Konstantin V. Kotelnikov Posted March 3, 2003 Share Posted March 3, 2003 Hey gang, In other threads we have discussed the timidity of the AI for it's failure to attack minors. Normally it goes after Denmark and The Low Countries. Takes on Yugoslavia after the Coup and then gets bogged down by going after russia. It doesn't go after it's historical conquests such as Norway and Greece. Yesterday I had a couple hours to putz with the game so I started up playing the allies. With Russia/US/Neutrals all set to neutral. I wanted to see what the AI would do when there is no threat from Russia or the United States. It rampaged accross Poland, the low countries. It took out france. Then it took a different course. It declared war on Hungary and Yugoslavia. Crushed them and then declared war on Rumania. After taking out the romanians it decided to go after russia. It was the weakest attack I have ever see the AI launch on russia. So that got me to thinking. Anyone else have tricks to get the AI to invade some more minors? I also think I noticed that with Canada neutral that the german uboats didn't cause any convoy damage in the Atlantic. Anyone else seen this? I thought the U-boats I had chased down went into the convoy lane, but maybe they didn't. Very interesting so to say! Later Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerseyJohn Posted March 3, 2003 Share Posted March 3, 2003 The past few months I've been playing the computer without the Fog of War option. I do this not because I want to, but because it's the only way the AI can come up with anything. Being forced to watch the computer (I don't have the patience to switch FOW on and off) I've seen many strange and often interesting actions. The AI seems to avoid decisive action whenever possible. In the 1939 & 40 situations the AI can't play the Axis unless the human is willing to withdraw from the Maginot Line, otherwise it will batter itself to death against it. We all know it will never invade Britain on it's own -- though I haven't put this to the ultimate test of leaving the place undefended with FOW on; I'd imagine in that instance even the AI would venture across. I've seen it turn on it's own potential allies, as you've mentioned. And I've also seen it declare war on neutral countries it can't get to! By contrast it fares better in wide open land areas, like Russia. I've seen few examples similar to the one you cite; usually the AI seems to hedge all it's bets and seek the safest path. -- Not to stray off topic, but an option where the computer sees everything and the human has the Fog of War enforced would be good; it's been suggested before by others and would be a great option in this version of SC. -- [ March 03, 2003, 01:19 PM: Message edited by: JerseyJohn ] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullwinkle Posted March 3, 2003 Share Posted March 3, 2003 I play the AI exclusively and I can tell you that it will not invade Britain even if its completely vacant! I do this all the time when playing Allies with no concern for Sea Lion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minotaur Posted March 3, 2003 Share Posted March 3, 2003 As far as I saw since I played the game: - Allies AI is more Aggressive when FoW is On... Especially with it's ships... - True that putting USA/Russia neutral help Axis being more aggressive or less careful about it's attacks... Although it still didn't touch Norway or Greece... - In the Barbarossa Scenario (playing Axis, FoW On) I saw 2 "D-Day"!... One in June 1942 and One in July 1943... Second caught me a bit by surprise... No suiciding one-by-one after the first "D-Day"!... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Konstantin V. Kotelnikov Posted March 5, 2003 Author Share Posted March 5, 2003 Even Weirder Scenario! I tried it for a couple hours last night. This time with Russia Neutral again, United States, Historical and the Minors Random. I figured with the U.S. set that the AI might be more aggressive since it didn't have to worry about pushing the US into the war early. AI couldn't handle it. It attacked like normal, poland and low countries. But this time in an odd twist Italy captured france. Then italy went on a rampage and took out denmark while germany attacked Hungary. So in July 1941 the AI sat there massing it's army on the Yugo border waiting for a coup that never came. In September 1941 with it's armies still massed on the Yugo border it attacked the USSR. Even weaker than any attack I had previously ever seen. I was able to operate out all but one of the Soviet armies. Just crazy. Italy was pulling down 189 MPP a turn and Germany 166. Totally a different kind of game when Italy is the Superpower and Germany the little Allie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerseyJohn Posted March 5, 2003 Share Posted March 5, 2003 Konstantin It don't get much weirder than that -- I hope! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edwin P. Posted March 6, 2003 Share Posted March 6, 2003 As for weird tactics; 1. If UK abandons Gibraltor late in the game Italy will not send a corps to take it, although Germany sometimes sends a corps unit from the west coast of France and the Italian navy keeps one or two naval units next to the empty Gibraltor port. 2. If the Axis takes Spain and Portugal, I have never seen the Allied player make a D Day invasion here, even if the Axis player withdraws all units from this area. Nor has the AI ever threatened invasion on two fronts at once. Thus allowing the Axis player to concentrate his anti-invasion forces. 3. As stated in earlier posts the AI seems to take the long way to do things. Example: it never takes Greece in one turn via a seaborne invasion, and rarely takes Belgium in one turn, as most human players do. If another patch or an upgraded version (IE SC 1.5) is ever released for this game I would like to see it focused on improving the AI, making it more aggressive and unpredicatable. How? Incude several routines for invading certain countries, deciding on a strategic focus, and iclude some of the tactics used by human opponenents during the on-line matches. Example 1> Thus the AI might use tactic 1 to take Belgium 50% of the time and tactics 2 the other 50% of the time. Currently the Axis AI always goes after the infantry unit in Northeastern Belgium, whereas most players seem to favoir an initial assualt on the Capital supported by air power(and Belgium falls in 1 turn). Example 2> After destroying the UK fleet in the mediterrean Italy should decide if it will Attack Greece (35%). 1> If Italy decide to attack Greece before Russia enters the war then use the one turn seaborne invasion tactic (80%)or attack over the mountains (20%). If the UK has a large fleet in the eastern mediterrean then reverse these percentages. If Italy takes Greece then it should make a strategic decision as to whether it will try to seize constantinople (35%) or take Vichy Lebanon (25%) so it can then move on the Iraqi oil fields and the port of Suez. If it takes Constantinople it should make a strategic decision on launching a seaborne invasion of resource rich southeastern russia (40%) or moving on the Turkish Capital(40%) or doing both (20%). Currently the Italy AI (and all the other AI's) always follow the same basic strategy, although it will sometimes attack Greece (but only through the mountains) and will never invade Cairo, even if the UK withdraws all units from Egypt and never even considers using a corps to take the udefended port of Suez. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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