AI tactics

[Mikail Mengsk]

WHat do you think about the battle AI? Is it offering you intresting battles or it's even too easy to beat?

In my campaign the AI sometimes try some intresting battle move, such epaminonda-style tactic. IT didn't use many cavalry, but when it has them, it use them very good. SOmetimes try some flanking manoeuvre with infantry.

Unfortunately it tends to divide its troops, so i often succesfully isolate them and destroy them separately. And it doesn't mantain some reserves, so i could easily outflank its first line.

[Jamey]

I use Sinuhet's (sp?) formations. While that doesn't push the AI to use much cavalry or ranged units, it does cause it to fight with a reserve. I regularly see a deployment with 2 or 3 layers, making it much more challenging to flank successfully.

I'd say that it is a substantial improvement over the base formations.

[Tiberius Nero]

I think that the main unfixable problem is that the AI doesn't build decent armies to start with; when using formation mods (like Sinuhet's) and the AI starts with a (scripted) well balanced army it plays decently; it is by no means a tactical genius, it does straightforward and predictable things, but at least they are not idiotic and random.

As far as reserves ago, I don't think I have ever seen the AI maintain any, that's true and it is a reason it gets beaten up easily if you can outflank it.

[Tiberius Tosi]

As far as reserves ago, I don't think I have ever seen the AI maintain any, that's true and it is a reason it gets beaten up easily if you can outflank it.

I have seen a couple of Gallic armies deploy with one line behind the other, but then they made that obsolete because instead of attacking as a whole, a couple units at a time would charge my line and be taken out by a swarm of missiles.

But, the Mikail, if you want pretty good AI, I would play TIC. I don't know what they did but the AI takes a lot more advantage of cavalry and missile units, especially the former.

[Ivanelme]

Yeah, in certain battle maps it's very easy to exploit the weaknesses in the AI. Had one where there was a ton of hills, lots of mercs in this army with the core as hoplites. So, split the forces up calvary on the hill facing the hoplites with some mercs to draw the AI over there, watched them split forces, threw my reserves through the gap and charged calvary in their flank from the hill. That battle was over within mabey 5 mins.

I've used variations on this often, because they never keep a reserve and break up I can always throw some troops through the gap and surround them with little to no effort. That is the biggest weakness I have seen the AI have.

[Captain Jin]

I thought the AI to be pretty basic till I put it on very hard. It's still not that tough, but it's more realistic. They advance as an army and get pretty well set up before they attack me, and it's a lot harder for me to lure them into the great field position I usually take up if on the defensive. They used cavalry decently, usually going after my flanks, but I always have cavalry there to counter. Sometimes I don't and it can be troubling, but the only issue is sometimes they send their cavalry alone and my Pila slaughter them.

Just curious, does anyone fight in order, IE Hastati, with Principes behind then Triarii in reserve as was really done? I didn't start this till recently, and I have to say I like it a lot. The enemy also will sometimes withdraw now if the odds don't seem favorable, which I think is actually pretty cool.

[Tiberius Nero]

I thought the AI to be pretty basic till I put it on very hard. It's still not that tough, but it's more realistic. They advance as an army and get pretty well set up before they attack me, and it's a lot harder for me to lure them into the great field position I usually take up if on the defensive. They used cavalry decently, usually going after my flanks, but I always have cavalry there to counter. Sometimes I don't and it can be troubling, but the only issue is sometimes they send their cavalry alone and my Pila slaughter them.

?

Battle difficulty only gives an artificial bonus to attack and morale to AI units, it does not affect AI battlefield tactics.

[Jamey]

?

Battle difficulty only gives an artificial bonus to attack and morale to AI units, it does not affect AI battlefield tactics.

I'm curious about this. Depending on how the AI is coded, the changes in the combat values could affect how the AI uses its units (i.e. if their attack or defense exceeds a certain threshold relative to the human's). Has anyone done side-by-side comparisons of AI behavior with identical units? I wouldn't expect it to make a major change, but it is possible (even likely, if you assume that they no a reasonable amount about programming an AI).

[Tiberius Nero]

I'm curious about this. Depending on how the AI is coded, the changes in the combat values could affect how the AI uses its units (i.e. if their attack or defense exceeds a certain threshold relative to the human's). Has anyone done side-by-side comparisons of AI behavior with identical units? I wouldn't expect it to make a major change, but it is possible (even likely, if you assume that they no a reasonable amount about programming an AI).

From my understanding (I am no modder, I just speak from my gaming experience and from having read countless random threads on the game over the past few years), the AI deploys and uses its troops according to their designations, e.g. as light infantry, heavy cavalry, missile, etc; if you tell the AI an archer unit is heavy infantry, it will probably use it as such. I don't think it actually calculates relative strength of armies (based on stats) except for purposes of choosing whether to attack or defend (when the player is attacking) or flee from the battlefield.

[Tiberius Tosi]

Just curious, does anyone fight in order, IE Hastati, with Principes behind then Triarii in reserve as was really done? I didn't start this till recently, and I have to say I like it a lot. The enemy also will sometimes withdraw now if the odds don't seem favorable, which I think is actually pretty cool.

Yup, usually (unless my units are heavily depleted and I'm low on troops) I deploy in the triple line. Usually I put 3 H, 4 P, and 3 T, and then put 3 V between the principes, and 2 V between the trarii, turn fire at will on for every unit, disable skirmish mode of velites. The enemy will be bombarded with missiles if they attack you, sometimes weaker units will rout before our lines ever meet.

[AqD]

The enemy also will sometimes withdraw now if the odds don't seem favorable, which I think is actually pretty cool.

Which is sometimes very foolish. They often withdraw before my horse archers or the crossbowmen I added, and get wiped out in a few seconds.

Another stupidity is that AI always moves its troops away during a counter-siege battle - so I just need to call my HAs to go out and shoot them as soon as possible, and probably kill 2/3 of them before they ever reach the destination, and rout the remaining ones.
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Vaporizers info

[Captain Jin]

That's weird because they seem to act more intelligently. Maybe that's the power of perception hah.

[beatoangelico]

That's weird because they seem to act more intelligently. Maybe that's the power of perception hah.

never heard of placebo effect?

[Captain Jin]

never heard of placebo effect?

Precisely what I mean by power of perception.

[Mikail Mengsk]

that's right: the AI is hardcoded and is always the same for each difficulty level