[AI] What must be fixed in priority ?

[Gedemon]

I'd like to know what are your feelings about the AI bad moves. What is recurrent, what seems really stupid, what should be prevented at all cost ?

Here is a small presentation of my long term plans about that (if the DLL is not out before) :

- Bombers AI:

I've almost taken over completely the AI for for fighters, and I feel it give encouraging result with a "simple" logic applied (see it here - actually only the 2nd pass and half of the third is done)

I'd like to take over the Bombers AI too, almost the same way.

The bombers obvious problems are the overkill on cities (bombing 1HP left city over and over, and trying to sunk a submarine while giving only 1HP damage per turn.)

I could use something as simple as the fighters (they are treated sequentially, based on combat log reporting where there have been bombardment, and which ones were intercepted or not), but I feel some kind of more strategic report is needed.

I'm going to add a table to track your own and enemy cities "safety" level, based on city health and number on enemy units around.

Then re-basing aircraft and defining area to find targets could be based on that table, offensively (use attack aircraft on enemy units around a weak enemy city, use bombers to lower the city health to minimum then switch to units or nearby city) or defensively (use attack aircraft on units near my weak city, escape from such a city, use bombers on "strategic" bombing - pick one city with many factories around, and keep bombing it many turns until there are only pillaged factories left - or goes for units)


- Fleet AI:

Naval AI is... well, let's just say that being a new moderator forbid me to express exactly my feelings about it

What I plan is having capital ship, and 5-6 ships linked to that ship as a fleet. Then the fleet could be assigned different missions, and area to fulfill those missions. Area should be defined at scenario level, mission could range from patrol to escort convoy, and force offensive action on the capital ship and it's followers.

I have no assurance it will be a good AI, but I'm pretty sure it will be better that the standing ducks we have now.



I do not plan any change to the land AI. Changing the AI of units require the mod to take complete control of it, review all situations and act accordingly.

That's relatively easy for Air units, will be far more complicated for Sea units, and way out of my league for the land units.

 

[Gwynin]

Possible stupid question here

When talking about the AI, mainly the naval one, are you then talking about the pre-G&K AI?

No idea if there actually is a difference but in normal G&K games I've told myself that its vastly improved, I might naturally be talking totally out of my arse

 

[Gedemon]

I had to few games in G&K to be sure, but even if I've seen the AI move it's fleet sometime in nice formation with invading troops, I still had the impression that it was very passive when other ships are near... But maybe I'm wrong.

 

[ryan1266]

Alright you nailed the biggest problems with the AI air units but the biggest problem that I see is that the planes DO NOT REBASE even when their city has no health and is completely surrounded. For example I was playing deity on the 1942 map as the US and had just landed in North Africa and the Germans had 6 planes in Casablanca. I was getting completely decimated by their air force and was just able to take the city. However every single plane stayed and was destroyed with the city even though it was obvious the city was going to fall and when they could have easily pulled out a turn before and continued giving me hell. The same thing happened in the 1939 map when I invaded France as Germany and took Paris.

 

[Gedemon]

you're right, and escaping cities is part of the "first pass for Air unit's AI, not implemented yet. I also need to restore the feature allowing all units to escape a city the moment it is captured with high HP penalty, that was broken by civ's patch .674. Once done, the mod will finally be back in it's pre-G&K state.

3 months to fix one patch, that's a personal record

 

[Skibbi]

Alright you nailed the biggest problems with the AI air units but the biggest problem that I see is that the planes DO NOT REBASE even when their city has no health and is completely surrounded. For example I was playing deity on the 1942 map as the US and had just landed in North Africa and the Germans had 6 planes in Casablanca. I was getting completely decimated by their air force and was just able to take the city. However every single plane stayed and was destroyed with the city even though it was obvious the city was going to fall and when they could have easily pulled out a turn before and continued giving me hell. The same thing happened in the 1939 map when I invaded France as Germany and took Paris.

It is a good thing! I destroyed the entire luftwaffe with 2 matilda tanks (supply lines cut, as I moved through spain to la rochelle), 2 vickers wellingtons and a lancaster.