Helping the AI to Challenge Me

[RUPD3658]

ORIGINAL: HMAS Sydney

Only play while heavily drunk. 

Or severly concussed[8D]

[tocaff]

Don't forget to take a massive dose of stupid pills 45 minutes before doing a turn.

[timtom]

ORIGINAL: RUPD3658

ORIGINAL: HMAS Sydney

Only play while heavily drunk. 

Or severly concussed[8D]

Lobotomy. Worked a charm on T.

[RUPD3658]

Reminds me of this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mw0eppg6Uu0

"I might be drunk but at least I'm not insane" [:D]

[Anthropoid]

The techniques or "self rules" suggested here (in combination with Very Hard difficulty and all other settings to favor Jap AI) are giving me the best game I've had against the AI! I'm up to Jan 3 1942, and Japan has taken all of Malaya except Singapore has taken most of the major Phil islands and only Bataan remains on the main island. Rabaul just fell.

Granted, I'm not playing as active in my defense and I just sort of left everything to run by the computer in all sectors except Hawaii and California, but this seems to be letting the AI get its foothold in the Pacific.

Plus, I've finished about 2 weeks of game time (using mostly 3 day turns) in the span of about two days of playing! When have you ever heard of such a fast pace in a PBEM?

[marky]

PBEM is way better [:D]

you could always play me as allies i SUCK as japanese [:D]

[Anthropoid]

Update on this: I'm now up to about Feb 5 1942 in my match against the Japanese AI. Overall, playing with these 'self rules' (along with Very Hard, and +/-60, etc.) is working wonders! The AI has totally taken Malaya except Singapore. It might hold a bit longer than in actual history, but I think not much. He skipped some of the 'piddly' bases in Phil and north cost of Borneo, but has been steadily progressing through DEI. Palembang is currently besieged and will likely not last much longer.

I'm still winning by points, and have started to edge up on sinking more of his ships, but otherwise his advance is going well. He took Rabaul, Lae, Salamaua and is advancing toward Guadalcanal.

The one area where the stock setup seems to allow me to advance too fast as allies is forces that can be moved at start up. I already have solid stacks in Midway, Baker Atoll, Palmyra, and a couple of TFs heading for Noumea and Lunga. I guess maybe that is not too unrealistic?

Anyway, just wanted to thank you guys for the suggestions; THEY WORK!! [:D]

[Anthropoid]

Feb 7, 1942

After two months of war against the AI, Singapore and its 45k man garrison fell yesterday. Palembang the day before that. The major bases in Phil are in Japanese hands, as are the main ports of Sulawesi (Menad, Kendari, Macassar) and Borneo. On Borneo, only one significant base remains in allied hands (Banjamasin) and three backwater bases (Sampit, Sandakan, Jesselton). Rabaul most all bases in Bismarck Archipelago are in Jap hands, and bombing of Port Morseby has already begun! Something I've not seen before, the Jap AI seems to be methodically taking the small bases along the north New Guinea coast too (though he's left several bases untouched in Philippines, Cagayan, Leyte, San Marcelino, Taytay, Cebu, etc.).

The Japanese have already launched on bombing raid on Batavia from Palembang. Other than the port of Kupang, where a Japanese beachhead has been established, the Indonesian string of islands (Java, Bali, etc.) remain unattacked for now.

All in all, I would say that the AI is pretty effectively CHALLENGING ME! So much so, that now I'm wondering if I'll actually be able to beat him playing with all these settings and restrictions! [X(]

[USSAmerica]

Don't worry.  When the AI gets to the limits of the historical Japanese advance, it will run out of script.  [:D]

[Anthropoid]

Is the AI 'script' in WiTP 'accessible' or is it hidden from modders?

[USSAmerica]

It's hidden.  I believe this is something made available to modders in AE.  Check in that sub-forum for confirmation.

[Mike Scholl]

ORIGINAL: Anthropoid

Is the AI 'script' in WiTP 'accessible' or is it hidden from modders?

