I've been playing this game since last weekend with the last beta patch, central powers and hardest difficulty.
And I really think the AI is too easy to beat, I'm at 1917, all seas are submarine controlled, english battleships sunk, convoys intercepted, france mainland occupied, Suez canal captured by turks and my troops 2hex away from Moscow...
I realized that my success was due to three AI major bad decisions.
1.-English fleet worked in small groups, letting me kill them one by one.
English fleet preferred to protect their unharmed convoys rather than killing my battleship, which was all Belgium campaign time bombarding the coast and helping land units.
I even managed to bring a pre-battleship alone to the mediterranean sea to block and bombard Suez along with austrian fleet.
2.-When Italy declared war, there was a tiny hole on the Alps frontline, and AI decided to mobilize a lot of french troops from western front to Italy, that was the breaking point which ended with Paris and Verdun taken, and all France mainland later.
3.-I just held the eastern front for almost two years, waiting for the defeat of france to mobilize some troops there and start a campaign thereafter, but somehow russian troops decided to move south, even attacking Turk border between black and caspian sea, which was a surprise for the turks, but allowed german troops to road to Moscow.
After all, good entertaining and challenging game for the first 15 turns, but then...
So if any developer happens to read my feedback, glad to help in future patches.
Is "To end all wars" a better/challenging game?
Weak AI
Moderators: Slitherine Core, The Lordz
Re: Weak AI
I've started a game with the entente, and AI wasn't any better, as soon as russia declared war, german troops messed around from one front to another leaving gaps and unexpected retreats in western front...
In another game, playing central powers again, I discovered the ultimate mechanic to kill one enemy unit every turn without much effort. The set up is to leave a gap on the front, 2hex away from one of your cities empty of any troops. But the gap is to be surrounded by infantry and in range from an artillery. Every round, the AI will push the gap with an unit, untrenched. Then you just need to bombard and clean the gap with multiple infantry attacks... I didn't test if the trick works without the city as bait...
In another game, playing central powers again, I discovered the ultimate mechanic to kill one enemy unit every turn without much effort. The set up is to leave a gap on the front, 2hex away from one of your cities empty of any troops. But the gap is to be surrounded by infantry and in range from an artillery. Every round, the AI will push the gap with an unit, untrenched. Then you just need to bombard and clean the gap with multiple infantry attacks... I didn't test if the trick works without the city as bait...
Re: Weak AI
yes, these are the visible signs of the absolute lack of strategic concept by ai.
i played with central powers. my greatest disappointment was watching the adriatic coast in 1915. all the sensitive entente units were standing there, artillery, air force, bombers, not caring the presence of the kuk battleship and cruiser that annihilated them without loss... soon it happened again in egypt, same story, anywhere i parked the fleet, they found some vulnerable units waiting for wipe out. do i have to mention the us forces?
i know, the source is the domination of the seas. the sea strategy needs a thorough review, all sides!!! kriegsmarine units are also keen cruising without target and backup.
next. air units and artillery, oh yes, sometimes they are combined with the ground forces for an attack, but mostly they are just somewhere there as a psycho factor... it seems ai has no idea how to use them.
purchasing. random? there is a fascinating consistency though, great britain is fancy to buy vehicles and place them to the middle east front lines... i do not detail what happens there with them, sad to see.
one more interesting thing is how the ai uses the railway. it loves it, even if the involved units do not appreciate the exhausting journeys... zero concept, it is just there, so lets get use it! fairly annoying... i think sea transport is similar just covered by the fog of war...
it is a pity because the base of the game is stunning!
i played with central powers. my greatest disappointment was watching the adriatic coast in 1915. all the sensitive entente units were standing there, artillery, air force, bombers, not caring the presence of the kuk battleship and cruiser that annihilated them without loss... soon it happened again in egypt, same story, anywhere i parked the fleet, they found some vulnerable units waiting for wipe out. do i have to mention the us forces?
i know, the source is the domination of the seas. the sea strategy needs a thorough review, all sides!!! kriegsmarine units are also keen cruising without target and backup.
next. air units and artillery, oh yes, sometimes they are combined with the ground forces for an attack, but mostly they are just somewhere there as a psycho factor... it seems ai has no idea how to use them.
purchasing. random? there is a fascinating consistency though, great britain is fancy to buy vehicles and place them to the middle east front lines... i do not detail what happens there with them, sad to see.
one more interesting thing is how the ai uses the railway. it loves it, even if the involved units do not appreciate the exhausting journeys... zero concept, it is just there, so lets get use it! fairly annoying... i think sea transport is similar just covered by the fog of war...
it is a pity because the base of the game is stunning!
Re: Weak AI
If you want a "Real wakeup call" try MP......krogo wrote:yes, these are the visible signs of the absolute lack of strategic concept by ai.
i played with central powers. my greatest disappointment was watching the adriatic coast in 1915. all the sensitive entente units were standing there, artillery, air force, bombers, not caring the presence of the kuk battleship and cruiser that annihilated them without loss... soon it happened again in egypt, same story, anywhere i parked the fleet, they found some vulnerable units waiting for wipe out. do i have to mention the us forces?
i know, the source is the domination of the seas. the sea strategy needs a thorough review, all sides!!! kriegsmarine units are also keen cruising without target and backup.
next. air units and artillery, oh yes, sometimes they are combined with the ground forces for an attack, but mostly they are just somewhere there as a psycho factor... it seems ai has no idea how to use them.
purchasing. random? there is a fascinating consistency though, great britain is fancy to buy vehicles and place them to the middle east front lines... i do not detail what happens there with them, sad to see.
one more interesting thing is how the ai uses the railway. it loves it, even if the involved units do not appreciate the exhausting journeys... zero concept, it is just there, so lets get use it! fairly annoying... i think sea transport is similar just covered by the fog of war...
it is a pity because the base of the game is stunning!
