. CPUs also behave similarly when the player has invincibility via respawning or equipment.	All
	CPUs hold their shield against incoming attacks even if they have remarkable shield breaking potential (such as Hand Slap, also notorious with items like the Hammer and Home-Run Bat) or are strengthened enough by equipment to do so, allowing the player to easily set up followups and KOs on them afterwards.	All
	As mentioned above, CPUs shielding attacks at a fair distance might hold them for a long time or constantly put them on and off until they are close to breaking, regardless of what the player does.	All
	When on a platform, CPUs shielding attacks from below will just hold their shields in place if attacked repeatedly, or drop them to then shield the next attack again, not trying to roll or jump away until their shield is close to breaking. This allows them to be easily shield stabbed.	All
	When a player charges a special move whose charge can be held indefinitely, such as Hero's Bow or Rollout, CPUs without projectiles (or approach special moves they spam) behave rather eccentrically: they will recurrently jump and fall down while moving a slight distance forward, repeating the process and randomly rolling away from the player as they get closer, only attacking if the player is within close range as they jump or land. While they still attempt to dodge these attacks when released, this behavior can be easily exploited by unleashing the attack as they are falling down, invariably hitting them. CPUs also behave this way against a Wii Fit Trainer player using Deep Breathing, despite her becoming vulnerable, no matter how long the move is used.	All
Recovery	When recovering while above ground level, CPU Link and Toon Link at high levels will use their Boomerang even if that leaves them vulnerable against nearby edge guarders, or otherwise doesn't reach the foe at all. CPU Mario and Dr. Mario behave the same way with Fireball/Megavitamins, as does CPU Pikachu with Thunder Jolt.
	When using their up specials during recovery while above ground level, CPU Fox and Falco will aim for nearby onstage foes instead of a safe ledge, leaving themselves easily punishable. CPU Mii Swordfighter exhibits the same behavior with Skyward Slash Dash, assuming the move is equipped.
	CPU Palutena never uses Super Speed to recover, and won't try to attack after using Jump Glide even when onstage. CPU R.O.B. behaves similarly with Robo Burner, not attacking or dodging after using it until landing or grabbing an edge. CPU Palutena never uses Angelic Missile to recover.
	CPU Pac-Man never uses Power Pellet to recover. When using Pac-Jump, CPU Pac-Man often doesn't bounce on the trampoline again unless a wall in front forces him to do so, causing him to be KO'd if the first bounce doesn't achieve enough distance for him to recover.
	(pre-1.0.5) CPU Luigi, Sheik and Zero Suit Samus never aid their recoveries with their respective down specials, causing them to fail their recoveries and get KO'd if their other recovery moves do not attain enough distance to get back onto the stage. (pre-1.0.6) CPU Mii Brawler similarly never uses Feint Jump to recover.
	(pre-1.0.6) When using Abandon Ship, CPU Bowser Jr. never attacks with the hammer, instead air dodging continously when pursued until landing or grabbing an edge.
	(pre-1.0.6) CPUs of characters with multiple midair jumps, as well as Ness, often intentionally hover by the ledge using up all of them before grabbing it, instead of simply getting back to the stage, leaving themselves open to subsequent gimps. (1.0.5 onward) This behavior is still exhibited by Ness and Lucas in current versions of Smash 4. In his case, they always distance away from the edge to aim at it with PK Thunder 2 (or z-air in the case of Lucas), becoming extremely vulnerable to gimps.
	As mentioned above, CPUs will never avoid or fight off edgeguarders during their recovery, making them much easier to KO than human players.	All
	At high levels, CPU Wario most of the time aids his recovery with Wario Bike before using Corkscrew. When knocked out of the move's jump, however, he may persistently try to use the move again even if he hasn't got the Bike back, initiating Wario's "searching around" animation and getting KO'd. He may also exhibit this behavior if his Bike is onstage due to a prior use of the move.
	In most cases, CPU Diddy Kong aims Rocketbarrel Boost horizontally, even if the stage ledge is above him, causing him to be KO'd when he could have survived otherwise. CPU Mii Gunner behaves similarly with Arm Rocket, assuming the move is equipped.
	CPU Charizard never uses Flare Blitz to recover.
	CPU Ness always aims PK Thunder 2 in the same upwards, barely horizontal trajectory when recovering, often causing him to fail to recover if the ledge or platform he is aiming at is at a more horizontal distance (as the CPU commonly won't wait to be below it to use the move either).
	At high levels, CPU Shulk often activates his Jump Art before using Air Slash to recover. However, he does this even if he had already used another Art, having to scroll all the way to the Jump Art before being able to use Air Slash, waiting too long to recover and getting KO'd.
	CPU Mega Man at high levels usually tries to use Crash Bomber after Rush Coil if he doesn't grab an edge instantly with the move, even though it doesn't affect recovery; in some occasions, this can cause him to miss a nearby ledge and get KO'd. At low levels, he may even use Crash Bomber only, without using Rush Coil at all, causing him to be KO'd without trying to recover.
	When using Soaring Axe Kick and Stone Scabbard for recovery, CPU Mii Fighters won't wait to be underneath the ledge they're aiming at, at a range the distance given by the move is more desirable for recovering, habitually using the move instantly after their midair jump and self-destructing easily because of the moves' falldown.
Other	When hit by Mega Man's up aerial, CPUs often use a midair jump after taking its repeated hits, even if they end up being pushed by the tornado towards the upper blast line, getting KO'd earlier by the move.	All
	When Shurikens of Light are repeatedly shot against CPUs at a far distance (near to the point where the move gets maximum power), they will just hold their shield in place even if the attack doesn't reach them at all, holding it until it's close to breaking if the player doesn't cease fire, allowing the player to get easy shield stabs and breaks on them afterwards. In this situation, CPUs with reflectors will also rarely use them at all.	All
	CPUs still ignore when Team Attack is on, carelessly using powerful moves like smash attacks even if there are teammates with high damage near them, thus KOing them. When accidentally grabbing teammates, they will also still pummel and throw them.	All
Reminiscent of Brawl	When launched a high distance, high-leveled CPUs will almost always air dodge after hitstun ends, very ocassionally jumping or using an aerial attack instead, which allows players to easily get followups on them. In this case, they will also never interrupt their air dodges with an action besides another dodge. In this situation, CPUs may also air dodge continously until they land, without trying to counterattack pursuing players at all, and will still air dodge when close to the ground as well, becoming vulnerable due to the landing lag.	All
	When grabbing edges, CPUs frequently choose to jump from them instead of using other options, ignoring players that may punish them.	All
	During the period a player has respawn invincibility, CPUs will still jump into a nearby platform, and flee to others when the player pursues them, without attempting to dodge their attacks.	All
	When a player and a CPU with a chargeable projectile are on opposite sides of a stage, the CPU will still constantly charge and fire the projectile in place until the player comes near, allowing them to easily reflect or absorb them.
	CPU Kirby often uses his forward aerial after a midair jump to attack edgeguarders during his recovery, regardless of his level, which, while making him harder to gimp, is a very predictable and stoppable process as the CPU will never attempt to act differently.
	CPU Meta Knight tends to use Dimensional Cape over his other special moves to recover, even when Shuttle Loop and Drill Rush are vastly superior options; he usually only uses the former when a ledge is directly above him, and never uses the latter at all.
	CPUs with a Gooey Bomb or Crash Bomber stuck to them constantly shield and dodge until they wear off or explode, ignoring nearby players in the process.	All

