Allied AI Mod Released

[Timskorn]

As we wait for the forthcoming patch, I've uploaded an improved AI for the Allied side in the 1939 Fall Weiß campaign. This is meant to be played from the Axis side only.

The AI has been tweaked/improved strictly through scripting. No additional MPP's or events have been added to give them an advantage. This campaign was tested on hardest difficulty level with +1 experience. Veteran players should play with +2.

Until the patch comes out, however, there are some AI/editor limitations. The AI improves their units very rarely and in limited cases. Russia, for example, may have tons of MPP's and units, but you'll see only a handful have improvements. Also, there's no way currently to transfer Allied ships around the Naval Loop to Egypt, so the AI cannot be reinforced there.

Some of the fixes/additions:

- D-Day now works

- Russian production, research and defenses have been improved.

- UK now has the ability to attack from Egypt

- A few other things.

This is the first version and would love to hear feedback, good or bad, and what could be improved so that I can make adjustments. For the better players out there the new AI probably won't be able to beat you, but for the casual players it should give you all a better challenge.

Grab it! www.cmmods.com Enjoy!

(I'll be gone until Sunday evening, so won't be able to respond to anything until I get back!)

[JerseyJohn]

Thanks for posting this and for making the mod, Tim.

I've joined the site and have downloaded your mod -- looking forward to also downloading Pzr's Tactics II treatment as well, once I know what I'm doing with this thing.

Started the 1939 mod a moment ago, after extracting your files, and it's appearance is exactly the same as the earlier version. Is there supposed to be some indication that it's been altered?

Safe and enjoyable trip, looking forward to your reply after the weekend.

[Timskorn]

Yep, I haven't changed anything physically except placing the French tank in Paris. Everything else that has been changed is simply scripts (AI, production, research, plans such as D-Day, etc).

I wanted to keep the 1939 campaign as close as possible to the shipped version, except with better AI.

[Retributar]

Sound's GREAT...& look's Promising Timskorn !!!,...i have just downloaded your 'Mod'...and will begin play as soon as it has been installed!.

[fantomas]

Good work again ! As I said to you in the mod forum, It would be great (in my opinion), to include in your zip file precisions about what is changed, etc... (readme would be a good thing into the zip file)

For my personnal use, I have taken the text of your post and did include it in the zip file (creating a "readme"), but it would be better to have YOUR readme, with technical precision

(including the game version that is used for mod, the mod version number, what you have changed, what you will change, what side must be played Vs AI, eventual "house rules", etc...)

In this way, your hard work would be better valued

[ May 06, 2006, 02:34 AM: Message edited by: fantomas ]

[Ranchero]

Your additions to the scenario were a great enhancement. I had a chance to download it and play most of the way through last night after the kids went to bed. I wish I had the skill to make those kinds of improvements.

Thanks for making it available!

R/

Ranchero

[Hubert Cater]

Great stuff

[LampCord]

Awesome, I'm playing now.

One question: Did you per chance script the Allies to put political pressure on Spain?

I've had 10 chits on Spain for 2 years now (5 German, 5 Italian) with 0 progress. Coincidence?

Otherwise, so far things look great. Brittish navy seems a bit more aggressive than normal and the Russians seem to have more teched up units than I'm used to. I was a little shocked to see LEVEL 3 Russian tanks blowing through my lines when Siberian Troops arrived!

And the US just declared war on Vichy and landed in N. Africa which I hadn't seen before.

So far so good I'd say...

[Timskorn]

Hey guys, glad to see it's been enjoyable so far. I just got back from NH on a camping/canoing/hiking trip with a bunch of friends.

Fantomas: Thanks, I agree, I'd like to include a detailed readme next time on all the changes (big and small). I would put a disclaimer on it though if people didn't want spoilers. Some of the stuff is nice to be 'surprised' with at first, but after that you want to know more about it and the readme would be good for that.

Ranchero: Thanks, I'm glad you're enjoying it so far. This is the first version and I plan on refining it even more, especially once HC releases the 1st patch.

LampCord: Yes, I did. I switched their pressure from Yugoslavia to Spain to better reflect a common human strategy for the Axis to switch Spain. This is one of those things that I did that wasn't necessarily historically correct, but one that didn't deviate 'too' much and is a tactic to counter a typical Axis strategy at this point.

