Clever AI

[Alexander the Pretty Good]

heh, my brother is going there now. You ever see the re-enactment there?

[Polemists]

There are alot of AI threads but I still prefer this one


So for the land battle.

When I first played it I tried the old ctrl-a attack, and got slaughtered. Enemy put longrifles in tree's, cut off my artillery with his his calvary and cut my men apart with thier cannons, all the while encircling me. I was quite impressed.

Second battle I divided my guys up into 3. Scots and Hessians and Cannons Center. 2 long guards and calavary on right ford. 2 long guards and whatever else go around the long way to the left ford.

The AI made three seperate pushes I was impressed. They sent long rifles against my left ford, 1 unit of minute men against center, and everything else at the majority of my forces at the main ford to the right.

Part 1:
Right Ford:

After lots of bloody fighting in the ford and shotting the americans charged and melee combat began. It was very close as the outnumbered me and one of my units routed. Luckily I had Grenadiers using gernades to keep the americans from advancing to far.


Center:

The one unit of minute men ended up losing out to the scots, and my cannons managed to take out all but one of the american's cannons. With things secure I moved that force to resecure the main force. Sadly the americans saw this and used thier last cannon to take out one of my hessians leaving only 2 units and 1 cannon to reinforce.

I sent the highlanders to reinforce my longuards.



Left Ford:

My longguards, with held of highlanders, beat back the longrifles and cause them to route.



Part 2:

Right Ford:
Reinforcements from Center arrive and we hold the Americans and begin to drive them back. I pull my men out of the melee combat and begin a shooting match again where the brits dominate. Help of my general and are new cannon arrivals the americans begin to get slaughtered. They move a group of minute men up to the hill above the ford to cover the others who try to fall back out of the Ford.


Center:
Moved to right ford


Left Ford:

Judging the battle lost the general, calavry, one unit of minute men and the artillery cannon moves to the left, trying to escape the main battle at the right ford. My long guards are there to cut them off and finish them off.


Part 3:

My long guards finish off the general and my main force takes the hill and wipes out the remaining americans.


VICTORY :)

A very intense very enjoyable battle. Can't wait for full game.

[screwtype]

calavry

A lot of folks seem to have trouble with this word. The word is cavalry. Note that the "v" comes before the "l". An easy way to remember the spelling is to think of the abbreviation: cav.

Hope that helps

[Sir Beane]

A lot of folks seem to have trouble with this word. The word is cavalry. Note that the "v" comes before the "l". An easy way to remember the spelling is to think of the abbreviation: cav.

Hope that helps

I imagine it was a typographical error rather than a spelling mistake. Especially because he spells it incorrectly twice in two different ways .

[Phog_of_War]

A lot of folks seem to have trouble with this word. The word is cavalry. Note that the "v" comes before the "l". An easy way to remember the spelling is to think of the abbreviation: cav.

Hope that helps

OT: I also see that people seem to have a problem with 'rout' and route'.

Rout is the action of a disorginized retreat

Route is the march that the victor took the rout the enemy army. /OT



Anyway, yes the AI is much improved over previous builds, as i stated in my post above. I have already been plesantly suprised a few times by the actions it took. Weather it was laying out stakes to cover that valley they retreat into. Or a counterattack launched from the wooded rise next to the garrisonable building.

[quadalpha]

Seems that discussion in this thread is migrating to the "bad AI" thread.

(Oh, I didn't know there were re-enactments.)

[Polemists]

Actually I just posted how I found the AI clever and how good it did :)

[Sir Beane]

Seems that discussion in this thread is migrating to the "bad AI" thread.

(Oh, I didn't know there were re-enactments.)

Personally I think the A.I was rather good, after running a few experiments. A lot of people in the 'Bad A.I' thread are complaining about poor A.I after only playing one battle.

The A.I seems to vary from good to bad depending on what tactics the player uses, and I still think it might have something to o with the scripting involved. Especially because it seems loathe to move its cannons from their starting positions.

[Strategy]

The A.I seems to vary from good to bad depending on what tactics the player uses, and I still think it might have something to o with the scripting involved. Especially because it seems loathe to move its cannons from their starting positions.

I have to say that I don't buy the scripting thing at all.

I'm pretty sure the AI doesn't move its artillery because it actually thinks it can hit units from where it stands (i.e., it has almost no understanding of the terrain at all).

In my first 4 battles, I just ignored the lower ford and took the left hook around the american position. In every one of those battles, the AI moved every one of its artillery batteries - except the leftmost one, which can "hit" (or thinks it can hit) your units almost all over the battlefield from its position. In every one of those battles, the AI redeployed its artillery into new ineffective positions, except once when it deployed its artillery between the houses together with its line infantry (unfortunately, in that instance I had both of my batteries already deployed, and I shot it to pieces long before it managed to position itself and unlimber).

In the 5th and 6th battle, I left the dragoon unit hiding behind the farmhouse close to where the british army deploys to "cover" the ford. Result: only one of the american artillery batteries (the one farthest away) redeploys... all the others stick to their positions bombarding the dragoons. The dragoons spent pretty much the entire battle standing dismounted behind the hill, without suffering a single casaulty to the unit (though I think they did lose 3 horses), being shot at the entire time by 2-4 batteries while the rest of the British army pounded the US infantry to dust.

The artillery (both your own and the AI) auto-targetting also does some very stupid things. In one battle, I had my artillery pivot in their positions to fire roundshot through my hussar unit that was standing next to it, simply because it had decided that the far distant AI battery was a far bigger threat than the much nearer american infantry. The best, though, was one battle where I witnessed the AI artillery sending roundshot through their own stationary dragoon unit in order to try and hit some far distant enemy unit of mine. The dragoons routed, after having 80% of their numbers wiped out.

[ratbarf]

The best, though, was one battle where I witnessed the AI artillery sending roundshot through their own stationary dragoon unit in order to try and hit some far distant enemy unit of mine. The dragoons routed, after having 80% of their numbers wiped out.

I have never had this happen though I have had the arty redeploy once. Personally I think the dumbest thing the AI does is set up stakes facing away from their units... George Washington died on his own stakes trying to reach my understrength unit of Hessiens.

[Polemists]

There is a thread called AI Rather poor if you want to critique it. This thread is fine to but at some point we should merge or seperate threads so the repeition ends.

I have seen the AI not only move the artillery when i didn't take the left hook, but also reposition it before I even started battle to better hit my troops. In my games it has always managed to hit my army, and i've never seen it shoot through it's own lines.

In the end, it is what it is, some like, some don't.

I personally like the AI as is. If I wanted something harder I could do VH or H. I like a challenge but still be able to win. The AI provides that for the average player I think.

[quadalpha]

People who never saw the AI move arty: did you use your horse arty for counter-battery? Because I don't think they can move if you took out their horses, and horses are easier to hit than guns, so a battery might still be firing, but can't move.

[Smellycat]

this post is epic