What do you suppose is the difference between your AIs and Japan's AIs? Some AI-nation bonuses meaning their units suffer less for the clunkiness?
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The only thing I can think of is their AIs have full CONTROL, no limits, so they can change the Chain-Of-Command, replace Commanders, and all kinds of things at will. Also, they are really just fighting the Pacific Allies. In other words, the US, Australia, and New Zealand. To all the other Allies this is a secondary theater and not worth focusing on.
IF the Axis went to war with the Comintern THAT could help greatly. But I think Germany isn't going to be triggered to start a war with Russia and Russia may not ever start a war with Germany. It's 1942 - they can start a war with each other anytime they want. But from what I understand Germany will not declare war on Russia unless it had totally defeated all its European neighbors. Which means that Governments-In-Exile are likely holding up the Eastern Front from ever forming. But I may be mistaken.
I'd imagine that this is essentially a failure of Paradox to adequately program what the US did during the war: essentially hand off the ETO (Europe) to the Army, and run everything through one HQ there and then hand off the PTO (Pacific) to the Navy, with a bit of a sop to MacArthur for him. Without killing the Japanese navy in several tough fights (ie, Midway, Coral Sea) and without the effectiveness of the lack of oil and supplies hampering operations (not to mention the disaster that is China)... the AI has nothing holding them back.
Honestly, at what point do you just take over control and start correcting all these terrible terrible things? I don't think the US AI Navy is actually going to gain the upper hand, your army in the Philippines is about to be crushed due to supply, and Europe is a mess. At this point, it's just watching a slow trainwreck.
So, as I see it, I have three Options:
Option One - Stop the Experiment declare it a complete failure. The Artificial Intelligence in this game is trash. Like the spelling, the grammar, and some of the historical information.
Option Two - Let the AIs continue with their goals and see if they could win....anything...in the end.
Option Three - Take over completely. And manually run all operations.
Now, I still want to see what the AI is able to do and test its limits. So I have decided to split my choice between Option Two and Option Three.
In other words I will take over 1st Army and allow the Marines to continue under their AI. The 2nd Army will be left along - mostly because it is spread all over the place and pretty useless right now. I WAS thinking about handing it over to the Marines but it still is going to be useless for the next few months.
Any suggestions? Comments? Feedback?
Just remind me how the over-arching AI set-up is at the moment - ie how far down you have allocated units and what level you have determined the objectives?
So, as I see it, I have three Options:
Option One - Stop the Experiment declare it a complete failure. The Artificial Intelligence in this game is trash. Like the spelling, the grammar, and some of the historical information.
Option Two - Let the AIs continue with their goals and see if they could win....anything...in the end.
Option Three - Take over completely. And manually run all operations.Now, I still want to see what the AI is able to do and test its limits. So I have decided to split my choice between Option Two and Option Three.
In other words I will take over 1st Army and allow the Marines to continue under their AI. The 2nd Army will be left along - mostly because it is spread all over the place and pretty useless right now. I WAS thinking about handing it over to the Marines but it still is going to be useless for the next few months.
Any suggestions? Comments? Feedback?
Depending on the answer to that - and having way less experience of AI control than you do, I'd say Option 2 for a while, but even more AI-centric:
- Objectives set only at the Theatre level and then give the AI full control otherwise.
- Including the ability to reallocate units with whatever forces are assigned to the respective theatres.
This would be after you do any more theatre boundary editing and re-orging with forces allocated between them to set things up for this new phase.
- All naval and air forces initially reassigned at Theatre level only - then let the AI control their allocation and employment from there.
- You could even let forces be automatically deployed thereafter, though if you retain control of anything I reckon it should be the production queues and where the units are allocated.
- Presuming Pacific, Home (US & Central/South America) and European (Europe, Africa, Middle East) Theatres?
This could be a 'control' to see if part of the problem with the AI is having partial human control at lower levels putting off it's ponderous 'thinking' on naval/amphibious operations.
If you're already pretty much doing most of that, then its Option 1 or 3 depending on whether you've had enough and want to start a new HOI3 experiment/AAR or have invested in this one enough that you'd like the chance to get the war back on course, having handicapped yourself by letting the AI have such a free hand until now.
The Marines (Pacific) are Theatre level AI but can't reorganize their units. The East Coast are Army level AIs and also can not reorganize their units. I could give the Marines 100% control while still taking over 1st Army and leaving 2nd Army alone.
AI Experiments In HoI3
Chapter Two Hundred-Thirty-Two : Reorganizing The Military
The 1st Army Transport Fleet Heading Out
Chapter Two Hundred-Thirty-Two : Reorganizing The Military
The 1st Army Transport Fleet Heading Out
As you know we left off with Christmas Island being a defeated and Santa going to a POW camp. We did not just lose the island but the Pacific's Chain-Of-Command had a huge hole blown into it. Oh, and Christmas was cancelled.
The 1st Army upper rank and file were still busy fleeing in the Middle East. I turned off their AI and went to start giving the 1st Army units their orders.
The two Air Groups in Iceland were sent to Cagliari. At the southern point of the Island of Sardinia. They will help the local British forces fight the Italian ground troops on the northern tip of said island. And keep the Port secure.
The 1st USAAF Strategic Bombing Group was sent to Gibraltar. I wanted it to NOT fly over German occupied Europe.
Then I ordered the 1st Army Transport Fleet to the Port of Cagliari. It would make a perfect base for operations inside the Mediterranean Sea. Oh, do I have plans for the Italian Lake.
To help our Production, a little, I stopped the creation of supplies. As we have 99999 in supplies. So I'm not too worried about that. I want military units! Meat shields! MEAT SHIELDS!
In our next chapter I will start the game and watch how everything unfolds. Will the train continue to wreck itself?
