Thinking about the AI 2

[Dancing Bear]

1) I also noticed the AI declares war on a lot of minors, which is good, but it can also DOW on a major power at the same time, before completeing the conquest of the minors. When the AI fights both a minor and a major power, it tends to abandon its war with the minor, and allows them to lapse into peace. A suggestion would be for the AI not to DOW on a major power until its wars with minors are completed (unless the minor is controlled by the major power it wants to attack).

2) I also notice when the AI advances, and it has several routes open to it, it rarely takes the route which will destroy an enemy depot on the way. When given multiple routes to its objective, the AI as a rule, should take out any depots it can reach on the way.

3) The AI also often sends out single corps on quests. These corps usually get destroyed by the human player, who generally can take their time to beat the AI (in human games, sometimes a lone corps might survive because there is so much pressure from the other human player, that the minnows have to be ignored). If the AI is going to do send out single corps, then maybe it should be given a better chance, using the trivial combat rules. Allow the AI to see if the odds are better than 5:1 against it, and then have the AI pick withdraw, instead of a semi-random selection (this could be expanded to a trivial combat rule). This might give the AI a better chance with these corps, and if the default battle was on the 5:2 table, then at least they might do a factor or two of damage before being wiped out (right now the AI tends to pick defend too much).
Alternatively the AI should not send out single corps with more than a factor or four in them, and never send out a cavalry corps on its own.

[MarshallEllis]

Good stuff DB!
I appreciate this!