Beginning game Ambush mechanic

[morganja]

Is there any sense behind this mechanic? Every game I start, I end up bouncing off because of the ridiculous number of 'ambushes', especially by neutral powers. I have no idea what the intention is behind the mechanic, but it isn't working, and needs to be seriously rethought. It is just annoying.
How do people deal with this absurdity? Why does the AI, despite being a thousand miles from the nearest supply source, have no problem zooming through long stretches of hexes, always knowing exactly where my units are to avoid them?
Why do I have recon buggies that have no clue there is a unit in an adjacent blank hex, while the 'neutral' AI guys are expertly infiltrating through the one hex gap in my line, claiming my supply lines?

[Slippy]

Is there any sense behind this mechanic? Every game I start, I end up bouncing off because of the ridiculous number of 'ambushes', especially by neutral powers. I have no idea what the intention is behind the mechanic, but it isn't working, and needs to be seriously rethought. It is just annoying. How do people deal with this absurdity?

It doesn't need to be rethought, the player (you) just needs to be more careful. However there is a trick to stop running into ambushes. When you are moving units into neutral (or another minors) territory try and make sure you are not moving into NEUTRAL hexes. This is because hexes you control will never have enemy units within them.
For example: You have a unit 1 hex away from your boarder. You could select a hex to move beyond your border but that has a chance of running into an ambush. Instead select the hex on your side of the border. This will either push the border back (allowing you to keep moving using this tactic as you know the hex is empty) or the border will not move, indicating there might be a unit just beyond the border waiting for you. It is also worth noting that 40 recon points is (generally) enough to tell if a unit is in a hex. If you have 40 recon points in a hex and there isnt any hide points or a unit it is probably safe.

Using these tactics I hardly ever run into ambushes.

Why does the AI, despite being a thousand miles from the nearest supply source, have no problem zooming through long stretches of hexes, always knowing exactly where my units are to avoid them?
Why do I have recon buggies that have no clue there is a unit in an adjacent blank hex, while the 'neutral' AI guys are expertly infiltrating through the one hex gap in my line, claiming my supply lines?

5.18 in the manual covers AI rules differences. Basically minors either dont require a logistic connection to be resupplied or they just need a clear hex paths back to their zone city. Major regimes follow the rules closer although they do get to build roads for free. The recon rules are in section 5.14 in the manual are worth a read and should help you understand when hexes are/are not safe to move into. Recon buggies do help as do motorbike infantry.

Yes, the AI is generally very good at punishing gaps in your lines especially when they do not require supply. It is important to ensure you have enough units as a deterrent before you start pushing into minor territory otherwise you will agro them too much. Remember - a lot of the minor regimes will be people used to guerilla style operations (free folk, mutants, nomads). At least thats my take on it anyway. The key is not to over extended. If you are really struggling pick the option to start with 1 army or push to build an OHQ of infantry in the opening turns. Or just crap out a ton of 500 man MG independent units.