AI behaviours . . .

[stockwellpete]

I have being playing quite a few games against the AI in the last fortnight or so what with testing things out for a mod. I have noticed various things that might be of interest . . .

1) steady huscarls unit missed an opportunity to charge a fragged shield wall unit. Odds are that it would have broken and possibly caused cohesion loss to adjacent friendly unit.
2) AI let my army get to a commanding hill in the centre of the map even though it was much nearer to it at the start of the game
3) sent one cavalry unit with general on a ludicrously extravagant flanking manoeuvre that arrived right at the end of the battle where the unit was surrounded and destroyed
4) attacked enemy unit with a Mob unit when it could have used huscarls
5) cavalry units totally flummoxed by terrain, going backwards and forwards to no purpose then suffering cohesion drop when friendly unit routed
6) chariot unit paralysed by 3 enemy skirmishers firing at it in the same turn, eventually destroyed (it just needed to charge the nearest skirmisher and stay in contact to avoid being shot at)
7) cavalry paralysed by defensive spearmen directly in front of it, needed to charge unit and bounce off to change its situation

[rbodleyscott]

Thanks Pete

[toska]

I don't usually play much against AI but it always amazes me how it wastes flank charging opportunities, even when the charging unit is not threatened.

Perhaps you have to teach the AI ​​to put more desire to charge on the flank.

[Athos1660]

(...) it always amazes me how it wastes flank charging opportunities, even when the charging unit is not threatened.

Indeed.

(...) teach the AI ​​to put more desire to charge on the flank.

If only a 'talented modder' did that !!!
especially making AI cav try to outflank player's wing.

[stockwellpete]

Two more things with cavalry. My routed close order Gallic warband rallied on a rough ground square with a Roman cavalry unit (with sub-G) 3 squares away. I turned Gallic unit around to face the cavalry unit to avoid being rear-charged. But the Roman cavalry unit did not attack over the next 3 turns. It just stayed where it was.

I had a disrupted close-order Gallic warband with sub-general in open ground facing a Roman cavalry unit with sub-general 3 squares away. I move a slinger unit in front of the warband to fire at the roman cavalry. On the AI turn the Roman cavalry just stayed where it was instead of charging the slingers (who would evade through the warband) and then hitting the weakened warband.

[stockwellpete]

I don't usually play much against AI but it always amazes me how it wastes flank charging opportunities, even when the charging unit is not threatened.

Perhaps you have to teach the AI ​​to put more desire to charge on the flank.

Yes. In the aggregate mod we are working on there are no automatic cohesion drops for flank attacks and the performance of the AI has improved dramatically. I am having really good games on Tribune and Legate level where the difference in army size is not too pronounced.

[toska]

I don't usually play much against AI but it always amazes me how it wastes flank charging opportunities, even when the charging unit is not threatened.

Perhaps you have to teach the AI ​​to put more desire to charge on the flank.

Yes. In the aggregate mod we are working on there are no automatic cohesion drops for flank attacks and the performance of the AI has improved dramatically. I am having really good games on Tribune and Legate level where the difference in army size is not too pronounced.

For curiosity, because you have eliminated the fall of automatic cohesion?

I imagine that the game would lose grace without that advantage of load by the flanks or rearguard

[stockwellpete]

For curiosity, because you have eliminated the fall of automatic cohesion?

I imagine that the game would lose grace without that advantage of load by the flanks or rearguard

Only on flanks, not on rear.

[stockwellpete]

Just to add, I think the AI handles infantry pretty well and the best games I have with it are primarily infantry match-ups like Vikings v Anglo-Saxons and Gauls v Romans. The skirmisher AI is reasonable as well, although sometimes I think that they are a little slow to react and miss opportunities. But it is the cavalry (and chariots) that are absolutely woeful and that is where attention is needed (if possible). Cavalry and chariots should be "hunters" really and go after damaged enemy units, particularly in the later stages of the battle. Their programming needs to be made more aggressive, I think.

[stockwellpete]

Skirmisher archers approaching to 1 square away to shoot when 2 squares away is usually safer.

[stockwellpete]

Roman AI armies choosing very heavily on skirmishers to the detriment of cavalry in a sequence of battles now.

[rbodleyscott]

Roman AI armies choosing very heavily on skirmishers to the detriment of cavalry in a sequence of battles now.

The AI's choices are weighted solely by the proportion of units in the army list. The Republican Romans had a lot of skirmishers, what can I say? To match historical proportions they should roughly have 1 Velites/Leves unit for each Hastati/Principes unit.

[stockwellpete]

The AI's choices are weighted solely by the proportion of units in the army list. The Republican Romans had a lot of skirmishers, what can I say? To match historical proportions they should roughly have 1 Velites/Leves unit for each Hastati/Principes unit.

OK, if that is historically correct then fine.

[Macedonczyk]

Like everyone else want to helps to improve AI, so do I:
1) At higher levels, when AI has a big advantage in the number of units it holds too many reserves - at least half of them are waiting in the second line instead of trying to encircle. The horses are always somewhere in the back, they often come too late.
2) Skirmishes don't focus their shouting on one enemy unit until the cohesion test, but they shoot each one at a different one and often at an angle>45 although they could turn around.
3) AI's favorite tactic: for at least 5 turns they stand still. You can approach with skirmishes and shouting them. They won't react until they lose at least one unit.