Character Specific

Character	Description
Mario Dr. Mario	CPU Mario and Dr. Mario tend to use Cape/Super Sheet after a jump, instead of their superior aerial attacks, leaving themselves open to punishes if predicted correctly.
Luigi	CPU Luigi tends to use Luigi Cyclone when approaching the player.
Peach	CPU Peach will almost never air dodge attacks while floating.
	(1.0.5 onward) The CPUs characters shown left use their grab special moves (Flying Slam, Egg Lay, Chomp, Nosferatu, Inhale, Force Palm and Confusion respectively) almost as much as their grab, and in the same instances, leaving themselves open to attacks if they miss (since they are usually laggier than regular grabs).
Bowser	CPU Bowser will roll constantly even during his Final Smash if a player is intangible from a roll or sidestep while he is not in lag (as described above), allowing the player to stall and time out him in this way.
Yoshi	CPU Yoshi will sometimes jump before using Egg Lay even if the foe is on the ground, thus missing with the move.
Rosalina	CPU Rosalina will never intentionally attempt to make Luma attack projected away from her upon using Luma Shot, only calling him back to use the move over again, causing him to be easily KO'd by foes. She will also persistently try to call Luma back even when he's stunned from an attack (period during which he cannot be called back), leaving herself open to enemy attacks.
Bowser Jr.	After using Shadow Mario Paint, CPU Bowser Jr. will repeatedly spam Clown Cannon (without charging it) in place until it wears off, regardless of his level.
	(1.0.6 onward) CPU Bowser Jr. spams Clown Kart Dash when at far distances from the player.
Wario	CPU Wario often uses Wario Bike when at far distances from the player. He additionally most of the time turns around as he gets close to the foe, even if that causes him to not hit at all, and also attempts to use the move even if his Bike is onstage and away from him, initiating his "searching around" animation and failing to do so.
Donkey Kong	When grabbing a foe, CPU Donkey Kong nearly always uses his cargo up throw, rarely using his many other throws, only using cargo down throw when grabbing near an edge. He also often uses the throw instantly, not pummeling the foe until very high percentages.
Diddy Kong	CPU Diddy Kong never attempts to pick up his Banana Peels, even when he intentionally spawns them.
Samus	CPU Samus often repeatedly uses Bombs when above the player, even if there is a platform below her.
	CPU characters with chargeable projectiles that can be stored often spam weak projectiles after unleashing a fully charged one, even if they don't reach the foe at all.
Zero Suit Samus	CPU Zero Suit Samus tends to use Flip Jump when at a medium distance from the player, often failing to hit with it.
	She also tends to use Plasma Whip against the player when near the move's maximum range.
Palutena	CPU Palutena spams Super Speed (if equipped) when at far distances from the player.
Marth Lucina	CPU Marth and Lucina tend to use Dancing Blade to attack the player at close distances.
	CPU Lucina almost always tries to combo her down throw into Dolphin Slash, even when this often proves to be a poor attempt at doing so, being easily avoidable by DIing away and leaving her vulnerable afterwards.
	The CPUs shown left (most notably Little Mac and Shulk) constantly use their counterattacks against the player if they use a powerful attack (such as an aerial or smash) near them, even if it doesn't hit the CPUs, leaving themselves open to baits and punishes. They sometimes also randomly use them after landing from midair or launching an attack, or near the edge of the stage against recovering foes, even if they don't attack at all.
Ike Meta Knight	When the player is knocked down or hanging on a ledge, CPU Ike will nearly always use Quick Draw, as will Meta Knight with Mach Tornado, regardless of their distance from the foe, which often prove to be ineffective.
Robin	CPU Robin never attempt to pick up Tomes or Levin Swords they drop.
Little Mac	CPU Little Mac tends to use Straight Lunge when at a medium distance from the player.
	He will roll constantly even during his Final Smash if a player is intangible from a roll or sidestep while he is not in lag (as described above), allowing the player to stall and time out him in this way.
