Stupidity of AI battle tactics

**softiron** · 03-08-2009, 12:00

Ave!
I understand it's 'only a dumb machine' but still...

Base: EB1.2 on alx.exe with mini-mod pack 3.1, VH/M
The Problem:
Case 1: AI sets his right and left wing far away from the center (almost at the edges of the map). Effect: I can surround and destroy it's units one by one and he doesn't even move a finger to help dying fellows
Case 2: Siege (sally), AI drives it's units very close to the walls, part of the army is parallel, part of it orthogonal to the walls. Effect: My towers does half the work at least (again AI just sits and gets killed). This usually happens when AI has reinforcements and the reinforcing army is bigger than the one I'm fighting.
Case 3: Siege (sally), AI gets reinforcements and instead moving full reinforcing army to join the first one it sends one unit at a time while the rest is waiting along the way from the edge of the map to the place where fight is beeing held. Effect: I can surround and kill his unit one by one.

My questions to you, fine generals, is do you encounter such AI behaviour? Is there a way it can be fixed so AI wil start act like 'killing machine' instead of 'dumb machine'? What are your experiences with similar cases when your jaw hitted the ground when you saw AI stupid battle movement?

Comments, especially from people playing the same setting, mostly appreciated.

**Macilrille** · 03-08-2009, 16:09

Well, we all know the AI is stupid.

What we do not appreciate is how difficult it is to make an AI that is actually more intelligent than artificial. My favorite boardgame WiF, well one of three, is being converted into a computer version and has been for 13 years, 13!!! Because it is so difficult to develop an AI that can act intelligently. Another favorite computer game of mine, Steel Panthers WWII/MBT is a great game, with a DUMB AI. though at least it is not too bad at setting up its units to start if makes horrible use of them.

**Decimus** · 03-09-2009, 04:11

Alex.exe usually does a good job. At least it does not run back and forth just inside Bow range like it sometimes did in Rome Vanilla

**seienchin** · 03-09-2009, 10:08

No they still do in Alex... .
Im not sure if anybody in EB changed it or if its something with Vanilla, but when I sally forth an atack, than most of the enemy does not follow me in the range of the Towers, which might sound clever at first, but actually is incredibly stupid cause it gives me a huge spot at the battlefield where I cannot be atacked

By the way the most stupid thing the AI ever does is standing on the highest spot of the battlefield and then blimbs down when my troops start to climb that spot from another place