Quote Originally Posted by Red Harvest
From the initial release of RTW (including the demo) there has been a stupifying tendency of the AI to rearrange its battle line just before it reaches the "charge zone" at 30 yards/meters (probably at range of 50 to 70 yards/meters.) It is a major fundamental flaw in the AI's structure. I can understand having some localized reaction in this zone, but major crossing of ones own lines directly under the nose of the enemy is a recipe for disaster. By this point the battle line is essentially "committed."
Hmm you may be onto something there Red. I have also noticed that phalanxes which are attacking me often seem to start overlapping and bunching up as they approach my line. Which is kind of weird.

I was thinking the other day that one of the problems with the AI seems to be that individual AI controlled units each select a unit to attack, and then carry out that attack regardless of the rest of the army. Essentially, instead of one big, coordinated attack, you get lots of little individual attacks, which are often quite easy to beat.

I think they need to add some sort of routine that enables AI armies to mount more coordinated attacks, at least when the AI is commanded by a reasonable general.

It would be a bit of a challenge to accomplish this, I'm sure, but surely not impossible. I've noticed for example that when as the human player you group units, they stay in exactly the same formation as when you first grouped them.

All that would be required to have the AI mount well coordinated attacks, then, would be for the AI to group its units and then, say aim its line of grouped units at the most centrally located enemy unit, or aim it at the area where the majority of enemy units are located.

Then you could have, for example, a majestic and perfectly coordinated line of AI phalanxes marching up to trash your army!

Of course there would be problems writing such routines. For example, at some point the AI would have to decide to decoordinate its line so that unengaged units would not just stand there doing nothing. Working out exactly when to decoordinate would be tricky, but not I think impossible.

Quote Originally Posted by Red Harvest
I am very skeptical of the AI being fixed in an expansion pack this year.
I am sceptical of the AI EVER being fixed, since after all this is the fifth game in the series and it's still not noticeably better than in the first game. But we can always live in hope I guess...