QB issue with AI

[Doug Williams]

Wanted to play a quick game against the AI yesterday. Chose Tiny Battle, Tiny Map, Hills, AI attack, AI choose it's own forces, I choose mine, AI gets +10% forces, MIX troops for both of us, AI German, me American.

Well, I position my forces in the setup phase. I happen to have a lone Sherman 105 on the far eastern side of the map. Battle starts, first turn I immediately see four (or was it five) enemy tanks in the far western corner, one a Panther. Sherman gets off three shots, takes out one Panzer. Sherman can't see the others, but some infantry I had on another part of the map do see them. Next turn, the enemy tanks just sit there and do nothing. Same thing happens for two more turns. I call a Cease Fire, check the map, and those tanks were the only thing the AI purchased, and then did absolutely nothing with.

Weird.

[womble]

Wanted to play a quick game against the AI yesterday. Chose Tiny Battle, Tiny Map, Hills, AI attack, AI choose it's own forces, I choose mine, AI gets +10% forces, MIX troops for both of us, AI German, me American.

Well, I position my forces in the setup phase. I happen to have a lone Sherman 105 on the far eastern side of the map. Battle starts, first turn I immediately see four (or was it five) enemy tanks in the far western corner, one a Panther. Sherman gets off three shots, takes out one Panzer. Sherman can't see the others, but some infantry I had on another part of the map do see them. Next turn, the enemy tanks just sit there and do nothing. Same thing happens for two more turns. I call a Cease Fire, check the map, and those tanks were the only thing the AI purchased, and then did absolutely nothing with.

Weird.

First, there's a known bug, which I believe we're told has been addressed in 1.01, with automatic force picking for Tiny and Small battles.

Second, it'd be helpful for those with the skills to help to know what map you were playing on. It might be that the AI plan just couldn't accommodate the armour-heavy auto-selection. It might be that the AI plan for that map is just a bit flaky.

Lastly, it's still a bit of an ask for the AI to execute an attack that can't be deflected with a stick of wilted celery, unless you give it a good force advantage.

[Doug Williams]

First, there's a known bug, which I believe we're told has been addressed in 1.01, with automatic force picking for Tiny and Small battles.

Ah, perhaps that explains why it chose only tanks for itself, even though I specified Mixed forces.

Second, it'd be helpful for those with the skills to help to know what map you were playing on. It might be that the AI plan just couldn't accommodate the armour-heavy auto-selection. It might be that the AI plan for that map is just a bit flaky.

I'll try to figure out which map it was. As far as I could tell, there was no AI plan, since it never did anything.

Lastly, it's still a bit of an ask for the AI to execute an attack that can't be deflected with a stick of wilted celery, unless you give it a good force advantage.

LOL, yep. Like I said, I wanted a "quick" battle, not a challenge. I just wanted to have a few glasses of wine and crush the AI. Although I have had the AI win a couple of times when it was on the attack.....usually due to a run of bad luck (for me), overconfidence, or too many glasses of wine (or all three). When I want a challenge (from the AI), I will attack or choose a ME and give the AI +10% or +25%.

[MarkEzra]

Womble is right on all counts. Let me add one other fact. The QB AI uses two groups. Each group has it's on set of orders and movement times. I will NOT go into any detail about the exact method I've used because the average player doesn't need to know the "tells" of the AI. Those who care to (ESPECIALLY QB Map Makers!) need only look at the AI Plans for QB Maps in the editor. "Tiny" setting apply what I'd call "stress" to the AI's ability to break into the two groups. Your One plt of panthers may have been placed in just one group and subject to that group start time and pathing orders. Had you waited a bit longer those AI panthers would have headed to their goals.

[Doug Williams]

Womble is right on all counts. Let me add one other fact. The QB AI uses two groups. Each group has it's on set of orders and movement times. I will NOT go into any detail about the exact method I've used because the average player doesn't need to know the "tells" of the AI. Those who care to (ESPECIALLY QB Map Makers!) need only look at the AI Plans for QB Maps in the editor. "Tiny" setting apply what I'd call "stress" to the AI's ability to break into the two groups. Your One plt of panthers may have been placed in just one group and subject to that group start time and pathing orders. Had you waited a bit longer those AI panthers would have headed to their goals.

Makes sense. I suppose I should also mention that the tank that my Sherman took out on the first turn was the Plt. Leader, so perhaps that contributed to their lack of motivation.

[StellarRat]

I had a group of five German tanks sit behind a forest on the edge of a map once for an entire medium sized QB game. They had No LOS to the objectives They were supposed to defend and only fired when I finally stumbled on them after crossing the entire map with My infantry. Even after I found them they never did move. The only other defending unit in the game was an FO in one of the objective towns in a building and I'm not sure if he called in any strikes other then the pre-bombment. Perhaps the German tankers put in a long night at the Haufbrau and were passed out in their rigs?