Slitherine

Well I've played about 6 games using the new "tougher AI", and I'm totally disappointed. What I have noticed is that AI enemy units are super units, fantastic shots and incredibly difficult to suppress. While human units are just the opposite, totally anemic, who suppress and die with ease.

Some examples. AI tanks regularly hit human tanks on the first or second shot and virtually every shot kills 1 or more protected infantry units. Human tanks can't hit anything, even elite ones take 6-8 shots to kill a tank, and their suppression abilities are anemic rarely doing more than 5-10 points of damage per shot, often none. Two AI infantry units took out emplaced guns by shooting at them from max distance during the same turn. A veteran 5 man unit twice attacked an AI 1 man unit and ended up losing 1 man and got suppressed, while the single AI unit was still at 75. I attacked an AI German assault gun with one 5 man paratroop unit (in bunker), one 3 man scout unit (in house), and one 2 man Piat unit (behind hedge), that's five satchel charges and two Piat rounds from 3 veteran units and only managed to get the assault gun to about 70. Artillery is similarly screwed up. AI artillery often completely destroys hidden 5 man units, while human artillery often can't even suppress AI infantry units in the open. I could list more, but I think this demonstrates how the tougher AI works. The tougher AI seems to be taking a page from Civ or World of Warcraft, in that tougher levels make 5 times or 10 times the number of units of the human side, in BA AI units have become super units, while human units are now anemic. I have yet to notice any difference in AI tactics or emplacement abilities.

While I can still win, it's often a lot tougher (depends on the scenario), which you think would be the point. However, this "tougher game" is not due to better tactics or an actual tougher AI. Instead the abilities of the AI units vs those of human units are so skewed in favor of the AI it makes many battles ludicrous. Move your units into place and then chip away 5 points at a time till you suppress or rout an AI unit, and hope not to get your units killed before that. The new tougher AI is artificial in the extreme. It makes the battles tougher by having them take place in a bizarro world of super units vs anemic ones. The "tougher AI" is ludicrous.

The new AI logic alters only the way that the AI decides to move - it definitely doesn't give the AI any more accurate nor tougher units than the player - as has always been the case the AI has the play by the same rules as you - it in fact calls the same script functions as the player orders to do all of its offensive actions.

The new AI does make better use of Hunting, meaning they will more often not have the accuracy penalties applied to them as they generally did in the past. They will also keep better track of your (visible!) units as they move around, trying to avoid their firing zones where they can, and avoiding poor placement (e.g. armour will attempt to keep away from cover tiles they cannot see into).

There has been no change to the artillery bonuses. I'm not sure what missions see the AI using artillery fire - where did you notice them?

All of the AI logic is available to see in the script files - with the CORE/AI.BSF file being the main file that controls everything.

It feels like perhaps you had a few runs of bad luck, because as I say the AI has to play by the same rules as the player, and nothing has changed in that respect. It might be worth making use of the detailed tooltips to make sure (e.g.) you are not firing with very low chances to hit or penetrate. I'm pretty sure that the forums would be a-howl with protests if the AI changes had made them quite as formidable as all that .

Cheers

Pip

Pip... i think there still are issues with AI.. i see enemy units doing the back and forth dance, where they just move left one, right one, left one, right one, until the APs are used.. often they do this with unamoured units like the APCs used...even while they are in full view of and in range of my units.. seems more suicidal behavior than good tactics.. any ideas or comments on this?

It sounds like a bug. I will do some more digging into the AI - it might be that there is some information which is being lost between cycles and causing it to keep changing its mind.

Cheers

Pip

Thanks Pip... wish there was a way to screen capture the motion and save the file as a mp4 so i can show you... will work on trying to come up with a way .. btw, this is my all time favorite computer pc game now!

Love the new AI. Actually have to worry about losing instead of whether i can get all the stars in one mission. Speaking of which, I don't think you should get any stars if you lose the battle! It's a gold star for Pete's sake!

mattymo wrote:Love the new AI. Actually have to worry about losing instead of whether i can get all the stars in one mission. Speaking of which, I don't think you should get any stars if you lose the battle! It's a gold star for Pete's sake!

Agree..
And there should also be a special reward: A Platinum star - if you haven't used any saves!

I agree with collegeprof. I have seen some erratic movements from the unarmored units as well.

Other than that the AI is pretty fun. It is pretty good practice for refining tactics and perfecting movements. I played the fuel dump campaign (forgot name) and it was next to impossible to get all of the stars. Killing two Kings and their support with the armor available is super hard. I suppressed the whole crew but couldn't manage to knock them in time. Next time!