Russia definitely techs up very well with the changes I did. They typically get level 2 or 3 minimum on infantry and heavy tanks, and level 4 IT which allows them to get a LOT of MPP's.

I'm definitely interested to hear more feedback from people, the good/bad/ugly and suggestions for future versions.

[K Jonsson]

Great work! I also found the AI a little bit more agressive and the diplomatic pressure on Spain is nice =)

However when the AI declared war on Vichy France there where no allied units within range. I think war was declared at the same time as american transports were being loaded. Not exactly sure about this, but when the game ended the american transports about in the middle og the atlantic.

keep up the good work!

/Kristian

[Karhu]

Thanks for all your work with this, Tim.

At the risk of showing myself up to be complete ignoramous, which folder should the mod be unzipped into? I tried the Fall Weiss folder, but the French tank is still not in Paris, so I suppose that wasn't it.

[Timskorn]

Kristian: Thanks for the feedback! As far as the US transports and the DoW on Vichy France, this is only something Hubert can fix. Right now it's impossible for me to get the AI to move transports next to Vichy France first, and then DoW. The DoW happens first and then the transports move to the goal position. Hopefully after the 1st patch we'll get the ability to move the transports into position first and then DoW, which would make taking Vichy France much more effective (and I could do I direct Algiers landing, for example). But for now it DOES work, and the transports will land and do their thing, just not as effectively as it should be.

Karhu: All ya need to do is extract it into your Campaigns folder. It'll add a new folder called "_1939 Fall Weiß TK Allied AI Mod" and also drop the actual .cgn (campaign) file into the Campaigns folder. That's it, then just load'er up. It's considered its own scenario, so you don't need to mess with the original Fall Weiss folder or campaign at all. You can still play that one as it was out of the box, so to speak.

[Retributar]

Timskorn! ,i too found the MOD to be more challenging, as stated above by the other's.

The American's declared war on 'Vichy France' in early to mid 1943...the Italian's MPP level's seemed to have dropped off drastically...took me till 1943 to build an Italian HQ! [besides repairing Ships & other unit's, etc].

Because of the reduced MPP's and other changes,...'Russia' is now taking more time and effort to overrun!.

So far, overall...i rate this as an 'Appreciated Version' of 'Fall Weis'...it's good to have an alternate situational-mode for that Campaign!.

I was surprised more than once!!!...for example i didn't expect the 'Brits' to do a D-Day landing on France [With 'Corps' units at about the same time the Americans declared war on Vichy France!.

I didn't have much in the way of force's in France...and it was just a co-incidence that i had a freshly built Panzer Division & Airfleet entering the game at that Dire-Moment!.

[Timskorn]

Glad to hear it Retributar! Yeah, the Operation Torch plan was the only alternate event I added to the original Fall Weiss campaign. It's historically correct and puts early US pressure on the Axis.

Couple questions for ya:

1. Did the US land during D-Day as well, or just the Brits?

2. Where are you currently at in Russia and what month/year is it for you?

3. Did the Brits try attacking Tobruk or Iraq, or have you taken over Alexandria already?

Since all the production/research scripts are based on percentages, every game will play out differently, so I'd like to get a gauge from those are who playing the game as to how things are turning out.

[Retributar]

Timskorn :***Mainly just British Infantry Corp's Unit's landed [6-8 of them]...but, also a B-17 Bomber Group transported over to the BREST Region in France!. As well & as usuall the British Fleet sallied-forth with it's usuall Coastal-Bombardment Effort's anywhere it could!. Both American & British bomber group's also assisted in the 'Reduction Effort' when they could!.

***Was in Russia_nearing MOSCOW vicinity_Approx June of 1943

***I had Done some serious pounding on the British Fleet...and had destroyed a British Infantry Division and Airfleet, so they had remaining 2 Army Corp's,1 Armoured Division, and an HQ,...so they were in no postion to attack Tobruk!. Other British reinforcement's didn't join the British Units in the Suez region.

As for taking ALEXANDRIA...i only have 1 Italian AirFleet 2 Italian Armies & an Italian HQ...i am facing a British Armoured Division, a NZ Army Corp's & another British Corp's in Alexandria,...so im waiting for the outcome at the Vichy French N. African City to see if i can transfer those 3 battlegroups and Vichy French Corp's to help at ALEXANDRIA!. I don't have the GERMAN resources to spare [Too busy on the Eastern Front],...to send to Africa to assist in the assault on ALEXANDRIA!.

