Some impressions and questions

[fantasy57]

I've acquired the game in August and have been following discussions here from time to time, but only recently started my first real game with the CSA.
I am now end of 1861, still alive, but having some hard times though.

I wanted to give some impressions in order to know if they are shared, and maybe get some answers too.

I remember early discussions about the IA being not agressive enough.
I am playing with 1.07f at the time with standard IA settings (+ extended IA time), but I have to say the Yanks have been agressive everywhere from day one, and especially clever at finding any gap in the large spaces(capturing unoccupied cities or making cavalry raids for example).
I only noticed two not so clever things :
- If you have a city on the front line besieged or threatened by powerful enemy forces but then take some nearby opponent city using for example a lone cav regiment, the IA will then to abort its siege and then rush back with its full forces to try to capture it back. That sounds a bit odd.
- I witnessed two landings in the Virginia/Northern Carolina area that could have been really painful for me, but with minor forces and with apparently no real strategic intent. So, they were quite easily broken.

Besides this, one word about generals.
I read that one of the only chance of the South was to use its superior command ressources by the beginning of the war...
Very frankly, I had the feeling from day 1 to be outnumbered by US generals numbers and that their abilities were not worse that my generals'.
There are not so many good CSA generals at the beginning, or they need time to get 2 or 3 stars...

Maybe 1862 will be a better year when Lee can move out of Richmond and generals like Longstreet and Jackson gain some experience.

[GShock]

I remember early discussions about the IA being not agressive enough.
I am playing with 1.07f at the time with standard IA settings (+ extended IA time), but I have to say the Yanks have been agressive everywhere from day one, and especially clever at finding any gap in the large spaces(capturing unoccupied cities or making cavalry raids for example).

It's true, the AI lately has become a very serious threat both in sieges and raids. Do not forget it's even better (up to Uber) if you put a tricked die roll on the activation for the AI. U can't make a mistake, that's for sure.

I only noticed two not so clever things :
- If you have a city on the front line besieged or threatened by powerful enemy forces but then take some nearby opponent city using for example a lone cav regiment, the IA will then to abort its siege and then rush back with its full forces to try to capture it back. That sounds a bit odd.

It depends on many factors, if you play CSA, USA needs to gain territorial control and can't allow you to slip through, however i've never witnessed such as you're saying but i think you should get 1.07i and see if it happens again.

- I witnessed two landings in the Virginia/Northern Carolina area that could have been really painful for me, but with minor forces and with apparently no real strategic intent. So, they were quite easily broken.

True, we feel the need to see USA seriously using those ships to load troops and do real amphibious assaults on Charleston but mostly, on New Orleans. It's something the AI doesn't do, but to give credit to AgeOD, no AI in this sort of game, actually manages amphibious assaults correctly.
I have seen many times the AI go for Norfolk though.

[Coffee Sergeant]

I found the default setting for AI aggressiveness under 1.07 to be very reckless, when playing as Confederates against a Union AI opponent. In the first few months it tired to run down the Mississippi and capture Corinth with Fremonth, with no support whatsoever. I destroyed the entire force which included an Army HQ. Most of its river fleet was destroyed in suicide runs past forts or entrenched units. Its mid 1863 for me as the Confederates. I have inflicted nearly twice as many casualties (250k vs. 400k) and have captured Washington, and little resistance is offered in the Weest.

I started a new game playing as Union, and turned the AI aggressiveness down to its lowest settings. The AI is still somewhat aggressive, but not as reckless as they were. The Union AI has to be somewhat aggressive, whereas the CSA mainly has to defend. I figured that attacking AI is probably harder than defending AI, and it might give players somewhat of a challenge playing as Union against a Confederate AI that mostly defends.