AI -- Reserves

[wfzimmerman]

A classic principle of military strategy is to hold a substantial strategic reserve to deploy at a critical moment.

I have always been horrible at this in war games -- I always seem to deploy all available units at the front, leaving me, with "Aucune" for a reserve.

I am wondering how the AI will handle the concept of reserves -- will it hold them, where will it put them, how will it decide when to deploy them?

[Shannon V. OKeets]

ORIGINAL: wfzimmerman

A classic principle of military strategy is to hold a substantial strategic reserve to deploy at a critical moment.

I have always been horrible at this in war games -- I always seem to deploy all available units at the front, leaving me, with "Aucune" for a reserve.

I am wondering how the AI will handle the concept of reserves -- will it hold them, where will it put them, how will it decide when to deploy them?

This is a problem at 2 levels: operational and tactical.

Operationally, the AI will divide the map into different "war zones" or "theater of operations". So, for one example, Germany will have its two front war, plus the battle for the Altantic, and probably operations in the Med. The AIO will constantly monitor the strength ratios of the forces deployed (friendly:enemy) in each war zone, and subdivisions within that by unit type (e.g., fighters, armor, carriers). Taken in the context of whether the AIO is on the offensive or defensive, it will be seeking to achieve certain ratio numbers, not only in the present but also in the near future (1 year out) based on the projected builds and possible redeployments. For instance, if Germany sends several armor/mechanized corps to North Africa next turn, that is likely to have a major effect on the armor ratio there.

The operational deployment of forces, usually reinforcements, will be to optimize the ratio numbers. In some cases, the AIO will borrow from Peter to pay Paul. This commonly occurs when the German Atlantic Wall defenders in France are sent to Italy to rebuff an Allied attack there. This is all driven by force ratios, current and projected. While a CW/USA invasion force sits in Gibraltar, it is a potential threat to both Italy and the Atlantic Wall. Rather than maintain a force "in reserve", all Axis units will be earning their keep in the frontline, discouraging the invasion. But once the invasion force is committed, then the potential ratio in one area (say Atlantic Wall) drops dramatically and the other immediate ratio (Italy) jumps upwards. At that point the 'excess' defenders in France will be sent to Italy.

Tactically, I am a firm believer in Napoleons view of ditribution of forces. When you have the numeric advantage, reduce the strength of your line to a minimum, culling out the best units for an attack on the enemy's weak point. This can sometimes be done even when you have numerically inferior forces, if you have a striong enough defensive position/terrain and the enemy has a pronounced vulnerability. Hold part of the line, with "just enough" units, and use the rest/best to break through the enemy position. This may sound like land warfare, but it also applies to air and naval combat.

In a nutshell, I do not advocate units sitting around doing nothing. Any "reserve force" should be doing something, even if it is only threatening to attack/counter-attack. I prefer to see them in the frontline, but positioned so they have sufficient mobility to be extracted and act as a coherent force should the need/opportunity arise.

[CBoehm]

WIF does not really advocate keeping reserves ...besides of "hiding" HQ in forests or such behind the front ....now had some form of reactionary move and/or movement penalty for moving out-of-zoc been included in the rules this might have been different...but is not !

[trees]

I thought the reserves were the units on the production spiral.