As for Iraq...it had strong leanings to the Axis [80%], and as well, no-British activity there!.

After the AMERICANS declared war on Vichy FRANCE they landed on the west coast of AFRICA [near Casablanca] and rushed across North Afica till they reached the 'Vichy French' City [Forgot the name], so i transported a Vichy French unit [Corp's] from FRANCE to assist in the Cities Defence and also repaired a FRENCH Cruiser group...which was then also pressed into service to assist in protecting the Vichy French City. So with 1 Italian and 2 Vichy French Sea Combat Units i managed to destroy 1 American Army & 1 American Corp's...By coastal bombardment...as well as from assistance from the 2 Vichy French Corp's Unit's at the City!.

...and that's where i am now with 1 American Army & Corp's 'without' an H.Q. pressing on with it's attack's on the North African Vichy French Coastal City.

[ May 07, 2006, 05:27 PM: Message edited by: Retributar ]

[Timskorn]

Thanks Retributar for the info. Sounds like the US got a bad roll with the North Africa invasion. They usually have an HQ available to send with the attack, but in some cases they don't by the time it's launched.

Glad to hear Moscow still stands in the summer of 1943.

As for D-Day this is something I'll be continually tweaking. It really has to be balanced so that it doesn't happen too late or too early. I'm finding that a summer of 1944 launch date is becoming more and more optimal in terms of force size, but most good players will be finishing up in Russia by then.

[Ranchero]

Timskorn,

The one thing I did notice was that in 43 or 44, a couple of pop up boxes came up with no text. I don't know if it was my machine or something else. There was a UK flag, but the box was just empty.

Ranchero

[JerseyJohn]

So far the only problem I've experienced was Canada not joining when it was already November of 1939. I fixed that by raising it from 80% to 99%, which gave a message on turn one that it was preparing for war, and immediately afterwards that it joined the Allies.

Saved that "fixed" file as 1939 Fall etcAI.

No one else seems to have had that problem so maybe it was just my computer or perhaps something that only affected it at that particular time.

Still early in the game as I've been busy all weekend. Hoping to get a lot more of it done later tonight and will post again on it tomorrow.

[Retributar]

Jersey John :

So far the only problem I've experienced was Canada not joining when it was already November of 1939.

No one else seems to have had that problem so maybe it was just my computer or perhaps something that only affected it at that particular time.

Well, in my estimation, it's not that anyone else didn't have that problem!,...it's just that none-of-us were as "Astute" as you in recognizing it!!!.

[JerseyJohn]

Retributar,

I find that hard to believe as I'm the least astute player at the site.

And I'm not sure I fixed it at all as I'm in the dark with the new editor system, afraid to touch it because there might be undesired side effects.

Anyway, Canada is in the war and the rest seems to be going well thru the late winter of 1939.

[Guest Mike]

Can this new stuff be used in an existing game?

[Timskorn]

Ranchero: Thanks, I know what that is. I had pop up boxes in to let me know things were activating properly, but I guess I left some spaces in that still causes it to popup.

JJ: Odd! Yeah, I've never touched that trigger, that's standard for the campaign and I think Canada will eventually join anyway right? I've never seen them not join anyway, just not maybe in Nov all the time.

[Retributar]

Jersey John, please keep us apprised of the result's of your-fix!. As i myself at-least... would personally like to fix my game program to rectify that situation myself so that it more reflect's the actuall historical reality!.

[Retributar]

Timskorn!!!..., i'm now in the processing of erasing the AMERICAN-COLOR-CODED-TRACK back to 'Casablanca' with my 2 Vichey French Corp's...and GUESS-WHAT!!!,...i just sighted the "U.S. H.Q. Unit"!.

What is it doing by itself, half-way's between 'Algiers' and 'Casablanca'???.

[Timskorn]

Hah, I'm not sure, we don't have that kind of control with the editor. I just tell the units to go there and take Algiers, and the AI decides where to place the units.

Stalin's Organist: No, any changes to the AI .txt files (production, research, etc) cannot be used with saved games. If you were to add anything to a .txt file you would need to compile the campaign in the editor and then start a new game.