AI: Rough Terrain Immobilization

[RERomine]

Originally Posted by Mobhack

That dried up rough river bed terrain feature is called a "Wadi", and was one of our earlier landscape creations.

Cool, we are on the same wave length then, because I referred to it as a wadi earlier in the thread

The Camo AI does evaluate the line of approach a little. It will try to utilise paths that avoid bad going. It will also try not to run full-tilt into sticking terrain should it need to go across it but to try to only move a hex or so into same at its move start for reduced sticking chance.

It will also try to go deep and come in from behind your flank, sometimes. I have had panzer 3s and T34 do that, usually on thick woods maps. But more noticeable in MBT where the AI has access to e.g. BMP and T64, I have had it roll up the artillery park in my rear zone when a flank was left unguarded.

The original SSI code was however a simple case of a horde of "tin lemmings" charging down the objectives as fast as possible, and the deployment for the attack was a predictable "Greek Phalanx" lined up in the middle 2/3 of the map just a couple of hexes behind the AI deployment line, for the most part.

Cheers
Andy

Tactically, it is much better than earlier versions of the code. Deployment is much better than it use to be. I remember I knew pretty much were I could lob artillery barrages and inflict heavy enemy casualties before even making contact. You pretty much described the AI assaults and advances to a tee. AI artillery would never counter-battery on-board artillery. Defense deployment used by the AI was very predictable. Bunkers, forts, pillboxes, etc., always pointed forward and placement was often pointless.

Now, the AI launches flanking attacks, defenses are more unpredictable, artillery fires counter-battery and I've yet to find a fortification buried deep in a forest defending nothing by trees. The sprinkling of mines on assaults is annoyingly devious.

In general, I ask questions because there are people who could give me the answer quicker than I could figure it out myself.