Too bad MTG Arena's AI games suck compared to this!

[Dino Velvet]

I actually lost a game against the AI !!...which is almost impossible in MTG Arena if you are even a half-way decent deck builder.

[Onix]

Yeah the Arena AI is pretty bad. Stainless had many years to fine tune their AI and make it pretty decent, while it feels like Arena's AI is just an afterthought. I would say Shandalar's AI (Magic game from 1997) is even better than Arena's. I've lost to the Arena AI as well but it is usually because I get mana screwed after my opening hand or I hit a land pocket, drawing nothing but lands.

[Silver]

Well said, OP. Never lost to Sparky the AI in Arena so far. But I like her cute comments and reactions, wish Duels had implemented voiced AI reactions as well. I just wish Sparky used more decks.

I still think the best single player AI deck experience something you can only get from Magic 2015. Because there the AI had some 60 pre-con decks to use against you, too bad you couldnt use those cards for your decks.

[Imnuktam]

Originally posted by Onix:

Yeah the Arena AI is pretty bad. Stainless had many years to fine tune their AI and make it pretty decent, while it feels like Arena's AI is just an afterthought. I would say Shandalar's AI (Magic game from 1997) is even better than Arena's. I've lost to the Arena AI as well but it is usually because I get mana screwed after my opening hand or I hit a land pocket, drawing nothing but lands.

Ive been thinking same things and wondering how AI seems to get worse and worse as decades go by. Where is the pride in your work anymore devs?? I do love the voice acting, remarks and attitude of the sparky but its intelligence is just enough to function and far inferior to this game and shandalar.. Good god that was over 2 decades ago it released.

It really shows how lazy programmers have become and how producers dont want resources spent there when they can instead force funnel everyone into Multiplayer and skip what they probably consider as "the hassle" of programming competent AI.

I would be embarrassed and ashamed to be one of the people who worked on the AI for arena knowing shandalar did it better 23 years ago. That game really just needs a direct remake, still no one has done mtg as well as that.

[jorel91023]

They purposely killed Duels because of their plans for Arena, thinking everyone would simply jump on board, no questions asked. Quality didn't matter, etc.

This is how games and franchises, etc. die.

Wizards is preeeeety greedy. We all know that. They quit in the middle of a block with Duels and that really got people mad..

Re: Shandalar.

Oh God, is that game well-done!!

The whole concept is really nice. RIP Microprose. Great memories. Wish there was a re-master but that'll probably never happen.

[Onix]

If only Arena let Sparky play the decks you created. Then that would atleast be something. Also the black deck Sparky plays is bugged. Sparky has Agonizing Syphon and Bone Splinters in the deck but never ever plays them. They just sit in her hand. Sparky's white deck had the same issue but they fortunately fixed that.

[Dino Velvet]

Originally posted by Daegoth Vilfariel:

I see why ppl love this garbage so much, they prefer to play against ai due to the fail and buggy game where ppl used to exploit time.

I used Sparky only during the tutorial and further "training" after that it became boring and useless.

I have much fun against REAL ppl w/o exploiting the game actually and it's quite good.
Besides ppl exploiting time will lose the game automatically after a time if the game detects idling.

Arena FTW!

Well it would be nice to have a decent AI after you've lost 7+ times in a row to net decks because you happen to be playing similar cards as your opponent. The match-ups are another huge problem in the Arena.. and don't even get me started on the deck shuffler!

[Imnuktam]

Originally posted by Dino Velvet:

Originally posted by Daegoth Vilfariel:

I see why ppl love this garbage so much, they prefer to play against ai due to the fail and buggy game where ppl used to exploit time.

I used Sparky only during the tutorial and further "training" after that it became boring and useless.

I have much fun against REAL ppl w/o exploiting the game actually and it's quite good.
Besides ppl exploiting time will lose the game automatically after a time if the game detects idling.

Arena FTW!

Well it would be nice to have a decent AI after you've lost 7+ times in a row to net decks because you happen to be playing similar cards as your opponent. The match-ups are another huge problem in the Arena.. and don't even get me started on the deck shuffler!

Funny you mention that. I played arena last night after this thread made me want to check it out again.

I played 3 games against 3 different people, and they were all using the same exact blue and green deck just net copied over and over card for card. When i used to play mtgo a lot, every time a grand prix was over you would play copied versions of the top 10 on that over and over and over, so im guessing that deck was something similar. I remember calling people out at times for obvious copy/paste netdecks (especially since i usually had something in match profile saying "no net decks please") and getting responses like "no i changed 6 cards" and they honestly believed they had created a deck because of that.

[One death guy]

not sure about the AI but without 2HG mode Arena can go eat dirt from it's own (__!__)

if they would include 2HG mode in Arena it would be better then Duels but since they said they wont, Duels will simply always be the better game for me

[Silver]

Originally posted by jorel91023:

They purposely killed Duels because of their plans for Arena, thinking everyone would simply jump on board, no questions asked. Quality didn't matter, etc.

This is how games and franchises, etc. die.

Wizards is preeeeety greedy. We all know that.

Wizards have been "killing" their Duels of the Planeswalkers game on a yearly basis since it first came out on PC in summer 2010. In fact,wWhen Magic Duels came out it was the first DotP sequel to last for several years.

Originally posted by jorel91023:

They quit in the middle of a block with Duels and that really got people mad..

fair enough, yeah I remember that sucked for everyone.

Originally posted by Dino Velvet:

after you've lost 7+ times in a row to net decks because you happen to be playing similar cards as your opponent. The match-ups are another huge problem in the Arena..

I think match-ups are worse in "Play" than they are in Ranked Play because in the latter only your rank matters and you lose 1 for every loss but gain 2 for every win and get rewards at the end of the season too.

In Magic Duels there was only Ranked Play if memory serves me right.

Originally posted by wolfwood444 vel Bazi:

not sure about the AI but without 2HG mode Arena can go eat dirt from it's own (__!__)

if they would include 2HG mode in Arena it would be better then Duels but since they said they wont, Duels will simply always be the better game for me

Other DotP games had their unique game types too. Remember Dotp 2013 and Archenemy? Or Dotp 2014 and Planechase?

MTG Arena has new things Duels doesnt have, like Sealed, Draft, Best of 3, Brawl (Commander but with 60 card decks) and yeah, Duels has 2HG

[Dino Velvet]

OMG thank you Silver....I totally didn't know about the 2+ win...I remember they used to have a track that showed you this...I just concede over and over until I faced easier decks.

[One death guy]

Originally posted by Silver:

Other DotP games had their unique game types too. Remember Dotp 2013 and Archenemy?

Duels 2012

[Silver]

youre right. 2012 was Archenemy, 2013 was Planechase, 2014 had sealed boosters for the first time (from a tiny card pool tho), Magic 2015 was the first game that allowed you to build your own decks instead of precons and fight against upto 60 different ai decks (best singleplayer experience IMO), and then we got Magic Duels from mid 2015 to mid 2017 with the magic origins, zendikar, innistrad, kaladesh and half of amonkhet blocks.