Anyone played grand campaign 1941-1945 vs. AI lately (since latest Gary's changes)?

[delatbabel]

I am playing Soviets against German AI. Soviets on 110%, Germans on 100%, all fortifications at 25%, I gave the AI a 4 turn head start (I did not make any moves or rail any factories or anything else until turn 4 -- just skipped my turns as soon as they started).

It's a good game so far. Feb 1942 and I've taken a bit of a pounding but I'm regaining ground a few cm at a time in all sectors. The big test will be March 1942. Moscow and Stalingrad are safe, but Leningrad will fall in 1942 and I may lose the Caucasus as there are no fortification lines to fall back to.

[Apollo11]

Hi all,

ORIGINAL: delatbabel

I am playing Soviets against German AI. Soviets on 110%, Germans on 100%, all fortifications at 25%, I gave the AI a 4 turn head start (I did not make any moves or rail any factories or anything else until turn 4 -- just skipped my turns as soon as they started).

It's a good game so far. Feb 1942 and I've taken a bit of a pounding but I'm regaining ground a few cm at a time in all sectors. The big test will be March 1942. Moscow and Stalingrad are safe, but Leningrad will fall in 1942 and I may lose the Caucasus as there are no fortification lines to fall back to.

Thanks for info!

BTW, if you give AI 110% and yourself 100% it will be much more challenging game!


Leo "Apollo11"

[delatbabel]

ORIGINAL: Apollo11

Thanks for info!

BTW, if you give AI 110% and yourself 100% it will be much more challenging game!


Leo "Apollo11"

Sorry, yes, my typo. I meant to say Soviets are at 100%, Axis is at 110%. However both sides are at 25% for building fortifications. I may change that later in the game.

Del

[Apollo11]

Hi all,

ORIGINAL: delatbabel

ORIGINAL: Apollo11

Thanks for info!

BTW, if you give AI 110% and yourself 100% it will be much more challenging game!

Sorry, yes, my typo. I meant to say Soviets are at 100%, Axis is at 110%. However both sides are at 25% for building fortifications. I may change that later in the game.

Del

OK! [:)]


Leo "Apollo11"

[Belphegor]

Set the AI to Hard (trying to learn how to play soviet and beat Sillyflower). AI attacked all blizzard long, and I think pushed me back further than I pushed it back. Caused me a lot of damage during the summer/fall of '41. It has just started an offensive to finish off Leningrad (isolated in the fall) in January '42 and has pushed wherever I've given it opportunity. Not a lot of attacks in blizzard, but I was expecting a free hand and didn't get one. It pulled back where it should (North of Moscow), slowly and carefully, not letting me get close; and counter-attacked on occasion.

I'm not looking forward to '42

[Belphegor]

Axis AI set to 125, Me Sov set to 80. Here's the North in January AI conducted slow withdrawal from Red line over winter.

[Flaviusx]

Hard is now very hard against the German AI. Don't draw too many conclusions from it for PBEM purposes, it will give you a distorted idea of what is possible and what isn't. Perfectly good attacks and defenses on 100/100 will not fly at these settings. I think playing against the AI can create some bad habits that need to be unlearned in PBEM.

Last time I tried this on hard, the German AI took Leningrad in 1941 (a first for me, never have lost it against the AI,) and managed a very reasonable imitation of Fall Blau.

Playing at this setting does teach you to be very disciplined about AP management, the 20% hit on those is no joke.

You'll find the PBEM Germans both more easy and more difficult. The AI at hard just bulldozes through everything, no need for fancy maneuvers or buildup trickery.

[Belphegor]

ORIGINAL: Flaviusx

Hard is now very hard against the German AI. Don't draw too many conclusions from it for PBEM purposes, it will give you a distorted idea of what is possible and what isn't. Perfectly good attacks and defenses on 100/100 will not fly at these settings. I think playing against the AI can create some bad habits that need to be unlearned in PBEM.

Last time I tried this on hard, the German AI took Leningrad in 1941 (a first for me, never have lost it against the AI,) and managed a very reasonable imitation of Fall Blau.

Playing at this setting does teach you to be very disciplined about AP management, the 20% hit on those is no joke.

You'll find the PBEM Germans both more easy and more difficult. The AI at hard just bulldozes through everything, no need for fancy maneuvers or buildup trickery.

Good advice. I don't expect to learn more than unit handling and capabilities. The AI should give me some practical experience in that.

[The SNAFU]

I'm playing a 41-45 game with 2 patches, first 10436 and for past few turns the most recent patch 10545. I'm playing the Axis side against the Soviet AI set on normal difficulty and no advantages set for either side. Weather is non random. Until the new patch was applied the AI behavior was for the most part competent and challeging for a player new to the game. In fact there were several wow moments as the AI retreated out of encirclements, maintained defensive lines and fought hard for major objectives such as Leningrad and Moscow. Moscow was seriously threatened in 41 but did not fall and the Soviet winter counteroffensive pushed me back more than 150 miles. Leningrad was captured in late 42 after a very bloody fight. The Caucusus was the sole objective of 42 and after a long summer campaign I took most of it. Baku finally falling in February 43.

