Playing Allies - Screenies and comments

[geozero]

Started a new game today as Allies, difficulty setting at normal.

In Poland I've retreated to make a screening force around Warsaw. Also had a unit advance and is at the gates of Berlin, amazingly the Germans have not countered this.

And in the west I had the French advance into Germany as far as Munich and the Ruhr valley. A British Inf unit (the one in London) was sent to transports. Amazingly there are no ports on the north coast of France, not even Cherbourg, so I sent the transport to Germany and started an amph landing there.

So the situation is that turn 3 Poland is still holding out, with an advancing unit on thegates of Berlin, France has began attack of Ruhr valley and reached Munich, and Britain has made a successful amph landing in Germany. If I can build planes and more units I can take most of Germany soon...

Here's the western front screenie with no hexes showing (pretty map). [:D]

[dpstafford]

ORIGINAL: geozero
So the situation is that turn 3 Poland is still holding out, with an advancing unit on thegates of Berlin, France has began attack of Ruhr valley and reached Munich, and Britain has made a successful amph landing in Germany. If I can build planes and more units I can take most of Germany soon...

Sounds as if it is a good thing this game has multi-player capability.

[YohanTM2]

reminds me a bit of that old game High Command(er)? May not have the name right.

Great design, pretty graphics, was only playable against the AI and you could break down units as well as it had similtaneous movement.

Bottom line, you break the BEF down to 1 strength point units and run it all over Germany, game over in 40

[SMK-at-work]

Yes charging into Germany on T1 is a standard allied move - you'll see a human allied player do it every game - I've captured Wilhelmschaven against the AI - it's just silly.[:(]

[geozero]

ORIGINAL: Yohan

reminds me a bit of that old game High Command(er)? May not have the name right.

Great design, pretty graphics, was only playable against the AI and you could break down units as well as it had similtaneous movement.

Bottom line, you break the BEF down to 1 strength point units and run it all over Germany, game over in 40

Yes, It was called High Command, and ahead of its time IMO. Had a great production and diplomacy features.

[SMK-at-work]

You have better memories of it than some people then - http://grognard.com/reviews1/highcomm.txt

[geozero]

Continuing my battles against the Axis. Here I have Poland still holding out in Dec. 10, 1939. By reinforcing depleted units, harrasing the Germans and keeping them busy in the west Poland is surviving. **** I even managed to destroy an armor unit!!!

[geozero]

Here's the situation in the West as of Dec. 10 1939

[Dave Ferguson]

These results are not surprising as the AI seems to be generic and is not scripted. A human german player would realise pretty Quickly that he does not need all those units in Poland and will be railing a few corps to the west, a subsequent counteroffensive should severely damage the French army before the country is invaded.
 
The same problem with the AI here as in many other games. Producing a AI which can handle strategic issues is very difficult, and expensive, the number of what ifs is just too big.

[IainMcNeil]

I'd like to see you try this on a hard setting! Sure the AI will not cope with an experienced wargamer on the easy setting, but that can't be a big surprise! 

[Dave Ferguson]

Does changing the AI to a hard setting change its decision ability in any way, or give it more resources?
 
I am not being critical here as IMO if you could design a AI which could handle these operational issues you should be earning loads of money working for the defence industry [:)]
 
Unfortunately wargamers expectations are too high re the AI.

[IainMcNeil]

The AI gets more stuff at the harder levels. We find it more rewarding to battle against a numerous foe, rather than to make the AI troops tougher or have battle calculations favour the AI.

[Warfare1]

ORIGINAL: Iain McNeil

I'd like to see you try this on a hard setting! Sure the AI will not cope with an experienced wargamer on the easy setting, but that can't be a big surprise!

I agree with you Ian.

Most players who are playing the game, are playing on normal or easier which, I think, is giving us a false impression of the game's capabilities.

I hope someone will play both the Axis and Allied sides on the hardest setting so we can see how the AI does.

[firepowerjohan]

Even a marginal advantage to enemy side will in AI game mean they start with alot of extra units in force pool. For instance if Axis AI get small advantage set they will start with extra

2xGarrison
1xCorps
2xArmour
1xFighter
1xTactical Bomber

Which makes these "rush AI to exploit its weaknesses" impossible. Especially since in 1939 Axis is as its weakest point and dependant on early success to even out its disadvantage in both economy and military.

Pls retry again and set Handicap as "Small Axis advanatage"

[geozero]

Calling it AI is incorrect then. All the difficulty setting does is increase/decrease oil, production, etc. It does not change the way the game engine "thinks" therefore it is not AI. So it really should just be referred to as Difficulty Setting. [:D]

Don't get me wrong. I love the game. And ordered hardcopy as well. So you got by $74. Can't wait for a Pacific Theater version...[&o]yes you'll get my $ then too.

[IainMcNeil]

It is called an advantage setting in the game - nobody said it made the AI better! AI is tough enough to do as it is - without dumbing it down on the easier settings!