Chapter 458: Artificial Intelligence?
"How is this possible? This effective action ratio... it's inhuman!" goph exclaimed in shock.
Clearly, looking at the APM data, this Origin had fast hand speed, but it hadn't yet left the realm of human capability. Chen Mo and goph, as top-tier players, could both reach this APM level as well.
But an effective action ratio of 98%? That data was seriously abnormal!
So-called effective actions refer to operations with practical significance. For example, right-clicking to move with a clear purpose, forming squads, removing units from a squad, attacking, casting spells, and so on.
Ineffective actions, on the other hand, are meaningless repeated movements, redundant squad formations, or repeatedly pressing F1—operations that don't significantly impact the battle situation.
Normal top players could maintain a relatively high APM, even peaking at 300 to 400 during large-scale battles, but these numbers were mixed with a large number of ineffective actions. This wasn't because top players were trying to inflate their APM; it was mainly to keep their hands warm, using these seemingly meaningless actions to maintain their hand speed at a high level.
In reality, most players with an APM around 200 could become professional *Warcraft III* players, representing a high standard for RTS games. Reaching 400 was basically god-tier.
And within that, only about 60% to 70% were effective actions. For many players, the higher the APM, the more ineffective actions there were.
Even Chen Mo, when playing *Warcraft III*, had some ineffective actions. It could only be said that this was limited by the limits of human physiology. No matter how fast someone's hand speed was, they still needed some repetitive actions to maintain their feel.
But Origin could maintain an APM of 300 to 400 while keeping an effective action ratio of 98%?
That meant his actual operational details were even better than Chen Mo's!
That was completely unscientific!
Chen Mo looked at everyone. "So, this Origin might be an AI."
"How is that possible?" Zou Zhuo's first reaction was disbelief. "The insane-difficulty computer in *Warcraft III* can be easily crushed by veteran players, and that's even with the computer getting extra gold mines. How could an AI be this strong?"
goph nodded as well. "Yeah, this Origin really doesn't look like a computer. His operations and tactical intent are no different from a human's. Could it be some kind of cheat?"
Zou Zhuo was stunned. "Cheat?"
goph nodded. "Right, a cheat, or an auxiliary program. For example, Origin might originally be a top player on the US server, just not that great mechanically. Now, with a new kind of cheat that automatically controls units, man and machine become one, so his skill skyrocketed."
Chen Mo shook his head. "I need to emphasize one thing. The 98% effective action ratio calculated here is based on an evaluation standard I designed. For instance, sending two move or attack commands to the same unit within 0.5 seconds counts as a repeated action, an ineffective action."
"But this evaluation standard is aimed at normal people, normal players. A normal person can't issue two effective commands to the same unit within 0.5 seconds. But what if it's an AI?"
goph frowned. "You mean..."
Chen Mo nodded. "Yeah, it's very likely that, from Origin's perspective, this action wasn't ineffective. It just changed its tactical intent within 0.5 seconds and directly executed the operation."
"In other words, from Origin's own perspective, its effective action ratio is very likely 100%."
"..."
Hearing this, goph understood, and so did everyone else present.
Clearly, this Origin couldn't be another player using cheats or scripts, because as long as a player was still operating, they would inevitably produce ineffective actions. No top player could avoid it.
That meant Origin was very likely a completely computer-driven program, an AI, an artificial intelligence.
Zou Zhuo still found it hard to believe.
It wasn't just him; everyone else present also found it hard to believe.
Because many people felt there was still a very long way to go before artificial intelligence could conquer RTS games.
They never expected it to come so suddenly!
...
The day after Origin simultaneously topped the Korean and European servers, the online buzz about Origin had already begun spreading from the *Warcraft III* player community to many other player groups.
This event had become a major news story of the month, rapidly spreading to those other player communities.
Because this time, Origin had crushed the Korean and European servers. These two servers were widely recognized as being full of strong players, with many very powerful professional players. Yet Origin still managed to top the rankings with a perfect win record. That was absolutely terrifying.
In other words, Origin's current skill level had already surpassed these professional players on the Korean and European servers!
On the forums, not only *Warcraft III* players, but also many other PC game players and even some VR game players were discussing this mysterious top player Origin, talking about the series of unbelievable moves he made in *Warcraft III*.
"Did you hear? *Warcraft III* recently produced a super top player!"
"Huh? RTS games are dead, and there's still a top player? It's my *League of Legends* era now!"
"Damn, a low-skill player is getting cocky? In terms of competitiveness, *Warcraft III* completely destroys your *League of Legends*!"
"...How did a superiority chain start? This is the first time I've seen two games from the same company fighting each other. They're both made by Chen Mo. What are you arguing about?"
"Alright, off-topic, off-topic. We're discussing Origin here. If you're not interested, just leave and stop causing trouble."
"I watched Origin's replays. It feels like going back to the early days of *Warcraft III* when Chen Mo was rampaging through the ladder! Same kind of flashy slaughter, and the mechanics are really detailed. It feels invincible in direct engagements!"
"As a 3000-point ladder player, I think Origin's mechanical details are even better than Chen Mo's. Especially those matches on the US server. Some games he could even finish without losing a single unit. Too insane!"
"Come on, those were just pub-stomping games, nothing to talk about. In terms of entertainment value, Chen Mo is definitely stronger. Chen Mo used random races to sweep the Chinese server. This Origin only knows how to play Night Elf."
"I feel like this is a cheater. I suspected Silent was an AI before, but luckily Chen Mo personally proved it was him playing. But Chen Mo's skill level is already the limit of human capability, right? This Origin's mechanics are even more insane than Chen Mo's. How is that possible?"
"I think so too. And this Origin came from the US server. How many RTS game experts are there on the US server? It's probably some kind of black tech."
"Right, I think this Origin should show his face by now, right? He topped the US server, then the Korean and European servers. If it were me, I would have come out to brag long ago. How could he still be unknown and silent?"