Honestly How Competant Will the AI be this time ?

[FM WarB]

What are the AI cheats at varying levels?

[Fred98]

Again, instead of the AI cheating, change the value of the victory locations.

If for the human player a VL is worth 30 points then for the AI it could be worth 45 points.

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[Sabre21]

ORIGINAL: FM WarB

What are the AI cheats at varying levels?

There are game options that affect morale, logistics, admin points, # of trucks, and fortification capability. If you select challenging level, yours will be lower and the ai will be a bit higher. The disparity increases as the level gets harder. If playing against a human on challenging, the game sets both sides to the lower levels, but you can manually enter values and change these default settings to give one human player or the other a handicap.

As for the exact modifiers per level right now, that is still in the works and has recently been tweaked again.

Andy

[demyansk]

I would like to see in the game an ability to find players easily for an online or pbem game. I look at the screen shots and the game looks real good. I am sure it will be a decent AI and of course no replacement for a human player. I play humans on email and usually have to change all my tactics compared to when i play the computer.

[Joel Billings]

ORIGINAL: demjansk

I would like to see in the game an ability to find players easily for an online or pbem game. I look at the screen shots and the game looks real good. I am sure it will be a decent AI and of course no replacement for a human player. I play humans on email and usually have to change all my tactics compared to when i play the computer.

This game will not have an online option, but finding PBEM opponents should not be a problem as you can post in this forum to find an opponent. I think they'll be plenty of people posting here for opponents.

[Zovs]

Its snowing, and the Axis AI (or Mr. AI) surprised me with this move with his panzers in the swamp to cut off one of my Rifle Corps and one rifle division and I thought I'd show this.



I'll be able to break them out but I was impressed that the AI was 'thinking' of the welfare of my riflemen. [;)]

[mmarquo]

"There are several different levels of difficulty."

This can only mean different handicaps for the human player; the AI can not be expected to function at different levels of intelligence - not for the price of a commercial wargame. IMHO it is a misdirection of time and effort trying to develop truly challenging AI capability for a game such as this; better to spend the time on perfecting the OOB and attention to historical detail as well game mechanics. There will be plenty of opportunity to find PBEM opponents; maybe better will be live H2H capability.

[mmarquo]

BTW - is there a rule that if the snow melts that the panzers in the swamp are sunk???

[Wild]

ORIGINAL: Marquo

"There are several different levels of difficulty."

This can only mean different handicaps for the human player; the AI can not be expected to function at different levels of intelligence - not for the price of a commercial wargame. IMHO it is a misdirection of time and effort trying to develop truly challenging AI capability for a game such as this; better to spend the time on perfecting the OOB and attention to historical detail as well game mechanics. There will be plenty of opportunity to find PBEM opponents; maybe better will be live H2H capability.

It is not a waste of time or resources to create the best AI possible for this game.
Many people (perhaps most) will play only against the AI,due to time constraints,personal preferance etc.
I myself am an AI only wargamer and value the competence of the AI only slightly below historical accurracy.
To achieve maximum sales i would put a very high focus on the AI.

[elmo3]

ORIGINAL: Marquo

BTW - is there a rule that if the snow melts that the panzers in the swamp are sunk???

They are not stuck, they would move at the regular swamp MP rate which for mech is 6 MP's per hex.

[elmo3]

ORIGINAL: Marquo

...IMHO it is a misdirection of time and effort trying to develop truly challenging AI capability for a game such as this; better to spend the time on perfecting the OOB and attention to historical detail as well game mechanics...

The people working on the OOB and historical accuracy are not the same people doing the AI testing. Both areas are getting a lot of attention. As such we are trying to achieve accurate history and a challenging AI.

[karonagames]

As a newly appointed tester I can assure you that you will be blown away by the amount of historical detail in the game. Poor Joel is having to fight us off as we are asking for even more minute details to be included, so inevitably there will be some compromises for the sake of playability.

With regards to the AI, I can say that this AI does things I have never seen in any WWII PC wargame, and I have played them all, going back to the original SSI War in Russia in 198something. It knows when it is going to be encircled, it puts together vicious attacks to break into encirclements, and you are going to dread the Soviets' first winter offensive as much as the original participants did - in my first game Army Group South was shattered within 4 weeks.