In AE it will be much more open to modding. It's also much more challanging "out-of-the-box". That being said, it still won't match a good PBEM with an opponant you know (as in "trust not to hunt loopholes" and not to be "more interested in winning than playing".) I've played about 10 "playtest" matches against the same opponant (getting anywhere from 3-7 months in before having to re-start) and we've managed to suprise each other somewhere or somehow several times in each.

[Anthropoid]

I will definitely consider getting a PBEM going in AE. Only _real_ problem that is unavoidable in a PBEM (assuming the knowing each other part) is the slow pace and the heavy demand it places in your daily life.
 
I started this game about a week or two ago, and have played probably a total of ~30 hours in the span of 3 or 4 sessions (mostly two long ~14 hour binge sessions durign the last two weekends), and I'm already up to Feb 7 1942. Two months in game time done during a little more than one whole day of playing spread out over about two weeks. That is a virtually impossible pace against a fellow human.
 
Give a PBEM the couple hours per turn (average) that it deserves to play well and try to keep up a steady pace (daily turns) and you got no life, and maybe your work suffers too. Do your turns quickly to just keep the game moving along and your match suffers. Try to keep the game quality up without letting it impose on real life so much by, for example, putting off turns till tomorrow, the game slows down to an even slower than real historical pace! [>:]

[Mike Scholl]

ORIGINAL: Anthropoid

I will definitely consider getting a PBEM going in AE. Only _real_ problem that is unavoidable in a PBEM (assuming the knowing each other part) is the slow pace and the heavy demand it places in your daily life.

PBEM "matching" is more than just looking for an agreeable opponant..., it's looking for one that matches your time available as well. If you work and have family commitments, you need to find someone who is in a similar position and a different time zone...., and agree to a regular pace of play. Maybe you can only handle 6-10 turns a week. This isn't a problem if that's his schedule as well.

OK.., you may never finish. That doesn't mean you can't enjoy playing..., and maybe now and again get your families to let you have a marathon weekend. And if you need a larger "fix", you can always beat up on the AI in your spare time. But you can't make a new friend playing the AI..., and you can't exalt over your good moves or moan over your mistakes to it. There's no guarantee you will wind a winning PBEM partner on your first try (but then you probably went through several girlfriends looking for the right one as well). It's worth the effort.

[ChickenOfTheSea]

ORIGINAL: Mike Scholl

ORIGINAL: Anthropoid

I will definitely consider getting a PBEM going in AE. Only _real_ problem that is unavoidable in a PBEM (assuming the knowing each other part) is the slow pace and the heavy demand it places in your daily life.

PBEM "matching" is more than just looking for an agreeable opponant..., it's looking for one that matches your time available as well. If you work and have family commitments, you need to find someone who is in a similar position and a different time zone...., and agree to a regular pace of play. Maybe you can only handle 6-10 turns a week. This isn't a problem if that's his schedule as well.

OK.., you may never finish. That doesn't mean you can't enjoy playing..., and maybe now and again get your families to let you have a marathon weekend. And if you need a larger "fix", you can always beat up on the AI in your spare time. But you can't make a new friend playing the AI..., and you can't exalt over your good moves or moan over your mistakes to it. There's no guarantee you will wind a winning PBEM partner on your first try (but then you probably went through several girlfriends looking for the right one as well). It's worth the effort.

Anthropoid,
Mike speaks very wisely. If I recall, you are an academic, and you will find several others (such as myself) here. My work and occasional travel means I can't keep up the pace of the games you see in the AAR section. However, I do enjoy PBEM very much. You simply need to find an opponent with a similar situation or someone doing multiple games that won't mind a slower pace. Over in the AE forum jwilkerson and others have been discussing the advantages of two day turns and it sounds like AE will be more suited for that approach. That is one way you can do a few turns a week and still keep up a decent pace.

[Anthropoid]

Yep, its a relationship! [:D]