SC1 - Regarding: Too Easy at Expert +2

[Edwin P.]

The key problem the Sc1 AI has at Expert level is that it never obtains the same production base that a human player obtains by conmquering most of the minor nations.

This could have been resolved by giving the AI a random bonus at Expert level:

Example for Axis AI:

30% Turkey & Iraq joins Axis AI - thats an extra 4 cities, 1 port, and 2 resource hexes in addition to a front on the Caucaus Mountain area of Russia - that forces the Human Russian player to weaken his line facing Germany.

30% Spain and Vichy France joins the Axis AI - thats an extra 6 cities, 2 ports and 1 resource hex, in addition to 2 more naval ships and several combat units. (30% x 30% = 9%)

Alas, there will not be a patch to the Sc1 AI.

Perhaps the best way to resolve this is to create a custom campaign that gives the Axis AI Sweden, Finland, Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey, Iraq from Turn 1.

[ December 10, 2005, 06:50 AM: Message edited by: Edwin P. ]

[Mr.Dozer]

i was visiting my moms with no internet so i thought what the heck i will play +2 as allies. the maginot line was a joke and was thinking of quitting but said no lets see. so they attack spain (personally bad move) so minors were out. i pulled back all the way to moscow with the water line and wore them down down because they only made 300mmp a turn. so after taking out italian troops and weak point rushed the bottom line killing on hq and after awile there resources gave way and d-day was to much.

will try axis soon at +2, could be very hard.

[Edwin P.]

Agreed, the key problem is the Axis production base.

Try playing as Alled +2 and starting the game with Bulgaria, Turkey, Iraq, Sweden and Finland as Axis and giving the Axis AI 4 unused tech chits.

[ December 10, 2005, 07:26 PM: Message edited by: Edwin P. ]

[Qyusson]

should be a worthy challenge indeed.. but in the end an experienced player will kill the ai, even with those settings. The ai airfleets always strike first, before its ground units. That makes it rather difficult for it to break through a line. the ai mostly fights erratically, without focus. It attacks 10 units a turn, instead on focussing on 2 and killing them effectively. Once you know how the ai plays, you can exploit it and the challenge is gone. Indeed pity they didnt put more work in it.. but maybe is it very difficult to create an ai able to play as a human, too many coherent choices that it must take

[Edwin P.]

Your points are well taken and present an excellent summary of the AI weaknesess.

HC is aware of these shortcomings and the AI in SC2 should be much stronger.

Any comments HC?

PS: I just gave Germany 3 Rockets Level 5 in a game and unlike air units it focused rocket attacks against one unit at a time until it was destroyed.

[ December 10, 2005, 08:07 PM: Message edited by: Edwin P. ]

[Qyusson]

mm interesting.. by replacing the axis airfleets by 3 lvl 5 rockets from the beginning, and by adding the countries you named before in this post to enhance the axis mpp base, the game could be more of a challenge at hard xp +2. Of course as allied played you should handle a houserule: no air strikes on rockets before the fall of paris

[Edwin P.]

Here is an interesting Variant to make playing the Axis harder:

Set Italy to Neutral. See if you can win without the support of the Italian Army.

[Mr.Dozer]

that is interesting, i dont need italy, i need there ports. other than that sure, lol.

[Dragonheart]

Just play the scen Overloard as axis vs allied +2 i bet you get your ass kicked. Even +1 will be a challenge.