Help! Any way to get the AI to play a passable Axis?

GamerJoe · Post by **GamerJoe** » Thu Aug 04, 2011 5:03 pm

The play of the Axis AI is simply aweful. It takes way too long to defeat Poland, and declares war well before it is ready to invade a country, allowing the Allies to reposition units, add to the defense, and waste the DOW shock. In the first game I played, Denmark was DOWed on turn 2, and held on till 1940!!! That with no additional Allied units sent to its aid. And it has an aweful tendency to DOW Switzerland, then send many of its armored units to gather rocks in the Swiss Alps, all the while allowing Belgium and France to dig in. France was still fighting when I abandoned the game as a waste of time. Is there anything that can be changed in the scripts or other options to get the German AI to play a better game?

pzgndr · Post by **pzgndr** » Thu Aug 04, 2011 5:43 pm

Short answer is yes, some Axis adjustments can help, but there are still issues. See viewtopic.php?t=26047

The GS 2.0 team is supposedly working on an update for release later this month or so. When I get time I hope to try out some things and maybe post a mod. If I don't throw my hands up in the air in complete frustration first! There are compelling aspects to this game and specifically this latest GS 2.0 release, but then again there are some deep issues that could really use some help.

pk867 · Post by **pk867** » Thu Aug 04, 2011 5:51 pm

The update will not fix the AI. Short answer. The updates are for game balance improvements and bug fixes.

pzgndr · Post by **pzgndr** » Thu Aug 04, 2011 10:06 pm

Correct, the GS mod and its upcoming update does absolutely nothing for the AI. What I meant was that if/when I get around to modding some more, it will be with the update. And that's the point, for GamerJoe and others, that modding IS possible and can improve the performance of the computer opponent. This is Modders Corner, yes?

pk867 · Post by **pk867** » Thu Aug 04, 2011 10:07 pm

Yes it is.

Goldblooded · Post by **Goldblooded** » Tue Sep 27, 2011 8:10 pm

Someone should make a mod to stop Allied minors from replenshing themselves, there is no way Denmark could hold on for months when in reality their army was so weak , litrelly they surrendered 2 hours after the invasion.

Peter Stauffenberg · Post by **Peter Stauffenberg** » Tue Sep 27, 2011 8:27 pm

The AI will now automatically invade Norway and Denmark in April 1940 and that means the Germans land in all cities with units and they will conquer the countries.

KingHunter3059 · Post by **KingHunter3059** » Wed Sep 28, 2011 2:33 pm

pzgndr wrote:Correct, the GS mod and its upcoming update does absolutely nothing for the AI. What I meant was that if/when I get around to modding some more, it will be with the update. And that's the point, for GamerJoe and others, that modding IS possible and can improve the performance of the computer opponent. This is Modders Corner, yes?

Ummm - That's not true, the AI has been updated in the GS 2.1 mod....

pzgndr · Post by **pzgndr** » Wed Sep 28, 2011 5:15 pm

Ummm - That's not true, the AI has been updated in the GS 2.1 mod....

Depends on what you consider to be the AI. The AI programming itself has NOT been updated at all. There are some new unit spawning events and other adjustments to help provide additional advantage to the AI, but the AI is still the same.

Peter Stauffenberg · Post by **Peter Stauffenberg** » Wed Sep 28, 2011 7:20 pm

Well, there are actually some programming changes as well. E. g. I added code so the AI will only DoW if the weather in the defending country's capital is fair.

But it's true that we haven't done much to improve the intelligence of the AI. It's as stupid as before. Instead we altered the OOB so the Axis AI can capture countries faster. Getting a good AI requires quite a lot of time that we don't have.

I agree that the AI is not good enough, but it was the original programmer who created the AI for CeaW and we've barely touched it.

AI play has never been our focus. Since we don't get paid for our time spent on GS I think we can work on what we enjoy and not what's needed to have in most games in order to sell it, i. e. AI. If we had created GS from scratch then we would certainly have invested in getting a much better AI.

KingHunter3059 · Post by **KingHunter3059** » Thu Sep 29, 2011 4:24 pm

pzgndr wrote:
Ummm - That's not true, the AI has been updated in the GS 2.1 mod....
Depends on what you consider to be the AI. The AI programming itself has NOT been updated at all. There are some new unit spawning events and other adjustments to help provide additional advantage to the AI, but the AI is still the same.

Ok, but it is a lot more competitive, with the changes that Borger put in place. You have played Allies vs the AI in the Beta test? It makes it difficult to put up a traditional 'French' GAR defense, and the AI doesn't DoW Switzerland either. That in itself is an accomplishment. Borger - In looking at the Difficulties for the allies would have faced in Belgium and Holland - Have you considered making the French forces half strength in the Beta, as you did with the AI? I'm thinking the 'Blob' French GAR defense would be neutralized, if this were the case.

Jay

pzgndr · Post by **pzgndr** » Wed Oct 19, 2011 2:25 pm

Ok, but it is a lot more competitive, with the changes that Borger put in place. You have played Allies vs the AI in the Beta test?

The upcoming changes in beta are good; Axis AI is much more competitive now in the early game.

I think the next frontier is to further consider a few more spawned Axis units for the later game; e.g., some additional reinforcements in Libya/Tunisia in 1942, in Italy in 1943, and in France in 1944. Also, some additional UK reinforcements in Egypt to help make the Allied AI more competitive in North Africa; e.g., another mech in 1941 and tank in 1942. These are modest adjustments that would help a bit.

Well, there are actually some programming changes as well.

If actual AI programming code is being changed, it would be nice to backfit some of the CNaW AI improvements into CEaW if this isn't too difficult to do. At least allow the AI to recruit and use leaders? Other improvements from the CNaW v1.06 change log:

- AI, Great Britain more aggressive doing naval invasions
- AI now more swiftly redistribute units from already conquered objectives
- AI now recruit more leaders once their PP gets high
- AI, fixed a deploy problem with the new leader recruitment
- AI now reacts and assign newly deployed infantry to homeland defence duty if enemy is near
- AI now reacts and dismiss newly deployed infantry from homeland defence duty if enemy is far
- AI now mass up several transports before doing naval invasion to land stronger instead of piecemeal
- AI now use leaders
- AI get some extra leaders on higher difficulty levels
- AI, Units that cannot reinforce now fall back from the front line to prevent blocking fresh units
- AI, Units assigned for homeland defence now spread out better
- AI now devote more navy for patrolling the seas in order to maintain naval superiority and win the convoy wars