The mystery of AI strength; Isolated rogue units become more powerful

[pb783]

I played the April 1861 Full Campaign in v1.11b most recently. In a game with a Very Strong AI playing the CSA and my playing as the North a CSA division was able to penetrate to Chicago without being detected in late 1862.

Now, to start, I wasn't happy, especially as a native of Illinois, that a division-sized unit could travel about 400 or more miles without being noticed.

Playing on, I moved a full cavalry division up to the city to trap the CSA unit. As play continued, the CSA unit became stronger and stronger, obviously due to replacement reinforcements and improved cohesion.

Now, at this point I peeked at the CSA division. It had no supply, and its units were pretty much depleted. Still, it had become stronger than my unit outside the city.

Eventually, I had to remove the USA division around Chicago, reinforce them and then I was finally able to force the CSA units out of the city. What happened next shook my faith in the game.

I'd been pursuing this rogue CSA division for about six months now. I had three weak divisions moving up on the Illinois Central Railroad line from Springfield, the reinforced cavalry division operating as a corps coming out of Chicago and a third unit consisting of several weak divisions from the area of north of Peoria. Each of these units should have been as strong as the CSA unit they were trapping. (General randomization was in force, but the divisions, which were not organized as corps, were well led). They found the CSA division in open prairie south of the Illinois River.

I set each to normal attack, coming from three directions into the CSA unit. The USA units were badly beaten in the battles that followed in that turn.

Now I had to peek again.

The CSA unit had been reinforced by a CSA division that I had been fighting in Kansas, Missouri and Iowa. Somehow, this unit had crossed the Mississippi and either the Missouri or the Illinois rivers undetected and moved about 400 miles to join what I now called the CSA Chicago Division.

After this unit joined the "Chicago Division" I believe the two divisions had then reorganized as a corps. The CSA Kansas unit too had had no supply, had found its way across Missouri and met up with the fleeing CSA division from Chicago. It had done this relatively undetected and despite a series of battles, was now at full force.

The two units were at full strength and now joined! Plus the only real military resistance I had, despite catching that corps in the open prairie of Central Illinois and coming at it from three directions, had been pretty much wiped out.

My Union units were struggling to remain at full strength in one of the hot beds of abolition. Yet, here were CSA units, out of supply, more than 400 miles from the nearest friendly outpost, fighting a bitter rear area battle, surrounded and they were at full strength after six months of service. AND they had organized into a corps. Holy Cow! They must have Superman operating their replacement system. Even today, with modern logistics and airborne supply what the game credits the Chicago Corps with being able to do would be recognized as near impossible.

In the same game, I had surrounded a number of CSA large-scale raids in Maryland and Pennsylvania. These Army-sized raids had managed to capture Baltimore and Philadelphia.

Despite that, I was able to put together a very large force that destroyed two CSA armies, and trapped the CSA units, during the winter, in Philly and Baltimore. Late in the winter Robert E Lee, leading yet another CSA army, invaded the Delmar Peninsula. I had large corps units near Wilmington, DEL and I sealed him in with two well-led corps.

I thought this would be the end of the Eastern campaign. I had a CSA corps trapped in Philly and it was about to die, I had an army trapped in Baltimore and it didn't appear to be effective anymore and now I had a CSA army trapped in the large and flat Delmar area.

Simple plan, kill the CSA unit in Philly, turn on the CSA in Baltimore and then enter the Delmar and get Lee.

Without any type of battle, Lee bypassed those armies blocking the peninsula and joined a sortie from Baltimore that destroyed a large corps. In the four weeks that followed, the CSA, in this area, destroyed most of my USA units.

Using the same peek I'd used in Illinois, I discovered that despite the fact I'd trapped and killed two CSA armies and by now a large CSA corps, that the CSA force I was facing was somewhat larger than my entire force on the Eastern front.

