The Comp (WARNING: Newb Question)

[Tiger_Reyth]

I'm sure I'm missing something but, how come every time I play the comp I feel like I'm the British fighting the Zulus in the Anglo-Zulu war -- except the Zulus always win!

I almost had a coronary one time when I chose the "view map" option after one of these comp slaughters -- the map was 10 hexes thick of rifle squads!

I'd hate to see the comp with the "Tank Heavy" option set to off! [img]/threads/images/Graemlins/Cold.gif[/img]

In fact I could here the radio call now:

• SITUATION TURN #1 TANK HEAVY SET TO OFF
  
  "Lt. Col. Sheridan we're surrounded on all sides by infantry! We need a napalm strike immediately! What? This is World War Two? We don't have napalm yet?? Oh well in that case, HEEEEEEEELLLLLLLPPP!

Given enough turns, it seems the comp will always win through overwhelming force -- he can afford the 3-1 casualties as the price for victory.

It doesn't seem like I can hold any position against such an overwhelming force

I feel like the only solution is to pick the force for the comp so I don't have to drown in an endless sea of rifle squads over and over

Do I just not know how to play?

I mean when the comp has soo many troops how can you win?

HELP!

Tiger_Reyth

[narwan]

Which sides did you play and what year for how many points? If you pick a modern side with expensive equipment and put it against a nation with very cheap older generation units you'll be overwhelmed for sure if you buy a sizeable force of expensive units yourself...

Narwan

PS Wouldn't happen to be UK vs Italy after 8/43 would it?

[Tiger_Reyth]

Well usually it's US vs. Japan 1945-1946 played with the full allotment of points the comp provides. :8}

I think I get your point...

T_R

[narwan]

The picklist for the AI also takes into account the actual availability of certain types of units for that nation at that time. So if certain types of armor are included int he OB but were 'experimental' or only available in very small numbers the computer is unlikely to get them, or if it does only a few.

Set the points yourself manually or better yet, buy a force which is barely large enough to cover all sectors of the map. Battles are a lot more fun if they're not slugfests with large forces moving at each other over the whole length of the battlefield. That's my opinion at least...
And oh yeah, japanese infantry is especially tough to deal with. So it's not really a good measuring stick as far as dealing with infantry goes.

Narwan

[Tiger_Reyth]

Hmmm, set the points yourself manually...

Exactly what do you mean by this?

For now I'm setting all opponents to Germany. That way I will get a good mix of opponent forces.

T_R

[JohnHale]

OK - after you've clicked on the "Battle" button to generate sides, click on "Preferences".

On the right-hand side of the screen you'll see a table of choices: you need the one that's near the bottom called "Battle Points". leave your opponents as "xxx" - this means computer generated (or random, in the case of air strikes). Minimum value is 250 pts - i.e. a group of infantry and a couple of dogs..... - and I haven't a clue what the Max is! I suggest you give yourself about 1,500 for an easily-managed battle.

Also look at the "map height/map width" buttons - minimum is 20 hexes by 20 hexes - i.e. a knife fight in a telephone booth - with a max of 200 by 160. This latter gives you plenty of room to manoeuvre in!

Press "Exit", and then "Continue".

Play around with these basic controls - we can move onto the more complicated/esoteric stuff later.

Have fun!

[Tiger_Reyth]

Oh ya those controls I never touch lol

I think the main point is that if I buy expensive units when my opponent doesn't have them available then he will be infantry heavy...

Which brings me to an important point:

Why should an an infantry heavy force win against more expensive and advanced stuff -- it almost seems like it's better to just overload with infantry and overrun everything...

T_R

[narwan]

Now that only works if you have enough infantry to cover the whole battlefield with large numbers. In other words, whether or not that swarming tactic has any change at all is in the first place determined by the balance between size of the battlefield and amount of troops available. Two battallions of infantry is a lot on a 60x60 map, on a 200x160 map you'll barely have enough to cover the whole front with a thin line and keep a few to guard rear victory hexes. Mobile forces opposing them will be able to move from sector to sector destroying them piecemeal keeping a few troops to suppress the rest in the mean time (using hmg's, mortars, light armor and some infantry units).

Narwan

[Tiger_Reyth]

Interesting tactic -- a mobile hit squad.

So you're saying that your advanced pieces which will have to be covering a much smaller area won't be overwhelmed by a combined infantry assault...

You mean that the infantry can't combine over a larger map because they are spread too far apart?

Hmmm, interesting...

T_R

[narwan]

More or less. Another advantage of the mobile force is that you don't have to hold the ground, just pull back steadily with your holding force inflicting casulties on the advancing hordes. The mobile element will give you the speed to retake ground quickly once the enemy force has been beaten. It doesn't really matter that much where you beat it, as long as you have the time and means to retake the victory hexes afterwards.

Narwan