Possible Improvement for 1.2 BAI "Funky Chicken"

[sage2]

Hi folks,

I think I may have found a way to partially mitigate some of the new BAI's bad "funky chicken under fire" behaviors, but I could use some additional asisstance testing it.

There's a discussion here: http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showt...=254127&page=5

Here's the download version that contains ONLY this change: http://files.filefront.com/baifixtes.../fileinfo.html (This pack is a "patch" type, which means all you need to do is drop it in your data directory).

If you can give this a try on some of the custom battles with some notes as to whether you think the behavior is improved or not, and what you tried (medium vs. large funds, troop type and mix, what you observed) it would be very helpful. All modder types are of course welcome to steal my very simple idea, if it works, and blow raspberries at me if it doesn't.

Sage

This has received some good initial feedback from MikeCK. Anyone else have any feedback?

[Froggie5]

The download link you posted in the thread is to your full mod - you will most likely get more feedback on the bai changes if you offer a download with just those changes.

[Sevasti]

Downloading the BAI test, hopefully I'll get some time off to test it out tonight.

Edit: @ Froggie5, look again, the particular post Sage2 linked to has a link to a separate pack. I assume this a test pack only.

Edit2: I stand corrected

[sage2]

Okay, I posted a version that is only this single change.

[Quixote07]

Is there any chance you could mod format this?

Edit - just to clarify, and if you want me to delete this just lemmie know

You reduced all of the factor_attackdir keys to zero, right? If that's true and it works - nice find!

[sage2]

Is there any chance you could mod format this?

Edit - just to clarify, and if you want me to delete this just lemmie know

You reduced all of the factor_attackdir keys to zero, right? If that's true and it works - nice find!

I put it in patch format so it would be easy for folks that weren't used to mods (I figure this might have wider appeal). You are of course more than welcome to use this, if it works (though please provide credit, if it works, and not, if it doesn't).

That's exactly what this dos -- just reduced them to 0.

[InferiorBeing]

I have no idea what you're reducing to zero, and why it's improving the AI, but a thousand thanks for doing this. I'm downloading the fix right now.

Two questions:

1) Uh... How do you install it? Where do you put it?

2) You said you removed skins and flags? Exactly what are those?

[sage2]

I have no idea what you're reducing to zero, and why it's improving the AI, but a thousand thanks for doing this. I'm downloading the fix right now.

No promises that it works -- but initial testing was promising: less funky chicken, more fighting. Let me know what you find.

[sage2]

I have no idea what you're reducing to zero, and why it's improving the AI, but a thousand thanks for doing this. I'm downloading the fix right now.

Two questions:

1) Uh... How do you install it? Where do you put it?

2) You said you removed skins and flags? Exactly what are those?

1) Go here: : http://files.filefront.com/baifixtestpack/;13696436;/fileinfo.html
2) Download the pack file.
3) Put it in your ETW data folder which is probably here: C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\empire total war\data

4) Start ETW. Go fight something. Report back. or


The *only* change that makes are to the flank and rear melee attack bonus the game provides to attackers; it takes them from 8 and 15 to 0 and 0. Yes, flank attacks will be less effective, BUT the AI apears to do a little better without them in its calculations.

[Centurio Marcus]

Clear improvement for me. While marching to the enemy some regiments still like to get close and personal. But those that hang back, keep shooting even if their formations are a little messy. But now my casuality rates have returned to normal - a lot higher. And far less squares now too...

[Bob the Insane]

I have to say to be honest i really don't notice all that much difference.

I tried a simple custom battle (the default one for Normal difficulty, Late era, Large funds, Austria vs GB, huge unit size)

I didn't move the Austria force from it's starting positions other then hitting the unlimber button for the artillery.

To be fair the AI didn't do anything particularly odd. It just advanced nice and close and then proceeded to shuffle about a bit before ending up in melee...

There was very little flanking, none of the normal cavalry running a mile around your flanks.

[sage2]

I have to say to be honest i really don't notice all that much difference.

I tried a simple custom battle (the default one for Normal difficulty, Late era, Large funds, Austria vs GB, huge unit size)

I didn't move the Austria force from it's starting positions other then hitting the unlimber button for the artillery.

To be fair the AI didn't do anything particularly odd. It just advanced nice and close and then proceeded to shuffle about a bit before ending up in melee...

