Ogres too timid in Campaign

[cheGEVara]

I'm playing scenario 8 in the Campaign. The train has to wait 8 turns before it leaves, and the Ogres have to try to kill it. However, in the face of 2 groups of Superheavies and several howitzers pre-placed in the scenario, the Ogres have backed off to a safe space 9 hexes from the howitzers. They appear to be willing to wait there until the train leaves and I win.

This is not a playable scenario against the AI. Anybody have any different experience?

[GranitePenguin]

Originally Posted by cheGEVara

I'm playing scenario 8 in the Campaign. The train has to wait 8 turns before it leaves, and the Ogres have to try to kill it. However, in the face of 2 groups of Superheavies and several howitzers pre-placed in the scenario, the Ogres have backed off to a safe space 9 hexes from the howitzers. They appear to be willing to wait there until the train leaves and I win.

This is not a playable scenario against the AI. Anybody have any different experience?

Nope. The AI strength (or lack of) is one of the main issues with single-player (and has been from day one)

[cheGEVara]

And in Scenario 9, after destroying the broadcast centers, I had 1 GEV remaining in the west, who went all the way up to the northwest corner, chased by all 3 enemy Ogres. This allowed my Ogre to march unopposed to within missile range of the CP and blow it to smithereens.

The AI needs to be programmed with some sense of the objectives they are to protect.

[Dave Crowell]

It seems to play as if it has no idea what my victory conditions are, and that it can win by preventing me from achieving them.

If I win by destroying buildings, protect the buildings. If I win by destroying Ogres, keep the Ogres out of engagement.

[AurochJake]

Thanks for the feedback on this folks - I've passed it on and in the next round of updates, we'll take a look at how this can be improved.

Thank you

[GuyMacon]

Originally Posted by AurochJake

we'll take a look at how this can be improved.

(This is for the long term. Right now fixing bugs ad adding elements that are in the board game is a much higher priority.

In have a lot of experience programming A.I.s for Chess. I think you could learn a few things from the way the chess programs do it.

First, I am assuming that the A.I. looks at the result depending on what it does, and picks the move that it thinks best. In Chess, the A.I. typically assings 1 poit to a pawn (you gain a point if you take the opponent's pawn, lose a point if he takes yours) 3 points to a bishop, 9 to a Queen, and 9999 to a checkmated King (its OK to lose everything if by doing so you achieve checkmate). Controlling the center of the board gives you a fraction of a point, a queen that is trapped loses a fraction of a point, etc.) If the Ogre A.I doesn't follow this basis scheme, let me know and I will adjust my advice accordingly

I assume that the game does something similar; killing a super heavy tank gives you more points than killing a light tank.

So the first thing to do in the essential personnel scenario is to adjust the points so that killing the train or the track is a very high priority. Likewise, in the lucky break scenario killing infantry should give more points than normal, and killing infantry that is close to the disabled Ogre should be worth even more points.