AI purchase routine

Dean Robb · Post by **Dean Robb** » Thu Sep 28, 2000 4:36 am

Does the AI look at the player's purchase and use that to influence it's choices?

I ask because in 8 battles, the Brits had nary an ack-ack gun but as soon as I bought a strike element, the AI bought *14* 40mm guns. Thank Mars I was arty-heavy and could suppress the crap outa the AA or my Stukas would have been lawn darts.

But it struck me as odd that he only seemed to get AA guns when I had planes. And...this is a subjective opinion...it *seems* that when I'm heavy in AT, the AI is heavy in infantry and vice versa. Reason for it, or just strange synchronicity?

Wild Bill · Post by **Wild Bill** » Thu Sep 28, 2000 5:27 am

A politicial answer for you, Dean, I can't confirm or deny this, but I have seen the same thing. Buy a lot of mines, the AI buys a bunch of engineers

. Same with aircraft and AA guns.

Did you see the post from the gamer who had a bunch of airplanes, like about 25 and the AA shot nearly all of them down. Something strange here

------------------
In Arduis Fidelis
Wild Bill Wilder
Coordinator, Scenario Design
Matrix Games

cjpaul · Post by **cjpaul** » Thu Sep 28, 2000 10:58 am

As far as planes and AA goes, I have been pretty good at predicting when I need AA or not. If you can buy planes then your opponent can't. If you can't, your opponent probably can if the weather isn't too bad. Check the map, time of year, and the visibility and that will be a good indicator if planes are available or not. The computer almost always buys planes if they are available.

For mines and engineers, the computer always has engineers when it assaults and mines when it defends.

Charles22 · Post by **Charles22** » Thu Sep 28, 2000 4:59 pm

I've only vaguely noticed the mine/engineer connection. The AA/air connection though may not be a matter of the AI seeing your forces. It could be as simple as this: If you can't buy air, the other guy can. The AI may not be seeing your forces, but realises that when it cannot buy any, that you can, so it buys AA. If you buy air every time it's available, and AI buys AA every time he knows you have air available (without looking at your forces), it could easily fool you as to thinking he looks at your forces. I don't know if it's an absolute that if you don't have air available, that the other guy does, nor if the AI will always pick air if it's available to him. My guess is that one side always has air available, but that the AI doesn't always pick it. As well, the AI will always pick AA when it knows that's since it cannot pick it air, that you can.

[This message has been edited by Charles22 (edited September 28, 2000).]

Fredde · Post by **Fredde** » Thu Sep 28, 2000 5:05 pm

I have seldom seen a scenario where the AI didn't pick any AA guns at all. They are often deployed in the rear, and often in places with bad visibility so sometimes you won't even see them in play.

Voriax · Post by **Voriax** » Thu Sep 28, 2000 9:45 pm

Howdy all

This interested me so I did some *very* crude tests...if someone has more time and is less tired please enlarge....

I generated 3x5 random battles. Ger vs Russians, settings as they are when you enter the battle generator. Meeting engagements.
In the first set I purchased an Infantry Company and a Cavalry squadron. I did not observe what was the purchase point amount in each case, I just made sure I had enough to buy abovementioned formations.
Then I hit autodeploy, started the game and immediately saved. Then I loaded the game and took the russian side that was computer-purchased and examined what the computer had bought.

Each time Russians had one infantry company, with some variance in details (type of mg's)

The additional units were:

1) 2 x 37mm AA guns, 76,2 mm FH
2) 15 tanks, 152 mm Btry
3) 2 x 85 mm AA
4) 13 tanks, 152mm Btry, 3 rifle squads
5) 2 x Gaz-4M AA, 11 tanks, 152mm Btry

In some cases there may have been an odd sniper or such but those where uninteresting.
Quite a variety or what?

Then I continued with same troops except I spent 50 points for mines which I placed on the map. Russians again always had the Rifle company, other units were:

1) 152mm Btry, 34 Tanks, Rifle Company
2) 152mm Btry, 35 tanks, Rifle Company
3) 2 x 37mm AA, 152mm Btry
4) 152mm Btry, 15 tanks, 2 rifle squads
5) Identical to number 4

interesting? There were some variance about which tanks the computer purchased, but they were always from the BT or T-26 series. However there were no masses of engineers even though I had mines.

Final test this time was different only in the composition of my troops, all tanks this time. Two platoons of Pz-IIf's and nothing else.
Again russians had their Rifle Company every time. Other units:

1) 2 x Gaz-4M AA, 152mm Btry, 11 tanks, 2 rifle squads.
2) 2 x Gaz-4M AA, 152mm Btry, 29 tanks, rifle company, 2 rifle squads
3) 152mm Btry, 12 tanks, 3 rifle squads
4) 2 x 37mm AA, 5 x rifle squad
5) 2 x Gaz-4M AA, 152mm btry, 28 tanks, rifle company, 2 rifle squads

Which one you'd like to meet? Number 4 or number 2?

For me it seems that the computer does not peek, but this is a very small sample. Perhaps good only for fueling the discussion?

Voriax

Charles22 · Post by **Charles22** » Thu Sep 28, 2000 9:58 pm

It would seem as though the AI is fairly in love with AA, and given that no air was chosen, seems to back the idea that it "always" picks some AA.

Wild Bill · Post by **Wild Bill** » Fri Sep 29, 2000 5:59 am

Nicely done Voriax! Nothing like hard facts to rebut conjecture. Thanks...WB

------------------
In Arduis Fidelis
Wild Bill Wilder
Coordinator, Scenario Design
Matrix Games

Panther · Post by **Panther** » Fri Sep 29, 2000 4:38 pm

It seems to that the only time the computer buys engineers is when the computer does an attack on prepared defenses. When the computer defends it tends to buy more aa guns weather I buy planes or not.
Panther

Charles22 · Post by **Charles22** » Fri Sep 29, 2000 5:06 pm

I believe Voriax's tests were all meeting engagements, were they not? I would think that a major stipulation for AI engineers would be that they wouldn't be picked for those type of battles, because unless I'm mistaken, meeting engagements don't allow mine purchases, and if so, the purchase of them is unlikely. The best engineer test of course would be when the AI is assaulting, in particular, or perhaps in advances as well. We may find that engineers are picked 100% of the time for assaults and a much lower chance in advances (if at all).

Kharan · Post by **Kharan** » Fri Sep 29, 2000 5:12 pm

Originally posted by Charles22:
I would think that a major stipulation for AI engineers would be that they wouldn't be picked for those type of battles, because unless I'm mistaken, meeting engagements don't allow mine purchases, and if so, the purchase of them is unlikely.

You can buy mines in meeting engagements and even place them mid-battle. You can for example at the start of a battle air-drop an engineer platoon at a important location and place roads full of mines and then assume defensive positions in nearby houses

.

Arralen · Post by **Arralen** » Fri Sep 29, 2000 5:21 pm

Originally posted by Kharan:
You can buy mines in meeting engagements and even place them mid-battle.

.but you needn't. Engineers lay mines when set to "defend" & "lay mines in front", no matter if you purchased mine at the start of the battle or not .. or was this changed in v4.0 again .. haven't had time to test

Arralen

Kharan · Post by **Kharan** » Fri Sep 29, 2000 5:29 pm

Originally posted by Arralen:
.but you needn't. Engineers lay mines when set to "defend" & "lay mines in front", no matter if you purchased mine at the start of the battle or not .. or was this changed in v4.0 again .. haven't had time to test

Arralen

Yeah, you're right. I didn't know that!

Looks like it's 4 mines (mine icons that is) per eng squad. You don't necessarily need to be in defend to lay mines.