	(pre-1.0.6) CPU Little Mac doesn't properly notice when his Power Meter is maxed out, using his neutral special in the same instances he would use Straight Lunge, thus using his KO Uppercut too far from the opponent and wasting it, while not taking advantage of releasing it when a player is close to him. He also tries to use it against players falling down nearby or hanging on ledges; an attempt that can be easily avoided.
Fox Falco	CPU Fox and Falco sometimes use Fox Illusion/Falco Phantasm or Fire Fox/Bird instead of their Blaster from far distances, even if these moves don't cover enough distance or are otherwise extremely punishable.
	CPU Falco always shoots only two or three times when using Blaster, and doesn't end the move quicker even if the player gets close to him, becoming vulnerable to attacks.
Pikachu	Besides Thunder Jolt, CPU Pikachu tends to jump forward and use Thunder when approaching, even if it doesn't hit at all and leaves Pikachu vulnerable right in front of the player.
Lucario	CPU Lucario will roll constantly even during its Final Smash if a player is intangible from a roll or sidestep while the CPU is not in lag (as described above), allowing the player to stall and time out Lucario in this way.
Jigglypuff	CPU Jigglypuff almost always attacks with Rollout when at far distances, and turns around as it is near the foe to hit on the way back rather than immediately, making it easily punishable.
Greninja	CPU Greninja almost always approaches with Shadow Sneak when at far distances.
Ness Lucas	CPU Ness and Lucas tend to use PK Thunder 2 to approach when at far distances, giving the player a long amount of time to dodge and punish them. They additionally use it even if there are platforms above them, causing the beam to vanish and interrupting the attack.
	(pre-1.0.5) When using PK Flash, CPU Ness always charges the move to nearly its maximum against grounded opponents, no matter how close they are to him, allowing them to punish him with powerful attacks like fully charged smashes.
Captain Falcon Ganondorf	CPU Captain Falcon and Ganondorf often use Falcon Kick/Wizard's Foot at far distances from the player.
	They additionally tend to use Raptor Boost/Flame Choke against foes near the moves' maximum range.
Villager	CPU Villager rarely performs Timber properly, failing to detect where he planted the sapling or tree to initiate the next phases of the move, and occasionally even attacking his own tree (instead of using the axe) when it grows.
Olimar	If the player doesn't approach, CPU Olimar will often persistently use Pikmin Throw in place even after having thrown all possible Pikmin.
Wii Fit Trainer	CPU Wii Fit Trainer using Deep Breathing never attempts to end the move earlier, and may use it repeatedly even though it becomes slower per use, allowing players to easily punish them with powerful attacks like charged smashes.
Pac-Man	If a CPU Pac-Man can't use his Bonus Fruit for some reason, he will persistently use Power Pellet in the same situations he would use Bonus Fruit, becoming extremely predictable and punishable. At lower levels (or all of them in older 3DS versions), he will instead try to uselessly summon another Bonus Fruit, doing this repeated times before approaching the player.
	CPU Pac-Man often uses Fire Hydrant when above the player, even if there is a platform below him.
Sonic	CPU Sonic spams Spin Charge to approach from far distances.
Mewtwo	After being launched upwards, CPU Mewtwo will sometimes Teleport diagonally down as it falls even if not attacked, leaving it highly vulnerable afterwards. It will even do this near edges on some stages, causing it to self-destruct.
Mii Brawler	CPU Mii Brawler often uses Burning Dropkick at far distances to approach. If they have Onslaught equipped instead, they often use it against foes near the move's maximum range.
	After down throw, CPU Mii Brawler tend to not jump before using Helicopter Kick, thus missing with the move and becoming vulnerable.
Mii Swordfighter	CPU Mii Swordfighter spams Power Thrust when approaching the player.
Mii Gunner	CPU Mii Gunner never fires Laser Blaze continously, always shooting once at a time.

