Which 20XX AI Setting is the best for practice?

[Tmljaw]

I've been playing Melee for a while now, but I'm improving slowly. Is the 20XX CPU setting better for practice than the Vanilla CPU setting?

 

[rupan]

I've actually been wondering something similar. When my practice partner isn't around and my little brother refuses to play, what would be the best 20XX AI level for beginners and what is considered a normal level for most people?

 

[CAUP]

The best AI to combo in my opinion is the 20XX CPU on Stay. This will give you random DI and you can set it up so they do the escape options you want.

 

[TOVL]

I've found that a normal level 1 CPU is better for practice, it's really just a sandbag that you can beat up and combo and still get that execution practice even if there is no DI.

 

[CAUP]

Practicing against a CPU with no DI has basically no value.

 

[TOVL]

It's not really about adjusting for DI, it's about being able to execute the combos. The DI can help too, but it's execution that you're practicing.

 

[CAUP]

The execution changes based on the DI. You are only practicing the execution for no DI. This will screw up your execution for every other DI since you'll get use to no DI, and forget that is only one of many options, especially in situations where you don't have time to think so will just revert to habit- covering no DI. There just isn't any justification for this especially if you have 20XX and can practice against random DI.

 

[TOVL]

Then there is no optimal way to practice for DI because a player's DI will never be random. Really you can't replace playing vs real players for practice, but as far as playing vs CPUs, it's about being able to bring one move into another. The random DI doesn't let you predict where the character will land next - just having the basic idea of where the opponent is going to go is the point of practicing against CPUs.

Don't get me wrong, being able to know where they'll go with DI and how to follow up is important too, just not as important as being able to hit the opponent and then again in my own opinion.

 

[CAUP]

The point of practicing against random DI is that you learn to cover every option it is possible for you to cover on reaction. No, your opponent's DI is not random, that is not the point. The point is to practice the best punish possible. Practicing against random DI forces you to react to how your opponent DIs, not read their DI. As long as the reaction is not super frame tight, reacting is always better than reading. Comboing in this way means you aren't unnecessarily reliant on reads; in other words, it doesn't matter who you are comboing, mango or a cpu. You have everything covered. There is nothing wrong with reads either but reads when you could have just practiced reacting are bad. So if you want to practice the bare minimum tech skill of comboing no DI, then yeah, no DI is good. But if you want to practice optimally comboing your opponent, there isn't any justification for the CPU having no DI. And for most people, there really isn't much point practicing against CPUs beyond trying to optimally combo.