AGEOD Forums

But note big gap in Center of German line.

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I know it may be unrealistic, but the AI probably decided there was no need to take the regions in the line Maubeuge-Sedan. Perhaps you attacked or defended hard there and it could not accomplish it. These screenshots are great, but it is little they can do to help us understand if the AI behaves or not accordingly. Ideally one should post screenshots after launching a game where both the WE and CP are AI and see if they behave correctly. I have seen a couple of these games as the EE, it is rather fascinating when it happens.

Looks like you could drive straight into the heart of Germany through that gap!! Maybe there is an ambush waiting in the FOG of war regions!!

It will be quite difficult to take advantage of that gap. The Germans have A LOT of "Reichsländer" reserve units that can be send to close that gap. And the AI itself is rather careful at bringing reinforcements. Risky business to walk through the fog of war!

Kensai:

1. All your posts on this game have been very helpful to me. Please keep contributing!

2. Here's how this game continued.

a. GE 1 and 2 moved toward Amiens and then tried to encircle Paris from the East (!) The BEF counterattacked their flank at Arras, and a few GE Corps stayed there to check the BEF. GE 3 drove toward San Quentin. Pretty neat.

b. The AI did have reserve troops in the Ardennes that eventually (sort of) filled the gap. Moreover, when I pulled troops out of FR 3 and FR 4 to Paris, the AI took Longwy

c. The AI's High Sea's fleet raided Scarborough (again, nice touch).

3. Those were the neat things. A few problems:

a. The AI took time to clean up central Belgium and never really properly masked Antwerp. I landed a UK Corps there and drove toward Brussels to be disruptive. (As Kansai has written a dilemma even for human players).

b. The German right wing charged head long toward Orleans around Paris without regard to flanks and eventually was encircled and annihilated.

c. The German left wing didn't attack (save Longwy) when presented with an egg-shell defense in October/November, as troops were sent West.

d. The Germans did try to take Maubuege/Sedan toward November, but not in sufficient force.


Front lines were about historical (with Allies having more territory around Sedan) by end of the scenario. Of course. Bulow's and Kluck's armies were gone.

*****


All in any, much improved; but still some work to do.

I have caught the CP AI (by loading its turn while troubleshooting) moving the First (Kluck) and Second (Bülow) Armies with the "do not engage while moving" button on. This can lead to some really fast movements. If you stay passive enough as the WE, you can see both of these CP armies in Paris by Late September. The problem is that once there, they try to assault Paris and get almost annihilated. I know they run out of time, but assaulting Paris in the same turn they arrive?

I think generally the AI moves rather nice, now, but there is still room for improvement in certain decisions Athena takes. Of course taking Paris by storm should be a high priority as it wins the war, essentially, but at least they could have waited a turn or two to put a breach. The problem with the First World War is that so much happened in the first two months of the conflict it is difficult to peg down in a game. The developers had to choose between having a very deterministic game (it can be done through AI agents and events, if need arises!) and a sandbox one (where each time you play there is a new interpretation of the Schlieffen plan).

Honestly, I think we can expect as much from the AI... It can not do miracles. If you want to truly have a cutthroat unpredictable experience you need to try against a human player.

Generally agree. W/R to CP opening in the West, we're at the tweak stage.