Is this normal

[Chris21wen]

8 Oct 1942 against the AI

In three places along the line where dents have been made in front by the Axis they have pulled back thus straightening the front, this being the most dramatic. The weather is clear and I have made no overt threatening moves in any of the areas. Is this normal for the AI?

[morvael]

I guess the AI finished it's "Case Blue" mode (summer German attack), and prepares for the ineviteable "Uranus" mode (defending against winter Soviet attack).

[Chris21wen]

ORIGINAL: morvael

I guess the AI finished it's "Case Blue" mode (summer German attack), and prepares for the ineviteable "Uranus" mode (defending against winter Soviet attack).

OK.

[morvael]

Humans adapt better to the actual situation, that why it's better to play PBEM (even if it takes more time). AI is a bit scripted in the global stances.

[comte]

Morvael if we change the AI setting will it be less likely to do this move? I saw something similar around Smolensk when I threatened an encirclement but it was in late August and I was playing on Normal. I would love to play PBEM but don't have the time so I only play A.I.

[loki100]

ORIGINAL: Aces8

Morvael if we change the AI setting will it be less likely to do this move? I saw something similar around Smolensk when I threatened an encirclement but it was in late August and I was playing on Normal. I would love to play PBEM but don't have the time so I only play A.I.

A partial solution is to save your game as a scenario, and then go and reset the directives for each major AI formation. There are two problems to this. First I'm not sure if the big shifts that Morvael mentioned are actually in the code so that this may not make difference in terms of real AI practice. Second is if you do this, you need to reset the entire arrivals/withdrawals data (which is a pain).

What I did once, and it really improved the game was wait till March 42. Make a scenario and move all the armour from AGN to AGS and then give that army new orders to attack towards Stalingrad. This solved two of my only real complaints about the AI, that it leaves the Pzrs in AGN regardless at the end of 1941 so ends up in 1942 attacking Cherepovets etc. Second, and as a result, it doesn't really concentrate its armoured forces for a decisive blow in 1942.

[randallw]

This Axis pullback has also happened to me, though in a different spot ( area between Chernigov and Briansk ).

[micheljq]

They did this in autumn 1941 for me, they were attacking Rzhez, then AI instead did a breakthrough south of Rzhez.

Later it began pressuring Vyazma, than backed. It did it 2 times, if the AI would have continue attacking Rzhez and Vyazma both cities would have fell after many attacks and some losses for him and many losses for me.

Michel.

[RyeMacD]

In my game as GHC the Soviet AI did the same thing to me a couple of times in March 1942.