The Algorithm for PvP play has been like that since I can recall back to 2013. That said it does not make it any better.
The AI algorithm vary depending on the play chosen: PvP, GvG, GbG, GE, Continent Map and Quests. some are almost the same and other not. PvP play mainly suffers from this algorithm and makes defense buildings nearly usesless in that regard or rather they might scare someone below your level from attacking, but anybody above your level will visit with an Army of Rogues 1/7 or 2/6 and thats about it. It is not a really cool fighting play and never was. (IMO)
– But the main problem is the Balance of the Hoods. On all levels there is imbalances. On low level because of Camping. On high level because of the range of players not being enough to create changing Hoods that has players in close point proximity of eachother. On Arvahall it is not uncommon to see a hood with players above 100 or 200 million while the next in range is about 70 Mill and then it goes downwards from that point – That is an immmesnly huge Point span.
I would not expect any changes to this algorithm before coming with a major change to that part of the game.
If Inno is going to solve PvP (making it better) then they need to get really creative and come up with some more semi-active defense options, that honours tactics more than stats and Rogue play only. But that is easy to say and difficult to do. I can only recall PvP battles that was fun due to being up against players of about same level and where your Defense set up actually did a difference - and these were so few that I stopped doing much PvP a long time ago.
But just imagine if players could choose between e.g 3 Defense alogrithms – that would surely change at least a part of the PvP game, but it still wold not matter much in regard to player point spans in the hoods.
At least GbG has a cut off option that opens for a bit of tactical manoeuvres, though at this early stage in GbG the imbalances are obvious as well.
Hope it settles in a few seasons from now, but that is a topic for the GbG Forum.
And the countermeasures are mainly soft counters:
– Collect on time (The hard Click Work ethics, Stating that you are a sloppy player and therfore gets it due to your lack of commitment, enjoy your workstay).
– Set up a defense (Mostly useless due to the algorithm and mainly serves to hopefully not get plundered by players looking for points).
– Set up no defence to give no points to the attacker (A double Negative).
– Use the Tavern City Wall (Easier for long time players, Difficult for new players and may result in Diamond spending due to a Quest, and also it is not really a defense, but a complete exclusion, that also can be used offensievely with the Counter Attack option*).
– Use Defense boosts (Really? – with the Algorithm it is close to useless)
– *Attack Back (Actaully not a Defense, but in case of a successful counter attack it sometimes do the trick, which really says a lot more about why PvP is not really fun or working that well, unelss you are the top player in the imballanced hood).
– Raise Your Stats (Fairly useless since the one attacking is proplerly already ahead and nothing will change that if both players keeps playing).
Overall I agree the PvP algorithm sucks if looking at it from competitive battelplay viewpoint – it is a one way road with no real options to actively engage or tactically counter the attack by being smarter than the one attacking. And how some players can continue get a kick out of PvP it is beyond me - but we are not all wired the same way, so everybone to their own fun.