Playing the AI

[Naughteous Maximus]

I really don't have much faith in the AI in WITE 2, the AI was a lot better in the original. I'm sure in due time it will improve. For now, what settings should I set the game to for the best or realistic gameplay for the Germans, and for the Soviets?

[DrewBlack]

Interesting that you don't rate it, what settings do you currently play at?

Thanks

[Zovs]

I put the Soviet AI on Challenging for 1941-1942, Hard on 1943-44, and Impossible for 1945.

I put the German AI on Hard (or impossible) for 1941-43 and Challenging from 1944-45.

[MarkShot]

I put the Soviet AI on Challenging for 1941-1942, Hard on 1943-44, and Impossible for 1945.

I put the German AI on Hard (or impossible) for 1941-43 and Challenging from 1944-45.

Interesting. I forgot that they are just buffs that can be tweaked in mid game.

Does the AI the construct plans that span turns, or is each turn effectively a rebirth for it?

Thanks.

[Zovs]

My notion is it’s turn by turn, it not smart enough to strategize like a human an and it is only reacting to the human it’s playing against or the data it sees each new.

[PeteJC]

I only play the Grand Campaign as Axis against the Soviet AI. I also stop playing after the T16 VP check. I have played the game steadily since its release and have probably played through about 15 games to the T16 VP check. I play on all normal settings, but I have the following self-imposed house rules to add some historical accuracy/realism and compensate for the extremely passive AI:

1 Cannot use Super Depot- FBDS unit on a depot.
2 After Turn 3 cannot have more than 1 open hex between the ZOCs of advanced units.
3 After Turn 2 cannot break units into regiments to form a pocket.
4 No fast units can be used to advance to or through the Crimea before turn 16.
5 Cannot do naval patrol around Sevastopol until all Crimean airfields are taken out to and including Novorossisyk.
6 Cannot do naval patrol around Odessa until after it has already been surrounded by land (that way it keeps some supply and lasts longer {see Carlkay comments in LOKIs AAR}).
7 Cannot take empty VP locations (unless empty the next turn as well). Must leave room for AI to bring in troops.
8 Must delay crossing Don River at Rostov for 1 turn if hex is empty. Can attack an occupied hex immediately.
9 Must take NW Leningrad first before attacking Leningrad. Both can be taken on same turn.
10 Must keep division and/or regiments together/organized in the line.
11 Adjust all corps beginning of the turn. Units that did not attack can be adjusted at end.
12 No taking "extra" units from the other Theatre Boxes to reinforce the Map.
The reasons why I have these rules are as follows:

Rule 1 is because the super depot mechanic is not historically accurate or realistic and is in the game to help the late war Soviets.

Rules 2 & 3 are to help negate the extreme passivity of the AI pre turn 16. No matter how flimsy the pocket may be the AI does not bother to attack out of it. I delay them a bit to take into consideration the complete chaos of the Soviet army in the first 2-3 weeks and by the simple fact that breaking into regiments on turn 2 is needed to ensure a large southern pocket.

Rules 4 & 5 are to take into consideration the lack of a proper Crimean defense of the AI and their lack of air patrol over the Sevastopol region. Without this it is fairly easy to take Sevastopol by T16.

Rule 6 is to just delay the inevitable taking of Odessa a bit.

Rules 7 & 8 are done to ensure that some type of battle happens for a VP location. The AI (may have changed some in latest patches) sometimes leaves Rostov and/or the hexes south of the river, Ryazan and Kalinin empty.

Rule 9 ensures that all of Leningrad is taken to earn the associated VP.

Rules 10 & 11 I do more for realism than as a compensation for the poor AI. These are more about me being a bit too detail oriented and micromanaging then having any real effect on the game.

Rule 12 - Self explanatory.

One last thing to note is that I do not try to take Moscow. My reasoning is that by using the 2nd & 3rd Panzer groups solely to take Moscow then achieving the 700 points may be a bit "too easy". When you forgo taking Moscow (and Sevastopol) you need to take all the way to Rostov (the most difficult due to supply constraints) and to Ryazan and Voronezh and of course Leningrad. This makes it so you must advance broadly and deeply into Russia. By taking Moscow (66 VP) you can forgo Rostov & Stalino, Voronezh, Ryazan. This would make things way too easy in the South. It would however, make taking Kursk and possibly Kharkov a bit more difficult. However, I have not tested that hypothesis in any meaningful way.

