Odd AI Behavior

[RERomine]

Since it seems to be coming up, I figured I would start a thread on AI actions that seem out of the ordinary or illogical:

1. Running into their own minefields, before visible contact established between opposing sides.

2. Dashing West out of prepared positions during a defend, before victory point hexes have been captured. The time this happened, my units had been spotted and engaged, but the AI units were actually heading away from those units. I was in the enemy rear at the time and do have a nice screen print of this.

3. AI dropping artillery 9 hexes in front of my LD before I have even moved on turn 1. Impossible for me to be there yet.

4. Auto pivot to face frontal armor toward firing unit. I understand what the intent was here, but this gets more tanks killed than anything. Normally, the firing unit is off at an angle to the target and this angle creates an artificial armor slope which the code takes into account when determine shot effectiveness. That artificial slope causes shots to deflect the vast proportion of the time. I know often I won't get a kill on a target at an angle when firing a gun marginally capable of killing the target. I just keep firing until the pivot and then the kill comes. When I fire, I always angle my armor off full frontal so that I get benefit from that when the target fires back, if it doesn't die. I have to re-angle my tank after each responding shot. It renders British 2pdrs very ineffective except at very close range.

[DRG]

1, 2 and 3..... when you get a save game everyone can look at, do post it

4. That's your experience. Other will say without the pivot their tank would have taken a side shot. This is not going to change.

Don

[RERomine]

Originally Posted by DRG

1, 2 and 3..... when you get a save game everyone can look at, do post it

I have attached a .ZIP file with a save in it. Background information is listed below to try to help understand what was occurring at the time. The game was a save for an ongoing campaign.

With respect to item #2, at locations (70,70), (70,71), (70,72) and (70,73), the AI had four British Valentine III tanks positioned. Those bolted out heading West. One can still be seen heading West at location (59,71). At locations (70,49), (70,51) and (72,49), the AI had three British Grant I tanks positioned. They started out briefly Southwest and then also turned West. One of those Grant I tanks can be see heading West at location (64,54). Numerous infantry positions also appear to have been abandoned by units heading west.

This all started after my units engaged two 40mm Bofors in the enemy rear area. The Valentines started moving when I attacked the first AA gun. Then the Grants started to move.

Additionally, it might be possible to validate item #1. As mentioned, the Valentine tanks headed West. The one tank still visible to me might have passed through a mine field to get to it's present location at (59,71). It is West of a mine hex at (61,72). I can't tell if the line of mines continued North and was consequently in the path of the Valentines, but you might be able to.

4. That's your experience. Other will say without the pivot their tank would have taken a side shot. This is not going to change.

Don

It probably varies with tactics employed. I try to be respectful of the AI guns and engage at a distance, which makes most shots against some frontal aspect of the target. With stronger tanks mixing with the enemy at close range, flank shots are more likely. Since it depends on tactics and equipment used, I can understand not changing it.

[RERomine]

Just to see what would happen, I pretty much holed up my force where they were in the enemy rear and zipped through the remaining turns of the battle.

In the post battle review, I found the most of the AI tanks milling around in what would have been my rear area if I had any units back there. Some were literally three hexes from the back edge of my side. Most of the AI infantry moved out as well. Only ATGs(4), AA(1), mortars(1) and bunkers(3) were around the objectives. Everything that moved abandoned the objectives. I had my whole battalion close by but could have taken the objectives with a platoon.

As a follow-up on item #1, the that mine field hex I mentioned was the Northern most in that line, so the Valentines don't appear to have passed through them.

[PopskiPPA]

Regarding auto pivot
How about teaching the AI not to present 12 o'clock but 11 or 01?
Just like the drivers of a Tiger were taught, show the corner, not the front (for Tigers it was 10:30 and 01:30).
This adds 15% to the front armor and doubles the side armor. It protects the front and all hits to the side should glance off.

Maybe a check could be implemented if the front armor is a lot stronger than the side armor (e.g. Panther) and then decided if it's better to present the front or the corner.

[gila]

Originally Posted by PopskiPPA

Regarding auto pivot
How about teaching the AI not to present 12 o'clock but 11 or 01?
Just like the drivers of a Tiger were taught, show the corner, not the front (for Tigers it was 10:30 and 01:30).
This adds 15% to the front armor and doubles the side armor. It protects the front and all hits to the side should glance off.

Maybe a check could be implemented if the front armor is a lot stronger than the side armor (e.g. Panther) and then decided if it's better to present the front or the corner.

Would any tank crew under fire have time to adjust to optimum angle?I think panic and self preservation would be the first reaction(knowing the 2nd or 3rd could be a kill shot) and they would quick move to frontal position, and pray!

[RERomine]

Originally Posted by PopskiPPA

Regarding auto pivot
How about teaching the AI not to present 12 o'clock but 11 or 01?
Just like the drivers of a Tiger were taught, show the corner, not the front (for Tigers it was 10:30 and 01:30).
This adds 15% to the front armor and doubles the side armor. It protects the front and all hits to the side should glance off.

Maybe a check could be implemented if the front armor is a lot stronger than the side armor (e.g. Panther) and then decided if it's better to present the front or the corner.

From a programming perspective, it opens a can of worms to try to code specifically for one type of tank. As Don mentioned, what I was seeing was based on my experience. I'm playing a German campaign and am currently in North Africa. I did some test firing against of a British 2pdr against a Pzkw IIIe. At a 30 degree angle, 61% of hits deflected, while at a 0 degree angle 26% of hits deflected. Hits that didn't deflect penetrated doing damage or killing the target. So what I was seeing is true.

But lets look at the tank I tested. It has hull armor of 3 all around and the turret front is 5 and sides and rear 3. With a tank like that, it benefits from the artificial slope my 30 degree angle created. That's because the hull armor on the front and side are the same. Odds are, the turret will be turned toward the enemy so that's not a factor.

Now, lets look at a tank like the Panther A. It has front hull armor of 14 with sides and rear of 5. Without doing the math, I have to believe that my 30 degree angle is not going to generate a ballistic thickness for the side that occurs with the frontal armor and it's normal slope at a 0 degree angle.

With that, there is one instance where the angle helps and one where it doesn't. More than likely, considering tank design focused on making frontal armor significantly thicker than side and rear armor as the war went on, the auto pivot helps more than it hurts. It's a matter of knowing your equipment and doing what you can with it. As long as I have tanks with armor on the front, sides and rear that are close, I will impart the angle before I take my shots. When the frontal armor starts being significantly thicker than my side and rear armor, then I will face my enemy straight on before I fire. And all of this only matters if you are trading shots with one enemy tank. When there are dozens returning shots at you, auto pivot or manually setting the angle won't matter. Someone is going to get a sweet shot at you.

[DRG]

Originally Posted by RERomine

I have attached a .ZIP file with a save in it. Background information is listed below to try to help understand what was occurring at the time. The game was a save for an ongoing campaign.

Do you have a save of this game made at least 3 turns earlier ?. Even one made near the start would be helpful

Don


Ignore this. I found the info I was looking for

[RERomine]

Originally Posted by DRG

Do you have a save of this game made at least 3 turns earlier ?. Even one made near the start would be helpful

Don

Sorry, no

I didn't even realise I had the one I sent. It was just something I stumbled across.

I do have another assault getting ready to start so what I'll do is save the game at the start and turn by turn, just in case something useful comes up. If the AI acts as it has been, it should move units out before I get to the objectives. Also, I used my full complement of support points this time, so the I should expect to see the minefield belt be complete from the top to bottom of the map. That way, if the AI units do move out, they should cross the minefield to get to me.

[DRG]

No worries. I don't think I'll need them now.

Don