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Solaristics
- Administrative Corporal - SdKfz 251/1
- Posts: 138
- Joined: Sun Nov 15, 2009 10:17 am
Re: Weak AI
Are there any other views on the AI? I'm not interested in MP so would only buy it if the AI doesn't make glaring, immersion-breaking errors like leaving gaps in the line or exposing weak units.
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Confusedesh
- Corporal - 5 cm Pak 38
- Posts: 44
- Joined: Tue Aug 05, 2014 7:54 pm
Re: Weak AI
I enjoy the game find it addictive and I have played a lot so here is what I have found on the hardest difficulty.
Playing both the Central Powers and the Entente.
1\ There are a few starting moves for each country that will set you up for the rest of the game once you learn them its a matter of time before you win.
2\ The French AI falls apart once Italy joins the war and in every game leaves Paris defended but vulnerable to attack.
3\ German AI will as you would expect attempt to take Brussels and breakthrough to Paris easily stopped, however less expected is that at a certain point it will collapse its Western Front even if there is no real threat in the East.
4\ Always attack Turkey with Russia and always attack Russia with Turkey never waste your time trying to take the Suez canal
5\ The AI concentrates too many divisions away from the main Fronts, the British AI wastes most of its army doing nothing in Egypt and never has a chance of Breaking through.
6\ The cost for small garrisons makes it impossible for Russia to build up its forces so once the player defeats its starting forces it has no more reserves. Removing the cost of the small garrisons helps but the AI in particular the French AI has then a tendency to build too much artillery in one game I saw 7 which of course means that without the ammunition they are a complete waste of time.
Playing both the Central Powers and the Entente.
1\ There are a few starting moves for each country that will set you up for the rest of the game once you learn them its a matter of time before you win.
2\ The French AI falls apart once Italy joins the war and in every game leaves Paris defended but vulnerable to attack.
3\ German AI will as you would expect attempt to take Brussels and breakthrough to Paris easily stopped, however less expected is that at a certain point it will collapse its Western Front even if there is no real threat in the East.
4\ Always attack Turkey with Russia and always attack Russia with Turkey never waste your time trying to take the Suez canal
5\ The AI concentrates too many divisions away from the main Fronts, the British AI wastes most of its army doing nothing in Egypt and never has a chance of Breaking through.
6\ The cost for small garrisons makes it impossible for Russia to build up its forces so once the player defeats its starting forces it has no more reserves. Removing the cost of the small garrisons helps but the AI in particular the French AI has then a tendency to build too much artillery in one game I saw 7 which of course means that without the ammunition they are a complete waste of time.
Re: Weak AI
I also noticed the entente-AI squandering their units to secondary theatres like Egypt, Caucasus (russian bomber planes stationed at Tiflis...wtf?) and Italy when it should have helped France defend against my german infantry. The AI seems to be especially keen on buying fighter planes which it rotates seemingly at random too close to the frontline only to get them wiped out by cavalry or other units which managed a breakthrough.
This is just sad...please dev-Team, have another look at the AI-scripts even if this game is already years old.
This is just sad...please dev-Team, have another look at the AI-scripts even if this game is already years old.
Re: Weak AI
Main faults:
1) AI sends its fleets piecemal, so you can take them out easily. I managed to support my German 1914 western front offensive with battleships and even took out one British battleship in the process. That woudl have not been possible if the AI fleets did their job.
2) Central powers overinvest on secondary fronts (Middle east, Balkans) to the point of leaving the western front insufficiently defended. In most of my games as the Entente it was easier to take Wilhelmshaven and the Rhur, than it was to take Damascus.
3) Central Powers AI often fails to provide adequate forces on the Italian border, so you can take Triest quickly and then epand your offensive in the direction of Munich and Vienna.
Entente wise I learned taht the AI is better (or maybe the Central Powers are just weaker), but the weak link is France and the western front. Again, AI tends to overinvest in secondary fronts, such as Italny and then Flanders collapses and brings down the whole alliance in a domino event.
What's decent? In my experience, Russian and Turkish AI are decent. They do their jobs most of the time quite well. Usually also the last countries to surrender.
1) AI sends its fleets piecemal, so you can take them out easily. I managed to support my German 1914 western front offensive with battleships and even took out one British battleship in the process. That woudl have not been possible if the AI fleets did their job.
2) Central powers overinvest on secondary fronts (Middle east, Balkans) to the point of leaving the western front insufficiently defended. In most of my games as the Entente it was easier to take Wilhelmshaven and the Rhur, than it was to take Damascus.
3) Central Powers AI often fails to provide adequate forces on the Italian border, so you can take Triest quickly and then epand your offensive in the direction of Munich and Vienna.
Entente wise I learned taht the AI is better (or maybe the Central Powers are just weaker), but the weak link is France and the western front. Again, AI tends to overinvest in secondary fronts, such as Italny and then Flanders collapses and brings down the whole alliance in a domino event.
What's decent? In my experience, Russian and Turkish AI are decent. They do their jobs most of the time quite well. Usually also the last countries to surrender.