But not over unit reorganisation? Might be interesting to see what the AI concocts for any amphib ops when left to itself. That is, even if they're a bit strange by human player standards, allowing it to create combinations the AI feels comfortable with throwing around. After all, the Japanese AI seems well and truly capable of doing it. You still get to give the Theatre its overall objectives. And do you ever use the AI aggressiveness sliders? I never have and am not across how they work (or don't) but would be interested if anyone has working experience of them.So I linked as many units as I could to the surviving Corps or directly to the Theater HQ. Then I gave the HQ full control of the Pacific operations.
Looking forward to what happens here.
Marine meatshields, especially?
Even if there is still a wreck, it will be interesting to see it wrecks in a different way. I say just let the Pacific Theatre duke it out AI vs AI with only objective setting and theatre-level new force allocations and then see what the AI creates out of that with reorg rights. You can be Frankenstein and it will be your monster!
I gave it full control. Even over organization. It's right there in the very image you copied. Right-lower corner.
As for Aggressiveness sliders I set them at the start of the game. I did have to set them on the East Coast HQ - it tells the AIs at Army level what tactics to use in Battles. How you set the Aggressive Sliders decides what tactics the Commanders have available to them.
Ah, missed that (was just looking at the one in the top left corner
). Good show! And you find the sliders have a significant effect? It seems so, otherwise I guess you would bother with them.
AI Experiments In HoI3
Chapter Two Hundred-Thirty-Three : Un-Pausing The Game
Total Machine Intelligence Controls ALL Pacific Operations
Chapter Two Hundred-Thirty-Three : Un-Pausing The Game
Total Machine Intelligence Controls ALL Pacific Operations
Even before I un-paused the game there was a report. It seems we beat off the Japanese attack on the Province of Bislig. The Americans lost not one soldier while the enemy only lost 3. Still, a Victory is a Victory.
When we closed the last chapter the Japanese were bombing the Phoenix Island. They haven't finished the Ground Attack yet. But this is, of course, a sign on where the Japanese plan to invade next.
An hour later the Island of Christmas officially became a part of the Empire of Japan.
Around the same time two things happened. The Americans hit the Japanese forces in Mount Apo.
While that attack seems silly, launching one American Division against three Japanese Divisions, it so happens those enemy Divisions were involved in the Battle of General Santos. It seems it disrupted the invasion and the Americans kept the Province! The Americans lost 752 soldiers while the Japanese lost 1,446 troops.
Hmmm. Looking at the above image it is more likely the American reinforcements had more to do with the Victory than a minor attack by a Cavalry Division.
The Japanese Ground Attack at Phoenix Island finally came to an end and the Americans reported 66 deaths among their ranks. Ouch.
At the sane time the Battle of Mount Apo was a Defeat. The Americans lost 9 men while the Japanese lost 6 men. Not surprised. I don’t even think the AI believed it could win that battle. It was meant to help tilt the Battle of General Santos into our favor. Maybe the Marines’ AI, when given full control, is smarter than I thought.
NAAAAA....
I have also focused our Technology into a more reasonable list of topics to research. The most important 20 Projects that could be done in a reasonable time.
I also went to peek at the 2nd Army. It was moving along just fine without any help from me.
So we close this chapter with a false sense of calm. More victories than defeats. Is that a good sign or just one of those things?
I’ll just trot out the old cliche of hopes and expectations (and not confusing them) But it’s better than nowt!
But it’s better than nowt!
AI Experiments In HoI3
Chapter Two Hundred-Thirty-Four : Weird Stuff Happening In The Pacific
Sailors Reading Mail, August 1942
I opened this chapter interested in what the Marine Corps HQ was doing with the Fleets. So I peeked at the 1st Marine Task Force first. It seemed to be on its way to the Japanese occupied islands of Palmyra and Jarvis. Not sure why. It had no Transports or Landing Craft full of troops. Maybe planning to hit them with the CAGs?Chapter Two Hundred-Thirty-Four : Weird Stuff Happening In The Pacific
Sailors Reading Mail, August 1942
Burke and the 3rd Marine Transport Fleet is heading all the way back to San Diego. I am not sure why. I assume the Marshall Islands still have some Divisions it could pick up. Maybe it plans to pick up the HQs?
I also noticed that six Wings of Naval Bombers were being sent to the Island of Kwajalein. A prefect spot to hunt for passing enemy Fleets. That's a good idea. Almost a human idea! Good, good.
At the Port of Davao, on the other hand, the AI had decided to split up the 1st Marine Transport Fleet and the Submarine Fleets. Remember when I use to complain about it combining them into massive groups? Well, now it looks like it wants loners. Of course...it could be adjusting the 1st Marine Transport Fleet to a size that Halsey can properly handle?
And it looks like it was leaving the 1st Submarine Fleet alone to do its job of Convoy Raiding.
On the other hand it looks like the 1st Transport Fleet had also been adjusted. It kind of looks like King had some of his Fleet absorbed by Spruance's Fleet. Oh my.
The 2nd Navy had no Aircraft Carriers! Hmmm....looks like King got all the disorganized ships dumped on him. I think what happened was the two Fleets were combined and damaged ships were split off and given to King.
As time was allowed to move forward again I received a bunch of reports at midnight of the 7th. At least three Provinces in the American Northwest had their Infrastructure improved.
Hopefully this would help Seattle pump out more supplies for the Pacific forces. Which is likely wishfully thinking on my part.
So I watch as the Pacific slowly carries out its own plans while my own units slowly crawl towards Europe to carry out my plans. I wonder who will be able to reach their goals first?
This is interesting. You have the added intrigue of wondering what strange reorgs will happen in the Pacific without having to manage any of it. Just sit back and watch the show, while you prepare Operation HQ Revenge in the Europe/Middle Eastern theatre! Just like watching TV!