AI and VPs (AI & I are not getting along)

[Tazak]

Okay so I'm trying to create a situation where the player starts off surrounded and under attack from different directions, single large VP in middle of the position that the AI kindly heads towards in line with my plan.

I've put in an exit point that the player can move towards and exit their forces off map, easy so far, but now I want the AI to not just capture the large VP but to head towards the exit location to cutoff the retreating player forces. The only way is to put a VP near the exit location, however this now causes the AI to send its starting forces to the exit point VP right from the start which is not what I want to happen.

My cunning plan is to garrison the exit point VP with 'spare' AI forces (set to inactive, and to withdrawal a few minutes before the player is allowed to exit their forces), issue is the AI is still sending forces to the exit point VP, what sort of VP:troop ratio do I need to garrison the VP so that the AI ignores it until I want it to.

extra info:
Main VP is 7500points
exit point VP is 2500

[CapnDarwin]

Here's what I would try. Granted, Steve will know better than I. Assuming blue defending and red attacking, I would make the large VP blue to start. Blue will defend it and red should attack it. Make the smaller exit VP red. That should be ignored by most red forces that are closer to the blue VP. Blue should ignore it as well looking to defend the big Blue. You could have a few blue units timed to come in later in the game near or on top of the Red exit VP and grab it. This should trigger nearby red units to attack it, more so if they have taken the large blue VP by that time.

This will be much easier in 2.1 once we get some event scripting going.

[Tazak]

pretty much what I have, I also have blue forces appearing as reinforcements to secure the exit points that will 'grab the small VP thus causing the red forces to start moving towards it.

I figure that with 'spare' red forces garrisoning the small VP that withdrawal a few minutes before the blue reinforcements appear it shouldn't be a problem but the blue reinforcements appear right on top of the red forces that the AI moves at the start.

I'll try reducing the small VP from 2500 down to 1250 or something and increase the garrison force (trial and error), any advice appreciated.

[CapnDarwin]

Hopefully Steve will be able to comment on this.

[Tazak]

Think I have it, I've reduced the exit VP to 1250 (under red control) and parked a entire red tank battalion on top of it set to inactive, I've also pumped up the units stats (training, morale etc) to max (10 or 100) to increase the victory point cost of the unit - approx. 2200VP.

This appears to have the effect of red AI ignoring it at the start (3 hours and nothing seems to be heading towards it), so when the tank battalion withdraws a few minutes before the blue reinforcements appear who can then flip control of the exit VP to blue which should then cause the red AI to start moving units towards it.

This should give the visual effect of red forces moving to cut of the blue forces from the main VP.

If Steve does know a better way I'll be grateful

[Tazak]

Okay, maybe I haven't got this solved, does the AI take into account the distance from a unit to various VPs when deciding which VP to move it towards

[Mad Russian]

What is the goal for the scenario?

It seems you want to both hold the big objective on the map and exit.

Good Hunting.

MR

[Tazak]

The aim is for blue to initially hold the large VP but then pull back abandoning the big VP when the blue reinforcements appear and secure exit positions and the small VP. That part works fine, the tricky part is I want red to capture the large VP while moving some forces to attempt to 'recapture' the small VP thus cutting of the withdrawal

The first bits work fine if I don't have a small VP near the exit locations but then red doesn't do anything other than move in to capture the large VP, the trick I'm trying to get it to do is ignore a red owned VP (small VP) until it is captured by blue

[Tazak]

Picture paints a 1000 words they say [;)]

White wording is Blue forces instructions

Red arrows are red forces directions of attack

yellow arrows are what I want red forces to do once small VP (WSW edge of map) is captured by blue reinforcements

Problem is despite 'garrisoning' the small VP with approx. 2200 of VP worth of forces red forces follow yellow arrow from the start, well when they appear

[Tazak]

Not sure if this helps but there is 1 red tank bn that always heads to the small VP even though there are other red units closer?

I've even blown a few bridges between their starting location and the small VP but the AI just sends them that way and bridges somewhere along the river.

I can move there stating locations so they have to pass the large VP to get to the small VP but even that doesn't seem to adjust the AI sending that 1 bn to the small VP.

I have a feeling that even dirty tricks like red NBC zones will not deter it.

[Mad Russian]

Do the forces that move to the yellow arrows stop in the area of the Elternbruchsee or do they continue over to the exit point?

Good Hunting.

MR

[Tazak]

They continue over near the exit locations and generally loiter within 2-3km of the small VP as you'd expect

[Tazak]

MR,

I'll PM'd the scenario file, it uses Williams Braunschweig 2013 Map from the OTS server. The problem unit is entire tank battalion "3/2nd wave" who come on as reinforcements after 150minutes in the NW corner red zone, they are the only ones that head towards the small VP despite the 'garrison'.

All the other red units appear to work as expected

[Tazak]

Should the AI (red) move units towards a blue exit zone or blue reinforcements?

I've been tweaking this and moving the VP to work with the AI sending units towards the small VP (I think the AI doesn't 'count' inactive units when planning what to send where), what I'm seeing now is that the AI is sending later reinforcements towards either the blue reinforcement arrive zones or blue exit zones (I need to move these further apart to confirm which its heading toward), I always believed that blue setup/reinforcement arrive zones and blue exit zones were 'not visible' to red.