History Main / ArtificialStupidity

It is in this third group that Artificial Stupidity can be found. This is when the AI can select a move for its character(s), and consistently chooses ones that are completely stupid. This might be [[DoWellButNotPerfect included on purpose as a balancing factor]], or to invoke MookChivalry, but it's just as often a result of DarthWiki/IdiotProgramming; the programmers simply didn't program the AI ''not'' to make that move, and when the AI evaluates its choices, the poor move looks like the best one. (It's far more likely that TheComputerIsACheatingBastard will be introduced to compensate for Artificial Stupidity rather than the other way round.)

In almost every video game ever made, there are [[NonPlayerCharacter some characters controlled by the computer]]. These can be categorized into one of three groups:

->@@<Patrician|Away> what does your robot do, sam\\
<bovril> it collects data about the surrounding environment, then discards it and drives into walls@@

This trope is [[IThoughtItMeant not to be confused with]] ''{{Obfuscating|Stupidity}}'' [[ObfuscatingStupidity Stupidity]], though some games that [[ComputersAreFast computers can inherently play well]] will use Artificial ObfuscatingStupidity to balance the difficulty. For example, the computer can mash buttons as fast as they want, but they'll pretend to be slower at it to give the player a chance.

-->--'''Bash.org quote [[http://bash.org/?240849 #240849]]'''

-->--'''[[Website/BashOrg Bash.org]] quote [[http://bash.org/?240849 #240849]]'''

* Analytical, or Responsive — the computer chooses a move based on the situation. The ghosts in ''VideoGame/PacMan'' falls into this category, which in 1980 was considered impressive.

* Analytical, or Responsive — the computer chooses a move based on the situation. The red ghost in ''VideoGame/PacMan'' falls into this category, which in 1980 was considered impressive.

-><Patrician|Away> what does your robot do, sam\\
<bovril> it collects data about the surrounding environment, then discards it and drives into walls

It is in this third group that Artificial Stupidity can be found. This is when the AI can select a move for its character(s), and consistently chooses ones that are completely stupid. While it is, very rarely, [[DoWellButNotPerfect included on purpose as a balancing factor]], such as to balance out the fact that TheComputerIsACheatingBastard and that [[HumansAreFlawed humans aren't perfect]], Artificial Stupidity is just as often a result of DarthWiki/IdiotProgramming; the programmers simply didn't program the AI ''not'' to make that move, and when the AI evaluates its choices, the poor move looks like the best one. (It's far more likely that TheComputerIsACheatingBastard will be introduced to compensate for Artificial Stupidity rather than the other way round.)

* Analytical, or Responsive — the computer chooses a move based on the situation. The red ghost in ''VideoGame/{{Pac-Man}}'' falls into this category, which in 1980 was considered impressive.

* Analytical, or Responsive — the computer chooses a move based on the situation. The ghosts in ''VideoGame/{{Pac-Man}}'' fall into this category, which in 1980 was considered impressive.

->"What a digital dummy."
-->--''Mokuba, YuGiOh''

It is in this third group that Artificial Stupidity can be found. This is when the AI can select a move for its character(s), and consistently chooses ones that are completely stupid. While it is, very rarely, [[DoWellButNotPerfect included on purpose as a balancing factor]], such as to balance out the fact that TheComputerIsACheatingBastard and that [[HumansAreFlawed humans aren't perfect]], Artificial Stupidity is just as often a result of DarthWiki/IdiotProgramming; the programmers simply didn't program the AI ''not'' to make that move, and when the AI evaluates its choices, the poor move looks like the best one. (It's far more likely that TheComputerIsACheatingBastard will be introduced to compensate for ArtificialStupidity rather than the other way round.)

ArtificialStupidity is particularly visible in RolePlayingGames, be they turn-based games like the majority of the ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' and ''VideoGame/DragonQuest'' series, or strategy-based games like ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTactics'' and ''Franchise/{{Disgaea}}'', simply because it is in these types of games that the decision-making process is the most important, and therefore, the most visible. It can potentially exist in any game involving an analytical or responsive AI, though, and the more analytical the game, the easier it is to get an AI that's, well, stupid. For instance, even good chess games can suffer from a version of this, called the "horizon effect".

Differs from AIRoulette because AI Roulette chooses moves randomly. ArtificialStupidity puts some "thought" in its moves, making the most obvious stupidities less likely but creating more consistent general incompetence.

The opposite of ArtificialStupidity is ArtificialBrilliance, where the AI makes surprisingly good decisions that convincingly appear intelligent. See TheGuardsMustBeCrazy for this trope as relates to stealth games, and AIBreaker for when bad AI allows game-breaking exploits.