[Zovs]

If your playing the Soviet AI you need to put the setting on Challenging in 1941 and the change it to Hard in 1943 to have any sort of a fair game against the AI. Also if you only play against the AI you will learn a bunch of bad habits that a P vs P match will punish you in.

[homer82]

Also if you only play against the AI you will learn a bunch of bad habits that a P vs P match will punish you in.

Ain't that the truth.

[Naughteous Maximus]

I'm playing as the Germans in the Stalingrad to Berlin Campaign. I've tried Normal and Challenging, but now I will try it on Hard. I let the computer play itself on hard and in 3 days of non-stop game play, the Soviet AI beat the German AI completely by the fall of 1944.

[MarkShot]

I thought polls showed most customers played SP? So, as a rule are the MP players your hard core grogs? If not, how to market a game that cannot put up a fight if any couch general is a genius?

I am playing the AI in WITW. Is it inspired? No. Cannot it put up the basics of a fight; for sure.

[jasonbroomer]

As a newbie to the series I found playing the AI was great to learn the complex skills to master the interface etc. The game has so many moving parts, it takes time to understand how to use each of them (although you can assign the AI to play the bits that you have yet to unravel). I began to respect the AI when on around 5 or 6 of the GC, it began to launch a coordinated local counter attack on a weak flank, few Ai systems will do that!

In time you will begin to appreciate the holes in the AI play (as with chess, it may be good at tactics but strategy is pretty hopeless) and it is difficult not to play against these weaknesses. Even with the difficulty cranked up, I lost my appetite to play it (well, after several hundred hours of play).

HvH is most more mental challenging to me, especially when play someone with an equal understanding of the game. It is easier to play the Soviets rather than the Axis, I love the challenge of the latter (it does have enormous strengths when properly deployed).

It does take a large commitment to play a campaign, so far I have been fortunate that both my opponents in my two HvH games have met this commitment.

[Markko]

Yes, many people play the game SP only.

I do not have the ability to play extremely long games via some sort of play by email setup. I buy a game so I can sit down an play it, without long waits between turns and games that stretch out to eternity.

As such, a game with a poor AI is to me only a very expensive paperweight. In this case of a download only game, a very expensive weightless paperweight.

It is a very bad habit that game companies fall into. They design their games for the limited group of people who play head to head. These tend to be vocal, but it is very wrong to forget about the rest of your customers.

Since I will never play this game MP, I have zero interest in how good of a game it is in MP.

[MarkShot]

So far, I am satisfied with the WITW AI. I have only dabbled with WITE-2; waiting while the team polishes it to a luster. There are far more observant and knowledgeable people than me to provide feedback to aid development.

[rocketman71]

If your playing the Soviet AI you need to put the setting on Challenging in 1941 and the change it to Hard in 1943 to have any sort of a fair game against the AI. Also if you only play against the AI you will learn a bunch of bad habits that a P vs P match will punish you in.

Only played vs AI so far, but if you could shed some light on what bad habits I might fall into I might be able to steer clear of those for future PvP games. Thanks.

[malyhin1517]

If your playing the Soviet AI you need to put the setting on Challenging in 1941 and the change it to Hard in 1943 to have any sort of a fair game against the AI. Also if you only play against the AI you will learn a bunch of bad habits that a P vs P match will punish you in.

Only played vs AI so far, but if you could shed some light on what bad habits I might fall into I might be able to steer clear of those for future PvP games. Thanks.

AI does not know how to act strategically. When playing with AI, it is easy for you to surround and destroy him, he does not act well in this case. Therefore, AI is much easier to win than a human. You won't be able to play as fast with a human, but it's always more interesting than with AI. If you like to win and want to play fast, then it's better to play against the AI. If you want to get real pleasure from the game, then you need to play with a person. But a person can get tired of the game and he can stop it, and the AI ​​will play with you until you get tired of it.

[MarkShot]

In general, AI's don't draw logical conclusions from behavior. Like I am sure the AI will not expect a push in an area because there is a high concentration of air attacks. On the other hand, humans both make such connections and will be fooled by them.

Playing humans; games switch from micro management/mechanics to psychology and deception. Especially in a game of such broad scope.