AI question

[brianreid]

Hi all,

I am thinking of purchasing this game, but from what I have read on the internet, it sounds like this does not come with an AI. Is that correct?

Brian B.

[Majorball68]

ORIGINAL: brianreid

Hi all,

I am thinking of purchasing this game, but from what I have read on the internet, it sounds like this does not come with an AI. Is that correct?

Brian B.

The game is far too complex strategically and tacically for an AI and it would take a lot of resources to make an AI that could compete with a human opponent. Solitaire or Playing by Email the game is very playable, many players use online die rollers and manually enter results which is an option for PBEM. Netplay is another option but does require both players to be present and given it it can take a few hours to complete a turn mid game when everyone is at war I don't think is practical especially for those in different time zones. If you have had any involvement with these type of games before they became PC playable you will find this game to be one of the best.

[Ian R]

AI is on the programmer's 'to do' list, and some foundations have been laid for it.

It is however likely a few years away; whether it comes as a patch or a new product (or something in between) is yet to be seen.

[brianreid]

Thanks Guys, that is what I needed to know. I did go ahead and purchase the game. I am now in the process of going through all of the tutorials to try to learn the game. Looks very, very interesting!

[Courtenay]

Feel free to ask any questions. We always give answers.

If you are lucky, the answers will be correct.

[brianreid]

Quick Question. Does the PC game have an editor? I know a lot of PC games have editors that allow the player to change certain aspects of the game (like adding to the OOB, or changing values on the counters etc.), or create their own scenarios. Do you know if the Matrix WiF game comes with an editor? Thanks everyone for your answers. Much appreciated.

Brian B.

[Ian R]

The standard data files can all be opened in a spreadsheet program and edited. The player's manual contains an explanation of what all the numerical values mean and what columns they go in. These are easy to work with. However, not all changes made here are applied to save game files. So yes you can create different scenarios.

Saved game files can also be edited, but in notepad. They are csv files, and some values (eg hex coordinates) need to be run through a formula to get the correct value number to use; some use 4 figure numbers to describe a status, such as organised/disorganised. This is more fiddly, but there is a thread here https://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=4136832, and Steve has provided some additional detail info.

If you mean an editor program that gives you an interface that identifies all the values, and does all the maths to output a correct & functional value in the right place in the CSV file, then no. It would be excellent if someone clever such as Andrew Gailey or Jim Bello wrote such a utility for the save files, but no such luck.

[markb50k]

If you are good with Excel you can do more than you can imagine. For my World War III scenario I use a excel file to do everything from calculate air and naval support and even track combat results to implement my own promotion system. Even has a map display that I can use to easily move units around the world. It’s huge and it’s a memory hog. It’s not something I can just hand out since it’s so engineered for my purposes but the point remains that much of the game is completely moddable if you know what you are doing