Is the AI able to defend Japan?

[Andy Mac]

Good good thanks for the save that particular script will be nastier in the future based on my learning I think I just made it even nastier problem is no point in releasing any updated scripts until I get all 16 variants updated PITA but there it is.
 
Anyone else got any saves where they managed to break the AI ??

[jomni]

You can take Hokkaido.  But shouldn't the Japanese be able to automatically muster reinforcements in the main islands.  I think during that time, Hokkaido is a backwater province and not so developed and populated as the other islands of Japan.  Even if the AI is not able to defend wisely, I think it should at least have a boost in available divisions to at least make it hard for the invader.  During that time the Allies don't have enough divisions to go around anyway.

[Andy Mac]

The AI got extra Divs 10 of them but didnt use them for anything because the script that uses them is desinged to operate in 44 or beyond or in response to attacks in other areas.

Basically the trigger assumed a logical progression and missed a direct HI invasion with no prep moves in 42....

[Andy Mac]

Going through the Bonins would have triggered a response as would going through Toyohara or the Kuriles
 
Bypassing the lot to go to Hokkaido isnt somethign I contemplated there is a script that starts June 43 just in case this happend in 43 but I never anticipated October 42 !!

[Andy Mac]

Stugots if you can please send me a save of the Ai attemping Rokhampton several times and I will take a look

[Stugots]

AI keeps attacking me at Perth. The intial landing where at Geraldton and the base just north of that. I think its called Canerveron or something dont have the map in front of me.

Not sure how to send a saved turn. If you can tell me how i surely would.

[Rapunzel]

ORIGINAL: Andy Mac

Interesting as I crawl through and analyse whats going on you went all out straight for the HI in 42 with only 2 Divs and managed to pick the Japanese off base by base.

Interesting idea how did you stop the AI in Burma Btw ??

Thx for looking into the file!

I stopped the ai in Burma without much of a Problem. I fortified Port Blair with the first two indian brigades und transfered the DEI Torpedobombers to that base. Together with two surface fleets at rangoon I manged to slaughter the japanese troop transports at Moulmein (with alot of ground troops on board). I did evacuate the two indian divs from singapur and transfered them with the three arriving aussi and brit divs to rangoon. With aircover from the avg the dmg to my transport fleet was quite low. The Ai never reached air superiority. In January all the restricted airgroups from the US arrived at Capetown and deployed a month later to Rangoon (after paying the pps.). The ai crossed the river to atack Pegu und was severly trashed at this point from my 6 defending divs and pushed back over the river. I pushed them back a few hexes and the japanese burma army was not a threat anymore. By the the end of 42 Singapur will be again in allied hands.

The Kowloon Brigade from Hongkong secured Sabang against some smaller seeborn invasion attemts. Just in time two us division arrived at Sabang, as the ai tried to conquer it with the imperial guard div. The div was quickly destroyed and sumatra built up to decent airfields.

It was in my game, that the ai tried to invade Rockhampton several times, even as it lost ground in Burma. I tried the mini invasion of japan, because I felt Japan was already very weak. 400+ Ships lost, 4 divs destroyed in australia, 3 divs in burma, 1 div in sumatra and no combined aktion of its carrier forces. The AI opposed my invasion of Hokkaido with only two carriers, witch had no chance against my 6 us fleet carriers. The rest of the kb is shattered around the map bombarding the remaining dutch troops. On Hokkaido, there was only the 7th div and there never arrived any japanese reinforcements. No Significant air atacks either. I had only 4 fighter groups with me and could not cover my advancing troops.

Anyway, you did a very good job with the AI. Even a human would be in real troubble if someone invades japan when all your forces are deployed in australia.

[Grit]

ORIGINAL: Rapunzel

ORIGINAL: Andy Mac

Interesting as I crawl through and analyse whats going on you went all out straight for the HI in 42 with only 2 Divs and managed to pick the Japanese off base by base.

Interesting idea how did you stop the AI in Burma Btw ??

Thx for looking into the file!

I stopped the ai in Burma without much of a Problem. I fortified Port Blair with the first two indian brigades und transfered the DEI Torpedobombers to that base. Together with two surface fleets at rangoon I manged to slaughter the japanese troop transports at Moulmein (with alot of ground troops on board). I did evacuate the two indian divs from singapur and transfered them with the three arriving aussi and brit divs to rangoon. With aircover from the avg the dmg to my transport fleet was quite low. The Ai never reached air superiority. In January all the restricted airgroups from the US arrived at Capetown and deployed a month later to Rangoon (after paying the pps.). The ai crossed the river to atack Pegu und was severly trashed at this point from my 6 defending divs and pushed back over the river. I pushed them back a few hexes and the japanese burma army was not a threat anymore. By the the end of 42 Singapur will be again in allied hands.

