Weird Japanese Behavior in April 1942

[blueatoll]

So I'm playing my first game of WitP AE and I'm finding the Japanese AI doing some really weird stuff.

So far, the Japanese (and this is April 1942) have sent 3 major thrusts towards Canton Island. This is despite the fact that I have 7000 troops (I know I'm overstacked) and about 80 planes on Canton with 25,000+ supply. I've clearly got air superiority as Baker only has a level 2 airfield and my short range subs are torpedoing an AK/AKL/TK at least every other day off it's coast. The first two invasion TFs had no air support. The last invasion TF had air support that arrived 2-3 days before the invasion fleet. Due to some good DBs based on Canton (its amazing what blowing up 25+ un-air supported Japanese ships does to build experience) and a fortuitous night battle with my CA TF based at Canton I've managed to sink the Soryu and drop about 10 bombs on the Zuikaku and Shokaku off of Canton (which eliminated their launch ability) and sink the Hiruna (sic) BB. I was surprised to see 3 Fleet CVs being escorted by 1 BB and 1DD only. Is that normal? My 4 CAs, 3 CLs, and 4 DDs certainly out-shot them in the night action (I have a newfound respect for the radar upgrades my ships just completed). I know that seems to be a high number of ships based at Canton but my intel told me that two different divisions were planning attacks against Canton so I beefed up the ship presence to send them a greeting.

Also in April, the Japanese sent 2 TFs, with only one CVE in support to 'bombard' Pearl Harbor. My losses off Pearl Harbor were 1 ASW DMS that unfortunately got jumped and an AK on its way to Midway in exchange for 3 CAs, 3 CLs, a CVE, 5 DDs and some sub chasers?!? Sure I'm a bit low on SBD-1 replacements right now but I've already sunk 12 CA/CLs, 2 BBs, and over 20 DDs and its only April 1942. Sinking the Soryu was just icing on the cake.

The Japanese also did try an invasion of Diego Garcia which surprised me. I was fortunate that I had just moved a Catalina squadron there to help manage the sea lanes to Oz with Indonesia starting to fall and spotted them from far out. They were slow enough that a CA/CL squadron from Ceylon was able, at Full Speed, to get there just as they arrived and sink the AKs (which were only escorted by 1 DD) before they could unload. It said the casualty rate was over 3000 so I'm assuming they were shipping a division out there. I've since beefed up Diego Garcia with a substantial combat unit and an engineer unit to get the facilities improved. I had expected an action against Port Blair but I haven't seen anything yet.

I think these strategies are all a bit odd for the Japanese but so long as they keep doing that rather than focusing on Australia, I'm happy. Do other people experience this kind of thing?

[artuitus_slith]

The AI isn't that strong, try the Ironman or Ironman nasty scenerios, they give the Japanese alot more toys to play with so they can afford losses. Also try putting the game on hard/very hard for a few turns once in a while it seems to help the AI "think" a little better.

[CowboyRonin]

I've seen almost these exact behaviors in every Allied vs AI game I have played. The Japanese AI has fixations on Canton and on raiding between Midway and Pearl. In my current game (with current beta patch), I recently killed Zuiho and 2 CAs, as well as several big AOs, between Midway and Pearl. I'm expecting an invasion of Canton almost any day.

[Bo Rearguard]

ORIGINAL: blueatoll

I think these strategies are all a bit odd for the Japanese but so long as they keep doing that rather than focusing on Australia, I'm happy. Do other people experience this kind of thing?

I've observed much the same thing. Suicidal Japanese thrusts at Canton or Oahu itself with little or no air cover. This is how the majority of Japanese battleships and cruisers were lost in my last game against the AI. By mid-1943 there wasn't much left of the "heavies" in the IJN to fight. This made the latter half of the game a rather dull and prolonged mopping up operation.

[rms1pa]

quite a bit of"me too" here.

best i can say is if you restart on hard. you will have less of that.

Historicly the IJN did not use the "Shwerpunkt" concept

it was much more a "Fient and Pounce" style. trail something to get your attention then beat up your reaction forces.

did not work out for them.

rms/pa

side note: if its really seriously wierd, the yamato people have a TV show with folks doing it in teams.

[PaxMondo]

Per the AI guru, if you are playing a stock GC you need to play at HARD or VERY HARD for the AI to be balanced. At NORMAL, the AI is at an enormous disadvantage.

If you are playing any of the Ironman scenarios, you can play at NORMAL at a minimum, but you should up the difficulty to HARD at least 2 -3 days per month.

