single-player AI improvements

[vladn]

I've recently played the "Command Ops: Battles from the Bulge" demo and was impressed by what the AI can do in single-player matches.
Would it be possible to use the Command Ops AI as a third party add-on for Close Combat?
The CC engine would manage the individual squad members, but the CO commander AI would coordinate the squads in giving the human opponent a hard time.
I'm aware this is a long-shot, as it would involve additional work with Panther Games for the integration, but i think it would really bring the best of both CC and CO.

[SteveMcClaire]

It's unlikely that we could use another game's AI, and also unlikely that such a major change will be made to a released game like Panthers in the Fog. However, we're always looking at ways to improve the AI and I'll take a look at how Command Ops plays. Thanks for the suggestion. What specifically did you like about the AI behavior? Can you give me a couple of examples?

Thanks,

Steve

[vladn]

The Command Ops demo is about an armored combat command (player) taking on elements from a volksgrenadier division (AI) which are defending a river crossing and some villages.
After being pressed by one if my motorized infantry battalions, the VG units pulled back across the river to a more sustainable position and counterattacked from the next village with a tank company. I was lucky to have an airstrike available at that moment, and it turned out to be quite effective in breaking the tank attack.
I couldn't help thinking about such manouver battles in CC when playing against the AI: retreating in an orderly manner from the front line while preparing a counterstrike with the reserves.
The video tutorials from the demo give a much more detailed insight about what the AI can do, for example I can order a battalion to move to an objective and the AI would take care of establishing a movement plan for its companies, complete with choosing a route (quickest, safest), managing fire support if the enemy is encountered.
Although CO works at a higher level than CC, it seemed that most of the decisions could also work for the platoon teams (mortar supression before an assault, flanking an enemy position, attacking a heavily armored tank from both flanks).

Thanks,
Vlad

[vladn]

I would like to add some more thoughts about the Close Combat AI based on what I noticed during PitF gameplay.
One of CC's strongpoints which sets it apart from the other wargames is the way it simulates in realtime the behaviour of each team member.
I enjoyed using the ability to redeploy AT guns and to transport troops in armored carriers across the battlefield, I wish the AI would make more use of these features. For example, in Battle Academy the computer opponent uses quite often half-tracks to close the distance more quickly between assault infantry and their objective (not sure though if it is an AI decision or a scripted behaviour).
Have you considered using alternative overview plans which the AI would then select one from, based on the opponent strength? For example, when attacking an urban area protected by infantry, a tank platoon would send first its own supporting infantry and keep the tanks in the second line to provide cover fire when needed. If the same map is guarded by a recon group, the tank platoon could select an alternative more aggresive attack plan.
Is there a recommended minimum battle duration for the AI to have enough time to put an attack plan into action? So far I used the 15 minutes limit and had some fights that finished just before my team was overrun, but others where barely saw enemy movements.

[SteveMcClaire]

There is some consideration in the AI's battle planning for what sort enemy force and force strength its facing. But it is primarily to determine how aggressive the AI wants to be, and to a less extent, how much AT firepower it thinks it is going to need. The AI in CC has only two basic plans when it comes to Tank / Infantry cooperation, though: Either they operate in separate internal groupings, or it mixes tanks and infantry within its internal groupings (usually the later.) So yes, there is some room for improvement in both areas.

Steve

[vladn]

Thank you for the details, I hope you'll continue to improve the AI in the next CC releases.
Here's to shrewd AI manouvers and multiple attempts to win a scenario!
Regards,
Vlad