Scenario Deployment

[brucha]

I have a serious question concerning deployment for a scenario, especially for a Long Campaign Battle. It seems, sometimes, that no matter how I deploy my forces for a battle, the AI does strange things in its execution of their attack. For instance, during one recent battle, I was on the defense, holding down two major areas of victory hexes on the flanks, with minor hexes in the center, but set back a good distance from the front line.

I deployed my forces to cover the entire front, thinking that the AI would try an attack both on the flanks and on the center - as it seems to normally do. What ended up happening is that a small force was deployed against one flank, nothing in the center, and the majority of the German forces pitted against the other flank. My one British infantry company positioned on this flank ended up facing an entire company of motorized infantry (aboard half-tracks) and 10 tanks/assault guns. In two short turns, the entire company was overrun, even with being dug-in at the start.

In another example, I was fighting Italians and the mission was an advance. Meeting Italian armour with about a company of infantry, my supporting British tanks (numbering three Shermans and four armoured cars), wiped out much of the enemy armour in just four turns. What was left was taken out by my infantry. This left perhaps a platoon of infantry and some mortarsscattered around on the map, but continued the fight into turn 20, as I was forced to hunt them down all over the map and kill them before they (the Italians) gave up. No matter that I had captured all the victory hexes but three that started in Italian control far on their end of the map and had overwhelming superiority, they just would not give up.

I guess my question is: the AI never seems to be logical in its deployment in most scenarios, or even its execution during a battle. I can never seem to plan my deployment correctly as the AI does such strange things in its deployment that tests commo sense.

Does anyone else have this problem, or am I setting up incorrectly, as far as covering victory hexes (especially ones on the edges of the map)? Often times, there will be victory hexes in the center and on the flanks in a scenario when you - the player - are defending. Is it wise to cover all of them or concentrate one one area?

Edit: I seem to remember there was a strategy guide somewhere on a certain site. I just tried to find it -something about a strategy academy or whatnot, but can't find it now. Does anyone know what I am talking about?

[Alby]

The AI unfortunately is what it is....artificial, but not too intelligent...
[:)]

here are  a few things Mike Wood did in his last updates to the mech.exe concerning the AI, campaigns and Victory hexes and such......

Rewrote bit of code that determines where a unit will move. In meeting engagements, if a unit was closer to a friendly hex than an enemy hex, it would move towards that hex. When visibility was high, that put most friendly units closer the friendly hex and most would move to that friendly hex and mill around. Now they will only move towards a friendly hex if there are no enemy hexes left or they are very close to the friendly hex, else they will move towards an enemy hex.


Rewrote the code that chooses if the player mission is advance or assault in the long WWII Campaign and campaigns created using the Campaign Generator. Decreased the likelihood of Allied armies in the early war and Axis powers in the late war.

Changed the way reinforcement points are generated in the long WWII Campaign. Instead of having a maximum of 1/15th the value of the players force, the value is now 1/10th of the enemy force. The reasoning here is that reinforcements are more needed when the player is outnumbered, such as in a defend mission, than when he has the dominate force, such as in an advance mission.

In 1944 of the long WWII campaign, the computer opponent will receive more troops, if the human is playing Axis and fewer, if he is playing Allied. This effect becomes greater in 1945.

Modified how the German computer opponent picks troops in the long World War II campaign. Uses same pick lists, but picks in a slightly different fashion. Very small battles were using odd choices, since the unit costs have arisen in some orders of battle.

Allowed the German artificial intelligence purchase routine a little more armor.

[Nihon Rikugun]

ORIGINAL: brucha

I have a serious question concerning deployment for a scenario, especially for a Long Campaign Battle. It seems, sometimes, that no matter how I deploy my forces for a battle, the AI does strange things in its execution of their attack. For instance, during one recent battle, I was on the defense, holding down two major areas of victory hexes on the flanks, with minor hexes in the center, but set back a good distance from the front line.

I deployed my forces to cover the entire front, thinking that the AI would try an attack both on the flanks and on the center - as it seems to normally do. What ended up happening is that a small force was deployed against one flank, nothing in the center, and the majority of the German forces pitted against the other flank. My one British infantry company positioned on this flank ended up facing an entire company of motorized infantry (aboard half-tracks) and 10 tanks/assault guns. In two short turns, the entire company was overrun, even with being dug-in at the start.

