The All-Seeing AI: Difference between revisions

Of course, this doesn't always make for a [[Rule of Fun|fun playing experience]]. To bring back the fun, programmers must make the AI ''act'' like it has the same limitations as a human.

 

 

A semi-subtrope of [[The Computer Is a Cheating Bastard]], although it is worth noting that this isn't ''strictly'' cheating, as the AI doesn't bend the game mechanics as such. Not to be mistaken with [[Big Brother Is Watching]], even if it is analogous (with the AI filling the role of Big Brother).

* Oftentimes in ''[[Civilization]]'', the computer will send out settlers to claim every strategic resource they can find before you can. This includes resources that only become visible later in the [[Tech Tree]].

** It kind of does this for you as well. In Civ 4, at least, the game will suggest where to settle your city, and sometimes it is suggesting a place where you will find iron/uranium/gold/etc later on.

* In the original ''[[Descent]]'', the AI most prominently exhibits this asshole behavior on [[Harder Than Hard|Insane difficulty]]. They can even track you if you have an [[Invisibility Cloak]].

* In [[Company of Heroes]] the Computer AI can see through the fog, this means that AT Guns and Mortars are able to attack your units as long as you are in range.

* ''[[Medal of Honor]]''. This rears its ugly head in the Command Post, where the guards will clairvoyantly detect you sneaking in and sound the alarm (especially on Hard difficulty), and in Sniper Town, where the snipers have greater visual range than you and will instantly hit you the moment you step into their line of sight, and enemies in general will accurately chuck grenades from places where they shouldn't be able to see you. And once you tip off a guard in a [[Stealth Based Mission]], all the enemies in the level know it.

* Sometimes happens in poorly written computer poker games. If the computer makes large bets and multiple reraises while holding cards that are complete rubbish, and then proceeds to pull an improbable victory out of the draw - like if it bets huge on a 2-7 off-suit in Texas Hold 'Em and ends up with a full house, or replaces four cards in five-card draw and hits a straight flush - the odds are good that you're dealing with this trope, especially if you notice it happening multiple times per game. Another clue is if you notice the computer frequently drops whenever you get a strong hand, even if you bet minimally or not at all...as if it somehow knows it can't beat you.

* Played straight in the first two [[Splinter Cell]] games due to the limitations of the creators/software; due to said problems, every time the enemy is alerted, [[The Computer Is a Cheating Bastard|they all instantly know where you are]] and [[Bottomless Magazines|don't go away unless dealt with]], either resulting in [[Berserk Button|sheer frustration]] or [[Macho Masochism|persistence to win]] when combined with the extreme difficulty.

* The hostiles in [[Minecraft]] are like this, but only after they've already spotted you the normal way. Then they can track your movement through any kind of wall and even [[Action Bomb|explode]] from behind a thin wall. Results in [[Artificial Stupidity]] in that transparent blocks like glass count as walls, so mobs cannot see you through glass unless you've already been spotted through just air.