SI Development Meeting: First Thoughts FM08
Ok guys. Thanks for coming. The first thing on today’s agenda is the general ease in which users can beat the AI standard tactics. Any ideas?
Well, we’ve been working on a few things. One of the problems in previous games was the AI not choosing the correct tactics for the correct situation. We think we have made it a bit smarter, so it won’t just try to play aggressively for 30 secs when one-nil down, but instead for the last 15 mins. We also think the AI should recognise when a 0-0 is a good result and try to shut up shop from the outset. However, they should try to get back in the game at some point if they go a goal down.
So, basically you envision the AI getting smarter and more tactically astute.
Yes. It does mean we will have to program in some slightly weird formations, such as the 4-2-4 and the 3-3-2-1-1, but we do think most users will recognise these being replications of actual 'throw caution to the wind' or 'defend and all costs' tactics. We have also decided to program valiables such as frustration and complacency which will make the unrealistic 45-match unbeaten runs of previous versions much harder to achieve.
Now, I can see where you’re coming from, and obviously a smarter AI would make the game both more realistic and difficult, but I have another idea.
Ok, shoot.
Well, my idea is to screw the user. We’ll make the game so tactically unsophisticated a reasonably intelligent chimp could design a system to outwit it, but we’ll program in cheat codes for the AI to actually stop anyone from winning.
So, how do you see this working?
Well, once the AI recognises the brilliance of the user tactic (usually 7 matches in to the season) and that it can't cope with the disparity in sophistication, it will immediately enter cheat mode.
Which is?
Well, basically cheat mode will work like this. Once it recognises the brilliance of the user tactic, the game will do three things. Firstly, the AI keeper, no matter his stats, will automatically play with a CA of 200. Every shot will be meat and drink to him, so even if the defence are unable to cope, he will save the kitchen sink.
Ok, and?
There will also be a Brazil mode. If the user does score against the superkeeper, the Brazil mode kicks in. What this does is to immediately lower the relative abilities of the user-controlled players to roughly the equivalence of the Sheffield Steel Foundries Second Team circa 1983, whereas the AI will take on all the qualities of the Brazil 1970 vintage. No matter what the user does tactically, the AI will score a minimum of two goals in the last 10 mins, possibly more. It won’t kick in until the last 10 mins as the user will cotton on if it happens too early and they keep on losing by 6 or 7 goals.
And the third idea?
We’ll implement a winning streak cheat. If the user strings together too many wins, we’ll implement the Babel cheat. This will stop his players from being able to speak the same language for half a season, so they won’t understand his instructions and run around like headless chickens. He’ll slide down the table faster than a stripper down a pole.
So, basically the user has no chance?
Well, despite these safeguards, there may be some tactical loopholes we haven’t envisioned which the user may be able to exploit. If this happens we have one more card.
Being?
We’ll instigate the injury cheat. All first team players will go down injured in the space of two weeks, so the user will have to field his U18 side. It won’t matter how he sets up his training, he’ll be without his best players for months.
Ok. Personally, I think the realistic game engine to be a better option, but I guess we should vote.
So, on the table we have two items. One, make the engine more realistic and the AI more tactically sophisticated. Two, code in four cheats to stop users from ever being able to win. Can I have a show of hands? . . . . . OK, it looks like the ‘cheats’ have it. We better tell the mods and regular board users to start writing the ‘Realistic and Improved AI’ threads right now. Can we post out the brown envelopes by the weekend? Great. Once we have this done we can start the coding, and as coding cheats is easier than trying to code realistic simulation I can spend more time sipping Pina Coladas in the SI mansion while playing Everquest. I’m a level 12 rodent with a second-class honours in fairyland witchcraft, you know!
