Solartje said:
i dont agree that u cant learn strategy, shot selection etc. i know my game went up in these parts and it was purely because i played alot of online poolgames.
I didn't say that you
can't learn strategy/shot selection from the game, I just said that the game will not provide computer opp's that will teach you strategy/shot selection. You will just have to figure out what works on your own.
Also, my opinion on this topic is based solely on my experience playing 9-ball against the computer players on Virtual Pool, so if you're talking about a different product, then we're comparing apples and oranges.
In Virtual Pool, the computer opponent only employs the most rudimentary of strategies in 9-ball, which are a) if it can't make a ball, it tries to play a safety b) after making a ball, it tries to leave a shot on the next ball. The computer player does not, as far as I can tell, do any of these things a) look 2-3 balls ahead (it doesn't play to be on the correct side of the ball for position on the next ob), b) deal with clusters when it is most convenient, rather than at the last minute, c) try to freeze to obstructing balls when playing safeties, d) play two-way shots. And it certainly doesn't employ any advanced strategies like, for instance, playing a leave on the 2-ball while moving the 2-ball to a spot that will set up an easy 2-9 combo should the opponent fail make a good hit.
As far as shot selection is concerned, the computer player
heavily favors masse shots over kicks and jumps, which, even if you are Mike Massey, doesn't make any sense. I've had the game run racks on me where almost every shot was insanely difficult (like shooting a massee to make an ultra-thin cut shot AND have enough left-over spin to make the cb curve into the rail again and go two more rails for position on the next ball, lol). The only thing I learned from that is that the people at InterPlay didn't put much effort into making the opponents seem human-like, which would explain why VP doesn't even offer computer players for 1-pocket or any of the carom games.
If you're familiar with a pocket billiard game that provides a strategically sound computer opponent, especially a one-pocket opponent, then let me know, as this has always been my biggest complaint about VP.
