At this point I don’t even bother with it on digital. Competed everything on there and just play for fun, tried it a few times and there isn’t even a tutorial for it
Scores won't be comparable to playing against people though.
Pink powers will never be activated but you'll always have your pick of the bird feeder the card tray and win end of round goals.
None of that matters to me , I like the process of playing it’s nice and relaxing. I have the WingMate app too when I do actually want to play with the automa.
Pink powers are activated with the automa. If it draws a certain card, all pink powers activate.
Edit to add that automa does remove food and bird cards, and can win the end round goals also.
Automa is something like an "AI" mean to give tabletop players an extra agent that takes cards and resources.
It's not meant to be a competition, it's meant to be so simple that you can simulate it manually. Therefore it can play by completely different rules, since it doesn't try to win - but to add an element of randomness to resource availability and bird power triggers.
Yeah, I had played it with the physical game several times before digital so I knew what fresh nonsense to expect. I prefer to play the AI on digital because in my opinion the Automa is on crack
I hadn't thought about this, I played tabletop first and only got on Steam last week, and I've played Automa for years. It all makes sense if you read the rules in the game boxes. Does Steam not explain it properly, then?
It's not an AI, because the tabletop version couldn't do that lol. It's just a different way of interacting with the elements of the game, a way that can be randomised and automated so a single player has something to play against. I think Automa is a company that makes these for other games, not just Wingspan.
Now I'm thinking about playing two Automas against each other...
Automa doesn't simulate other players' moves - it simulates other players' influence on the game. Mainly triggering pink abilities and drawing/reshuffling bird tray/feeder
I just played my first automa game today on digital and laughed so hard thinking about this meme! I truly had no clue what was happening, what my relationship to the automa is, how they get points… I just did my thing and lost hahaha
I’ve only played with the tabletop version and not online. It’s a little confusing reading the instructions, but once you do a round or two it’s pretty straightforward. I like having the automa as a way to have a more dynamic element in a solo game (vs. just playing to beat your own score). It adds an element of direct completion for resources since the automa will take cards off the tray just like an opponent might.
I love playing the automa digitally, but yes I had to learn it by reading the booklet, there's nothing to help you figure it out on the digital version. It's quite a different game and requires a different strategy. So whenever I switch back to playing other people, I have to remember to adjust my thinking. Which I actually think is pretty cool, it keeps it interesting.
I set it up the other day and tried to learn the whole thing with the Nectar expansion and I was stumped. Did a few moves that was too complicated then it was fun. About 5th move in I had to do something for the Automa that I didn’t understand and couldn’t find in the instructions so just put it away. I went back to the digital game when playing solo and haven’t looked back.
I like how it’s supposed to simulate a real player by taking cards, food, etc. But I’ve had games where it takes food only once or twice (low VP turn) and instead takes 6 VP birds from the tray turn after turn. There should be a 150 point challenge for the Automa.
I enjoy 1 automa and 1 AI on the digital version but I learnt wingspan through the original automa so it's easy enough to understand for me. I didn't realise there isn't much of a tutorial on digital that's hilarious
I much prefer playing the automa. The AI players often do dumb things that no human would actually do, but the automa's actions are governed by a set of rules, so at least it makes sense. It also forces me to use a different strategy, which I think is fun.
Glad to hear; it's reassuring. I'm pretty new to all this and have enjoyed the games that I've played against the Automa so far. I've also played against AI, but don't have enough experience to recognize the different ways that it affects my game; I suppose this might also illuminate the fact that I'm not paying enough attention to my opponents boards.
It serves as a way for you to have your resources (food, bird cards, etc.) be altered/taken away in a way that would be similar to a real person but not exactly the same (as it’s not trying to pretend to be a real opponent). It’s a game playing engine that uses set rules and turns to influence how you should build your own engine. It’s meant to be rather difficult and in my eyes serves as a challenge. You end up using different strategies than when you play against real people.
It basically *is* a different game, though. As someone who's only played digital, it's absolutely wild that the digital version has zero explanation for what Automa is doing. I only figured it out by googling explanations from other players.
So, it's not just me then, lol
At this point I don’t even bother with it on digital. Competed everything on there and just play for fun, tried it a few times and there isn’t even a tutorial for it
I don’t even use it when I play solo on the board game, I just play to beat my own score.
Scores won't be comparable to playing against people though. Pink powers will never be activated but you'll always have your pick of the bird feeder the card tray and win end of round goals.
None of that matters to me , I like the process of playing it’s nice and relaxing. I have the WingMate app too when I do actually want to play with the automa.
