NPC's are Out of Control [PS NA]

El_Borracho · March 7

The AI or RNG or whatever you want to call it has reached a new level since Midyear Mayhem started. Or at least that is when I noticed it. At first I thought it was just bad luck, but then it continued.

In about 1 of every 5 games I play as part of the daily "Cards Across the Continent," the NPC has been getting an incredible run of cards. I've seen the NPC obtain 3 Midnight Raid cards in a row. I've seen the same with Apocryphal Pact, Conquest, and Warrior Wave. Its the same pattern every time, normally early in the game. Its only in games connected to Cards Across the Continent, I have not seen it in random games.

The NPC will pick Red Eagle and either Ansei or Mora. The NPC will go first and get one of these 4 point cards. It will be replaced by trash, although if you pick Rajhin, it will be Pounce/Grand Larceny. I pick my card, usually Pounce/Grand Larceny, then one of these 4 pointer cards will replace it and I don't have the coin or ability to wipe it. NPC picks the card, either some trash appears behind it or a Rajhin agent. Now, if I choose another card I want from the tavern, the pattern repeats. If I choose to cash a coin and not pick up a card, the NPC will invariably get 6 coins in his hand, pick a 2 coin card already on the board, one of these 4 coin cards will replace it, and he has just enough coin to buy it. Alternatively, if Druid King is an agent, the NPC will get 2 of the 1 point power cards in his hand with 3 others that add up to 4 coins, inexplicably use the Druid patron, and voila, one of these 4 coin cards appears. I have not seen this happen more than 3 times in a row.

Then the fun begins. At least 2 of these cards will magically appear in every single hand for the rest of the game. I know some will think "that's because the NPC is destroying cards to whittle down their deck." Nope. It doesn't matter if the NPC has 10+ cards, at least 2 will appear back to back, every single time. And unlike the comedic NPC behavior that uses Red Eagle or cards to destroy their deck, the NPC will not destroy these 4 point cards when this pattern kicks in. It doesn't matter if you see the cards in the cooldown, they will appear in the NPC's next hand.

The only tell or trigger I have noticed is that you don't get any power cards at all in these hands. Neither tavern power nor patron cards that have power. I don't know if this continues through the end of the game as I have quit in frustration after the 5th round when I am down 16-20 after being barraged. But this one is nuts

Necrotech_Master · March 7

for me ive never noticed this happening to the NPC (in fact half of the time im playing tribute im not even watching my screen while the NPC takes its turns lol)

ive even had matches where the NPC had gotten armory and midnight raid cards and within a few turns ended up using the treasury on those cards lol

the last time i played the NPCs, out of all 3 matches, 2 of them removed every usable card from their deck (ignoring the bewilderments lol)

i just habitually play rahjin and red eagle decks against the npcs, and almost regardless of whatever other patrons are in play, they predictably do the same shenanigans (removing useful cards, converting useful cards to writ of coin, never touching bewilderments) so much that they just gimp themselves to a point they cant even play any cards lol

Pixiepumpkin · March 9

I am 100% convinced that the NPC's deck that plays is based on your deck. I see it all too often.

I am on my 4th NPC loss in a row right now, I RARELY lose to NPC's....but tonight, I cant get a string of luck for anything. They always have a deck that counters me.

WTB real RNG, not fauxRNG.

EDIT 7 losses in a row, 8th finally won. Never since the launch of TOT have I had a streak this bad, not against players or NPC's.

Frankly, knowing its rigged is turning me off from the game.

spartaxoxo · March 9

Pixiepumpkin wrote: »

I am 100% convinced that the NPC's deck that plays is based on your deck. I see it all too often.

I am on my 4th NPC loss in a row right now, I RARELY lose to NPC's....but tonight, I cant get a string of luck for anything. They always have a deck that counters me.

WTB real RNG, not fauxRNG.

EDIT 7 losses in a row, 8th finally won. Never since the launch of TOT have I had a streak this bad, not against players or NPC's.

Frankly, knowing its rigged is turning me off from the game.

Unlucky streaks are inevitable in a true RNG system.

Pixiepumpkin · March 9

spartaxoxo wrote: »

Pixiepumpkin wrote: »

I am 100% convinced that the NPC's deck that plays is based on your deck. I see it all too often.

I am on my 4th NPC loss in a row right now, I RARELY lose to NPC's....but tonight, I cant get a string of luck for anything. They always have a deck that counters me.

WTB real RNG, not fauxRNG.

EDIT 7 losses in a row, 8th finally won. Never since the launch of TOT have I had a streak this bad, not against players or NPC's.

Frankly, knowing its rigged is turning me off from the game.

Unlucky streaks are inevitable in a true RNG system.

This is not RNG. You play enough games, you can see the pattern. This is well known.

FrancisCrawford · March 9

I only play against NPCs.

I only play against Expert NPCs.

I always choose Hunding and Pelin, unless the NPC takes one or both first, because those are patrons and decks the NPC doesn't misplay as ridiculously as some of the others (e.g. inappropriate deck whittling, or flipping the Crow patron for 1 coin).

I haven't run into these problems.

I think my win rate is >90%. In connection with that, I VERY rarely lose 2 in a row without a clear cause (distractions at home, technical problems, trying out dumb moves to see what happens ...)

SeaGtGruff · March 9

A few updates ago, there was an adjustment to the NPCs' programming and I started losing to them for a while. But now that I've learned to anticipate their tactics again, my win rate is back up to 95% or higher. I haven't noticed any new changes after the most recent updates.

spartaxoxo · March 9

Pixiepumpkin wrote: »

spartaxoxo wrote: »

Pixiepumpkin wrote: »

I am 100% convinced that the NPC's deck that plays is based on your deck. I see it all too often.

I am on my 4th NPC loss in a row right now, I RARELY lose to NPC's....but tonight, I cant get a string of luck for anything. They always have a deck that counters me.

WTB real RNG, not fauxRNG.

EDIT 7 losses in a row, 8th finally won. Never since the launch of TOT have I had a streak this bad, not against players or NPC's.

Frankly, knowing its rigged is turning me off from the game.

Unlucky streaks are inevitable in a true RNG system.

This is not RNG. You play enough games, you can see the pattern. This is well known.

You can't just play games and observe a pattern. You'd have to play a lot of games over a long time period and track your wins and losses manually.

Personally I have not needed to do this as even when I get really bad starting hands, the NPC makes too many mistakes still that causes them to squander it.

El_Borracho · March 11

Update, I was playing this weekend and I got this pattern in my favor. Expert NPC. NPC picked Red Eagle and Crow. I picked Ansei and Rajhin. I got 3 Midnight Raids in the first 3 turns and a 4th by my 5th turn. The NPC got trash and Rajhin agents the whole time. Then I was getting a minimum of 2 Midnight Raids a turn, with the reshuffle always giving me 2 up front. Unless the winds of chance blow erratically, there appears to be new pattern.