Common AI Behavior

[laxx]

Hi,

this thread is on Common AI behavior. Things/perculiarities which the AI will exhibit under certain conditions.

The question of whether this is gamey or realistic should be avoided, because the opponent is the AI and not another player, also, this will undoubtedly create alot of unnecessary flame from forum-hijackers.

I will start with a few of my observations:

#1. When given the option of off-board artillery, the AI will use turn-1 artillery at the location where it spots enemy elements.

So, if you have a sacrificial lamb located at some highly improbably place where the AI can spot you. It will call on off-board arty (which cannot be changed later on) on that location (away from the rest of your main body).

#2. AI will almost always follow the path covered by trees (scattered, pine, woods).

So, if there are multiple approaches, to the victory location, it is quite predictable that the AI will choose the path covered by trees. The scenario, Close Encounter is a case in point, 2/3 times, the allied troops will choose the woods on the right side of the map.

#3. In a multi-victory flag game, When a VLocation is threatened, the AI will seek to defend the VL even if it means abandoning the current VL location.

[flamingknives]

The AI also uses dead ground quite well.

AT guns are usually as far back as possible - back edge of the map, in trees.

Overwhelming armour superiority will be countered with smoke.

[Cortes]

In my experience you tend to find the AI doing some hysterically stupid things with AT guns- keeping them far back on the map, oftentimes a ways away from the objective and completely unsupported.

They leave tanks in the open in sometimes cleared maps right at the objective, and when countered by local superiority either simply reverse or stand and fight, never doing anything so interesting as attacking or hull down-ing..

[laxx]

this is somewhat related.

for tank movements, I like to move them in pairs, really closed, side-by-side together. this gives me a better chance against anti-tank guns or other tanks. AI does not team up tanks so closely, so chances of multiple enemy tanks targeting your tank is low.

[Moe]

In the last few battles I've played, the AI's armour seemed to be on one side of the map. Could that be because of the terrain?

[Gen. Longstreet]

I've seen the AI's arty spotters fighting in the frontline....

[Patrick Moore]

In the few battles that I've played I've noticed that that the AI will often lead attacks with its HQ units. The result is that these HQ units will often suffer a quick demise and leaving the squads without any command!