Pacific At War 1941-45

[Auchinleck]

I bought the game specifically to play the Pacific War. In the Scenario Descriptions for both, it says "There is No Functional AI for This Scenario" If that means No Single Player, I'm going to want a refund if that's the case!

[winkr7]

Yeah, lots of scenarios are this way.

[JiminyJickers]

Is there a list anywhere of scenarios that doesn't have and AI opponent?


This is the main thing that stops me from buying this at the moment. Given that I plan to mostly play single player.

[goodwoodrw]

I just checked the Pacific WW2 around half the scenarios are for Human to human. This is a lttle disappointing

[Delaware]

Oooooooo all of a sudden not interested

[basilstaghare]

Are there any of the monster scenarios that are AI / Solo play capable? Thinking of buying but hoping some of the strategic full war / larger scenarios are AI capable.

[Meyer1]

Well that is related to the nature of the game, most scenarios are made by the users themselves, so what makes a strong point of the game (incredible variety and tons of scenarios), could also be considered a weakness (many scenarios to be PBEM only, not all have the same quality standards, etc). Creating a scenario, specially a "monster", it's a huge work and many designers don't have the interest or the skills to work with the AI.
So here we are, but I agree it would be nice to have that info about all scenarios on a single list.

[Queeg]

ORIGINAL: Meyer1

Well that is related to the nature of the game, most scenarios are made by the users themselves, so what makes a strong point of the game (incredible variety and tons of scenarios), could also be considered a weakness (many scenarios to be PBEM only, not all have the same quality standards, etc). Creating a scenario, specially a "monster", it's a huge work and many designers don't have the interest or the skills to work with the AI.
So here we are, but I agree it would be nice to have that info about all scenarios on a single list.

That's all fine, so long as they tell people what they're buying. In fact, the "All Questions Answered" FAQ says nothing about non-AI scenarios.

[larryfulkerson]

ORIGINAL: basilhare_ssl
Are there any of the monster scenarios that are AI / Solo play capable? Thinking of buying but hoping some of the strategic full war / larger scenarios are AI capable.

There's a scenario called "D21" and it's like FITE but has a Soviet PO. I'm playing it now.

[Auchinleck]

larry, you sound like a Matrix Game Staffer, how can I get a refund, since I was sold this game under false pretenses, that it was playable against an AI? As a long time customer, if Matrix gives a chuck about long time customers, I insist on a refund! Or I will never buy again from Matrix. Matrix was intentionally misleading about most scenarios being 2 player only!

[Meyer1]

ORIGINAL: Auchinleck

larry, you sound like a Matrix Game Staffer, how can I get a refund, since I was sold this game under false pretenses, that it was playable against an AI? As a long time customer, if Matrix gives a chuck about long time customers, I insist on a refund! Or I will never buy again from Matrix. Matrix was intentionally misleading about most scenarios being 2 player only!

He is not (Me neither)

[larryfulkerson]

Yeah, I started to say......I'm not a staffer whatever that is.....I'm just a guy who posts pictures
on a forum. But about your refund...are you going to turn your back on all the playable scenarios?
There's lots of them available. I'm not sure how to get a refund. Maybe you could send Tamas an
email? Maybe the Matrix Help Desk?

[Curtis Lemay]

Of course, if you really want a PO for the Pacific scenario, you could put it in the Editor and do it yourself. Or maybe all of you clamoring for such could combine and do it.

[JiminyJickers]

ORIGINAL: Curtis Lemay

Of course, if you really want a PO for the Pacific scenario, you could put it in the Editor and do it yourself. Or maybe all of you clamoring for such could combine and do it.

Having not played the previous games, how easy is this to do? Do you just give it objectives, or is it much more direct telling units where to move? Does it allow for variety or does the PO programming make every play through the same?

Thanks for your time.

[Curtis Lemay]

ORIGINAL: JiminyJickers

ORIGINAL: Curtis Lemay

Of course, if you really want a PO for the Pacific scenario, you could put it in the Editor and do it yourself. Or maybe all of you clamoring for such could combine and do it.

Having not played the previous games, how easy is this to do? Do you just give it objectives, or is it much more direct telling units where to move? Does it allow for variety or does the PO programming make every play through the same?

Thanks for your time.

At a minimum you would have to set a series of objectives for each formation. If you want to get fancy, you might set multiple tracks of objectives per formation (switching tracks via the Event Editor) - but that's probably overkill. You might also set the Strategic Bias for each side - perhaps changing it by event at certain points. Formations themselves have General Orders and Orders Emphasis - those would need to be set for each formation.

Setting individual objectives is not hard. But these scenarios have huge maps, needing lots of objectives, and there are lots of formations. It will give you an appreciation of why an unpaid scenario designer might balk at doing the PO for a huge, complex scenario.

[srd5090]

I opened the scenario with Axis Japan as computer controlled and it appeared to do stuff on it's turn. So it seems it can be played single player.

[larryfulkerson]

ORIGINAL: srd5090
I opened the scenario with Axis Japan as computer controlled and it appeared to do stuff on it's turn. So it seems it can be played single player.

Yeah the computer can move and shoot with the units but there's no objectives set usually and they tend to not "know
what to do" all the time. I've seen designers give one blanket objective, like setting all the Axis units objective
to Moscow and all the Soviet units the objective of Berlin. They will try to achieve their objective and it'll play
just not in a strictly organized manner.

[JiminyJickers]

ORIGINAL: Curtis Lemay]
At a minimum you would have to set a series of objectives for each formation. If you want to get fancy, you might set multiple tracks of objectives per formation (switching tracks via the Event Editor) - but that's probably overkill. You might also set the Strategic Bias for each side - perhaps changing it by event at certain points. Formations themselves have General Orders and Orders Emphasis - those would need to be set for each formation.

Setting individual objectives is not hard. But these scenarios have huge maps, needing lots of objectives, and there are lots of formations. It will give you an appreciation of why an unpaid scenario designer might balk at doing the PO for a huge, complex scenario.

Thanks Curtis, appreciate the information. Sounds like something I’ll enjoy messing around with.

[Tamas]

Guys, Auchinleck is not doing anyone any favours by opening thread after thread on the same subject, regardless of how valid or invalid his point is. Let me copy my previous 3 replies to him on this, and then I'll give you a link to the thread where this is already being discussed.

ALL the scenarios can be played in single player without exception. The difference that can be made between the nearly 300 scenarios, is whether specific AI scripts to help and optimise AI planning have been added or not.

Some of the scenarios, and indeed, that usually means the massive ones, do not have such AI scripts and the designers felt that due to this the AI's performance in their scenarios does not live up to the standard set by the other 200+ ones. So they market these "PBEM only".

I'd like to point out that we have almost as many scenarios marked "PO (AI) only", including one of the most impressive and biggest ones, Directive 21, that lets you play the Axis forces through the entire East Front campaign from 1941 to 1945. The designers suggest you play this as the Axis, and your long term victory objective is not to lose Berlin by the end of it!
And also in the case of these scenarios, there is nothing stopping you from playing them PBEM. It is merely that the designers felt that the events scripted etc. give you the most historic result if you play as a specific side in single player.

And then there is the vast majority of the scenarios, where the AI has been properly helped by scripts for both sides AND the designers are not shy about recommending PBEM either.

tm.asp?m=4378518

[JiminyJickers]

Thanks Tamas, that alleviates a lot of my fears.