Item Related

While the CPUs in Smash 4 appear to understand items better than those in both Melee and Brawl, they still exhibit flaws when approaching or using certain ones:

Item	Description
Explosives	Like in Brawl, CPUs throw explosives such as Deku Nuts and Smart Bombs against foes too close to them even if that causes them to get caught in the explosions that follow, self-destructing in the process (especially with Bob-ombs).
File:BeehiveSSB4.jpg File:CuccoSSB4.jpg	CPUs often inadvertently attack Cuccos and Beehives in an attempt to attack other players.
File:Gold.jpg	CPUs still experiment most flaws from Brawl when using the Hammer.
File:FranklinBadgeSSB4.jpg	CPUs do not recognize Franklin Badges, and often use projectiles (including fully charged ones) on players who are wearing them, even though this may prove to be fatal.
File:BumperSSB4.jpg File:MotionSensorBombSSB4.jpg File:UniraSSB4.jpg	While CPUs are overall better at avoiding dangerous items activated by anyone other than them, this can become a problem with Motion-Sensor Bombs, Uniras and Bumpers. If one is activated between the thrower and a CPU, it will repeatedly walk up to it, only to back up at the last second (either by jumping backwards, rolling, or sidestepping) and occasionally use a random attack, rarely managing to jump over it unless there are other CPUs at the same side. If these items are activated close to a CPU and the player goes to its other side, the CPU may also roll straight into them trying to dodge them.
	If a CPU is cornered near the edge of a stage by a player facing away from them while wearing a Back Shield, the CPU may continuously attack the shield or roll backwards rather than trying another option such as jumping over the player.
	CPUs won't use the Ore Club correctly; when holding it, they often stand in place and use its forward tilt repeatedly as if expecting this to produce a projectile, even though a forward smash must be used to do this. They also do this with most other battering items, persistently using jabs and forward tilts with them even if the foe is not in range.

