Some details on enemy AI

So, I figured I would offer an update and give a brief description of how the enemy AI is going to work. It's pretty involved, and will probably be way more complex than the AI in a lot of card games.

As a reminder, this is only the beginning, as I'm just trying to get something basic in there right now.

For starters, there are three main categories: random, simple, and complex. Random is simple, just pick random actions, and simple and complex are pretty similar but complex generally takes more into account.

Every opponent in the game will have a favored stat, and for simple mode will have indicators saying if they want to maximize their number of that stat, minimize yours, or both.

Complex mode instead of maximum or minimum chooses the highest floor, highest ceiling, or highest average outcome among net outcomes in their chosen stat. Complex mode also will have a number of other attributes to determine things like if they have knowledge of your decklist, among other things.

The stats available for this are threat level (calculated in a few different potential ways for each card. Each ability on each card has its own threat that you can modify), total mana cost, attack, hp, mana provided, cards in hand, cards in deck, and board size. When one of these isn't applicable to a certain card or effect, it will mostly default to threat level.

As you can see, this allows for a lot of different variation, so it's entirely possible every opponent will play slightly differently. Plus burn decks will do their own thing, which I haven't worked on yet.

Anyway, I don't want to go too deep into the actual process, but I want to hit a couple highlights of things that will be in there (some only in complex mode):

• Factoring in counterspells based on probability on your decklist and cards players (complex mode)

• Baiting counters and kill spells if it knows you have one

• Using instants to save stronger cards when something is targeting them or attacking/blocking

• Factoring in instant speed blockers

• Accounting for every combination of known spell ability, and combination of blockers when determining attackers (complex mode)

• Finishing you off when you're low and protecting itself when it is low

• Not wasting strong spells

• Saving removal for the strongest cards in your deck (complex mode)

There is more, WAY MORE, SO MUCH MORE. But I'm not going to give a bunch of technical details because that seems boring, and the AI needs to seem a little magic. Also I haven't finished it yet at all.

But you can expect CPU opponents that, well some will be terrible, but some should be a LOT tougher than you're used to.

I'll still be working on the game every day unless I make it known otherwise.

Until next time,

Connor