AI: Rough Terrain Immobilization

[Mobhack]

Originally Posted by RERomine

In this case, there didn't appear to be a risk free way around them. It looked like a dry river bed in the desert, for lack of something else to call it. Basically, it was three hexes wide with rough on the sides and a rough slope in the middle. It twisted from the top of the map South two thirds of the way down and then angled back to the Southeast. It didn't quite come all the way to the bottom of the map.

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

That said, I didn't check it for safe crossing points because I didn't need to cross it. It wouldn't have altered my deployment for the delay. People might evaluate avenues of approach, but I think the AI deploys first and then takes the fastest and most direct route to the objectives. There is no basic forethought apparent in deployment with respect to the avenues of approach by the AI.

Before I have developers coming after me with tar and feathers, I should add that I wouldn't expect the AI to worry about avenues of approach during deployment. While it might be possible to create a program that employs planning and tactics like Rommel or Patton, it would probably have to run on a mainframe system because of all the horse power it would need. It's not practical to program for everything, since it's a game. I'm just pleased to seem improvements over this version compared to other and earlier versions available.

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