RAF
Posts: 76
Joined: 6/4/2006
Status: offline
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Like many, I would like to see a better AI. However, I know how difficult this can be to program. So, I thought that, perhaps some specific options would be useful.
(1) I would like to see an improved starting setup, with units organized into companies and battalions placed together. That is to say, identify a piece of terrain (the crest of a hill, a farm) as "key terrain" then place a company there -- lined up -- facing the advancing enemy. The next company in that battalion gets placed to its right or left, in the next available piece of decent terrain, with entrenchments or trenches forming terrain where needed.
(2) I would like to see combat units advance as units. For example: The computer identifies an objective (not necessarily an official game objective, but a tactical objective), it assigns a group of units to "capture" that objective, and those units all converge on that objective. Perhaps the simplest form of advance would have a majority of the units provide covering fire, while a minority of units advance -- picking a different unit to advance each turn. Also, artillery could be focused on that objective.
(3) I would like to see the computer use something like programmatic waypoints to perform flanking maneuvers; e.g., Objective 1 is Hex 6,32. Objective 2 is then a 90 degree turn to the right to take hex 15,34.
(4) I would like to see the computer AI unload its vehicles under cover, so that loaded units do not get shot at so often. In other words; search for buildings, woods, or ridgelines behind which to move and unload.
(5) I would like to see the computer send forward scouts -- a company on a wide front that moves forward until it spots enemy units, then heads for cover, and calls in a gaggle of artillery or air strikes against visible targets.
(6) I would like to see the computer use a tactical reserve -- a company or two that sits in a nice safe place on a road behind the lines, waits for a threatened enemy breakthrough (indicated by significant losses on a particular part of the line and/or enemy units "sited" as having crossed a particular trip wire -- at which point the reserves are committed and moved to that area.
(7) I would like to see a way for scenario designers to program multiple strategies into a scenario for the computer player. That is, the designer targets particular units (companies) to move on specific locations. This could be done through a set of waypoints objectives and a timetable for reaching those objectives. It would be particularly nice if the designer could program in more than one possible strategy with the computer picking (by means of a random number) which strategy it will use in a given scenario.
Of these, I would like to put particular emphasis on the last one. Artificial intelligence is hard to program. However, players here like to create and implement strategies. So, I would like to suggest a way of putting this to use.
To whatever degree possible, allow players to "write a strategic program" for the computer player and save those computer programs with the scenario. This would be kinda like a general preparing a strategy for a battle, then seeing how well it survives contact with the enemy without any further human intervention. This strategy will tell the units where to go, where to unload, where to advance to after they unload, whether to be "aggressive" or "defensive" (perhaps using different scales), whether to move quickly (do not save points for firing), slowly (save points for firing), or very slowly (1 hex per turn).
I think that would increase the value of the game significantly.
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RE: Wish list - 
RE: Wish list - 
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