Axis AI - difficulty set to IMPOSSIBLE

[Redmarkus5]

T6. AI has smashed my first line in front of Moscow. It should all be over in a few turns.

[Zovs]

Could you show air losses, destroyed units and the OOB section from OOB display?

[Redmarkus5]

Actually, it's all over now - for a minute. CTD when I selected the Create New Unit button.

[Redmarkus5]

Air

[Redmarkus5]

Destoyed

[Redmarkus5]

ORIGINAL: dlazov66

and the OOB section from OOB display?

I'm familiar with the OOB display, but not the view you want. Can you explain?

[Flaviusx]

Over 100 divisional equivalents in the deadpile in 3 turns.

Ouch.

[Redmarkus5]

Riga has fallen. I am preparing to defend Moscow.

[Redmarkus5]

ORIGINAL: Flaviusx

Over 100 divisional equivalents in the deadpile in 3 turns.

Ouch.

Yes, the AI is eating me alive

[Redmarkus5]

ORIGINAL: Flaviusx

btw, there were no large pockets in SW Front at this stage.

[Flaviusx]

At this stage. As in, by turn 3.

I'm well aware of the Kiev pocket later on. The only really big pocket the Germans managed prior to that was at Uman.

Southwest front mostly retreated to the Dnepr intact and in good order. In now way did AGS do to it anything like what AGC managed to do to Western Front.

Ultimately it took help from Guderian to bag it.

My point here is that if you insist on not moving the Red Army for several turns at the beginning of the game, you're going to expose large portions of the Red Army to isolation and destruction that shouldn't be. Most of Southwestern Front got annihilated west of the Dnper river as a result.

[Zovs]

Click on the Info Screens and click the fist button the OOB screen and do a print out of that, on the right side where is list by country the four types (men, artillery, AFV, aircraft) with total/ready numbers for all nationalities.

Thank you

[Redmarkus5]

I am testing the ability of the Axis AI to defeat an idiot...

Turn 7. The AI has surprised me with a push north of Moscow. In the south it appears to be attempting to create a pocket at Kiev. Scripted? If not, historically impressive, but Moscow lies just ahead...

[Redmarkus5]

This is the OOB on Turn 8

[Redmarkus5]

The AI really doesn't respect cities. It leaves Kiev unguarded with 3 Soviet units in the next hex, so I take it back. My first counter attack!

[Redmarkus5]

Leningrad is encircled. My lines between Leningrad and Moscow are wrecked. I have avoided the pocketing around Kiev and managed to form stacks 3 units high in front of Moscow. I have recaptured Kiev. Odessa has fallen - well done AI Rumanians!

[Redmarkus5]

FINAL OBSERVATIONS

1. The Axis AI on Impossible has kicked my butt in 9 turns, although I ignored half of the things I should have been doing and played badly. Leningrad has fallen and Moscow is almost encircled. I don't believe I could have done much to change things.
2. Very satisfying to watch and restores some of my belief in the game.
3. The Axis AI on Normal is pretty weak. So what's the best setting for a challenging, but win-able game?

BUGS and ISSUES

1. The AI ignores most cities in the GC. It focuses mainly on Leningrad, Moscow and Odessa and anything directly in its path. It bypassed Riga and left Kiev with no garrison for me to take back.
2. Desperately needing a hot key to move reserves linked to the same HQ to a selected location with one click.

Now I will install 101.4 and hope that I can play a decent campaign vs. the Soviet AI.

[jjdenver]

Interesting test. Thanks for posting it.

It does look like the AI needs to pay a bit more attention to cities.

And I'm not a big fan of the AI having so many units wandering around in the wilderness between Moskva and Leningrad.

[Jim D Burns]

ORIGINAL: redmarkus4
3. The Axis AI on Normal is pretty weak. So what's the best setting for a challenging, but win-able game?

In my game vs. Russia, I've left morale normal, gone 150% on entrenchments and 200% on the rest of the settings for Russia. I left all the German settings at 100% and have found the AI units north of the Pripet Marshes (units have had time to dig in) a lot tougher to pound on than I expected. So I'm very happy with these settings. Give them a try the other way around and see how the axis does if you're up to doing another test like this.

Changing morale changes the dynamic of the combat resolutions, so I don’t like the idea of changing that. Perhaps increasing one side and leaving the other at 100 might be ok, but it still changes how units will behave vs. each other than what you’d see in a human vs. human game, so I am uncomfortable changing that setting.

I just wish there was some way to double axis equipment and manpower production. That would make the Axis AI a lot tougher in a long campaign I think. There probably isn’t a need to double Russian production, but the option would be nice as well.

Jim

[Helpless]

I am simulating Stalin's days in his Dacha and not making any defensive moves for the first few turns

It's an ugly rumor of Khrushev..