The Kowloon Brigade from Hongkong secured Sabang against some smaller seeborn invasion attemts. Just in time two us division arrived at Sabang, as the ai tried to conquer it with the imperial guard div. The div was quickly destroyed and sumatra built up to decent airfields.

It was in my game, that the ai tried to invade Rockhampton several times, even as it lost ground in Burma. I tried the mini invasion of japan, because I felt Japan was already very weak. 400+ Ships lost, 4 divs destroyed in australia, 3 divs in burma, 1 div in sumatra and no combined aktion of its carrier forces. The AI opposed my invasion of Hokkaido with only two carriers, witch had no chance against my 6 us fleet carriers. The rest of the kb is shattered around the map bombarding the remaining dutch troops. On Hokkaido, there was only the 7th div and there never arrived any japanese reinforcements. No Significant air atacks either. I had only 4 fighter groups with me and could not cover my advancing troops.

Anyway, you did a very good job with the AI. Even a human would be in real troubble if someone invades japan when all your forces are deployed in australia.

Sounds like you played a damn good game with some well thought out decisions.

[Lomri]

Just wanted to say thanks to Andy Mac for all the work on the AI. I don't get a ton of time to play and because of this I play against the AI exclusively. I'm actually working on the end of my second WITP game, and I bought THAT when it came out. That means I'll get to start AE soon (which I already bought of course). I'm psyched that you have put in extra surprises in the AI, and it has been a real trick for me to scan through posts like this and try to brain scrub the bits I see so things will be a surprise (invasion of rockhampa- aah, brain delete brain delete).

I still have to read these threads so I know what NOT to do to break the AI.

I know PBEM is where this game really shines, but I really really appreciate you putting in goodies for the underspoken group of non-PBEM types.

[Stugots]

My post was not intended as harsh criticism of the AI and Andys scripts. I have found playing against the ai very enjoyable. Being a gamer of many wargames i realize the limits of what a computer opponent can do. Thanks for a great game that has given many hours of play.

Hope i didnt give away to much of the ai little secrets. Sounds like its hard to tell where the ai will attack after the intial push of the historic Japanese objectives. I started 2 games against the ai and have diffrent landings in both. I suspect if i started a 3rd i would be in for some more surprises.

[Nikademus]

Don't stress it. Anybody who's played WitP for an extended period of time knows that you have to play conservatively against the AI otherwise it can be easily confused.

[castor troy]

ORIGINAL: Nikademus

Don't stress it. Anybody who's played WitP for an extended period of time knows that you have to play conservatively against the AI otherwise it can be easily confused.

and that´s the point where you should look for the three hours daily to be spent on a PBEM [:D]

[janh]

ORIGINAL: castor troy
and that´s the point where you should look for the three hours daily to be spent on a PBEM [:D]

If I had those, I'd be very happy. But I barely can spent an average of 1 hour every 2nd day to play games. Sometime none for a whole week. That's why I unfortunately have to stay away from MMOPG, or PBEM type games. But with all the effort Andy puts into the AI scripting, I think this is a worthy purchase. Of course if they patch the AI basics to make it more dynamic and give it some more powerful scripting functions, then this game would ensure to be the gold standard for another at least 10 years. Else I hope they'll make enough sales of AE that any addon or a WITP III willl come true. BTW, does anyone know the sales numbers for WITP vs AE? Just curious, how many people play this.

[Rapunzel]

After a break I continued the game. It is now 7 months later into the game. I conquered the northern part of Honshu and i am sieging Tokio.



Is it possible to take this town with its heavy urban bonus and level 9 forts? 72 units are a lot to overcome. I did a probe atack last turn:


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ground combat at Tokyo (114,60)

Allied Deliberate attack

Attacking force 3360 troops, 231 guns, 254 vehicles, Assault Value = 901

Defending force 68812 troops, 698 guns, 689 vehicles, Assault Value = 1024

Allied adjusted assault: 1

Japanese adjusted defense: 9329

Allied assault odds: 1 to 9329 (fort level 9)

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), forts(+), experience(-), supply(-)
Attacker:

Japanese ground losses:
110 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 7 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 5 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled


Allied ground losses:
Guns lost 2 (0 destroyed, 2 disabled)
Vehicles lost 165 (98 destroyed, 67 disabled)


