[FASTBOAT TOUGH]

The one lesson I learned early on partly from the AI is to change it up a little with the use of on map arty. The AI from my experience to a larger extent prefers to use regular field howitzers vs. SPA types. Also I've noticed VERY rarely does it provide transport for them and never have I seen it have ammo support for it's on map arty either, this might have something to do with the fact the AI is always armor and infantry heavy. Remember I might be seeing these issues because ALL my campaigns run 21 to 23 battles at least. MRLS does in the game and real world make a very effective CB option. I understand the issue over the AI using limited ammo usage arty early on. The counter to this problem is again the real life solution of on map arty having organic ammo resupply as in real life. PIM (PALIDAN now.), CAESAR, TORNADO, G6, DONAR, ARCHER etc. all have dedicated ammo resupply units and come that way from the factory. They work together as a team. If you want it you should pay for it in that manner as a package deal. But again are their software issues within the game that would prohibit such an arrangement, I don't know. I will personally have organic ammo units for all my SPA and add transport also for Towed arty. I believe in "Shoot n Scoot" and giving myself the ability to maintain fully any HE or CM missions to support meeting the objective. So EJ as you get game one sometime in this lifetime, maybe, there's a little insight for you. As the player be aware the AI is EXCELLENT in CB missions vs enemy on map arty. I spend more time in placement of SPA/SPAA etc. then in most any other units as the AI seems and will give priority to destroying them. Same holds true for ATGW crew served units and if you think about it's probably what you'd do as well. This again is one of the best attributes the AI possesses when it comes to arty. It will hammer you and when you think you've made it through and you start moving or shooting, it'll start with the mortars (AI loves mortars!) and hammer you again. This happened to 3 of my TOW teams that were causing havoc on the Chinese, they got hammered by 60mm, 81mm, 85mm MRLS, 120mm and 130mm (I didn't know it had then about 8 turns in.) my units were suppressed, repressed and dare I say depressed. The AI moved on to other missions, once I started to move them an FO or something called in the mortars and the process started over again to a lesser degree. Surprisingly they survived but except for one team they never really got back into the game again due to surpression. The AI isn't perfect and even a couple of the fixes mentioned would make it more competative in this area, but in the situations as just decribed it's excellent.

Regards,
Pat