AI and Mods
Posted: Thu Mar 04, 2010 9:58 pm
Just to answer a question I get asked a lot once 
The AI files for Scen 1, 2 and 6 (and therefore 7,8, 9 and 10.
are all identical
There are 13 files (14 now but the last is not released yet)
aei00x.dat
aei00x-001.dat to 06 .dat are more historical
07 - 12 are less historical
All of the files are identical across scenarios. i.e. a scen 1 file = a scen 2 file - its the only way I can do it and maintain my sanity
The difference in how the AI performs in Scen 1 and 2 is inherant in the assets the AI has avaialble.
Now lets explore those differences
Naval Units - this is the easiest the AI does not use specific ships it selects ships fro the TF's it needs to form of the appropriate size - therefore the EASIEST way to make a scenario harder i.e. scen 2 - is to add more ships of types the AI is weakest in - that just means the the AI has more toys to play with and will in general from stronger TF's and more of the TF scripts will fire. In an AI file lets say a japanese Invade PM script may require a CV TF, a Bombardment TF and a CV TF . In Scen 1 the AI may be short of DD's and one of the TF's will fail to form - normally the 3rd one because the IA cannot find the assets it needs.
By adding more ships to tyhe scenario - e.g. Scen 2 - I give the Ai a bigger chance to form that 3rd TF and strengthen the screen for the first 2.
when designing the AI files I allowed for this so each of the 13 variants can accomodate scen 1 and 2 AND and other mod that just adds more ships. (this is why the main change in Ironman AI scens is to add a lot of ships to that side - it just improves the chances of these 3rd echelon TF's to form)
LAND
OK very different - the AI is SLOT specific on the land AI side.
All AI scripts in Scne 1 and 2 (and 10) use all the units in the largest of those files so I have preset the AI to sometimes use units it wont have available
So if you want to mod a Scenario to work with the AI and don't want to mess about with scripts the easiest least intrusive way is to change the size or strength of an existing unit - e.g. change a scen 1 or 2 Indian Bn into a Bde - the AI will use that unit in the same way as it would if it was a Bn but at least the AI will know its a Inf Unit and will use it in the way I told it to
(so some care is required to avoid units that end up on atolls - but with some discretion its easy for a mod to use the existing AI scripts by changing the size of units)
AIR
Air is also slot specific so the best way to mod Air units to work with the AI is to increase the number of replacements, number of pilots or size of exisiting air units
Again the extra Sqns added in Scen 2 and 10 are included in all 13 scripts so if you want to add sqns of your own an easy way to do it is to take the Scen 10 Sqn slot range and use that.
So where does that leave us when looking at Mods
1. If its a naval only mod it will work fine with the existing Ai files
2. If its an air or land mod that involves strengthening existing units then it will work but the odd time it will cause an atoll to overstack if you up gun the wrong LCU.
The AI will ignore
3. LCU's and Air units added that are not in any of the above ranges already used in 1 2 or 10. Now the AI at a tactical level WIll use them - so setting a Div to arrive at Singapore in 6/42 and 3 Sqns of Zeroes - the Ai will use them from Singapore it will just never move them - so if you want to make the Ai harder you can do so without worrying about AI files by just putting the units in the place you want them. For attacking the AI will ignore them.
The AI will struggle and probably fall over if
4. You change the function or purpose of a unit.
e.g. changing IJA 33rd Div to a Construction Bn the Ai will use the unit innapropriately.
Changing exisitng merged base forces into 4 component units each doing part of the job of the existing base force will probably cause the AI issues because it will no longer have all the components it needs. (This is why for example Da Big Babes may not work perfectly as the AI allies because the desingers have split base forces and HQ's differently from how the AI was intedned to use them.)
Thats not to say the AI will not work under 4. it will work it will just do a few more strange things and may be a bit more moronic than usual
The AI files for Scen 1, 2 and 6 (and therefore 7,8, 9 and 10.
are all identical
There are 13 files (14 now but the last is not released yet)
aei00x.dat
aei00x-001.dat to 06 .dat are more historical
07 - 12 are less historical
All of the files are identical across scenarios. i.e. a scen 1 file = a scen 2 file - its the only way I can do it and maintain my sanity
The difference in how the AI performs in Scen 1 and 2 is inherant in the assets the AI has avaialble.
Now lets explore those differences
Naval Units - this is the easiest the AI does not use specific ships it selects ships fro the TF's it needs to form of the appropriate size - therefore the EASIEST way to make a scenario harder i.e. scen 2 - is to add more ships of types the AI is weakest in - that just means the the AI has more toys to play with and will in general from stronger TF's and more of the TF scripts will fire. In an AI file lets say a japanese Invade PM script may require a CV TF, a Bombardment TF and a CV TF . In Scen 1 the AI may be short of DD's and one of the TF's will fail to form - normally the 3rd one because the IA cannot find the assets it needs.
By adding more ships to tyhe scenario - e.g. Scen 2 - I give the Ai a bigger chance to form that 3rd TF and strengthen the screen for the first 2.
when designing the AI files I allowed for this so each of the 13 variants can accomodate scen 1 and 2 AND and other mod that just adds more ships. (this is why the main change in Ironman AI scens is to add a lot of ships to that side - it just improves the chances of these 3rd echelon TF's to form)
LAND
OK very different - the AI is SLOT specific on the land AI side.
All AI scripts in Scne 1 and 2 (and 10) use all the units in the largest of those files so I have preset the AI to sometimes use units it wont have available
So if you want to mod a Scenario to work with the AI and don't want to mess about with scripts the easiest least intrusive way is to change the size or strength of an existing unit - e.g. change a scen 1 or 2 Indian Bn into a Bde - the AI will use that unit in the same way as it would if it was a Bn but at least the AI will know its a Inf Unit and will use it in the way I told it to
(so some care is required to avoid units that end up on atolls - but with some discretion its easy for a mod to use the existing AI scripts by changing the size of units)
AIR
Air is also slot specific so the best way to mod Air units to work with the AI is to increase the number of replacements, number of pilots or size of exisiting air units
Again the extra Sqns added in Scen 2 and 10 are included in all 13 scripts so if you want to add sqns of your own an easy way to do it is to take the Scen 10 Sqn slot range and use that.
So where does that leave us when looking at Mods
1. If its a naval only mod it will work fine with the existing Ai files
2. If its an air or land mod that involves strengthening existing units then it will work but the odd time it will cause an atoll to overstack if you up gun the wrong LCU.
The AI will ignore
3. LCU's and Air units added that are not in any of the above ranges already used in 1 2 or 10. Now the AI at a tactical level WIll use them - so setting a Div to arrive at Singapore in 6/42 and 3 Sqns of Zeroes - the Ai will use them from Singapore it will just never move them - so if you want to make the Ai harder you can do so without worrying about AI files by just putting the units in the place you want them. For attacking the AI will ignore them.
The AI will struggle and probably fall over if
4. You change the function or purpose of a unit.
e.g. changing IJA 33rd Div to a Construction Bn the Ai will use the unit innapropriately.
Changing exisitng merged base forces into 4 component units each doing part of the job of the existing base force will probably cause the AI issues because it will no longer have all the components it needs. (This is why for example Da Big Babes may not work perfectly as the AI allies because the desingers have split base forces and HQ's differently from how the AI was intedned to use them.)
Thats not to say the AI will not work under 4. it will work it will just do a few more strange things and may be a bit more moronic than usual