AI ..Some Tweaks

[SSLConf_Yolo911]

I noticed that if my engineers lay mines fields the AI seems to get confused.

This happened during the Bataan retreat. I placed two mine fields at the very beginning on the east side. The AI was really kicking my butt everywhere else but the Japanese units never did come down the road on the east side. That allowed me to eventually satisfy the goals. The AI units moved all over the area, back and forth and up and down but didn't do anything constructive.

It is happening again during the Henderson Field battle. I put two mine fields just south of the bridge at the Northeast corner of my perimeter. The AI can't figure out what to do. The units are bunching up near the bridge but not advancing. Some are going across the river about three hexes south of the bridge, but a infantry unit and a tank unit area just sitting on the bridge and next to my entrenched unit.

One other thing, during the Midway battle, the Jap AI wasted all of it's Fighters on sending them out to my task forces without bombers. I waited about 19 turns them sent my SBD and TBD to their carries and sank three of them almost unopposed. One group of Zeros did come up to challenge me.
Their subs nearly sank two of my carriers. SO that is working very well.


I'm not complaining. I am really enjoying this game. I just thought I would point it out in case the developers could maybe tweak the AI.

[Myrddraal]

Thanks Yolo, it does seem the AI struggles against any concerted effort to block their path with mines. I will see what can be done to improve this in a patch.

[CorporalClott]

I had the same experience with mine fields in the Bataan scenario. I bought three engineer units thinking that they would be useful for blowing bridges, but after discovering that they could lay mines I used them extensively on the east side and the AI didn't advance past the river. On the west, I didn't lay mines but eventually blew the bridge instead which also halted the Japanese advance - though they made some progress along the river and through the mountains (despite what the briefing said).

[Horst]

Mines have also been the favourite target of the AI in Panzer Corps, as taking one point damage was always acceptable. Here in OOB, units receive a lot more damage when attacking mines, so it looks like the AI is too much afraid to attack it but also tries to block this supposedly mighty foe from penetrating own lines either.

What I positively noticed that the AI seems to love cutting off your supply lines and tries to surround units as often as possible. This has already cost me a couple of infantry units during my pitiful first attempt through half of the JP campaign. Quite frustrating to watch an infantry unit getting punched left and right around from several enemy units that even two hexes escape becomes futile.

[Erik2]

Another question. Is the Japanese AI capable of creating MG nests?
This is one of my favourite Japanese defensive tactics.

Already got an answer to this, so much for double posting
And the answer was no.

[Kalostaphor]

You can leave a heavy weapons team on a tile for like a few turns and the thing is practically a MG nest with the fortification modifiers.

[apec]

Indeed the AI is very skilled at cutting off your supply lines, especially in the rough terrain/jungle scenarios where it is hard to push for the distant objectives and maintain a coherent front at the same time. I was forced to restart a couple of maps because a significant part of my front units were isolated and left out of supply.

On the other hand i noticed that in the naval scenarios the AI does not seem to protect its carrier at all.
In the Midway scenario in particular I launched a strike with all my bombers that was spotted by the destroyers screening the main carrier group, during the AI turn my planes were attacked by the cruisers nearby but noticed that two fighers just lauched by the carriers simply ignored the incoming bombers and went in recon mission or just chasing my recon planes.

[Horst]

The failure of the AI in strategy games is often that it gives the weakest targets, which you can cause the highest damage, the highest priority, like mines for example.
Good example was in the Java Sea battle here. When my support ship was in sight, the AI threw everything in that direction. Or during Pearl Harbor, the AI attacked rather my squishy Zeros instead of the bombers.
The focus should more on immediate threats: what do I need to protect? Next, what can damage my protected target most here? Ideally, it should only consider afterwards about own survival and find a good balance between removing threats and preventing losses. Naturally, every unit type has different priorities.
Yeah, AI coding is quite complex.

[Erik2]

You can leave a heavy weapons team on a tile for like a few turns and the thing is practically a MG nest with the fortification modifiers.

Yes, but the other functionality adds a MG nest and lets you keep your origiganl un it (at reduced strength)