In another example, I was fighting Italians and the mission was an advance. Meeting Italian armour with about a company of infantry, my supporting British tanks (numbering three Shermans and four armoured cars), wiped out much of the enemy armour in just four turns. What was left was taken out by my infantry. This left perhaps a platoon of infantry and some mortarsscattered around on the map, but continued the fight into turn 20, as I was forced to hunt them down all over the map and kill them before they (the Italians) gave up. No matter that I had captured all the victory hexes but three that started in Italian control far on their end of the map and had overwhelming superiority, they just would not give up.

I guess my question is: the AI never seems to be logical in its deployment in most scenarios, or even its execution during a battle. I can never seem to plan my deployment correctly as the AI does such strange things in its deployment that tests commo sense.

Does anyone else have this problem, or am I setting up incorrectly, as far as covering victory hexes (especially ones on the edges of the map)? Often times, there will be victory hexes in the center and on the flanks in a scenario when you - the player - are defending. Is it wise to cover all of them or concentrate one one area?

Edit: I seem to remember there was a strategy guide somewhere on a certain site. I just tried to find it -something about a strategy academy or whatnot, but can't find it now. Does anyone know what I am talking about?

Well, in the first example, while annoying, it almost seems like the AI used something similar to deny the flank and just punched through your lines in one blow at a single point. I would have done that, then tried to roll up your flank, since you can anchor your line on the map edge. I am sure the AI wasn't thinking this, but somehow ended up doing it.

Usually I find that the AI masses in the center of my line and charges ahead with little to no flanking, which lead to bad habits when facing human enemies.

I also almost always run out of time long before I have "won" what I consider to be a victory...I hate those battles like the one in your second example where you have to play hide and seek with an obviously beaten enemy (I should talk with my IJA hiding in caves and fighting to the last!).

[FlashfyreSP]

Want to see how the AI deploys for a particular battle? Set up a Random Battle with AI Purchase, but Human Deploy, then, when you get to that stage, select Auto Deploy instead. Now, when you view the map, you'll see an AI-deployed force, the same as if you allowed it to do so in the first place.

The AI usually masses in front of the largest VH grouping on Meet/Advance/Assaults; on Delay/Defends, it typically strings a line of units from top of map to bottom, with some units deployed to the rear areas (usually ATGs and AA guns, for some strange reason).

In the second example, you failed to occupy all the VHs; as long as the AI owns at least one, it will not surrender. In that one, all you had to do was push a force in to take those, withstand the couple of turns of panicy counterattacks as the AI tries to recapture them, and then the AI would give up and the battle would have ended.

[brucha]

ORIGINAL: FlashfyreSP
The AI usually masses in front of the largest VH grouping on Meet/Advance/Assaults; on Delay/Defends, it typically strings a line of units from top of map to bottom, with some units deployed to the rear areas (usually ATGs and AA guns, for some strange reason).

In the second example, you failed to occupy all the VHs; as long as the AI owns at least one, it will not surrender. In that one, all you had to do was push a force in to take those, withstand the couple of turns of panicy counterattacks as the AI tries to recapture them, and then the AI would give up and the battle would have ended.

Yes, this exact situation is happening in my current Long Campaign that I just started a couple of nights before. It's, again, me as the Brits against the Italians. Its an Advance battle, with each of us holding VH's back behind the lines and three clusters of VH's in the center of the map.

The initial Italian attack consisted of some SMV's, Autoblindas, and some Bersaglieri squads - not much for a 1,200 point battle I thought. I easily defeat them, only to run into 2 companies of Line Infantry as I advance to capture the central VH's. I spent the next couple of turns flushing out 7 (yes 7 total) hidden Brixia's all around, only to be attacked by an oversized Italian Infantry Company from the rear, including , of course, several AA's. The Italians seems to just LOVE keeping several AA's in reserve...

Very strange how the AI held so many troops back in reserve, allowing me to defeat them in turn instead of massing the force together. In addition, I don't think I have ever fought a battle with so many MG's! I swear, there was at least 1 MG for each 3 infantry platoons I was fighting! It was these more than anything else that really slowed me down.

[robot]

I am fighting a long against the British me Japs. I sent a mess of paras to the rear near there rear obj. Where they landed the AI has put at least 25 tanks. meanwhile we are pushing thru there front lines with no tanks to face and very little resistence from there infantery as i have tanks for support. Go figure if there tanks where at the front instead of in the rear my chance to advance would be slowed quite a lot. They could blow my little tanks we have to pieces very easy.