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Arbiter -> (9/20/2003 12:21:51 AM)
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I had a strange AI game as well in my first outing, playing I think the 2nd Ukr assault scenario (where the Russians start in the west). The AI played very well up to about turn 12, holding me well back from my destination city (Z-something) - basically I was able to link up to the city where my pocket of men were trapped, but push no further. My forces had their noses up against three more VP cities, but the AI had dug in and made good lines using good terrain and I only really had a reasonable chance of taking one of those villages, once I got my armor there.
Suddenly, around turn 13 or so, the AI started pulling back, from all three! The city I had a chance of taking, he pulled back all units many hexes, except a lone INF. I was able to surround it and take it easily a few turns later. From a southern city, he simply pulled his line south one hex, leaving the city defended by a mere fort. I had to weaken my line to concentrate units to even take that, but he allowed me to take it and didn't even poke at my thinned line. The final city in the north is another strange case... I had a couple of INF sitting in urban terrain next to the CP, where he had one unit of inf. The problem is, my inf were operating well out of supply and arty range, so I couldn't attack. So I had patiently left them there for many turns. Around turn 13, his guys suddenly ditch the objective and disappear south, and my guys take it (AND a couple turns later, another undefended city due east), uncontested!
So I took four VP cities I didn't have any rights to (well, I could of got one of them but was expecting a fight), courtesy of the AI. Up to that point, the victory screen had been alternating between axis/allies win of less than 10 pts... the final was 160 pts to allies! On further reflection, I think I know why the AI abandoned them - turn 13 I think was the mud turn, and he had the same supply horrors that I did. Except, apparently his priority was to return his units to supply ASAP - including the ones holding objectives! In the case of the northern city(s), his one guy, even unsupplied, could have easily held out against my unsupplied INF. More so with the southern city, with its fort.
I realize AI is extremely difficult to write but it seems this is a reasonably simple mistake to correct (holding an objective needing a higher priority than resupplying (if the units have bullets, which these did), particularly in the final turns of a scenario), assuming I understand correctly the reason the AI pulled back.
Oh yes, and the AI is very important to the more casual gamers. PBEM is great but it requires playing on a rough schedule and a significant amount of commitment, whereas the AI is always available for a round or two, and doesn't care if you decide to start over at a whim or abandon a game for a week or two.
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