Stage Related

Stage	Description
	On large stages such as Temple, CPUs tend to only fight players near them without pursuing players who are a great distance away, even for prolonged amounts of time, unless there is only one opponent.
	On Delfino Plaza and stages with a similar layout, CPUs will usually aim their recoveries below the main platform instead of aiming for the ledges (thus requiring less height to recover), causing them to get KO'd if their recovery moves do not grant enough distance to propel them above the platform, when they could have given enough distance for them to grab the ledges instead.
	On Windy Hill Zone, when knocked off the edges, CPUs will often delay their recoveries even if that causes them to hit the rotating springs, usually getting KO'd in the process. Their tendency to do this does not change even if they bounce to the side instead, as they will once again not recover soon enough, which effectively KOs them seeing how low the springs are positioned.
	On The Great Cave Offensive, CPUs will still jump to use aerials or try to reach higher-placed foes even if below a low ceiling with Danger Zones, receiving avoidable damage and eventually self-destructing.
	On Jungle Hijinxs, CPUs exhibit numerous behavioral oddities: When in a different layer than a human player, they often linger in their current layer for long periods of time without following the player. When they do chase them, they will often perform repeated short hops below the barrel cannons instead of jumping full height, causing themselves to miss. Additionally, they do not normally wait for the appropriate amount of time after launching from a barrel cannon, and thus enter other cannons while on fire, potentially self-destructing.
	In the third section of Paper Mario, CPUs who are standing on the Bowser head won't pay attention to when the head rotates, often focusing on fighting anyone else who may be on there too, rather than maintaining their footing, often resulting in them falling off and not making it back to the stage.
	On Corneria, CPUs will attempt to grab items even if they fall onto the Great Fox's laser blaster, often not being able to make it back onto the ship's deck afterwards (repeatedly jumping in place or off the gun only to get back onto it), forcing them to stay put until they are inevitably blasted offscreen.

Update History

1.0.5

• AI is matched to that of Smash U, significantly improving it. In addition, some other changes were made:
  • CPUs now instantly shoot to the ledge of the stage with their up special when underneath it, preventing them from self-destructing in an attempt to dodge attacks while recovering.
  • CPU Luigi, Sheik and Zero Suit Samus now use their down specials to recover, though Luigi uses it without rising.
  • CPU Bowser Jr. now uses Clown Kart Dash to recover.
  • CPU Ness no longer uses PK Flash on land, instead using it only for edgeguards.

1.0.6

• CPUs now unleash a fully charged smash on a foe stunned from a broken shield, instead of a random attack.
• CPUs now attempt to steal ledges from foes.
• CPUs with multiple jumps no longer hover by the ledge of the stage when recovering.
• CPUs wait for a couple of seconds before using Share Stock.
• CPU Luigi properly rises when using Luigi Cyclone to recover. He now combos his down throw into forward air instead of up air.
• CPU Bowser Jr. uses Clown Kart Dash on land much more often, and now uses the hammer when recovering with Abandon Ship.
• CPU Marth and Lucina perform all hits of Dancing Blade more often, but have a higher tendency of using the move as a result.
• CPU Little Mac properly uses his KO Uppercut.
• CPU Sonic now uses Spin Dash before his midair jump to recover.
• CPU Mii Brawler uses Feint Jump to recover.

1.0.8

• CPUs with z-airs now integrate them into midair combat.
• CPUs use down throws more often, and additionally, more CPU characters such as Ness and Link are coded to use down throw combos.

See also

• Flaws in artificial intelligence

External links

A video showcasing the CPUs' poor navigation of several stages, allowing a lucky player to win against level nine CPUs by doing absolutely nothing (in reference to a Mario Party meme).