Assaulting units:
627th Tank Destroyer Battalion
1st Marine Division
2nd Marine Division
225th Field Artillery Battalion
154th FA Bn
I US Amphib Corps
2nd USMC Field Artillery Battalion
249th Field Artillery Battalion
4th Field Artillery Battalion
198th Field Artillery Battalion
97th Field Artillery Battalion
205th Field Artillery Battalion
1st USMC Field Artillery Battalion
165th Field Artillery Battalion
209th Field Artillery Battalion
226th Field Artillery Battalion
223rd Field Artillery Battalion
134th Field Artillery Battalion
206th Coast AA Regiment

Defending units:
1st South Seas Gsn
II/84th Naval Guard Unit
22nd Ind.Mixed Brigade
3rd Indpt SNLF Coy
18th Garrison Unit
9th Tank Regiment
4th Ind. Engineer Regiment
12th Division
41st Infantry Regiment
7th Burma Militia Regiment
9th Malay Militia Regiment
Shanghai SNLF
24th Infantry Rgt /1
51st Construction Battalion
3rd Air Defense AA Regiment
73rd JAAF AF Bn
58th JNAF AF Unit
72nd JAAF AF Bn
108th JAAF AF Bn
Kashiwa JAAF Base Force
61st Division Engineer Battalion
1st Air Defense AA Battalion
3rd Air Army
5th Air Defense AA Regiment
Burma Area Army
C./50th JNAF Coy
58th Construction Battalion
49th JAAF AF Bn
30th Field AA Machinecannon Company
1st JAAF AF Bn
3rd Ind.AA Gun Co
77th JAAF AF Bn
B./50th JNAF Coy
63rd JNAF AF Unit
63rd JAAF AF Bn
63rd Field AA Battalion
61st Field AA Battalion
55th JAAF AF Bn
Haranomachi JAAF Base Force
Southern Army
2nd Area Army
83rd JAAF AF Bn
20th JAAF Base Force
11th Shipping Engineer Regiment
56th JNAF AF Unit
1st Air Army
40th JNAF AF Unit
45th JNAF AF Unit
1st Ind.AA Gun Co
1st Air Division
22nd Ind. Engineer Regiment
5th Air Division
6th Air Defense AA Regiment
178th JAAF AF Bn
General Defence Army
177th JAAF AF Bn
109th JAAF AF Bn
101st JAAF AF Bn
68th JAAF AF Bn
57th JNAF AF Unit
22nd Air Flotilla
Eastern Army
1st Air Defense AA Regiment
8th Field AF Construction Battalion
70th JAAF AF Bn
113th JAAF AF Bn
23rd AA Regiment
23rd Fld AA Gun Co
60th Field AA Battalion
52nd JNAF AF Unit
Kasumigaura JNAF Base Force
------------------------------------------------------------------------

The defender seems to be out of supply. The modified av value is still very high. I can muster only about 4000 av. (big garrison requirements take about 4 divs out of offensive operations now). Any advices for me?

[vinnie71]

Withdraw to one of your own hexes? AI tends to come chasing you if you retreat. If you pull out of there, chances are that the AI will come after you and since they are not protected by forts, they would be vulnerable to your forces. More armour would help.
 
I use this strategy in China when taking Canton/ Hong Kong. Overrun Canton and then send as large an army as possible to Hong Kong. When I try to pull out, AI attacks and even pursues. Canton is by then decently fortified (level 3 or 4) and AI divisions smash themselves against my massed forces. Then move in for the kill... Offensive/defensive at its best

[Sardaukar]

AI seems to have very few real combat units there. bring in some Combat Engineers and you should be able to take down fort levels.

[USSAmerica]

Heck, yeah, you can take Tokyo.  Japan has a lot of units, but not a relatively large number of troops for that many units.  As Sardaukar suggests, send in the Combat Engineers to start chipping away at those forts, and bomb, bomb, bomb.  The defender already has a negative combat modifier for supply.  He's cut off, so eat up those supplies and pound him into submission.  [8D]

[Rapunzel]

It seems to work. Some turns later the forts are down to 7 and i allready get 1:2 odds... . I am sieging with 3600 assault points. Troops need 4-5 days rest after each deliberate atack. Hopefuly there wont be a fresh japanese div spawning in Tokio the next month [:-]

[Rapunzel]

Finaly Tokio in Allied hands!



The victory points from Tokio ended the game.



Quit fun game. Thx to the AE team. Good work. The air battle for tokio was realy hard work.