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Hidde -> RE: AI difficulty. Something wrong? (6/18/2005 6:59:11 PM)
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Yes, I've played the whole campaign v1.1 through. I'm certain this time[:)]. Overall it's an improvment. When it comes to the AI specifically it is a bit harder to say. I'll try to summarize. The AI forces now have a lot more veteran units. In some battles it's entirely made up of veterans. Even a few elite units in some battles. It's much harder to keep your own units well trained since you suffer heavier losses than before.In the battles I fought(with two exceptions) the losses were roughly dubbled if I compare to before the patch.
Leading up to the Alesia scenario I had one minor and three major victories but my legions were in quite a bad shape: Elite-2units Veteran-7 Warrior-10 Poor-5. I was a bit worried. Unfortunatly,I think,the Alesia battle is the easiest of them all(and frankly, rather boring) and this made it possible for me to "restore" my legions to a big extend.With no bragging intended[:D] but just to show what I mean my points in that scenario where 2205. I lost about 11000,the AI 97000.
Anyhow, the civil war followed a similar pattern. Three major and one minor victory with rather heavy losses. The battle of Thapsus was special. At one point I was close to give it up and restart since my army overall morale were so much lower than the enemies.But I continued and managed to turn the table and win, albeit with huge losses:27000.By far the heaviest losses I endured in any battle.
Well, about the AI. It thinks a lot longer on hard difficulty thats for sure. If it moves and act that much better is more uncertain. I'm sorry if I can't give a clear answer but now that I have played 20+ battles it might very well be that I've learned how to beat the AI, more than any big flaws on it's part. I have a couple of observations,though.(One could perhaps be seen as a spoiler but I think it's something anyone would notice after a couple of battles).
I think the AI is to aggressive! Of course it have to attack when it's trying to take an objective(flag) from me,the player but it also happily attack when it's defending. I usually walk up to the defending troops but do not attack. The next turn the AI does so instead and that way lose more men than it would if it waited and forced me to do the attacking.
I think the AI is good at penetrate holes in the players line but when it's through and behind my men it often seems to act sort of confused.It will not use the advantage it created very well.
Pilums can be very effective at short range. The AI often uses pilums at ranges of 3-4 squares. I think it would be a good thing if the range where restricted to one or two squares.
OK,have to stop there. Maybe I come to think of more later.
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