Co-Op Vs AI is LIVE!

The new game type pitting players against advanced AI driven bots is finally out on both US and EU servers. This comes after weeks of Riot preparing their servers to remain stable during the influx of games the new game type will bring us.

Here is a quick Q&A posted on the official forums by Tamat.

Q: Why is Riot doing a Co-op vs AI mode?

Summoners have been requesting better bots for some time now. We always knew we could improve upon the bots we introduced at launch (which were rated at "Newb" and "Easy" for a reason). Once we had improved the bots to a level where they could give even experienced summoners a fun and challenging game, there was an opportunity to build a new mode around these new bots.

Q: What is the purpose of Co-op vs AI?

There are two major goals for Co-op vs. AI:

1) We want to create a less intimidating environment – supported by matchmaking – where new summoners can improve their skills and knowledge of League of Legends.
A few months ago we released the Battle Training tutorial to improve the way we introduce new players to the game. Co-op vs. AI represents the next step in that effort. We believe it will serve well as a steppingstone for new summoners to prepare themselves for the thrill of PvP competition. Beginner difficulty bots are intended for players who are just learning how the game works, while Intermediate bots should provide a fun challenge for low to mid ELO players.

2) We want to create a more *fun* experience for seasoned summoners who wish to test different champions and builds, and who want to play with less experienced friends.
While we’ve made a number of significant improvements to the bot AI, we don’t expect high skill players to have much trouble defeating them. We do, however, anticipate those players will have much more fun battling the new bots than the old ones. Co-op vs. AI also makes it easy to play with friends of widely varying skill level without any concerns about ELO rating.

Q: Who are the bot champions?

The following champions will be available for Co-op vs. AI at launch:

o    Ashe
o    Annie
o    Cho’Gath
o    Miss Fortune
o    Nunu
o    Renekton
o    Ryze
o    Shen
o    Soraka
o    Taric
o    Trundle
o    Warwick

Q: How do we determine the enemy bot team composition?

Each bot is associated with a specific role (or roles) it can fulfill, such as “tank” or “support”. The bot team builder includes a list of champion slots it must fill to generate a team, and each slot requires a specific role to be satisfied. The system fills each slot by randomly selecting a champion bot that satisfies the required role.

Q: Why these champions as bots?

First and foremost, we wanted to make sure there were at least two bots for every role we identified (see above) to ensure a decent variety of team compositions. Some champions were selected because their ability sets naturally work well in our new AI system, while others we simply thought would be fun to fight against. Also, we made an effort to keep Nunu Bot in the roster because we didn’t want to make Angry Goran… well… angrier.

Q: How does matchmaking work?

Matchmaking works mostly the same as normal games, though there are a couple distinctions:
o    When joining the matchmaking queue, you’ll be asked to select a difficulty setting for the bots. In the case of a premade, the group leader chooses the difficulty setting.
o    The matchmaking system does not consider a player’s ELO rating, but does attempt to match players of similar summoner level. To ensure players get into games quickly, level disparity becomes less important over time while you’re in the queue.

Q: Does winning or losing effect my ELO?

No, your ELO is not affected by Co-op vs. AI games.

Q: How will IP/XP rewards work?

We believe one of the factors in earning IP and XP should be the risk players take to earn them. For most players, normal and ranked games are going to be more difficult (higher risk) than Co-op vs. AI. As such, you will generally earn more IP/XP by playing normal and ranked games. This will become more noticeable as your summoner level increases.

Here are the rules for Co-op vs AI rewards:

o    Level 15+ summoners are limited to 180 reward minutes per day. This is a shared pool of minutes for both custom games and Co-op vs. AI.
o    Level 30 summoners will only receive rewards for the first 15 Co-op vs. AI games played each day.
o    Co-op vs. AI games share the same -25% reward penalty as custom games.
o    Additionally, the following modifiers are applied based on summoner level and bot difficulty setting. These percentages represent how much of the standard reward is received:

•    Summoner level 1-9
    Beginner: 100%
    Intermediate: 100%

•    Summoner level 11-19
    Beginner: 75%
    Intermediate: 100%

•    Summoner level 20-29
    Beginner: 50%
    Intermediate: 100%

•    Summoner level 30
    Beginner: 25%
    Intermediate: 75%

Q: Will there be other Champions who get bots in the future?

We don't have any immediate plans to make more bots, but if there's a bot that you think we absolutely should have, please let us know. We are always open to your feedback.

Q: Will there be a Leaver penalty for leaving a Co-op Game?

Yes. The penalty for leaving all matchmade games will be the same.

Q: When will Co-op vs. AI be available for me to try?

RIGHT NOW! Have fun summoners!!!