Joe Shaw Posted July 24, 2000 Share Posted July 24, 2000 I'm in the process of creating a Convoy scenario and am having some weird things happen. In the first place I've been told that the AI doesn't handle such things well, which is okay with me, I'll just label it as PBEM only These are the parameters I've set up: Allied Attacker Friendly Map Edges: West - Axis East - Allied North and South - Neutral Edges for Exit: Axis - No Exit Allied - West Flag Static - No flags on map Axis Bonus - 0 On the Allied side I had 5 trucks worth 20 points each that were eligible for exit, none of the other allied units were eligible for exit points nor are any Axis units eligible. I ran a hotseat battle in which I put all the Germans off to a side where they couldn't see anything, then I ran everything Allied off the map edge that showed the Exit signs. There was NO COMBAT of any type. The following were the results: Allied Attacker: Men OK - 141 Score - 75 Axis Defender: Men OK - 89 Score - 24 Allied Surrender Allied Major Victory Yes, that's what it said I think its pretty obvious that either I'm doing something really wrong, the game can't handle this kind of scenario or there's a bug someplace. I would ideally like to create the scenario so that the ONLY thing that scores points is the trucks getting off the map or not, but I don't think I can do that. Casualties still count for points. I can live with that, I'll just make everything on the Allied side eligible for exit points. But the above results are clearly out of whack. Any suggestions appreciated. Joe [This message has been edited by Joe Shaw (edited 07-24-2000).] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Germanboy Posted July 24, 2000 Share Posted July 24, 2000 Joe, try playing with the map edges. For some reason, that seems to have a big effect on the AI, maybe that is the reason for the strange result you are getting. ------------------ Andreas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wild Bill Wilder Posted July 24, 2000 Share Posted July 24, 2000 I'm not sure what the purpose of your scenario is, Joe. Are you trying to have a confrontation between the convoy and the Germans, them attacking the convoy? Without flags, the Germans don't have any motivation to move. There are so many variables here that you have not mentioned that it is hard to say. If the map is large and long and the units are relatively few, and the turns are not that long, most likely the Germans will not find the convoy. You're going to have to make the scenario so that there is something to draw the Germans to your road to attack. One possibility is a flag near the exit hex. You can put it far enough away from the Germans so that they will be hard pressed to take it. But as you say, a convoy scenario is not easy. Its not the kind of battle the AI will not respond well at all. Timing is also an issue. If the Germans are not close enough, they won't get to the area where you want a battle. ------------------ Wild Bill Lead Tester/Designer Combat Mission-Beyond Overlord billw@matrixgames.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Shaw Posted July 24, 2000 Author Share Posted July 24, 2000 My apologies Bill, I didn't make it clear enough. The test I was running was just to see what kind of points would be scored and how long it would take IF the Allies had a clear shot with no opposition. In order to MAKE that happen I started a hotseat game and I put the Germans way off the track and had them stay put. Since there was no combat, I couldn't make sense of the results. The trucks got off the map on the proper edge (it was clearly marked EXIT)and nobody fired a shot but the scores and result were a little bizarre. Again this was just a test run with a deliberately unrealistic outcome. Nonetheless, the results should have worked. I saw no need to for a VL flag since the points were supposed to be achieved for exiting vehicles ... or the failure to do so. The goal of the scenario is to simulate an Allied escorted convoy being attacked by an inplace German force. The structure of the map pretty much forces confrontation so that's not a problem. In my tests so far I've just been trying to get some semblance of a result that would reflect the value of getting the convoy through and off the exit edge at any cost. In other words, I would like to have the victory determined SOLELY by whether or not the convoy of trucks gets through. My first problem is that those dagnabed casualties keep getting in the way I can probably finagle that though if I have to. I'm not so much concerned about whether or not the AI will handle it well, but even at that it seems to do relatively well. Does that make any more sense? Thanks, Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wild Bill Wilder Posted July 25, 2000 Share Posted July 25, 2000 Much more, Joe! I don't know how accurate a score you will get doing it that way. I think the AI gets a little confused. Like you, at first glance, you would think that it would work, but that is not always true. A better test would be the straight battle and see how it comes out. Then you can improvise and make changes to make the victory you are seeking possible. Since you can't get an accurate point count, I can't think of any other way than testing the actual fight. It might work for you, in a two player context, or if the human player is the US so the troops will stay in the trucks. It will be challenging for you. Good luck! ------------------ Wild Bill Lead Tester/Designer Combat Mission-Beyond Overlord billw@matrixgames.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Shaw Posted July 25, 2000 Author Share Posted July 25, 2000 Hmmm, sounds like I need to go to plan B ... now I just need to find a plan B. Actually I DID try a full battle against the AI. I was playing the Germans and I was using my usual UI (UnIntellegence). Despite the fact that the Germans kept any of the Allied vehicles from exiting, the Allies won on the basis of casualties. That's why I was messing with the tests to see what kind of points the Allies would get in the best possible situation. Anyway, thanks for the help, I'll just rethink the situation a bit. Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wild Bill Wilder Posted July 25, 2000 Share Posted July 25, 2000 My pleasure. Wish I could help you more..WB ------------------ Wild Bill Lead Tester/Designer Combat Mission-Beyond Overlord billw@matrixgames.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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