It is in this third group that Artificial Stupidity can be found. This is when the AI can select a move for its character(s), and consistently chooses ones that are completely stupid. While it is, very rarely, [[DoWellButNotPerfect included on purpose as a balancing factor]], such as to balance out the fact that TheComputerIsACheatingBastard and that [[HumansAreFlawed Human's Aren't Perfect]], Artificial Stupidity is just as often a result of DarthWiki/IdiotProgramming; the programmers simply didn't program the AI ''not'' to make that move, and when the AI evaluates its choices, the poor move looks like the best one. (It's far more likely that TheComputerIsACheatingBastard will be introduced to compensate for ArtificialStupidity rather than the other way round.)

It is in this third group that Artificial Stupidity can be found. This is when the AI can select a move for its character(s), and consistently chooses ones that are completely stupid. While it is, very rarely, [[DoWellButNotPerfect included on purpose as a balancing factor]], such as to balance out the fact that TheComputerIsACheatingBastard and that [[AllHumansAreFlawed Human's Aren't Perfect]], Artificial Stupidity is just as often a result of DarthWiki/IdiotProgramming; the programmers simply didn't program the AI ''not'' to make that move, and when the AI evaluates its choices, the poor move looks like the best one. (It's far more likely that TheComputerIsACheatingBastard will be introduced to compensate for ArtificialStupidity rather than the other way round.)

It is in this third group that Artificial Stupidity can be found. This is when the AI can select a move for its character(s), and consistently chooses ones that are completely stupid. While it is, very rarely, included on purpose as a balancing factor, such as to balance out the fact that TheComputerIsACheatingBastard, Artificial Stupidity is just as often a result of DarthWiki/IdiotProgramming; the programmers simply didn't program the AI ''not'' to make that move, and when the AI evaluates its choices, the poor move looks like the best one. (It's far more likely that TheComputerIsACheatingBastard will be introduced to compensate for ArtificialStupidity rather than the other way round.)

The opposite of ArtificialStupidity is ArtificialBrilliance, where the AI makes surprisingly good decisions that convincingly appear intelligent. See TheGuardsMustBeCrazy for this trope as relates to stealth games.

ArtificialStupidity is particularly visible in RolePlayingGames, be they turn-based games like the majority of the ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' and ''VideoGame/DragonQuest'' series, or strategy-based games like ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTactics'' and ''VideoGame/{{Disgaea}}'', simply because it is in these types of games that the decision-making process is the most important, and therefore, the most visible. It can potentially exist in any game involving an analytical or responsive AI, though, and the more analytical the game, the easier it is to get an AI that's, well, stupid. For instance, even good chess games can suffer from a version of this, called the "horizon effect".

* Set Pattern — the computer actually makes no decisions; all enemies will make the same moves every time regardless of what the player does. Most of the enemies in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros1'' fit this category.
* AIRoulette — again, the computer is not making decisions ''per se''; it is simply choosing a move at random. This type is often seen in turn-based {{Roleplaying Game}}s.
* Analytical, or Responsive — the computer chooses a move based on the situation; the ghosts in ''VideoGame/{{Pac-Man}}'' fall into this category, which in 1980 was considered impressive.

It is in this third group that Artificial Stupidity can be found. AS is when the AI can select a move for its character(s), and consistently chooses ones that are completely stupid. While it is, very rarely, included on purpose as a balancing factor, such as to balance out the fact that TheComputerIsACheatingBastard, Artificial Stupidity is just as often a result of DarthWiki/IdiotProgramming; the programmers simply didn't program the AI ''not'' to make that move, and when the AI evaluates its choices, the poor move looks like the best one. (It's far more likely that TheComputerIsACheatingBastard will be introduced to compensate for ArtificialStupidity rather than the other way round.)

-->--'''BashOrg quote [[http://bash.org/?240849 #240849]]'''

[[/index]]

->''This is not so much a puzzle as [[EscortMission [the NPC you're supposed to guide]]] being a friggin' moron. Like, [[InformedAttribute you're a professor of]] ''what'', exactly?''
-->--'''{{Raocow}}''', [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGUmtlBGWpg&t=4m33s VVVVVV - 6 - ------]][[hottip:*:In this case, however, the challenge was actually [[ExploitedTrope based around the AI's stupidity.]]

->''This is not so much a puzzle as [[EscortMission [the NPC you're supposed to guide]]] being a friggin' moron. Like, [[InformedAttribute you're a professor of ''what'']], exactly?''

* Set Pattern — the computer actually makes no decisions; all enemies will make the same moves every time regardless of what the player does. Most of the enemies in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros'' fit this category.