Preventing AI Defenders from Moving.

[blackcloud6]

I'm working on a scenario that is designed for the player to be able to practice with a the advance Soviet Motor Rifle Battalion. This is to practice the CRP and the FSE and then transitioning the battalion to attack to seize three objectives.

The enemy is a Mech heavy company team (M2a1/M1A1) with a and attached scout platoon and mortar platoon.

I want the scouts to stay forward in a wood line in front of the defense position however, they always immediately withdraw. How do I get the scouts to stay in postion? I have them locked at start so the AI does not move them before the game starts and I have them on a Hold mission. Should I place a NATO only OBJ in their spot? Should I detach them from the Company and make them their own force or even put a Bn HQ on the map and put them under t control of the HQ?

The mortar platoon is set up south of the main defense line, however it always moves forward to the main defense postion, never fires and just gets killed in direct combat. How can I keep these guys in place and fire? Should I detach them form the Company Team and also put them under a Bn HQ?

I have thee objectives, the main one is a 500 point objective with an adjacent 200 point to the NW. Two hexes to the SE I have a 300 point Obj; these are all towns. I place, locked, a BFV platoon in the 300 and 500 point Objs and the Abrams in the 2000 (because it has good fields of fire). The AI always abandons the 300 point and moves to he platoon to the 500 point. How can I event this? Make all the OBJs equal in value?

At some point, the AI gets tired of getting pounded by my artillery and moves behind the towns, I have no issue with that because why take such a beating. The AI units are set on substantial losses and never withdraw. So, out of curiosity, if I want them to hold the towns hexes, is there a way to make the AI do so?

Thanks in advance.

[CapnDarwin]

There are a couple of ways to keep AI units in place.

1. SOP - Set Standoff to zero, Never relocate, do not shoot, and no local initiative.
2. For recon, a sit-and-look SOP type from the presets is suitable, or use the Ambush if you want them to shoot when the enemy gets really close.
3. If you want them fixed until contact but retain a standoff after contact, you can enter the unit parameters (Right click on the unit and choose unit parameters from the popup menu) and set them to inactive. This will freeze the units in place until an enemy shoots at them or closes to 1500m.
4. For AI BPs, you can use the hold-in-place order with a time to keep them there. Screen-in-place may also work with SOP tweaked to get the result you are looking for.

If you still need more help, let me know.

[blackcloud6]

Thanks much. I've tried nine different iterations and I can get some to stay in place and others will move. But I have not tried what you suggest above. I'll go back in and reset and then try again. Frustrating , however I'm learning the nuances.

[blackcloud6]

OK, I tried #1 and they still moved. I then made them all inactive. The scenario would not work as it said there was no overall HQ for the 1-36 Infantry. So I made the HQ active and the mortars active so they would fire in support of the scout platoon. The HQ and mortars thus moved forward.

The Mech infantry heavy company stayed in place as they remained inactive but as soon as they activated they star moving away from their objective, especially the mech platoon on the right flank.

I can't figure out how to give an "ambush" order nor a "hold-in-place" order. I've attached the scenario, maybe you can figure out what I am doing wrong?

The intent of this scenario is for the Soviet player to practice moving his advance MRB, practice use of the CRP and the FSE. It is the US units I wish to hold in place and also stop the mortars and TF HQ from meandering around. It looks like I did get the scouts to act as I wish.

[blackcloud6]

As I continued to play this latest iteration, the scouts got whacked trying to pull back by the CRP. That is OK, then the Mech Team HQ and the right most mech platoon moved forward into the woods and got into a fight with the CRP and lead elements of the FSE. The CO lost a BFV and retreated, the mech platoon beat up a MRP of the FSE and got beat up doing so. Interesting...

[blackcloud6]

There is an Objective where the scout platoon starts. That was an attempt to keep the scouts in place. I think it needs to go away as the Meach heavy Company Teams tries to retake it and gets caught moving towards it. And they leave their main OBJs undefended.

[IronMikeGolf]

OK, my sense is you're basically setting up a target array for a live fire range. Can you do that? Yes! Easy peasy? But it's grunt work, not skull work.

OK, here's the basics of the AI:

1. The AI always respects running battle plans. It's hands off!
2. For units not in a running battle plan, the AI sees them as assets, grabs them and forms a Group, then starts issuing orders.
3. So, you need a battle plan for your targets and craft it so units stay put. That's the short putt, but will eventually break down, since casualties may make your targets one by one abandon your battle plan.
4. The guaranteed solution is to edit the National Data spreadsheet and make target units that are static.

Let's look at using stock units and having them sit still as long as possible..
1. Put each unit in its own Force. You can still keep proper subordination, though I think it doesn't matter. They are pop-up targets, right?
2. For each force, put in Hold and check that the mission duration lasts beyond end of scenario. It should default to that, but check to be sure.
3. For the Hold order, set SOP to make them stubborn.
a. Tactical Initiative: None
b. Acceptable Losses: Do or Die
c. Relocate: Never

Now, if they can move, this doesn't guarantee every unit will stay put until they die. Casualties cause Morale loss and now we are into die rolls on quitting the battle plan and the AI scooping them up and issuing movement orders. And they may scoot even before that.

Another issue is fencing off indirect fire units from the AI's voracious appetite. The best
advice I can give is a lot of mouse clicking.
1. On Call fora bit - maybe 5-10 minutes. Not tested.
2. Move maybe 1 km.
3. Resupply a short time.
4. On Call 5-7 minutes
5. SOP while On Call is to displace after each fire mission

You need to do the above to last beyond the scenario duration. Keep in mind, if they take enough casualties, they will cancel that battle plan and report to the AI's COA generator.

Honestly, I think if you want a static target array, put the time into cloning units and making them static, It's probably easier and faster than the battle plan route. If you need the target array to respond, then you need to use the battle plan method.