AI question.

[stormbringer3]

I've just downloaded the latest patch. My question is that although the patches always improve the game in many areas, there doesn't seem to be any obvious AI enhancements. Does the game engine's age prevent any meaningful enhancements?
Steel Panthers is still my favorite tactical game. I usually play a long campaign and the challenge is basically how large will the enemy horde be in that particular scenario of the campaign.
Thanks for any opinions.

[Imp]

Well this is subjective but I would say the AI has improved over time, might be something in the patch notes that tells you.
There have been a few specific tweaks I think for weapon types & overall target selection has improved. The AI also seems far less prone to lemming style movement than it used to be of old.
Mind I dont play vs the AI that much so could be wrong.

[DRG]

Seriously....... load a copy of SP2 , generate a few random games and play for an hour or so and then tell us if you still don't think the "AI" has been improved.


Don

[stormbringer3]

Fair enough. It has been about a year since I played the game. I've been playing a version of Steel Panthers since the very 1st release in the 1990's, so now I pick it up about once a year and play for awhile. I'll start a new long campaign and see the changes. I was wondering about AI enhancements because the patch notes usually mention about icon and unit changes, campaign and scenario changes, but I don't remember seeing many specifics about AI enhancements. However, I may have overlooked them if they were included in the patch notes.
Thanks for your answers to my post.

[Mobhack]

Originally Posted by stormbringer3

Fair enough. It has been about a year since I played the game. I've been playing a version of Steel Panthers since the very 1st release in the 1990's, so now I pick it up about once a year and play for awhile. I'll start a new long campaign and see the changes. I was wondering about AI enhancements because the patch notes usually mention about icon and unit changes, campaign and scenario changes, but I don't remember seeing many specifics about AI enhancements. However, I may have overlooked them if they were included in the patch notes.
Thanks for your answers to my post.

Then you should actually take the time to read the complete "release history" section of the game guide. Especially ther "AI imnterest" section.

But most AI changes are not listed since there are too many points to cover, and it would give things away to the player.

As Don says - fire up an old SSI version of the game, figure out how to get the mouse working in modern Windows etc, and try out the original "tin lemming horde charges the nearest V-hex" in glorious 640x480 MSDOS, if you think the AI has been left alone. Please don't' try an SP-Camo conversion - we tweaked the AI from the moment we had the actual code, i.e. post the original SP2WW2 hack of the SP2 code to allow new icons and WW2 orbats.

Attached for your delectation is a screen shot of the original SSI game, at full size and in the original bright blue icons for Germany and luminescent green for the Allies, as a reminder.

And we all thought that was just pure dead brilliant, back in 1996(?)

Andy

[void1984]

Finally everyone realizes that the AT in such complicated game can't beat an average human, so find an alive person to play with.
I especially like playing with friends I know personally, as they don't try cheap tricks and I know who I'm trying to win with.
AI is good for playing more, as it's always available, but I treat it as a training for PBEM games.

Maybe it would be possible for AI to keep tanks close to the infantry. I've been attacked by tanks without infantry support, which was 2 turns behind.

[stormbringer3]

Andy, thank you for bringing to my attention the game manual's update history. I've played the game for so many years that I rarely look at the game manual so I forgot about that being at the end of it. You have a fine game and if that wasn't so, I wouldn't still be playing it after all these years.
I have a feeling that a lot of new players to the PC wargame community are unaware of this game and that it plays very well with Windows 7. If you'd like, I can put a post on the Wargamer forum bringing it to people's attention.
Finally, I was looking in the manual and the above thread about hotkeys for the close assault hot key. I'm probably going blind but I couldn't find it. IIRC it's the control key. Would someone please comfirm this for me?
Thanks.

[Mobhack]

F for "fire" - the team decides if it will close assault assault, simply fire, or retire in tank panic itself depending on various factors. The player does not get to "choose" it.

Andy

[jivemi]

Hi folks. As new kid in the forum and a connoisseur of the SP game system (although not especially successful at it), I'd say that the most challenging way to meet the AI is by playing advances and assaults. That way, the AI has a tendency to wait, and the ball is in your court; you must take the initiative most of the time. With meeting engagements it's often too easy to simply grab a VH and then set up an ambush, demolishing the armor that usually charge toward it.

void1984 is right about human opponents. Trouble is, people like me who are somewhat digitally challenged (as it were ) find the PBEM feature a bit cumbersome and error-prone. I've tried two or three times with Spwaw, and each time I wound up sending back my opponent's turn by mistake after a couple moves. Never could figure out what I was doing wrong. However, the advice in the SPWW2 manual--to play a quick PBEM with yourself--seems eminently sound, and one of these days I'll try it out.

Thanks for your kind attention. In closing, please allow me to thank the wonderful people at Shrapnel who've made this outstanding tactical simulation possible. Cheers.