A note about AI

[Daniele]

The new version of Battle of the Bulge features a reshaped AI, granting a higher level of challenge to the players. Now the computer controlled faction is quicker to consider a list of parameters (like offensiveness, defensiveness, cohesion, etc...) than before and every potential decision is scored and evaluated to be the most challenging whilst still within the personality of the selected commander.

The new AI recognizes the different importance of the several regions and makes its moves on the basis of logistics (what happens to the supply if the tile is taken by the enemy), the chances of winning a combat, the player’s/AI’s strength in the tile and in nearby tiles, the day of the campaign and other important factors.

[gdrover]

That's great news! The AI needed an upgrade.

That said, the Ai could still use some more improvement.
I've played twice now as the Germans and once against the Allies against the better AI opponents in the full campaign Bulge scenario, and I was able to beat them early on points every time.

As the Allies, they defend the Meuse objectives fine, but allow major elements to be cut off and wiped out so that their forces suffer catastrophic losses.

As the Germans, they likewise threaten the objectives well and make me a little nervous, but then completely fail to protect the flanks of the armored spearheads so that I am able to cut them off and gobble them up. In the game that I just finished, the Ai drove their 3 best armored units toward the river, but in order to move forward evacuated Spa and allowed me to move in behind them. They then immediately did the same type of move on the left flank of the spearhead, allowing me to drive the 3 armored units in Bastogne north, cutting off their three best units. I had to give up Bastogne to do it, but it was totally worth it to completely destroy their three best armored divisions and bring their advance to an end.

Afterward I merely had to reinforce the units that were holding the ring and the allied right flank with the airborne divisions and wait for the spearhead divisions to run out of supply before mopping them up with reinforcements. The Germans never made a attack to break through to the cut off units. Granted the attacks would have been desperate, but they were the only hope to rescue the situation. Given the 'hell for leather' aggressive approach prior to that, it seemed like they should have been willing to at least try. If they had attacked all along the line they might have broken through somewhere and then, with fuel for the panzer spearheads, I would have been in real trouble.

As it was, the game was over on the Dec. 21 turn after I gobbled up the cut off units.

[IainMcNeil]

It seems the AI in the latest build got a bit over zealous. Earlier builds were more cautious and harder to beat so we need to tweak the AI. I was having a hard time with it a week or two ago but it does seem to be easier now. We'll definitely look in to it.

[gdrover]

Cool! I knew you would.
You guys are so great about supporting your products.
And with the computing power of PC's, gone are the days of staring at my iPad for 5 or 10 minutes waiting for the AI to figure out a move.

I'm LOVING the PC version of Bulge and can't wait for more!

Thanks for rescuing this series. They are classics.

[gdrover]

While I've got your ear, I also wanted to mention that it would be fun to be able to finish games won on points. Call me a masochist, but I enjoy finishing the enemy after I've got them down.
Is that a feature that is already in there and I just haven't seen, or something that can be easily added?

Thanks!

G

[IainMcNeil]

Isn't that what the Bitter End campaign already does? I'm only helping out on the project so I may have got that wrong...

[gdrover]

Thanks Iain.

I thought that I might have missed something.
That's the scenario for me then.