These are my guidelines playing Ironman, Revenge of the Dorniers:

1. I play on NORMAL.
2. I generally put it to HARD from 12 -15 every month.
3. No deep attacks. (Don't invade India via Bombay, the AI can't react to that. If you do, just know you will be wildly successful and your game will be over fairly quickly).
4. I help the AI anytime it gets in a rut. Once, twice, maybe three times a year, the AI will get in a rut. It will pick a location and keep piece-meal attacking it. Like Marcus or Christmas ... If it does, I back the game up a week (or 10 days if necessary) and play head to head for a couple of turns moving assets out of that rut. Generally only needs a couple of turns to get it sorted out. Then I go back to AI mode and it runs fine again for +100 turns.

Doing this, I been able to play the Ironman scenarios into '44 a couple of times. I'm on my first attempt of the Revenge of the Dorniers ... Andy has really cranked this one up. Maybe a little too much.

[BBfanboy]

I read somewhere that the developers said there were 13 different AI scripts that are run at random. I am not clear if these scripts are for the general strategic thrusts of the whole campaign or for the tactical situation of each turn. Either way, it is not a lot of variation to deal with, and it does not have scripts to react to situations like an uncommonly strong defence of Canton Island.
Since the programmers could not foresee every circumstance nor have time to write thousands of detailed "if - then" instructions for the AI, the scripts are often going to seem inappropriate for the situation.
You will only get a good challenge from another human player.

[Lokasenna]

ORIGINAL: PaxMondo

Per the AI guru, if you are playing a stock GC you need to play at HARD or VERY HARD for the AI to be balanced. At NORMAL, the AI is at an enormous disadvantage.

If you are playing any of the Ironman scenarios, you can play at NORMAL at a minimum, but you should up the difficulty to HARD at least 2 -3 days per month.

These are my guidelines playing Ironman, Revenge of the Dorniers:

1. I play on NORMAL.
2. I generally put it to HARD from 12 -15 every month.
3. No deep attacks. (Don't invade India via Bombay, the AI can't react to that. If you do, just know you will be wildly successful and your game will be over fairly quickly).
4. I help the AI anytime it gets in a rut. Once, twice, maybe three times a year, the AI will get in a rut. It will pick a location and keep piece-meal attacking it. Like Marcus or Christmas ... If it does, I back the game up a week (or 10 days if necessary) and play head to head for a couple of turns moving assets out of that rut. Generally only needs a couple of turns to get it sorted out. Then I go back to AI mode and it runs fine again for +100 turns.

Doing this, I been able to play the Ironman scenarios into '44 a couple of times. I'm on my first attempt of the Revenge of the Dorniers ... Andy has really cranked this one up. Maybe a little too much.

Can you elaborate a little bit on this? Do you prep units for other targets? Move TFs to other AOOs? It doesn't help that I've not researched how the AI scripts actually work yet...


To the OP, I actually haven't experienced lots of raids between Midway and Pearl. I generally let the AI have Baker and Canton because it doesn't build them up and it's good amphibious practice for me a year later.

I have experienced problems with the AI sending half of the KB with minimal escorts in to Merak harbor, though. Even in my current Ironman game I'm seeing that...

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy
You will only get a good challenge from another human player.

The Ironman AI is dishing out some pretty severe pain right now. I don't even want to see the "Nasty" version.

[Yaab]

I found the following post in my WITP:AE reference folder:

Andy Mac
Matrix Legion of Merit
Posts: 11819
Joined: 5/12/2004
From: Alexandria, Scotland
Status: online
More historical
aei00x.dat
aei00x-01.dat
aei00x-02.dat
aei00x-03.dat
aei00x-04.dat
aei00x-05.dat
aei00x-06.dat

Less historical
aei00x-07.dat
aei00x-08.dat
aei00x-09.dat
aei00x-10.dat
aei00x-11.dat
aei00x-12.dat

[Andy Mac]

If anyone has a save where the AI is attacking PH please send me it I thought we had eliminated all of those in patch 2 a.mcphie@btinternet.com

[PaxMondo]

ORIGINAL: Lokasenna

Can you elaborate a little bit on this? Do you prep units for other targets? Move TFs to other AOOs? It doesn't help that I've not researched how the AI scripts actually work yet...

If you are referring to "Helping the AI", exactly. I shift units around to get it off of that target and 'play' a couple of turns to get it out of the rut. Once in a while it will take 3 turns, but generally 2 are enough. It seems that the AI resets itself when I return control and it generally will not get back in the same hole.

ORIGINAL: Lokasenna

The Ironman AI is dishing out some pretty severe pain right now. I don't even want to see the "Nasty" version.

Yeah, with the tweeks Andy has done it is pretty good. The Nasty version I just started (again tonight as he just revised it again). Whoa! The Dorniers went from bad to absolutely wicked. [X(]