NCP setting optimization

[jastaV]

GAME Settings

Fog of War: on
Activation Rules: Large Movement and combat penalties for player & AI inactive commanders
Randomized Generals: No randomization, (tried small randomization with AAWC)
Redeployement, HQs and Leaders: 1Player/3 AI
Delayed Committement: Small delay
Historical Attrition: AI & Player use historical attrition rules.


AI Settings

Difficulty Level: Normal
Activation Bonus: Normal
AI Detection Bonus: Medium Bonus
Aggressiveness: Normal
Give AI more Time: on
Activate AI: on
AI use all behaviors: on


These are my NCP setting selection, at present.
I tried it with Austerlitz, 1805 Camp; 1806-1807 Camp; 1809 Camp; 1813 Camp; 1815-Last Flight of the Eagle Camp.

1815-Last Flight of the Eagle Camp: it's unbalanced, with opponent forces starting deployement very close, so to give huge engagements in early turns.
There not chance for manouvering.
Guess it's not the best scenery for testing.


NOTES on settings

Historical Attrition
I assume AI is capable of managing Historical attrition rules.
I know this issue has been improved with NCP 1.04

Delayed Committement
With Small delay no engagement is triggered on day seven of a processed week.
Guess, increasing Delayed Committement will have a reduction of the number of Resolved Engagements per turn. Opposing Forces could stay in place, in the same region, for days before the engagement is resolved.
Also advances and movement could be reduced.
It could be worth to try higher setting values for Delayed Committement.


Activation Bonus & AI Detection Bonus
Increasing these setting values should improve AI reactivity & initiative.
I suspect AI does not move inactive leader's forces: Higher Activation Bonus should produce more active leaders & so more moved and committed to battle forces.
AI seems do not use calvary for recon duties so its knowledge of the enemy is poore, leading to over-cautious posture. It could be true that incresing AI Detection Bonus, AI will gain a superior strategic knowledge and will be more active.
It's to be tried.


Difficulty Level
Higher Difficulty Level setting values give AI some advantages: troops fight better, Leaders gain superior strategic values.
But increasing for sure AI performance, higher Difficulty Level setting values alter the historical accuracy producing superior units and leader for AI side.
That's reason why I discourage any Difficulty Level but Normal.

Settings and game balance
Recentely I'd chance to play 1813 Campaign several times: NCP ver 1.04b
But the side I select, and the strategy design I go after I'm winning, reporting a major victory.
Most of time I achive the max NM point value, even if that does not trigger the sudden death campaign end.

Invite and please NCP designers to post their recommentded setting to get a challenging game while respecting, where possible historical accuracy!!!!!!