I was in a small stage race (forgot the name) and after some TT's and flat stages, Jack Bobridge was some 5 seconds off the mark.
There was no way I could perform a breakaway or win the stage because there were some very good sprinters (and Jack is not even close).
So, there were 2 split sprints along the way and I though "maybe I can breakaway close to those 2 and win this". I did my best to close down any breaks and, close to it, I just gunned it and managed to keep the peloton at bay for those 2 sprints. Then back to the peloton and Jack was able to just hang on to the peloton at the finish and took the GC win by a whisker.
I must admit it was pretty epic, but on the other hand, there was no attempt from the yellow jersey team to prevent it. They did try to reel in the break, but I think they did not take the intermediates into account.
Edited by itisix on 02-10-2013 10:55
You Maniacs! You blew it up! Ah, damn you! God damn you all to hell!
Your observation is correct, the AI teams don't specifically target the intermediate sprints (and maybe even KoM's as well) at all.
They only sprint for it when the opportunity arises, and when they then have an interest to sprint. For example when in the first stage of a GT the breakaway has lost no time on the peloton so the breakaway riders sprint for bonus seconds. Or when the peloton hits the sprint and points remain, sprinters will sprint. If seconds remain you might see a GC rider sprint as well.
The problem is indeed that the AI doesn't steer for purposely exploiting the opportunity themselves, or steer for elminating the threat from others that comes with an intermediate sprint.
It's bad AI design.
Edited by ShortsNL on 02-10-2013 10:15
@itisix: The AI indeed is not using intermediate sprints to win a stage race. But I would not call it dumb. Also I would not call it smart to win like that, rather I would call it exploiting the AI.
On the other hand, the fighter stat should make sure that the same riders are in the early break away often throughout the stages. So it should not be so easy to win the sprinter or KOM jersey. And if certain riders still have chances to win the jersey, it should not be so easy to win intermediate sprints with a non sprinter. Unless of course, you again are exploiting the AI by attacking right before the sprinters get to the front. Yet again, it is not a smart move but rather cheap, if you ask me.
That is my point. I was expecting some sort of reaction from the AI (OK, to be honest I was more hoping that expecting) and was pretty disappointed to know that is one more thing we can't do.
One of the things I like more about cycling is that some riders will always find ways to outsmart everyone once and a while. I love a rider that can read the race in a split second and make a move just as fast. And for some reason I will always be a fan of Voeckler for that (as I will never forget that time he was in yellow in the Tour and went into some folks' patio on a descent).
Problem is, in the game, it's sometimes too easy to outsmart the game and that leaves no fun to it.
You Maniacs! You blew it up! Ah, damn you! God damn you all to hell!
Well, i think it would be rather difficult to make the AI react like that, but they could at least counterattack or something. But well.. Then you will just have to play on extreme and choose the worst team of the game
I'm still playing PCM11 so it may have changed for PCM13, but I think the bonus seconds at sprints are only really added in post-stage when it comes to a reckoning of position because when the current race positions show up from time to time during a stage any bonus seconds gained in a sprint are not added in. This could be a reason AI GC riders do not go for them, because they don't "see" any threat from someone sprinting there during the race itself and thin they still have the virtual lead.
I don't really buy all the "the AI doesn't do it therefore it's cheating" idea though. Certainly in FM11 there are plenty of occasions when the AI seems to gain an unfair advantage over me as a human player so if on other cases they don't react when I do then such is life.
