I'm going to re-post this (because I feel it was lost in the shuffle of the back and forth between dyzalot and tblcommish), to make a point which I will elaborate on below:
Here is a similar issue I posted about last fall:
Quote:
AI In-Game
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I have a long-running dynasty running (currently in year 2032 after starting in 2014).
I will only watch a game played (as GM) when I consider it an important game (usually an elimination-type game).
Recently, in a game #7 scenario I watched my team's manager make a move which was questionable at best....but seemed like the AI should easily NOT make this decision.
The game went into extra innings, and after several substitutions, my backup middle infielders were in the game.
I have a backup utility INF who is good at every infield position - but best at 2B, and a backup second baseman who is ONLY able to play 2B.
Sadly, my AI manager put my Utility INF at this best position of 2B but left my backup 2B at a totally unfamiliar posiiton of SS. This led to disaster as a ground ball hit to the SS ended the game on a 2 out error.
Why would the AI do this? Is there a measure to help this not happen that I am not aware of?
Thank you to anyone who has any help / comments to offer.
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It is beyond clear that the AI should have put the backup utility INF at SS (since he could play 2B, SS, 3B equally well), and the backup 2B at 2B (since he could
only play 2B).
The replies were (verbatim):
Quote:
#1, The Wolf: Sounds like the AI programming needs more work
#2, JM Durron: I wish I could help more, but my solution to the in-game AI is to make all of the decisions myself during every game. That way, I only have myself to blame.
#3, SteveP: No. The game engine should optimize fielding any time there is a change, just as does when the AI sets a lineup/depth chart for a team. Markus contends that the engine does this, but it is certainly hard to see that. The game engine is designed so that any player can play any position (even catcher). I think this is a matter of expediency. That may help to explain what we see, since the probability of a player who is badly assigned making an error is significantly less that would occur in real life (or at least I think so -- it's difficult to make a statistically valid analysis). My solution is to interrupt the game and fix the fielding assignments as best I can, not only for my team but also for the other team. Not something that works for you considering how to play the game.
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So, while dyzalot's deal with offensive substitutions at an inappropriate time that then affect defensive substitituions/positionings....mine deals with defensive positioning of players who have been substituted for.
And, yes, I can certainly stop the game and make the changes, myself, for my team (and the other team if I am in commission mode) ... but that is a "work around" which isn't suitable...bc I can't play-out every game between every team for the entire season, and the AI's teams are suffering from these types of decisions in games that they play against each other (as well as my own team suffering in its games that I'm not watching).
Above all, the issue I personally noted above seems like it should never, ever happen with the "checks" that the sim engine is said to run to ensure that this doesn't happen.
How many games are lost by an AI team playing an AI team because of this? How many games do I lose that I sim through? How many extra games can I win by using the "work around" of fixing my team and not the AI's? How skewed are the records of AI teams that lose games to other AI teams due to this? Or AI teams that win games due to the other AI team making this same mistake? That, honestly, borderline can be seen as game-breaking.
The solution is not a work-around. The solution is enhancing the sim engine / AI.
To Markus Heinsohn (in reply to your comment):
Please understand I am not trying to flame the thread or be obnoxious. My above post was posted with good and true intentions in order to display that, yes, many times the suggestions are to "work-around" this or that... but... that isn't what the answer
should be.
Because, you have to keep in mind...that a work around helps you and hurts the AI. Or, if you use the work around on both teams in a game, it helps both.
However; it does NOT help the AI when the AI is playing itself during the sim. Last year, when I posted that issue, I was not aware of how to post my game logs, this, that...and, honestly, the answers I received about simply working around or, essentially, "I don't see this, ever" frustrated me and I stopped playing. I'm not crazy...I know what I watched happen. So I can understand where dyzalot is coming from.
Now...I do have the desire to continue playing and will be purchasing v16 and playing it (as it provides a great utility at a very modest price). However; if I see these issues replicated, I promise I will attempt to figure out a way to go through the process of notifying those who need to be notified.
But...the answer can't always be (and I'm speaking for the community vets who do answer like this): "real life managers do stupid things, too." ... Because...c'mon...thats not the way to attack this issue.
Of course real life managers make dumb decisions. But they don't make decisions like the one I posted above at the MLB level (which is what this game is attempting to replicate). This shows (and no, unfortunately and as I said, I was not savvy enough at the time to take the time to learn how to save and upload the game file to prove my point) that there are fundamental inadequacies that do exist within the AI. I have learned my lesson for moving forward - to learn how to upload the file / game situation to prove my point - and I suggest to dyzalot to do the same (because the only response you will get otherwise is what you have received....doubt and excuses).
That being said...the way to attack this is
not to doubt the poster out of hand. I know, for a fact, that I am not exaggerating what happened in my game or making it up. Next time, though, I will prove it and I hope the answer is not, "you can adjust your settings on your manager" - which is a 'work around' and does not deal with AI vs AI (which then does not give a realistic result for AI vs AI games, which then skews season win/loss records, playoff win/loss records, etc.) nor should it be considered to be "working as intended," because what happened is clearly faulty sim engine / AI behavior.