I Swear, Arms’ AI Must Be Cheating – Kotaku

I am very sure that the Arms AI is cheating, and I am not the only person who thinks so.

Im not saying this because losing to a games AI is a little embarrassing. Actually, Arms AI is remarkably robust. At higher levels, it is always one step ahead of me at every moment, much like AIs in fighting games like Tekken 7. The Arms AIs reflexes are slick and, frustratingly, its always readied some perfect counter for even my most clever moves. Thats normalits a computer. Not normal is how it appears to break the games physics engine to pummel me over and over again.

I swear Im not crazy. Theres a whole conversation going on in the Arms community about its AI. Last month, a Redditer noticed that when I activate my special while the CPUs arms are being extended, the CPU somehow immediately enters a block without having to retract the arms again, something I and many others noticed too. Commenters debated whether Arms AI is just as precise as other fighting games or whether, by doing stuff humans cant do, its shady and unfair.

I spent an hour looking for potentially game-breaking behavior while playing against Arms AIs ranging between levels five and seven. And heres what I found:

I cant wrap my head around the way it can magically retract its extended arms to block me, or how an arm can appear half-extended to foil a grab.

I cant understand why its arms nearly always take priority in situations where it should be more ambiguous. Playing against a high-level Arms AI, it feels like the game reluctantly cedes to you in fist-to-fist situations only when you land perfect direct hits (and the AIs fists seem to be much luckier).

Also confusing is how its arms seem to block my attacks after theyve hit.

Nintendo declined to comment when asked whether Arms AI is doing the 2017 equivalent of GameSharking, as they did when Competes Maddy Myers asked whether Mario Kart 8 Deluxes AI cheats, too.

Unlike in Super Smash Bros., players can actually grind against Arms (cheating) AI and level up in accuracy and dexterity. Thats good. But playing against a broken AI can also make the game less fun. An AIs difficulty should rely on proper strategy, not hacking.

Link:

I Swear, Arms' AI Must Be Cheating - Kotaku