AI Artillery handling in the new module

[Paper Tiger]

Well, since it's got it's own forum now, I would like to ask about the new AI artillery system. I've read the revised manual and found the yellow section about the AI will use any artillery that's not used at the start throughout the mission. That's pretty much what it said before but this time, it's working.

Anyways, I'm hoping to glean as much information about this new feature as I possibly can before the module arrives so that I can hit the ground running rather than have to spend 2-3 days experimenting to find out everything. Between the manual and the comments posted by some beta testers in the announcement thread I think I have a fair idea of how the new system works.

Here's what I'm particularly interested in. First, it would seem that if I give the AI four artillery attack zones and three modules of mortars, then three of those zones will get pasted at the start and then there will be no artillery available for the AI to use. Does this mean that I'll have to give the AI more artillery than it has attack zones (i.e. in my example 5+ modules) at the start of the mission if I want to see dynamic artillery or can it be added later as a reinforcement? The same goes with air support.

Or is the AI artillery interface in the editor now fully functional, i.e. that the different settings will actually work, suppress, damage, and destroy. This would allow me to be more economical with the artillery at the start.

Secondly, what about SMOKE? How has this been implemented?

[Cpl Steiner]

On the subject of artillery, at the moment the "human" player can prepare a preplanned barrage that will come in 0, 5, 10 or 15mins after game start (using the "delay" setting) but an "AI" player can only have preplanned barrages come in 0mins after game start. Will the AI artillery "support" zones also allow a delay after v1.1?

[theFightingSeabee]

I think that is what the announcement said... something about ai artillery being fixed.

[Sgt Joch]

Here is what I have seen during the beta tests:

1- the AI artillery support zone system is basically unchanged. You setup "zones" and the AI randomly fires into them beginning on the first turn. I am unsure if the other issues you mentioned have been adressed;

2- the new AI system works like a human player. The AI will call down air/artillery on your troops that it spots during the game, subject to the same time limit as the human player. From what I have seen, it works more or less as if you were facing a human player in PBEM, so don't leave friendly troops exposed too long on the same spot;

3-artillery smoke missions work like any other artillery missions, but you choose "smoke" . It can be delivered on a point, line or area by any US artillery or mortar. I have not checked out the red artillery.

[SgtMuhammed]

In testing I have found it best to just leave the AI to its own devices with arty. Pre-plotted stuff can be good for setting a mood but it is pretty gamey if the designer plops you in the middle of a massive preplanned barrage.

The AI will use its arty and can be quite deadly with it.

One thing to remember when designing is that you now actually have to worry about where to place your FO since they will tend to engage if you don't give them the right orders and then the AI loses its big guns.

[Paper Tiger]

This sounds excellent. Thanks for sharing this info guys. Since I do Red on Red mostly, I'm curious to know more about the AI's ability to use smoke during a mission. Any info on this would be vey useful as I am planning something for one of the Hasrabit missions.

[Cpl Steiner]

I don't think the AI could use smoke artillery in CMx1 so I imagine it's the same for CMx2. In general smoke artillery needs pretty good coordination with units on the ground to make use of it for cover, which I reckon would be way too much for an AI to deal with.

[Paper Tiger]

From the announcement...

-Smoke artillery missions (and computer-player AI Support Plans may use it)

So it sounds like it will only be for the opening pre-planned barrage. That's still REALLY cool!

Any word on artillery that's added as a reinforcement being used yet?

[Paper Tiger]

I have posted an amended version of Perdition at CMMODS that should be v1.1 ready. If you have the time, I'd be very grateful if some of you Beta tester guys were kind enough to have a look at it and give me some feedback on the AI artillery.

cheers

PT

[MikeyD]

About the AI using up all of its artillery on opening move barrages, that can be got around in two ways that I can think of. First, when the scenario designer does his terrain targets he specifies 'suppress' or 'damage' rather than 'destroy'. This should hold back some of your artillery for later use. A second thing is if the scenario designer assigns artillery as 'reinforcements'. That means it won't be available to the AI for initial bombardment. That 5 minute (or however long) initial wait for your mortars can be interpreted as off-map 60mm mortar teams hastily setting up position and aligning their weapons.

[MikeyD]

SgtMuhammed writes:

"...but it is pretty gamey if the designer plops you in the middle of a massive preplanned barrage."

Hey, I resemble that remark! I think half the scenarios I've done have started out with heroic-scale rocket artillery barrages!

Oh, another thing. Has anyone mentioned that the AI may now decide to do airburst strikes? I think one or two of my old 3rd part scenarios might be in big trouble if the AI begins the game with hyper-lethal airbust opening rocket barrages. :eek:

[SgtMuhammed]

Nothing but love for you MikeyD.

[Pandur]

i realy hope the syrians can call down smoke. i wouldnt see why not, they partly also got VT arty wich is rather sophisticated compared to smoke, so why could no smoke be justified!?

[Paper Tiger]

About the AI using up all of its artillery on opening move barrages, that can be got around in two ways that I can think of. First, when the scenario designer does his terrain targets he specifies 'suppress' or 'damage' rather than 'destroy'. This should hold back some of your artillery for later use. A second thing is if the scenario designer assigns artillery as 'reinforcements'. That means it won't be available to the AI for initial bombardment. That 5 minute (or however long) initial wait for your mortars can be interpreted as off-map 60mm mortar teams hastily setting up position and aligning their weapons.

Sweet. Thanks for posting that. I feel I now have enough information to go ahead and start adapting the individual missions in 'Hasrabit' that I've earmarked for dynamic artillery. That'll mean I can get straight into playtesting them when the Marines arrives on my hard drive. I'm pretty sure I know how smoke will be handled too. However, I will actually need to see what it does in the game before I can plan THAT. If it dumps smoke in the same way that it does artillery in the pre-planned barrages, that will be a pretty dense smoke screen.