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Multiple AI plans


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I wish there was a way to make sure, if I want to replay a scenario, that it loads with a different AI plan than in my first playthrough. Maybe at the end of a scenario there would be an option to lock that AI plan, that can be unlocked in the editor.

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That is not a bad idea.

If you load a scenario in single player after you have picked your side you have the option of the AI plan being either random or AI plan 1, 2, or .... (or however they are referenced).

Not sure how simple it would be as I have never looked at how to put together the AI plans but as CM stands now prior to playing a scenario you could open the editor and look how many AI plans there are. Then make that make that many copies of the scenario. Then open scenario 1 and chop out all but the "first" AI plan then repeat so you have multiple versions of the scenario each with a single but different plan.

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That is not a bad idea.

If you load a scenario in single player after you have picked your side you have the option of the AI plan being either random or AI plan 1, 2, or .... (or however they are referenced).

Not sure how simple it would be as I have never looked at how to put together the AI plans but as CM stands now prior to playing a scenario you could open the editor and look how many AI plans there are. Then make that make that many copies of the scenario. Then open scenario 1 and chop out all but the "first" AI plan then repeat so you have multiple versions of the scenario each with a single but different plan.

you can set a plan as not used. So go into the editor, if there are 5 plans, set 4 as not used. After playing switch which is the available one. It really is pretty easy.

The lesson, don't be afraid of the editor. Heck even I learned how to use it.

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Most of the time I know upon finishing a scenario if I want to play it again - so a solution would preferably be as hassle free as possible from the start. But I will have a look at the editor solution.

On a related note - I guess you can't really generalize, but do AI plans tend to differ a lot? Thus making replayability more enjoying.

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My guess would be that the range would be from radical to minimal and you can't know unless you actually look which sort of spoils the point of the exercise.

But most scenario designers would want feedback. If you play a scenario by someone who frequents these boards you could probably ask them and they might give you some information.

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Currently you don't. You would need to go to the editor and pick one first and then track it from there.

Sometimes you can deduce it by looking at the order steps and what the AI did/how it set up. Would potentially clear away FoW though, inspecting them that closely.

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On a related note - I guess you can't really generalize, but do AI plans tend to differ a lot? Thus making replayability more enjoying.

That is going to vary by designer and probably by scenario. I am relatively inexperienced so take what I say with a grain of salt.

In the couple I did I tried to give a fair amount of variety. I actually created all 5 AI plans for both sides and I would typically make a couple that were similar and 2 that were more extreme. I also tried to leave a lot of variability in the timing of moves so not only would the 5 plans be different but even playing the same plan twice would not necessarily play out the same way. Now that we have triggers this will get even more complex. I think what you will find as the AI continues to develop is playability is going to keep increasing in terms of getting different outcomes. The nice thing about triggers is the variability I referred to earlier didn't mean the AI would do things well, just differently. With triggers I think you will see more plans that are different and also good.

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Half of the fun of the game is the editor.

If you're not building villages and experimenting with AI construction you're underutilizing the game. Someone once suggested awhile ago taking a Google Earth screenshot of your neighborhood and recreating the location for a battle. Fight to defend the grocery store. Blow up the strip mall using artillery. Barricade and defend the local gas station to the last man. The bloodiest scenario I ever made was Marines versus Army at an upscale Texas shopping mall. Absolute carnage. Think of it as 'learning by doing' - hands-on AI movement instruction. You'll be an expert on the subject in no time. Oh, and post your results to Repository. :)

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On a related note - I guess you can't really generalize, but do AI plans tend to differ a lot? Thus making replayability more enjoying.

One of the most basic yet effective ways AI plans differ is in defensive placements. For example, if the key to a scenario where you are attacking with armor is location of enemy AT guns, they vary by plan. Otherwise, you would just mortar exactly where you knew they were last time, wouldn't you :)

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I have brought this up on the beta boards a few times now trying to sell it to Steve as a "force multiplier" for the scenarios that come with the game. I think people would replay the single battles many more times if they KNEW that it would be different each time (Select AI plan 1,2, 3, etc....)

So far no go but we will see for the future. There are a few beta guys that like this idea.

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