Is there a term for using cover to artificially block AI attacks?

One of the key techniques for playing the original Doom games was to stand with a wall, column, or other terrain feature between the monsters and you, such that your ray-traced bullets passed through, but enemies shooting fireballs or other projectiles with size were blocked. Arachnotrons were particularly susceptible to this exploit. I'm sure a thousand other games have this phenomena, though hopefully modern AI is smarter about moving when the target is blocked.

Is there a term for this technique?

To be clear, I'm not talking about simply using cover, or dodging out from cover to take a shot and then retreating, but rather situations were you can stand still and cherry-tap the target to oblivion with your pistol, perfectly safe.

terminology first-person-shooter

Best Answer

You are exploiting the AI

The player is using meta-knowledge about the AI of a particular game to gain an (unfair?) advantage. This fits the definition of to exploit:

to use (someone or something) in a way that helps you unfairly

I hear this term being used often in relation to technical Minecraft, where many automated farms rely on some sort of exploit of game mechanics (such as villagers slightly outside of a village breeding to repopulate that village). And in relation to exploiting the AI of the Mossman in the Swamplands Fractal of Guild Wars 2 by standing on a tree, making the enemy unable to hit you.