Wonder if I can observe on the AI, particularly the Military AI of the Central Powers in the Campaign game. I'd say straight away I have little knowledge of what I'm doing yet and am really focussing here on the military aspect of the game as opposed to diplomacy, economic etc.
Playing as the Entente, I chose war plan XIX, the Germans, von Moltke. I must say that the idea of forcing the nations to conform to mandatory doctrines is brilliant, stopping people like me from using WW 2 strategies in WW 1. Having said that, Heinz Guderian's grandfather is alive and well and is a french infantry officer as we'll see.
Within the confines of the doctrines, it is possible to work out a reasonable strategy. For the French, the key on the West front would seem to be the area of Morhange. So the strategy was to attack this region with the fullest strength available, breakthrough if possible and head into Germany. The 2nd Army was tasked accordingly. The 4th and 7th armies broadly had the job of occupying the German left whilst the 5th would try to exploit and widen any breach made by the 2nd Army. The Russians would occupy the German forces in W Prussia whilst their 8th Army was given the honour of the road to Berlin.
The Serbs would occupy Belgrade and see what happened.
The plans went quite well. Despite some losses, Morhange was a succesful engagement, Metz was besieged, although the fortress was not assaulted. The French right v German left was about a draw. The Russians took heavy losses from the Germans but the reinforced 8th Army gained an open road to Berlin.
By October, the Russian 8th was just short of Berlin. Resistance seemed to evaporate - I am unclear as to how this happened although I did see that units were being pulled out of Prussia - maybe to mount a strong defence of Berlin? The French 2nd Army, although unsupplied, was also well on its way to Berlin, having captured a number of German cities during its advance. The 5th Army destroyed German resistance at Thionville and managed a break out to Mosel and the Rhineland. the 4th and 7th Armies had also done a very good job of nullifying the German left. From a German point of view, there is no West Front anymore.
The Austria_Hungary troops have done almost nothing. Up to October, they managed one attack and were defeated.
I'd like to say what happened next, I can't - as the 5th Army was celebrating its achievement, the pesky game crashed. All gone.
Obviously the above is just a broad indication of events in the game. However, I'm wondering just what the AI would be doing about a fairly perilous position. There seems to be no defence in depth that I've come across so far on the West Front. An attempt was made to counter attack the french units besieging Metz but it was a poor affair and easily beaten off. The two armies on the German left wing in France don't seem to have any coherent plan - numbers were being whittled down and one is isolated. There did not seem to be any reaction from the Germans to the long charge into the Fatherland by the French and the 5th Army in the Rhineland is a serious blow.
Had I been able to continue the game, I don't believe that I would have taken Berlin, but it would have left a rather peculiar and very ahistorical situation for trench warfare. Does the AI of Germany have a plan to counter this sort of position?
Bern
I wonder if the supply fixes Calvinus has introduced with the last beta patch would stop your 5th Army's rampage.
An important aspect here is that you capturing one German city after another probably failed to raise the German spirit (failed national resurgence check), and plummeted German National Will. That had to lead to mutinies, and thus the loss of many units.
Most of the German plans are "all or nothing" ones, most notably Schlieffen and Moltke. As such, the AI may find itself in hard situations.
An important aspect here is that you capturing one German city after another probably failed to raise the German spirit (failed national resurgence check), and plummeted German National Will. That had to lead to mutinies, and thus the loss of many units.
Most of the German plans are "all or nothing" ones, most notably Schlieffen and Moltke. As such, the AI may find itself in hard situations.
Yes maybe - I hadn't considered the overall effect of the capture of German cities. An 'all or nothing' approach is particularly difficult for the AI in that it is difficult to program for unexpected happenings.
That said, if it is at all possible within the doctrinal rules of the game, I do feel that a second line of defence on the Western Front consisting of no more than two or three corps would be useful to the German AI in the context of the longevity of a game.
Bern
That said, if it is at all possible within the doctrinal rules of the game, I do feel that a second line of defence on the Western Front consisting of no more than two or three corps would be useful to the German AI in the context of the longevity of a game.
Bern
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