Want to Buy It but....

[decaro]

ORIGINAL: hgilmer

... I still haven't quite figured out detailed battles, but I get a lot of enjoyment out of quick battles.  The advantage is I can play a full game in 2-3 days.

I'm in the same stage, but the Confederate defensive bonus is killing me in QB at the 1st SGT level, so I'm going to have to revisit DB.

[GShock]

FoF is easy to master, now how to achieve victory is not that easy. Take ur time, read the manual and start with the easy rules, i'm sure u'll love it!!!

[decaro]

ORIGINAL: GShock

FoF is easy to master ...

I disagree; if FoF was that easy to master, there wouldn't be a need for all the optional features/rules, which make the game more "digestible," but not necessarilly easier.

[GShock]

Joe, play 6 months of Ageod's AACW and even Autocad will seem easy

I started with the adv rules in FoF, for a starter...and I'm still loving the game a lot, which says it all, definitely the learning curve is easy but beating the AI is not as easy.

For instance, playing by default the QUICK battle does not let you convey more than 1 container of reinforcements which makes it dramatically harder, especially for CSA. this is not in the manual...you learn with playing it...and what a joy it is to learn. See? The Quick is in basic rules but it takes brains, not rules nor manual to really master the one thing: The enemy (it's always *the* factor)

Actually, i'd love to try a Pbem. Anyone interested?

[decaro]

ORIGINAL: GShock

Joe, play 6 months of Ageod's AACW and even Autocad will seem easy ...

Actually I have AGEOD's AACW: it can be frustrating forming Armies/Corps -- unless you start a campaign later in the conflict -- otherwise it's not that difficult to learn; it requires more time and patience for the theatre campaigns, but AACW scenarios are relatively quick and easy.

[morganbj]

Buy the game!  Today!!!!  Now!!!!
 
It's well worth the temporary out-of-pocket cash.  All the other posters have said it all.
 

[GShock]

Joe, i've played AACW for almost a year now and am learning new things everyday...i think FoF AI is better than AACW's AI and i win easy in AACW vs AI where i probably will never stop learning while i win and lose in FoF where i have nothing else to learn...this is what i was meaning.

I suggest to buy this game to any CW fan of all kinds and of all levels of detail. It's different from others and good. Who knows maybe i find it easy because i am an EiA (and EiANW) and WiF player?

Takes a degree to play WiF really...i don't know if it's humanly possible to build a credible AI at all in World in Flames, i hope the aussies can make it but i really don't think it's possible at all.

[decaro]

ORIGINAL: GShock

...i think FoF AI is better than AACW's AI and i win easy in AACW vs AI where i probably will never stop learning while i win and lose in FoF where i have nothing else to learn...this is what i was meaning.

Playing as the Union w/FOW, the FoF AI doesn't seem any better than that of AACW; it often attacks superior Union forces and has to quickly about face. However, the 25% defense bonus to the Confeds w/QB can be frustrating at the higher levels.

ORIGINAL: GShock
... Takes a degree to play WiF really...i don't know if it's humanly possible to build a credible AI at all in World in Flames, i hope the aussies can make it but i really don't think it's possible at all.

It's hard to make a credible AI w/a game that encompasses the whole world, i.e., the AI played better in PG's single scenario design than the AI in CEaW because the latter has to embrace multiple theaters simultaneously.

[GShock]

Yes, the more stuff you put the worse the AI can handle it. With FoF if the issue about AI attacking when there's no hope to win was fixed, and those resources committed elsewhere (amphibious assaults for example) the AI would see a terrific improvement, enough to make all CSA players go back to the easiest level of difficulty.

This can't have to do with the FOW imo, because i *suppose* an AI with bad scouts in a neighbouring region would NOT attack. Unfortunately, it does...which means, still supposing, that the modifiers "attracting" it towards a strategic objective are stronger than the "guess" factor of a poorly scouted enemy army.

Perhaps Erik himself can clarify why it acts like this.

[ericbabe]

Generally speaking, the strategic AI routines use a min-max algorithm whose parameters are modified by hundreds of heuristics both on input and after output.  Unfortunately I can't really clarify the heuristics, as each one is rather particular.  There are heuristics that keep the AI from attacking when it is overpowered, but these criteria are not always applied absolutely, and often the AI might anticipate that reinforcements will be available that may, during the movement, not actually be.  We've experimented with both a more timid and more aggressive AI, and, in general, the testers prefered the more aggressive one.  I remember the days in which the Union AI would sit for two years before it would launch a major attack, until it had an absolute mathematical advantage... it may have played a stronger game, but the testers (and this was my opinion as well) prefered a game with a bit more action.

I have considered allowing the AI to cheat and to avoid movements that result in battles iwth suicidal odds during the movement phase.  The AI is not as good as a human at synchronizing and anticipating, and this would address that shortcoming.  I think this would be a significant improvement, and it would be transparent to the player.

[moose1999]

I think that sounds like a good idea, Eric.
And maybe combine it with a FOW bonus for the AI - or at least make it applicable in the game settings (I forget - is there already such a feature...?).
In my last campaign as the CSA the Union kept attacking in the East with half their available forces, instead of all of them, which gave me a numerical advantage in every battle which I really shouldn't have when playing the CSA.
The rest of the forces would then arrive as reinforcements of course, but it still gave the union a serious disadvantage - actually it crippled them (especially when I managed to delay their reinforcements in the scouting phase before battle).