Scen Design... overcoming the AI

[Bannon DC]

Need some help tighting up my scenario designs --

ATTACKING --

I'm having difficulty getting the AI to actually attack... I know this is a major weak point with the game in general.

The AI dives for cover on its first move and bunches up thereafter. Attacks quickly fall apart with the slightest enemy contact... even with numerical superiority for the attacker.

I've added more cover on the approaches to the objective. I've "roughed up" the map (uneven surfaces for LOS blocking and additional cover).

I've experimented with moving the objective flags around to let the AI focus on only one objective.

Any other suggestions?

DEFENSE --

Is it possible to set a group of AI units to not move from a specific part of the map... ie, have them wait in ambush or to set a number of defensive lines? Defending a bridge from being crossed for example

When I play the AI in general, they seem to leave dug in positions to march across the open fields into my advancing troops. Ruins some great games.

Is it pointless to try to design a good AI vs. solo player battle?

Thanks for any help

Bannon

[Abbott]

When I play the AI in general, they seem to leave dug in positions to march across the open fields into my advancing troops. Ruins some great games.

That happens when the battle is set to Meeting Engagement. Set it to defend and they will stay put until a VL falls, then all bets are off.

I have been working with the AI building scenarios daily and have the same concerns. A simple “programmable” setting would be a boon to scenario designs. A pop-up menu just like the orders menu during game play would do nicely. Even a platoon pop-up off the headquarters would work well in many instances and fight the platoon as a whole.

1. Hide (until attacked) or the normal fighting radius kicks in.

2. Defend (no move)

3. Cover arc

4. Cover armor

5. XXXX

6. XXXX

7. XXXX

..and so on…

[ October 11, 2002, 08:47 PM: Message edited by: Abbott ]

[Atlas_TH]

Bannon,

The AI is incapable of an organized attack. (Period.) It is much easier to construct a scenario attack against an AI defense, but, as you pointed out, that is problematic too.

That said, here are a few helpful hints for trying to make an AI attack work.

1) The obvious: Give the AI a ton, and I mean a ton, of extra units.

2) Make sure the AI has good approaches. No bottle necks (bridges, swamps...) The AI will send tanks one at a time to their doom.

2) Give the AI a high, high level of fanatism. (They will be less likely to cower when the player drops 105mm ART.)

3) Use strategically placed reinforcement markers to introduce AI units in areas you want to threaten (flanks, in the rear, etc...)

Others will have more ideas on AI attacks.

As far as keeping soldiers in their fox holes...I've had some success by keeping them "hidden".

Good luck.

[von Lucke]

Originally posted by Atlas_TH:

As far as keeping soldiers in their fox holes...I've had some success by keeping them "hidden".

Good luck.

It also helps if you make sure every VL location is occupied by a defender. Wandering Troop Syndrome usually stems from leaving a VL open, and the AI moves to cover it.

[GriffinCheng+]

Sorry for off-topic. From my observations through a number of QB against AI, some how "it" tends to move almost all the infantry units inside a small area which makes your FO very decorated. It happends when I was playing as German, I am not sure if it happens the other way around.

[Nippy]

It happends when I was playing as German, I am not sure if it happens the other way around.

Yup, German AI and Soviet AI are the same. Once I "herded" the German AI infanty with HMG's into a rather large forest...with a TRP in the center of it. 3 Minutes later a Conscript 76.2mm and a 122mm spotter had racked up over 90 infantry kills.

[Bannon DC]

thanks for the help...

After much experimenting, I was finally able to get the AI headed in the right direction. I played the opening move of my scenario about 25-30 times... I noticed that the AI dives for cover immediately, even if it means it has to run in the opposite direction. It will take LARGE detours just to get to the next set of trees. So, I essentially built a ladder of trees (rural map... hope this works the same for urban maps) to lead the AI toward the enemy... it worked well. In fact, I noticed by tweaking the scenary by as much as one or two "scattered trees" I could get my AI company to head for Objective flag A or Objective flag B. (What I would have liked to have done was lead them off a cliff... )

So, lesson learned was the AI needs cover all the way to keep it moving... direct routes work best.

Also observed that even when the units start in the default position, they will still slightly alter the way they move forward and it can still make a difference. For example, sometimes the AI got his Maxims in position and gave good covering fire, other times his slower units lagged too far behind... the AI just moved the company in a jumble, the same units did not take the exact same routes everytime even when they where headed in the right direction. Just got lucky a few times.

I've been thinking about making a few slightly different versions of the same map... one for head-to-head play, one for playing vs. an AI German, another for playing against and AI Russian. Sometimes too much bother, but in some case it can just be a tweak here and there such as giving the AI bonus units.

Anyone consider this?