TexasToast Posted June 3, 2000 Share Posted June 3, 2000 I am fairly new to this and am wondering how to evaluate my skills versus the AI. Do you experienced guys typically crank the opposition up 150% and stay competitive (or even dominate) on any side in either demo scenario? Just wondering what I should be shooting for. I realize that facing a human opponent will be an entirely different experience, and I hope to get to that shortly... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G4A Posted June 4, 2000 Share Posted June 4, 2000 I don't consider myself a CM expert or anything, so I too would be interested in hearing how the *really* good players do. I just played VoT as Germans with a +25 advantage for the US and won 81-19, US surrender turn 34. Is that good? I haven't done a PBEM either. Anyone feel like playing a newbie? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billcarey Posted June 4, 2000 Share Posted June 4, 2000 I'll play PBEM games against newbies - G4 - if you want to go. Any side and if you want the germans in the valley I'll give you +25% Really the AI is no way to gague skill. The only way is to play a living sneaky person. Send me a turn - either scenario either side. p.s. I'm solid but not great. Not the best tactician but I fight till the bitter end. - Bill billcarey@virginia.edu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juju Posted June 4, 2000 Share Posted June 4, 2000 Hi TexasToast! How to evaluate skills Vs AI? I usually take it one step at a time: Before I crank up the AI I want to win first. IF I win, I'll crank it up another 25%. Play again and, again, IF you win give the AI another 25%. You'll find your limit one way or the other soon enough! Cranking up opposition in PBEM games will only be needed (IMHO) if both players know the scenario so well that knowledge of certain key elements (like the exact arrival and location of certain reinforcements...)would unbalance the game (VoT is a good example. Riesberg would have been a good example too, I think). If you want me to reserve a blind scenario from the full game against you, let me know which one, okay! ------------------ Combat Axiom 46. Do unto others, before they do unto you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Ling Posted June 4, 2000 Share Posted June 4, 2000 In the demo readme is a bit about how each senario only really has 2/3 plays max in it as the human gains experience of that senario while the AI is playing it fresh each time. A benchmark based on how many times you win a certain senario does'nt seen accurate somehow as after the first play the odds are against the AI and keep getting higher the more you play it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Germanboy Posted June 4, 2000 Share Posted June 4, 2000 I think it is quite difficult to evaluate your skills on the basis of only a few scenarios. I consider myself a reasonable player, and before VoT I had never lost a repeat scenario against the AI. No surprises there. The other day I fired up VoT, standard set-up, me as the Germans (I have never played it as US yet). After a good whipping the AI surrendered at about turn 25 or thereabouts, 81:19, IIRC. No the interesting bit was that I immediately started the scenario again, with an identical force placement, me as Germans again. I used the same sort of tricks that had served me so well in the previous game. After a long fight the sorry remnants of my troops surrendered at about turn 31, score was 73:27. It is just incredible how much luck plays a part in this game. And that is what makes it a really great game in my eyes. Sure there is a point in playing better players, to learn from them, but what makes it interesting for them to play you is this luck factor. Everybody can beat everybody else in this game, no matter how much skills differ. While this may be frustrating at times (Dr.Alimantado knows what I talk about), it also keeps you on yourn toes. I would like to finish this pointless post by some serious toadying to Steve and Charles who have made the most interesting game I have seen on any computer since Blue Max came out on the C64 (and I was 14 then and impressionable - now I go on 32 and am cynical). ------------------ Andreas It is amazing what you can learn from a good book... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schugger Posted June 4, 2000 Share Posted June 4, 2000 It has definatly some advantages to repeat the same scenario against the AI time and time again: I've learned much about the game mechanics. Also i think the AI is still a challenge without giving it extra troops when you go to a scenario for the first time. My experiance against human opponents is quite limited with two never finished PBEM games with the beta demo and one Hotseat game of VoT, but be assured that this is very different from playing against the AI. I look forward to play as many as possible games against another human double blind once the game ships. ------------------ Es gibt Tage da verliert man und Tage da gewinnen die anderen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrAlimantado Posted June 4, 2000 Share Posted June 4, 2000 Germanboy is right - luck is a major part in this game (but that is not to downplay the role of good tactical skills). In a battle that we played I had serious luck and managed to turn the tide. My last hellcat managed within the time span of a few turns (4 or 5) to pick off his two stug's an his Tiger without getting any returning fire from the German tanks. My jaw just dropped when I saw what was happening. Anyway, time for me to take my sedatives. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred Posted June 4, 2000 Share Posted June 4, 2000 Yes, luck plays an important role in CM, like it did on the real battlefield. But you can "channel" the luck factor by skillfull playing. Take Riesberg at an example. In one game, both 88s were taken out in 2 minutes by the US AI. Bad luck and a tough fight. Next game, both survived till the end and the US had a hard time. Here is my rundown of games vs. the AI (only counting the VERY FIRST TRY of a scenario, always playing the german side, no adjustments): Riesberg: major defeat for me Last defence: draw CE: tactical victory for me VoT: tactical victory for me Needless to say that in other wargames I usually beat the "AI" with decisive victories. The end result is, that an average wargamer like me is really challenged by CMs AI. Fred Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest grunto Posted June 4, 2000 Share Posted June 4, 2000 the first time i played cm it was vot as the amis and two platoons were lollygagging through the south woods... when they reached the wall they realized that a) it wasn't good cover and they were getting shelled by a 150 sIG!!! it was a draw 46 41. andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts