"Play the AI+!", huh?

[Erik Rutins]

ORIGINAL: ravinhood
Aright if you keep talking like that about the AI you're going to almost force me to buy this game before kissmas. An Erik if you're NOT going to put this one up on the kissmas special then tell me now so I don't have to wait so long.

Probably not, though I can't 100% guarantee it. We generally don't include games that were just released in the Christmas sales though.

[darrellb9]

ORIGINAL: JudgeDredd
....and I was doing so well breaking my adiction to buying the latest games from Matrix (still haven't got Hornet Leader which may well end up on my computer now they've released a demo)

[:D] Last time I counted there were 19 directories in my Matrix folder but I don't have a problem, really, I can stop anytime I want...

Demo for Hornet PC you say?...

[LarryP]

ORIGINAL: db99

Demo for Hornet PC you say?...

I played the demo yesterday and it is pretty good. The one fault I found with the game was during the four combat phases, you cannot exit the game. Once you go into combat you have to play them out, or do the three finger salute to exit. [:@]

I posted this as a question to whether the full game was like this and it is. [:-]

[leastonh1]

ORIGINAL: db99
[:D] Last time I counted there were 19 directories in my Matrix folder but I don't have a problem, really, I can stop anytime I want...

LOL! My 10 Matrix purchases are a record for me, but I bow to your superior, erm, addiction. Very impressive. [&o]

Have you considered membership of Matrix Wargamers Anonymous?

[LarryP]

I count thirty on my machine. I figure I will need Matrix Anonymous (MA) when it reaches sixty. [;)]

[SlowHand]

Vs the AI in Random Scenarios, mostly land-ish (>75%) and with small-ish maps(max Hex dimension = 35) and perhaps most importantly about 25-40% terrain such as woods, mountains, hills, and a river or two, I have had success 2x vs AI and 2x vs AI+.
 
From my experiences with Peoples Tactics, which carries over a bit to this game, I am very OCD about micro-managing production early on: no wasted production anywhere, and not overproducing Supply (but don't allow shortages either). 1st out of the gate are 2-3 Scout Units to quickly locate and "convert" nearby neutral towns/cities, and then 2 Engineer Units to start building roads and bridges for a supply network, plus the ability to rapidly move reserves to meet enemies when they appear. Then an Air Unit w Fighters for Recon, and as your Production increases, add some Dive Bombers to those. After 2-3 Neutrals are in the fold, I then start building an Army that's about 3 parts Small Fast Infantry units (get Halftracks as first Research), and 1 part Armor/Infantry "Killer" units, and 1 or 2 Mobile Artillery Units to help with "big" AI units.

[Banquet]

ORIGINAL: SlowHand

Vs the AI in Random Scenarios, mostly land-ish (>75%) and with small-ish maps(max Hex dimension = 35) and perhaps most importantly about 25-40% terrain such as woods, mountains, hills, and a river or two, I have had success 2x vs AI and 2x vs AI+.

From my experiences with Peoples Tactics, which carries over a bit to this game, I am very OCD about micro-managing production early on: no wasted production anywhere, and not overproducing Supply (but don't allow shortages either). 1st out of the gate are 2-3 Scout Units to quickly locate and "convert" nearby neutral towns/cities, and then 2 Engineer Units to start building roads and bridges for a supply network, plus the ability to rapidly move reserves to meet enemies when they appear. Then an Air Unit w Fighters for Recon, and as your Production increases, add some Dive Bombers to those. After 2-3 Neutrals are in the fold, I then start building an Army that's about 3 parts Small Fast Infantry units (get Halftracks as first Research), and 1 part Armor/Infantry "Killer" units, and 1 or 2 Mobile Artillery Units to help with "big" AI units.

Sounds like a good strategy SlowHand.

I'm similar.. I try to build 4 scouts units (5 scout SF's a piece), a fighter and 2 armoured car units (just 1 AC each) I can usually build that on the 1st turn. Minimal supply at first because I won't need it. I send off these 6 units plus recce with the fighter and then split all my other production to horses/trucks and PP's. As soon as the road's run out I make some engineers to help build them to help with supply/exploration.

Once I've got about 50% of the towns and/or made contact with the AI I then spend my pp's on Rifle II, Divebomber II, Medium Tank and whatever else I can afford. Then I tend to mass produce Rifle II's for one turn and then switch to a balanced production. Hopefully I'll have enough strategic movement with the horses and trucks to get my units where they're needed and reinforce them as necessary.

It can turn out bad. On AI+ I often can't produce enough to hold the AI back, especially if they find my capital..

[bbmike]

ORIGINAL: Jim_H

LOL! Yes, the AI is exceptionally good at encirclement! It is also good at exploiting the tiniest weakness in any frontline you may have and making a nice big hole in it!

It took me three or four times to learn that the hard way in the first game I played. I kept advancing on the (single) enemy city with a large unit group only to see the AI go behind me and cut off my supply. [:@]

You really have to think about what you are doing in this game. [:)]

[william64]

You would have had a better chance if you had allowed 1st level tech at the beginning of the scenario.  By not doing that, you added some more difficulty to an already difficult situation.  If you want middle ground play the scenario with A+ and 1 level tech or AI with no first level tech.

[Westheim]

So, the AI (standard) CAN be challenging! That's good news, isn't it? You just need to get a pack of these frisky little guys on your neck to die. Playing a 45square map now with 6 AIs and they are close to slaughtering me. I get pressure from three sides, and the fourth is the edge of the world.

On the other hand, yesterday I tried the AI+ again ... got plainly beaten. [X(] I don't have an answer against that many armoured cars so early on.

[Westheim]

Seriously, really, how do you guys deal with it? I just can't ... [&:]

This game is 16 turns old and I'm basically done. He just keeps pouring armoured cars, rifle II and machinegun II onto me and I got nothing.

This time I built two engineer units first, then some truck units for quick conquering of the map. And before I even had researched light tanks and armoured cars myself I already ran into them, en masse, like those french guys say.

On the other hand I basically one that 6AI game I started. It's just a question of time, but I'm advancing on all fronts now. There's no right AI for me in this game ... [:(]

[Motomouse]

@ Westheim

Any more mediocre players here that wish there was a step in between AI and AI+?

On random maps I just hold back my recce forces for a turn or two, if i want a more challenging battle on the AI Level. This way the AI gets an inital bonus, but not the prolonged production surplus of AI+. That way some interesting struggles were initated, especially if I a was striking for a prolonged way through the research tree instead of a decesive battle at the beginning.

Regards
Motomouse

[Westheim]

Sounds just a bit artificial to me ...

I really wish you could adjust the amount of production bonus the AI gets.

[Motomouse]

artificial it is - and natural as well

I understand and accept your argument. This is surley not a way for everybody. But for me it works - there are many ways for handicap in strategy games and I find it quite natural to use a self imposed handicap. In Go you give some moves in a row at the beginning to your opponent for a handicap. Also in most variatons of chess around the world its accepted to give some kind of handicap, only in western chess its frowned uppon as a lesser way to play. But I understand if it doesn't feel right for somebody and I support the idea of an adjustable production bonus. I think a way to improve the AI in random map games is to optimize the race for the towns. Me thinks its not making full use of the game system in this phase.

(Anyway I use the gamey tactic against the AI of single armored cars, transfered to divisions at the border of my territory in turn two. That way I outpace the AI - So I think its a quite acceptable handicap to give the AI some time to catch up)

Regards
Motomouse