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PaxMondo -> RE: How does the AI actually work? (1/7/2021 3:13:29 AM)
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OP:
There are 2 parts to the "AI"
- the scripts
- the basic behaviors
Most of the basic behaviors are consistent between all games, AI or PBEM. These govern what happens after a combat, withdrawals, escort TF formation, retreats, etc.
The scripts simulate a players behavior in terms of putting units into a situation to allow the basic behavior AI to determine the outcomes.
One additional difference between AI and PBEM game is that when a combat situation occurs, various "bonuses" may or may not be added to the AI side depending upon the difficulty level. At higher level, combat bonuses are added attempting to simulate the player bonuses of unit prep, leader choices, and HQ bonuses; none of which the AI can use, hence the simple solution of adding a bonus to simulate the use of these.
That's it in a nutshell.
So, 75% or so of an AI already exists in the game. The scripts just give direction. The more scripts, the more direction. Catch is, the scripts are only as good as the author is at guessing what the player will do and when and where. So, it is fairly easy to get "outside" the scripts if you know how. To prevent this, most stock games have 3 - 10 flavors of the AI ... scripts are changed in each version to prevent repetition and prevent players from "knowing" where the AI is going to be. Best example is Scen 4; the basic script puts the allied CV's just off Tulagi, but one of the variants has them pound Rabaul while another they pound Truk. The two variants are there to prevent the IJ player from targeting everything to Tulagi, leaving Rabaul or Truk defenseless, and punishes them if they do.
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