Would it make sense to limit stacking, to avoid the AI overstacking?

[vaalen]

I have noticed that this game unfortunately is afflicted with the AI making superstacks, far beyond the possibility of being in command, and I have noticed this in PON as well. These stacks are not realistic, to say the least, and can cause some real problems.

Which leads to this question - Would it be possible to restrict stacking, in one stack, to no more than could possibly be in command in a single stack?
(In this game, it would be 48 command points plus the increase that could be added with special units like communications, etc,)

You could still have multiple stacks in the same area, but no stack could exceed the limit.
And, if possible, the AI would try to have all its stacks fully commanded.

I do not know how difficult or even possible this is, but I really think it would help the games.

[Kensai]

Stacks of doom should be disallowed, agreed. I think the ideal number is the max CP the AI can get (plus its inherent, according to difficulty, bonus percentage) increased if the AI desires up to a max 10% penalty. If it surpasses this number, the AI should not be allowed to add more units to the stack. This way the AI will be forces to run efficient armies up to a max of 10% penalty.

[Owl]

The 10% proposal does sound good, though what about stacks that start with a higher penalty in some AGE games, I assume the AI would split them up on the first turn?

[bob.]

I don't think it needs to be prohibited. It's a terrible strategy anyway.
The only problem here is that the AI does it. So I would say you should fix the AI doing it, not prohibit it!

[Owl]

I think that is exactly what Kensai proposed. Making the AI not doing it and prohibiting the AI from doing it is, in scripting terms, probably the same.

[bob.]

Ah yeah, I see now. Then I agree with that.

[vaalen]

Stacks of doom should be disallowed, agreed. I think the ideal number is the max CP the AI can get (plus its inherent, according to difficulty, bonus percentage) increased if the AI desires up to a max 10% penalty. If it surpasses this number, the AI should not be allowed to add more units to the stack. This way the AI will be forces to run efficient armies up to a max of 10% penalty.

Kensai, I think you have come up with the ideal solution.
Thank you.

[fred zeppelin]

Kensai, I think you have come up with the ideal solution.
Thank you.

Agreed.

[Carnium]

Stacks of doom should be disallowed, agreed. I think the ideal number is the max CP the AI can get (plus its inherent, according to difficulty, bonus percentage) increased if the AI desires up to a max 10% penalty. If it surpasses this number, the AI should not be allowed to add more units to the stack. This way the AI will be forces to run efficient armies up to a max of 10% penalty.

But would they still be able to roam around with huge stacks without leaders and commit "deep raids" with them?

[ohms_law]

I'd worry about the 10% solution being too restrictive for the AI. There are certain instances, especially defensively, where (somewhat) larger stacks are a smart move. I'd really rather see the guys address the underlying issue itself, rather than implement a "fast and dirty" kludge solution like that.

[Shri]

you do take a hit to combat also if there is CP penalty.
So 10% or maybe 20% if max possible limit for AI is a good option to have.

[fred zeppelin]

Thinking about this a bit more, it seems to me that preventing the AI from over-stacking would address the symptom, but the underlying problem is why the AI is building super-stacks in the first place. I wonder if it's not a consequence of the limited tools available to coordinate units

For example, suppose the AI has an Army in Province A and an independent Corps in Province B, is there code in the game that tells the AI to somehow coordinate the two? The human player will move them in concert even in absence of a linked command structure. Does the AI know to do this?

The way the game engine works at present, half the units on the map have no command structure whatever. Unless there is some additional code telling the AI how to handle them, the only way the AI has to coordinate a Corps with an Army is to stack them together.

Just a thought.