[mmarquo]

>It is not a waste of time or resources to create the best AI possible for this game.
 
For the price of a commercial wargame, the AI will not be logically challenging. There may be internal "reequilibrations" to make the AI more effective (inflicts more posses, takes less losses per equivalent combat than the human side) but it will not be smart, intelligent, teachable and it will not think. It's patterns will become quickly apparent and will not vary. IMHO it is a much better use of programmers' and testers' resources and time to make sure that the internal mechanics all work well (no bugs); the testers can play each other.
 
I am excited at the prospect of playing this game...against a human either H2H, PBEM or LAN. Anybody who reads and answers these posts is not so isolated that they can't also play against a human [:)].
 
Marquo
 

[Wild]

ORIGINAL: Marquo

>It is not a waste of time or resources to create the best AI possible for this game.

For the price of a commercial wargame, the AI will not be logically challenging. There may be internal "reequilibrations" to make the AI more effective (inflicts more posses, takes less losses per equivalent combat than the human side) but it will not be smart, intelligent, teachable and it will not think. It's patterns will become quickly apparent and will not vary. IMHO it is a much better use of programmers' and testers' resources and time to make sure that the internal mechanics all work well (no bugs); the testers can play each other.

I am excited at the prospect of playing this game...against a human either H2H, PBEM or LAN. Anybody who reads and answers these posts is not so isolated that they can't also play against a human [:)].

Marquo

Of course there is a limit to what is possible with the AI.It will never match a human player.I stated in my post that they should try to make the best AI possible for the game.I don't expect it will be perfect.

I find your response very patronizing to AI players.It has nothing to do with isolation.It has to do with time constraints and personal preference.

When someone pays good money for a game he should not be told the manner he enjoys playing it is a waste of time and to find a human player.

[PyleDriver]

Guys, just this week, we had 3 changes in AI behavior...It is a big deal to us, as someone said 90% of players will play agianst it only...Its already, as a old WIR ace, ten times better than that was, and getting better by the week. So hold on to your hats, then tell me later when you sit in this seat...lol...

[PyleDriver]

Another note, we have a very balanced test team. Really, though being small, they bring a magnatude of information (from around the world). You will find this to be to be the best buy you ever get...Please hold your judgments until you put your hands on it...Just look in the mean time in ahh...And enjoy...

[wurger54]

Wow! [X(] For the sake of all those that do that sort of thing, I hope the AI is competent enough to make you feel like Adolf when you thrash it. I'm in California, [8D] we tolerate everybody's preferences. [:D] Other than learning the game mechanics, I don't get it. Nothing beats humiliating a human opponant. I do hope not one extra second is spent developing the AI. [:-] I've got breathing opponants chomping at the bit to get to thrashing. Then again, this is my hobby, not my living. Matrix must cater to the masses. [8|]

[PyleDriver]

We have both the AI, PBEM and historical covered. We really are focused...Trust Gary and Joel, and the rest of us...Please...

[Wild]

ORIGINAL: PyleDriver

We have both the AI, PBEM and historical covered. We really are focused...Trust Gary and Joel, and the rest of us...Please...

Thanks PyleDriver. I appreciate all the hard work the testers have done.

I absolutley trust Gary and Joel to get this game right. Having played many(most) of their games i can say in all honesty that they are the best games i've ever played.

I just get a little frustrated when the PBEM only crowd tries to prevent improvement on the AI side of things. The same thing happened on the WitP forums.
I think this game is big enough for everbody to be able to play it the way they wish to.

Once again thanks for all your efforts.

[wodin]

I will be playing against the AI....the only wargame I PBEM is Squad Battles...I don't begrudge it has an AI as I know many will enjoy the game that haven't the confidence to go join a league...even though I know the game comes to life PBEM.

Also some people will learn how to play the game against the AI and when they feel confident enough may well take the plunge and go PBEM. I may be one of those people. My ability at this level is very poor and I loose even against the AI in games all the time.

I find it typical of how self centered people are these days to only think of themselves.

This game should have as good an AI as they possibly can build...

So what if some of you will PBEM and not the AI...many here will play the AI and not PBEM....so we will all have to wait to get a chance to play it.

Live at let live...I really don't think the game will suffer in any respect and will be a great product for you anti AI people aswell as those who want an AI.