Improvements to Tactical AI

[Edwin P.]

Sometimes the Allied AI generals are drunk and makes some pretty dumb moves at the tactical level. Here's a chance to note those moves and make concrete suggestions for tweaking the AI.

Situation #1 - Allies invaded France with several armies and 3 HQ. The Axis forces are grinding them down the allies and eliminating one or two units per turn. The AI does not evacuate the HQs in and adjacent to the port of Brest, even when they have 3 HQ units to support 1 Canadian Army and 1 UK Corps.

Solution - After a D-Day invasion, in the face of overwhelming odds and constant losses the AI should evacuate units by sea from France. What are overwhelming odds?

Perhaps?

AI has been unable to destroy an Axis unit in France for 3 turns, has not increased number of French hexes it controls for 3 turns and has lost at least 1 allied unit in France per turn for 3 turns and number of Axis units exceed number of Allied units in France orAI should evacuate HQs to transports when these HQs can not supply any additional units in France.

Situation #2 - UK carriers launch lone attacks unprotected by battleships or cruisers. In the Med they will advance to attack a lone advancing Italian army while their battleships stay to the rear. The Italian Navy sinks the carrier after it advances to attack. In the North Sea the carrier will be lured into attacking a Transport and then be sunk by German Air and/or waiting Naval Forces.

Solution: Lone carrier does not move into attack range of 3+ enemy naval ships or 4+ enemy air units unless screened by other naval forces.

Situation #3- Germany invests in Long Range Aircraft and has tech level 2 while the UK has tech level 0. Germany moves planes where it can attack UK Fleets in the UK but the UK fleets can't attack the German Air. Result is that the German Air destroys the UK fleet.

Solution - UK air withdraws air fleets out of range of Axis Air Power when they are threatened by 3+ german air that it can not attack.

Situation #4 - When UK launches D-Day it does not fully support the invasion with air power by moving air fleets to the southern coast of England where they can maximize their ground air support.

Solution - When launching D-Day invasion move air fleets to the coast of England where they will not be in range of more than 2 German Air Fleets and keep 1 of 2 UK HQs in England to keep them fighting at maximum readiness.

Situation #5 - As German Armor approaches Stalingrad the Russian generals somtimes station new recruits (corps) to the north and south of Stalingrad. The German Armor advances into an ungarrisoned Stalingrad.

Solution - Russian generals should station new recruits in threatened cities if enemy units are in range to seize those cities in one move. If they fail in this duty they should be shot on the spot.

Situation #6 - Russian corp liberates Stockholm but is too cowardly to liberate the nearby coal mines when the closest German unit is in Oslo and no Axis transports are waiting along the shores of Sweden.

Solution - Shoot the cowards.

Situation #7 - Italian forces abandon Libya for deployments in Europe. The Allied corps in Cairo refuses to leave their nice Egyptian homes claiming that Cairo could fall to invaders, even though they could operate back to Cairo if it was threatened.

Solution - Reinforce the Egyption garrison with troops from Vichy Syria or an additional corps from the UK and then march or transport (if no italian ships in range to interdict) the Bris west to an undefended Tripoli.

Situation #8 - Germany moves Air unit to coastal hexes in France when they can see nearby enemy naval units. The enemy naval units then proceed to bombard and sometimes destroy the German air unit.

Solution - Why move move air units to coast hexes in France, unless there are no UK fleets in range, when you don't have to?

[ May 01, 2003, 06:11 PM: Message edited by: Edwin P. ]