And it was in Baltimore. And most of my units were trapped on the other side of Baltimore because that's where the defense line was before Lee bypassed it. From being on the strategic offensive and having the desirable defensive tactical side of the battle, I was now on the strategic defensive and the tactical offense. The game was over.

Move the Capital to New York, abandon Maryland, and attempt to use the weak, but successful forces that remained to defend Philadelphia. That is, assuming the USA forces could even leave Maryland. The CSA was hunting them down with greater skill than my peninsula traps were capable of mustering.

It isn't the first time that I've trapped AI forces on a peninsula and seen them skip over my units. I don't understand the mechanics of how this is happening. This usually happens in Virginia with smaller units in Hampton Roads. The trap has sometimes included naval forces and fortified units with good cavalry and scouting. It is frustrating. This time it ended the game.

I was very frustrated. I am very frustrated.

Several thoughts about the game. First, if units can get replacements under the conditions I described above, I think that should be ended. Simply put, to receive the benefit of replacements your unit should be able to trace ordinary supply lines back to home territory.

Second, what the heck is happening that I'm not getting about these units on peninsula and their movement around my defense lines? I assume I'm setting the defensive posture incorrectly or not understanding how to order these units to block any attempts by the enemy to pass through a region.

So, here is a brief checklist of my situation. It is slightly different in the West than in the East, but they share the Very Strong AI. In the West there are garrisons in each Midwest town with a strong garrison in the major cities and a force defending river crossings.

Fortified in depth? Check. Cavalry out. Check. Naval forces in position to prevent the use of water as an escape or entry? Check. Well led? Yep.

In the East I tend to use a defense in depth, having fortified two lines along key defensive positions, such as the Potomac, or placing strong forces at the head of peninsula with associated naval forces guarding the flanks.

How could an enemy unit penetrate 400 miles or more without detection and then attack and occupy a large northern city (that was well garrisoned?) in the West?

How can a CSA army escape being trapped, and even grow stronger anywhere in the North, but especially on peninsula or when in a besieged city?

What am I missing, or is this a game design and AI issue? Are there workarounds?

[Jim-NC]

For one thing, you are several updates behind. I don't know of anyone who has 1.11 anymore. Most players are on 1.15 or 1.16. Without looking at your game in particular, most answers would be guesses at best.


One good thing, is that you can look at Athena's (the AI) moves each turn, and track down how this happened. Use the "go back 1 turn" function to see what happened, and why. That will show you the CSA moves, and you can attempt to determine why they were able to do what they did. You can also attempt to "play yourself" by giving orders for both sides, and see if you can recreate the situation.

[pb783]

Updates=>

Yep. I was so frustrated by this series of events I haven't played the game in two years. I found my notes about the incident. I'm trying to reload the game and hope to try it again, with the most recent patch. (Of course now it won't start. I seem to have a corrupted file too!)

I'll try the game again and use your suggestion of looking over the AI's shoulders for information on why and what it is doing.

Still, the ability of a very strong AI to rescue troops in this situation does not endear it to me.

[Pat "Stonewall" Cleburne]

Updates=>

Yep. I was so frustrated by this series of events I haven't played the game in two years. I found my notes about the incident. I'm trying to reload the game and hope to try it again, with the most recent patch. (Of course now it won't start. I seem to have a corrupted file too!)

I'll try the game again and use your suggestion of looking over the AI's shoulders for information on why and what it is doing.

Still, the ability of a very strong AI to rescue troops in this situation does not endear it to me.

I think I started on 1.10, but I moved up to the new patches rather quickly. Sounds like some of your problem could be from force distribution. If you move 10 divisions in that aren't connected by chain of command, then even 1defeat can send all 10 divisions running. If you don't form good army/corps structures, it's not uncommon to see 100k men lose to 10k. This is because the manpower numbers show eveyone in the region, even if only 1 brigade actually engaged.

Anyway, the updates between 1.10 and 1.15 fixed alot of AI and ZOC issues. Try it out.