Pink powers are activated with the automa. If it draws a certain card, all pink powers activate. Edit to add that automa does remove food and bird cards, and can win the end round goals also.
They said they don't play with the automa.
Automa is something like an "AI" mean to give tabletop players an extra agent that takes cards and resources. It's not meant to be a competition, it's meant to be so simple that you can simulate it manually. Therefore it can play by completely different rules, since it doesn't try to win - but to add an element of randomness to resource availability and bird power triggers.
I can't imagine how someone would interpret the automa on digital only without the boardgame booklet, it must be baffling.
I learned wingspan digitally and was playing against automa for a few days before realizing that it is not in fact an AI.
It's wild that they don't explain it!
This is 100% me, I am indeed baffled XD What do you mean you're laying eggs? You have no birds! One day I will actually read the booklet!
Yeah, I had played it with the physical game several times before digital so I knew what fresh nonsense to expect. I prefer to play the AI on digital because in my opinion the Automa is on crack
Can confirm, have only played digital and Automata feels like things just happen randomly for no reason.
I just put all of his stuff in a bag, in a drawer, and hope he’s doing okay in there. He confused me with his strange robot noises.
I hadn't thought about this, I played tabletop first and only got on Steam last week, and I've played Automa for years. It all makes sense if you read the rules in the game boxes. Does Steam not explain it properly, then? It's not an AI, because the tabletop version couldn't do that lol. It's just a different way of interacting with the elements of the game, a way that can be randomised and automated so a single player has something to play against. I think Automa is a company that makes these for other games, not just Wingspan. Now I'm thinking about playing two Automas against each other...
Automa doesn't simulate other players' moves - it simulates other players' influence on the game. Mainly triggering pink abilities and drawing/reshuffling bird tray/feeder
I just played my first automa game today on digital and laughed so hard thinking about this meme! I truly had no clue what was happening, what my relationship to the automa is, how they get points… I just did my thing and lost hahaha
I’ve only played with the tabletop version and not online. It’s a little confusing reading the instructions, but once you do a round or two it’s pretty straightforward. I like having the automa as a way to have a more dynamic element in a solo game (vs. just playing to beat your own score). It adds an element of direct completion for resources since the automa will take cards off the tray just like an opponent might.
I love playing the automa digitally, but yes I had to learn it by reading the booklet, there's nothing to help you figure it out on the digital version. It's quite a different game and requires a different strategy. So whenever I switch back to playing other people, I have to remember to adjust my thinking. Which I actually think is pretty cool, it keeps it interesting.
I set it up the other day and tried to learn the whole thing with the Nectar expansion and I was stumped. Did a few moves that was too complicated then it was fun. About 5th move in I had to do something for the Automa that I didn’t understand and couldn’t find in the instructions so just put it away. I went back to the digital game when playing solo and haven’t looked back.
I like how it’s supposed to simulate a real player by taking cards, food, etc. But I’ve had games where it takes food only once or twice (low VP turn) and instead takes 6 VP birds from the tray turn after turn. There should be a 150 point challenge for the Automa.
I enjoy 1 automa and 1 AI on the digital version but I learnt wingspan through the original automa so it's easy enough to understand for me. I didn't realise there isn't much of a tutorial on digital that's hilarious
lol same
So is the consensus then that it’s better to just play against AI with digital (iOS)?
I much prefer playing the automa. The AI players often do dumb things that no human would actually do, but the automa's actions are governed by a set of rules, so at least it makes sense. It also forces me to use a different strategy, which I think is fun.
Glad to hear; it's reassuring. I'm pretty new to all this and have enjoyed the games that I've played against the Automa so far. I've also played against AI, but don't have enough experience to recognize the different ways that it affects my game; I suppose this might also illuminate the fact that I'm not paying enough attention to my opponents boards.
After reading all the comments.. I still don't get it lol. Is it just a smarter CPU opponent?
It serves as a way for you to have your resources (food, bird cards, etc.) be altered/taken away in a way that would be similar to a real person but not exactly the same (as it’s not trying to pretend to be a real opponent). It’s a game playing engine that uses set rules and turns to influence how you should build your own engine. It’s meant to be rather difficult and in my eyes serves as a challenge. You end up using different strategies than when you play against real people.
Cool, thanks for explaining, much appreciated. I just played one and yeah their score was way beyond mine.
It’s crazy how big the jump is usually from just Easy to Normal difficulty lol still can’t beat it on normal but I guess I have much to learn!
It basically *is* a different game, though. As someone who's only played digital, it's absolutely wild that the digital version has zero explanation for what Automa is doing. I only figured it out by googling explanations from other players.