The new 10545 patch was applied in August 1943, it is now September 23, 1943 and the AI has begun to act oddly. It does not seem to close up holes in the line and is not attacking almost anywhere despite what would appear to be several opportunities to do so. Could it be that the Soviets are on the edge of defeat or is the 10545 AI having problems? Just before the patch was applied the AI was still able to form solid lnes and the situation doesent seem much worse now yet the AI no longer builds solid lines. In fact it's moves actually opens holes that were not there before it started it's turn.

Not sure what all this means but I wanted to share the experience. I will say that in all the pc wargaming Ive done WITE has (or had) the best AI I have ever seen. I play mostly Panzer Campaign games by PBEM and look forward to playing WITE vs. humans but good AI has been hard to come by in games like these and unitl the problems I noted here the AI in this game made the game very fun to plan solo. Here is a screenshot in the South at the start of my (the Axis turn) showing the AI unable to close the lines or opening ones that we're there before it's turn when seemingly it has sufficient forces to form a solid defense line. Hope this helps.

[The SNAFU]

From the Central front. Moscow and Tula are not being properly protected.

[The SNAFU]

and lastly, the Northern front. The Soviets are falling apart yet seem to have units to plug the gaps.

[Apollo11]

Hi all,

ORIGINAL: The SNAFU

I'm playing a 41-45 game with 2 patches, first 10436 and for past few turns the most recent patch 10545. I'm playing the Axis side against the Soviet AI set on normal difficulty and no advantages set for either side. Weather is non random. Until the new patch was applied the AI behavior was for the most part competent and challeging for a player new to the game. In fact there were several wow moments as the AI retreated out of encirclements, maintained defensive lines and fought hard for major objectives such as Leningrad and Moscow. Moscow was seriously threatened in 41 but did not fall and the Soviet winter counteroffensive pushed me back more than 150 miles. Leningrad was captured in late 42 after a very bloody fight. The Caucusus was the sole objective of 42 and after a long summer campaign I took most of it. Baku finally falling in February 43.

The new 10545 patch was applied in August 1943, it is now September 23, 1943 and the AI has begun to act oddly. It does not seem to close up holes in the line and is not attacking almost anywhere despite what would appear to be several opportunities to do so. Could it be that the Soviets are on the edge of defeat or is the 10545 AI having problems? Just before the patch was applied the AI was still able to form solid lnes and the situation doesent seem much worse now yet the AI no longer builds solid lines. In fact it's moves actually opens holes that were not there before it started it's turn.

Not sure what all this means but I wanted to share the experience. I will say that in all the pc wargaming Ive done WITE has (or had) the best AI I have ever seen. I play mostly Panzer Campaign games by PBEM and look forward to playing WITE vs. humans but good AI has been hard to come by in games like these and unitl the problems I noted here the AI in this game made the game very fun to plan solo. Here is a screenshot in the South at the start of my (the Axis turn) showing the AI unable to close the lines or opening ones that we're there before it's turn when seemingly it has sufficient forces to form a solid defense line. Hope this helps.

Thanks for sharing! [:)]

If you find some time please try playing vs. AI set on 110%! [;)]


Leo "Apollo11"

[Mentor]

I second The SNAFU's experiences.  Since the most recent patch(es?) the Soviet AI in my 41 GC game on Challenging has been acting very strange.  After I took Moscow huge gaps were opened up in the lines, at one point the AI only had 2 rifle brigades for the entire front south of Kharkov.  Then the mud came and the AI rebuilt the line quite nicely.  I have now taken Stalingrad and pocketed another almost 1,000k Soviets, and suddenly the AI is evacuating the line all over the place again.  Huge gaps are being opened up in portions of the line that were essentially static last week.  Monster Soviet corps with >100k men are showing up again.  The AI's inability to hold the line seems linked to the formation of the monster corps.

[The SNAFU]

I increased the Soviet advantage to 110. The good news is the AI is much more agressive and Axis losses are much higher. On the Northern front the AI actually cutoff 2 weakened and exposed German infantry divisions and destroyed both. That is the first destruction of any Axis units. Very nice!

The bad news is the AI continues to leave gaps in the lines in several areas some of which are critical such as on the Central front near Moscow. If my armour was not totally committed in the South I am reasonably sure I could march into Moscow in a matter of a few weeks. In the South the AI allowed 8 infantry and tank corps and 5 infantry divisions to be completely and hopelessly surrounded by leaving gaps in the front. One last strange thing was a Soviet tank corps that charged (alone) through a lightly held part of the Southern front reaching the Volga. It was easily cutoff and destroyed by weak Hungarian troops.

This behavoir was not seen in the first 100+ turns under patch 10436.

[Apollo11]

Hi all,

In recent patches (not yet released to public) Gary made improvements to AI especially in that department (i.e. gaps in AI defensive line)... [:)]


Leo "Apollo11"

[The SNAFU]

Patch 10540 noted improvements in defensive line building however in my experience the AI did a lot better before that. I suppose it's a trial and error process. In any event I'm thankful for the efforts to make the game better.