There was very little flanking, none of the normal cavalry running a mile around your flanks.

Were you Austria or GB?

[Bob the Insane]

Were you Austria or GB?

Sorry, I was Austria...

[InferiorBeing]

Read my edited post, please...

[♔Dignan♔]

Just tried your fix. I didn't see a huge difference either. Maybe I didn't do right. I just dropped the file in teh DATA folder. Do I also need to add the file name to my scripts file to activate it?

[sage2]

Just tried your fix. I didn't see a huge difference either. Maybe I didn't do right. I just dropped the file in teh DATA folder. Do I also need to add the file name to my scripts file to activate it?

No, as it's a "patch" type mod, which should activate it automatically.

[Quixote07]

There could be a problem with that sage2 - at least the last time I made a patch.pack type mod, the load order was constantly screwing up and it wouldn't load it consistently. I'll try just plopping it in and testing it, then I'll try just implementing it directly into the complete patch.pack so I know I'll load correctly, and I'll come back and report if there's a difference.

[♔Dignan♔]

There could be a problem with that sage2 - at least the last time I made a patch.pack type mod, the load order was constantly screwing up and it wouldn't load it consistently. I'll try just plopping it in and testing it, then I'll try just implementing it directly into the complete patch.pack so I know I'll load correctly, and I'll come back and report if there's a difference.

That could explain my mild success with this. It may be a bit better but it could just be in my head. I'm using this in conjunction with Sinuhet's formation mod which also seems to help a bit. Either way, this really miffs me. I'm trying real hard to be patient with this game but it gets harder and harder when they mess with things that didn't need messing.

Eager to hear if implementing it within the main patch.pack file will work. Awaiting your results Quixote07....

[Quixote07]

Ok, just did three tests

I played as Austria, against an AI GB. Late, Large funds, on the Alpine Pass map. The army was a mirror, each side had one general, two 24 pounder foot batteries, two units of medium cavalry, two units of heavy cavalry, three units of elite infantry (GB had highland infantry, black watch, coldstream and Austria had 3x guards), two units of grenadiers, and the remainder of the open slots were filled with Line Infantry. I took no action other than unlimbering my artillery and setting it to fire shrapnel during the entirety of the battle.

1) Vanilla factor_attackdir

2) Sage2's patch.pack's modified factor_attackdir

3) Zeroed out factor_attackdir directly into the patch.pack

Unfortunately, it didn't make any difference

The british advanced in a line, with elite infantry mixed in with their regular line. The grenadiers were held in reserve behind the main battle line in the center. The cavalry advanced on the flanks, attacked too early and was repulsed with gunfire. My artillery shot at their artillery the entirety of the battle, while theirs fired at my infantry on the flanks. The enemy would stop moving a bit outside musket range and dress ranks. They then did the "shuffle step" (they start moving forward, then stop, pause a second, repeat ad naseum) along their entire line to close into musket range. Upon entering musket range, they fired one full volley (roughly) from each unit (can't tell you how excited I was when this happened). Then the odd behavior started. They redeployed the flanks in a curved-ish line (overlapping friendly units and shooting them in the back) and set those infantry to fire and advance, while the center started dancing in range of my infantry until they eventually charged them and fought a melee, which they lost because they got shot up while dancing around.

There wasn't really any variation in any of those setups

Nice attempt Sage2, but no luck so far Please someone prove me wrong though!

[♔Dignan♔]

Can't prove you wrong but I just tried a small test battle on VERY HARD.

Early period.
Each side (Prussia vs Poland) had 5 line infantry, 2 artillery and 2 light infantry.
No mods

While the AI still exhibited some of these annoying traits it was probably the most logical AI action I've seen yet in my tests. VH setting seems to knock some sense into them. Their main line of Line Infantry slowly advanced to within musket range and stopped. They all fired roughly one volley. The two AI lines in the center then charged and engaged in melee. The left and right flanks stayed put and continued to fire and reload. At this point, the AI's two light infantry units came to each flank and began harrassing my own light infantry with musket fire.

This doesn't mean there wasn't any screwy maneuvering, it was just less than usual. I didn't use cavalry because I'm trying to test which units make the AI go haywire. Again, this could have been a fluke but it seems that setting difficulty to VH may put some order into the AI.