Getting the AI to use APCs/MICVs?

[Uncle_Joe]

Hi all,

I'm recently back playing the game against consistently (had been playing Wargame:European Escalation for a bit but I really need the realism that SP:MBT offers!).

Anyways, is there some way to 'encourage' the AI to purchase and utilize APCs/MICVs?

I tend to play in the 6-8k point range and generally Pact vs Nato in the 80's. I've played a handful of battles recently and I have never seen either side using APCs/MICVs. Almost every OOB I oppose is a lot of dismount infantry, missile teams, and some MBTs (and some support). This is for meeting engagements.

I tried increasing the size of the map to see if that influenced the AI's choices but even at 100 hexes wide, the vast bulk of it's force consists of dismounted infantry.

I've tried both 'Tank-heavy AI' on and off and there doesnt seem to be much of a difference between the two (perhaps a platoon of tanks different).

Are there certain game conditions I can set to see more APCs/MICVs from the AI rather than massed dismounts?

Thanks in advance for any help!

[Suhiir]

The AI's choices of what units to buy are determined my what's known as a "Pick List".

A "Pick List" is a list of all (or at least most) the formations available to a specific nations OOB on a given date. Each formation is given a % chance that it may be selected. This is further modified by the availability code (the x0 to x3 radio code). And also by the number of points available for a given battle.

At 6 to 8K the AI can only afford a couple tank platoons, some SAMs, and a few mortars. By the time it's purchased this stuff it doesn't have enough points left for mech (APC/IFV) infantry so it buys dismounted.

If you want the AI to buy Mech infantry you need to be in the 10-15K+ range.

[Uncle_Joe]

Hi!

Ok, thanks for the info. 10-15k is quite a bit of stuff to manage! I tend to have a couple of companies of Motor Rifle troops with support. Moving up to a full Battalion might overload my brain lol.

So I guess there is just no way to 'scale' the battle? I mean, if I wanted to fight a company-level action (or Long Campaign), the AI will always just have a battalion(-ish) of dismounts rather than a company or so of mech infantry?

If I were to move up to 10-15k points, can I be reasonably assured the AI will then use APCs? The last thing I want is to be fighting against a short regiment of dismounts!

Thanks again for the info.

BTW, are the 'pick lists' something that are user-editable?

[Mobhack]

If you want to see what the AI buys, it is quite simple.

1) set the date and opponents in the game options launcher programme (saves having to manually set these in the game umpteen times)

2) Start game and go to the battle generator, set type of battle required, after setting the points in the preferences screen.

3) Set computer buy for BOTH sides, and manual deploy for BOTH sides. (This is the important bit as you want to look at their computer based (AI) purchases!).

4) you will get to deploy one side, now look at its buy, then exit its deployment.

5) you now get the other side to deploy, again examine its buy and now EXIT the game as you don't want to actually play it

Now repeat steps 2-5 20 to 30 times for each battle type, for the points you selected. You will now have an idea of the buy at that quantum of points.

6) change the points value radically and repeat

8K points is a lot of points in the 1950s, and just chump change in the 2000s when an MBT costs in the 500 point region, and even an APC can cost 250-350.

Don't do this till the patch is released, as the points are changed per the announcement.

AI pick list data is editable, but the information is not easy to change. Only for the experienced hacker. There is some post somewhere that explains it, and has a template spreadsheet for putting your data into somewhere. Try a forum search on "AI pick list" and see what emerges, if a) interested and b) experienced at back-filling DAT files to excel by hand and then exporting columns of text back into a data file.

Andy

[Uncle_Joe]

Hi Andy,

Thanks for the info. I actually followd that procedure to see what the AI was buying and it as I mentioned it was usually a very similar force with lots of dismounts.

I'll wait for the patch and then piddle with it some more. I'm tending to play 1985 era so I figured that 8000 points would be a fair amount.

In the end, I know I can just manually pick the AI's forces, but losing that little bit of surprise factor is something I'd prefer not to do.

Thanks again for your time!

[DRG]

The alternative to building a 15K game and waiting for the AI to surprise you would be to set the AI to HUMAN purchase then YOU buy what you want to face then let it deploy and attack you. Yes you will know what it has but you won't know what the AI will do with it and if you want to be creative one night you can sit down and build 20 battles like this, save them, then pick one at random a week or two from now and what's been bought won't be so clear in your head.

There are a 100 ways to set up a battle

Don

[Mobhack]

Of course - precisely who the AI opponent is may be rather important, as some armies where APCs are rare may have a leg company as the default "APC coy" buy, with the APC as the 2 alternatives (and requiring a fair amount of free buy points and also perhaps a lucky dice roll to buy as well). Or the enemy may be a leg-only nation (like Viet Cong, Mujadeen).

Ditto - what stance the enemy is in may be important. When delaying or defending it likes leg coys more than APC and so it tends only to buy those when remaining buy points are high. (A load of MG-only tin cans like FV432 or M113 dotted all over the landscape will only tend to give the AI infantry positions away while providing targets to plink, as the AI does not do mobile defence). When the APC have a cannon and/or the possibility of ATGM, then they may be useful AI toys of course.

Also - when it comes to any "chump change" remaining as it goes through the buy loop for the umpteenth time having bought big-ticket MBT, APC infantry, arty and SAM etc initially when it had lots of points left in the bank, the "round out" buy is leg infantry platoons, inf-at sections and other cheap as chips stuff in the main.

cheers
Andy