Staff EX 2017 variation - Battle of the Schlitz

[altipueri]

Having failed to load a screenshot in the main forum (+ rant) here's a go where I altered the victory points and watched the AI vs AI as the US tried to get across the river Schlitz.

[altipueri]

The above is at half time and we've stopped for tea and cakes.

Notice my CO has been killed by the Soviet artillery.

But I have got some units across the Schlitz. The bridge in the south was actually built by the Soviets !

[altipueri]

Next one:

[altipueri]

Well as you can see the US was pushed back and ended up with about a 30% score and a dead CO. No promotion for him.

[altipueri]

I had a second go but it seemed to be doing the same thing (is this a random number fixed seed thing)? anyway I re-booted the computer and started again:

[altipueri]

This time the US commander survived and the results are much better.

This is pure AI versus AI play. A learning experience.

All the US aircraft and helicopters were shot down. One unit of those nasty T80 BV or whatever with the gun launched missile accounted for 29 of the US units. Ouch.

But the Schlitz was crossed. This time the US built two bridges in the south and the Soviets built two as well, so there must have been some extra bridge building stock left lying around.

------

Actually I've got a bridge building story.

I worked in a company where one of my colleagues was called Bailey - a grandson or great grandson of the soldier engineer after whom the Bailey bridge is named.

Anyway, he joined the army engineers and on one occasion in about 1970 on an exercise he had to lay a bridge across a stream. Unfortunately one end was laid too close to the river bank and promptly collapsed into the river. Undeterred and only a few minutes from the quartermasters stores he roared off and requisitioned another and dumped it on top of the first one.

He was nearly court marshalled for wrecking several thousand pounds worth of army kit unnecessarily. But his defence was that he succeeded in following orders and achieved his objective in getting his men across the river.

[MikeJ19]

I have thought of watching the AI play the AI, neat idea.

That would be an incredible nut to crack - there are two many Soviets for the two US Bns to take out. I'm impressed that they got over the river.

Have fun!

[altipueri]

I'm going to re-arrange the victory points again just to see what happens. I actually meant to have 8 lots of 500 not 250.

Perhaps I will try daisy chaining small amounts - or bread crumbs as I think the guide said.

Also I will see what happens if the VPs exceed the forces - e.g. 20,000 or more - will it sacrifice troops to get VPs. In that last go the US could have got that VP in the middle as the units were there for several turns.

I'm impressed the AI uses mines, bridges smoke.

Perhaps I'll try to arrange the VPs so that the forces do a sort of dance round - a bit like Tannenberg.

[mirrorshades]

Not related to the AAR content specifically, but how do you have your display configured such that the section with the Start/Pause button, time of day, time remaining, and weather is in its own section at the top of the right column? Mine lives in the tabbed section as "Game" with the others (Player, C3, OB, etc...) and it drives me nuts since I always have to click back on the tab to check the time. I would simply LOVE the option of having that info in its own section!

[CapnDarwin]

@Mirrorshades, what's your vertical screen resolution? There's a minimum height requirement to get all of the panels to show.

[mirrorshades]

It's a pretty big screen, I'm not sure of the exact resolution but I can check later today. What are the minimum specs?

EDIT: Looks like I'm running 1360x768, is that enough?

[CapnDarwin]

I'm trying to get an exact answer from Rob, but I'm sure it is at least 1024 vertical. 768 is right at the low end spec limit for the game.

[WildCatNL]

@MirrorShades:
just tested, and on my screen the 'start/pause' panel starts hiding when I reduce the window size to less than ~990 pixels high.

William

[mirrorshades]

Thanks, guys -- I will fiddle a bit when I have the chance. Would be nice to have an explicit option to "force" that in a later update or a newer game, as it is really frustrating to always have to click back on the tab.

Anyway, apologies for the interruption. Back to the action!

[mirrorshades]

ORIGINAL: altipueri

I'm impressed the AI uses mines, bridges smoke.

Not only that, but it's smart about it. I recall once in A Time To Dance being quite dismayed to find that the enemy tanks had managed to cross the river despite my having blown almost all the bridges. At the end of the game, I found a couple bridges had been built in a small valley that I guess was out of my LOS for most of the time.

(Then I felt bad for accusing the AI of cheating.)