Matrix Games Forums

I realize it's too late in development for significant AI work, but I wanted to share this screenshot to illustrate an AI problem. This is playing crispy's Fall Weiss II scenario as the Allies.

I invaded Denmark in 1943, and very leisurely pressed towards Berlin. As you can see the AI has several army groups' worth of overstrength units lined up on the road to Berlin, but Berlin itself is stuck with a Garrison unit. Not exactly the optimal defense strategy.

The units on the road have entrenchments of 2, so they've been sitting there for a while.

I guess presence in Denmark made him implement a 'protect the east' defence against non-existant soviets.

AI reaction to D-Day is probably its weakest link. I once sent it early with a handdul of unit desperate for diversion (was more dieppe raid than D-day really!) and about a third of germany's army was sent down to the ziegfried line to wait there while I slowly secured my beachhead.

I too have noticed that the AI will place a Garrison in Berlin and then NEVER replace it with a stronger unit even when Patton or Zhukov or both are at the gates! Odd because it generally leaves an Italian Corps in Rome.

It doesn't seem too hard to fix this with some kind of overriding imperative to max out the defense of a capital city hex, but on the other hand, how much does it really matter in terms of gameplay? By the time you've gotten to Berlin, fighting an Army vs. fighting a Garrison will likely only be the difference of a few turns, and not terribly interesting turns at that. Just my opinion.

It didn't occur to me that it was a defense line against the Soviets, but looks like you're right! I let the AI handle Russia, and the Red Army is over 1,000 miles away (lost Moscow and Leningrad; just retook Stalingrad).

Fighting one army vs a garrison wouldn't make much of a difference, but the forces the AI has lined up on the Oder are more than the entire UK force - so commitment of those forces could have prolonged the war significantly.