A.I. Rather poor in Demo

**quadalpha** · 02-22-2009, 18:47

Originally Posted by Monk

I would love to try this battle on VH, does anyone know where the scripts file is located on Vista?

In vista, you go to C:\Users\[name]\AppData\Roaming\The Creative Assembly\[etc.] You will need to show hidden folders to see AppData.

**Monk** · 02-22-2009, 19:41

Originally Posted by quadalpha

In vista, you go to C:\Users\[name]\AppData\Roaming\The Creative Assembly\[etc.] You will need to show hidden folders to see AppData.

You're my hero.

**Masek** · 02-22-2009, 20:01

Hi,

the AI (better term AS) is unluckily like most AIs in tactical or strategic games: weak. Since
"depth search" is not viable, it restricts itself to a number of heuristics. Don't get me wrong,
i love the TW series, but the AI never ever impressed me. I've done 1000's of battles from
Shogun to M2. I can never recall being genuinely surprised by a move of the AI (except by
those "how can it be so stupid"-type of moves).

Typical shortcomings are:

It fights in pennypockets. I stand there with 4-5 units in plain sight and it sends 2-3 units to attack. Naturaly they get slaughtered.
The AI completely lacks the concept of "Schwerpunkt", a main focus for an attack. The only tactic known seems to be "All units advance" and "We make a frontal at their strongest point".
I have never ever seen something like a "fighting retreat". Sometimes you're doomed: The best thing in those cases is to sacrifice some units (least mobile or worst positioned) to buy time for other units to flee. The AI instead loves to make a "final stand".
In attacks, the timing is often poor. When the last unit attacks, the first is already battered. When units arrive sequentially in firing range, it allows me to concentrate my fire.
The AI is too easily flanked. There are nearly never keeps enough reserves. Even with numerical superiority, it can be flanked by drawing out the line and using the reserves on a flank attack.

A positive point for the AI in E:TW is, that it feels "nimbler" to me.

Sincerely yours, Martin

P.S. I hope i got all "tactical" terms correctly, english is my second language.

**Gaius Terentius Varro** · 02-22-2009, 22:07

I was able to win every time by just sending my cav, the cannons and a unit infantry: grenadiers to protect the cannons around the back i set up a def position(which i slowly pushed forward) and the AI sent 2-3 units at a time to get slaughtered untill it had only cannons left. Then i sent the all my remaining infantry to zerg the cannons. Now explain to me the good AI part please. I understand its new and shiney but in 2 months we'll be sitting here waiting for a patch ... AGAIN

**NimitsTexan** · 02-22-2009, 22:37

I do believe there is a fair amount of scripting handicapping/helping (who knows?) the AI in this battle, as, regardless of my moves or force composition of my wings, the AI pretty much never changes its moves.

Also, I think, despire the American numerical advantage, they rather stacked the odds against the Americans. In one play through, I pretty much got a stand up firefight with my 6 British battalions (with the Hessian brigade in reserve and out of the way) against the whole of the Yankee line on the plain behind the inital American MLR. Needless to say, I routed them all with pure firepower, while sustaining acceptable losses and no routes on my part.

**X6_861** · 02-23-2009, 04:00

I think this is more of a quirk than anything, but I've played the Battle of Brandywine 4 times, and each time those stupid long rifle men turn around, lay down their stakes, and the turn back around to fire. So, in essence, the stakes are pointed toward them instead of toward my charging cavalry.

**Gaius Terentius Varro** · 02-23-2009, 05:09

They also lay the stakes in the exactly same spot so i am not buying the "not scripted"

that jack lusted is spreading:

https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showp...8&postcount=17

**Evil_Maniac From Mars** · 02-23-2009, 05:17

Originally Posted by Gaius Terentius Varro

They also lay the stakes in the exactly same spot so i am not buying the "not scripted"

that jack lusted is spreading:

https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showp...8&postcount=17

I've had them in at least three different spots, about six tries on the battle. Stakes were laid about four or five times.

Originally Posted by X6_861

I think this is more of a quirk than anything, but I've played the Battle of Brandywine 4 times, and each time those stupid long rifle men turn around, lay down their stakes, and the turn back around to fire. So, in essence, the stakes are pointed toward them instead of toward my charging cavalry.

I've had that happen sometimes, other times they were pointed toward my cavalry, and other times they were brilliantly placed along with a rock cliff and the river, preventing my cavalry from charging at all. When they did place them backwards, I almost ran into them with cavalry as I was falling back and trying to lure Americans away. Almost.

**Zoring** · 02-23-2009, 05:17

I have had some bad experiences with the AI in the battle, and im hoping that it will perform better on an opener field. I do recall being impressed by the demo AI in Medieval2 and horrified when i played the game! So hopefully the reverse is true.

What happened to me the first time was when i tried flanking with the force it gives you the American infantry marched to meet me, with the majoirty of it's forces, fairly decent behaviour, although they left their Artillery unprotected.

The second time however, i tried a more frontal assault across the river, i sent my dragoons forward to harass the enemy artillery from the woods, at this point 3 units of minutemen charged across the river which i thought was good but then simply charged straight into my main battle line of 12ish units of line infantry. A uniut of American dragoons also at one point ran up to my light infantry in the woods and got shot to pieces. The American line infantry then simply stood stock still on their side of the river regardless of what i did.

I have also been having some issues with my own troops. They sometimes walk backwards and forwards within the space of a meter or two, i also dismounted my dragoons and tried to form a line they then decided to run around the woods all crazily refusing to follow orders it even said 'withdrawing' at one point, although they weren't under fire nor had i hit withdrawing or anything moraleish like that. I got them back on their horses and they started acting normally.

I am overall a bit wary, but am still buying a new PC to play this game maxed out so i still have faith. Hopefully we get a button to remove all the tracer fire too!

**Polemists** · 02-23-2009, 08:48

When I played I encountered a fighting retreat, splitting of the army, and a wooded ambush.

Three things the AI would have never done in MTW2 or at least not that I ever saw to any sucess. (I mean actually splitting the army not just sending 2 calvary units off to god knows where)

I played on medium and was impressed but some people always want a harder difficulty, that's why they made medium and easy for the rest of us