Does the AI cheat?

[Icedawg]

I've been learning the ropes of this game for a couple of weeks now and have started and restarted the 1914 scenario multiple times as I figure things out. In the process of start, restart, restart, etc., I've noticed a few odd things about the AI.

First of all, on the 2nd impulse of the game, the AI moves tons of troops around on the Eastern front. Since neither side has strategic movement points on turn one, how is this possible?

On the first impulse, I will have troops massed in some selected location, looking for a breakthrough opportunity and will typically make a good amount of headway. However, on the second impulse, I find myself faced with stacks of multiple enemy units immediately transferred to the breach. Meanwhile, whole sections of the enemy line have been vacated. Apparently, the AI is moving troops from other sections of the front to the threatened area. I have no problem with that, but how do these enemy troops get there so darned fast? On the first turn, there is no available strategic movement available to either side. (I've started from both sides and have noticed that I have no rail points on turn 1.) Even with 20 or so points available, the AI wouldn't be able to move 20+ units from clear across the front. So, how is this happening? Is there some sort of first turn bonus strategic movement granted to the AI as a means of leveling the playing field with the human player?

Second of all, what's the deal with the AI having ESP related to my bombardment attacks. Routinely, I will have some artillery set to bombard some unknown enemy units in the line in front of them. But lo and behold, when the turn is actually resolved, those enemy units make tracks and vacate the hex. I presume this means that I wasted my barrage point on empty ground. This happens time and time again. How does the AI know that I intend to bombard certain hexes? This happens even when the artillery unit is firing for the first time from a particular hex (so the AI shouldn't know it is there unless it has recon aircraft spotting it). It also often occurs such that if there are two units in front of the artillery unit, only the targeted unit vacates while the other, non-targeted unit remains in place. This happens FAR too often to be just random bad luck. Something like 70-80% of my barrages fall on empty hexes in this manner. What gives? Again I ask, "Has the AI been granted some sort of a "cheat" to help balance game play?"

[hjaco]

Hello Icedawg.

1) I can not confirm your railway theory but it would seem you are correct. Note though that some of the units could be hidden behind the front but a lot would seem to be moved by rail. But then again the AI would be screwed without.

2) You don't waste your artillery ! Barrages are resolved before any movement so an empty hex may indicate that either the units moved away afterwards or you just bombarded the hell out of some hapless cavalry unit. Note that artillery are definitely more effective when used concentrated and with air support.

[hjaco]

Reg. 2) Note that the combat report is not entirely sequential. The screen in the beginning of the combat report is actually after movement which comes after resolution of barrages so you don't get to see barraged units move out of the hex in question [;)]

[FrankHunter]

The AI can't look at your orders.  Mainly because the AI does its orders before the human.

One thing that Ray (Lava) may remember from a couple of years ago is I worked on a system where the AI could guess what you'd do after it had played you a few times.  However, it has never worked as well as I would have liked and although I would like to think its performing well against you the reality is that its probably just getting lucky much of the time, perhaps now and then it really is guessing correctly but I'm not sure. 

In my coming Napoleon game I've written a new learning module and this time I used a neural net to look for repeating patterns by the human player and its working better than the GoA code in this respect.

And hjcao is right, artilley bombardment occurs before movement so it doesn't matter if the AI moves out of the hex or not, it still gets hit.

[James Ward]

I don't know if it cheats but it sure seems to know when I'm moving my Cav to try and take a hex. I would say 6 out of 7 times my Cav gets bumped out of the hex.

[FrankHunter]

The AI almost always blocks you when you're trying to take a hex with cavalry?   You mean moving new units into a previously undefended hex?

[SMK-at-work]

I find the opposite - 9/10 times I'll move a bunch of infantry into a hex that eth AI has just moved 1 Cav into!!
 
I suspect that what is happening is that you are moving into hexes that are already occupied, but you don't see that due to Fog of war.
 
Frank as an aside - perhaps the "See all units but not the type or strength" feature you use for debugging could be selectable in a game as a difficulty option - ie having it on makes hte game a bit easier?

[James Ward]

Wouldn't Cav be the type of unit to reveal that?
Sometimes I will forget I have a Cav unit in a hex with Inf and not move it for 3-4 turns. The turn I move it the AI moves a Corp into the hex!

[SMK-at-work]

Cavalry scouts by moving into a hex and finding it occupied!![:D]  It then gets an auto-retreat if there's no enemy cavalry in the hex so no damage is done.
 
Air recce will reveal enemy in an apparently vacant hex.

[FrankHunter]

James, I swear on a stack of compiler manuals there's no way the AI knows what your cavalry are going to do.  Even if my learning module was working as designed and you had performed that maneuver in the 3 previous games and the Learning AI told the Planning AI that that move was coming I doubt the Planner would believe it given the overall record of incompetence from the learning module.

On the other hand I could have made the AI much more challenging in half the time if I had allowed it to simply look at the strengths and weaknesses of the enemy line

[hjaco]

You can easily gobble up a lot of territory in the east with your cavalry especially non contested areas. If you do to take obvious hexes you will bounce of because they are well obvious and therefore the AI (or human opponent) will try to occupy the hex.

[James Ward]

ORIGINAL: FrankHunter

James, I swear on a stack of compiler manuals there's no way the AI knows what your cavalry are going to do.  Even if my learning module was working as designed and you had performed that maneuver in the 3 previous games and the Learning AI told the Planning AI that that move was coming I doubt the Planner would believe it given the overall record of incompetence from the learning module.

On the other hand I could have made the AI much more challenging in half the time if I had allowed it to simply look at the strengths and weaknesses of the enemy line

Maybe it's the fog of war and the hex isn't empty.
Can Cav move to attack if stacked with an Inf and not activated or will it only be allowed to move into a currently empty hex?

The way it guesses my moves makes me wish it could pick my lottery numbers! [:)]