Waterloo AI Questions

[mitra76]

I open this thread in order to reply the best I can to the questions you can have on the AI and modding AI you can have. Please for maintain some order, don't make too many questions in a single post, it doesn't matter how many posts you going to do but in this mode is easier to me the reply post by post (english is not my mother language, it takes my the more time reply to a question)

[Gunfreak]

Is the artillery ai more active. (Does it move closer to the enemy to fire canister, then pull back)

Is there a diffrent ai for the horse artillery then foot artillery.

[mitra76]

Is there a diffrent ai for the horse artillery then foot artillery.

No, in this case the single gun logic was not so different to justify this ( but if I remember well, Jim created separated movement values for horse and foot guns); the battery logic, which is the main difference, is influenced more from his battery and division commander aggressivness (style) (see below) and horse battery being attached to cavalry divisions in the biggest part of case are usually deployed more aggressively. But in theory is possible to do this if a modder want create own type of officer.

Is the artillery ai more active. (Does it move closer to the enemy to fire canister, then pull back)

The deployment of a battery or a brigade is determined from schema of deployment selected from the division commander (the technical term is "play" ), this schema is activated when one of brigade\battery of division enters in action. Waterloo has more advanced schemas than Gettysburg and more locations for batteries and cavalry. So aggressive AI division commanders can deploy batteries, in the front or on the flank of enemy, depending from the possibility of space (gettysburg deployed batteries only on the high ground behind).

Regarding the pullback, it is linked to the "Stance" of battery (Stances like in Gettysburg are Hold to the last, All out attack, etc.., they are a core concept of game AI, also if in Gettysburg we (or at least me) never understood them well). In Gettysburg the pull back distance of unsupported batteries was a fixed distance, in Waterloo it change depending from the stance of battery commander.

[Marching Thru Georgia]

In the Gettysburg game the battery commander used only two stances, Hold At All Costs, and None. Does the new artillery AI use more than these two?

[mitra76]

In the Gettysburg game the battery commander used only two stances, Hold At All Costs, and None. Does the new artillery AI use more than these two?

Yes differently from Gettysburg, Artillery and Cavalry have own places in the schemas and linked to this a stance related more variable like for the infantry.

[Marching Thru Georgia]

Very good. Will the artillery move up and support the infantry as it advances? In Gettysburg, the AI forgets about the artillery after it deploys the first time and it almost never moves again.

[Davinci]

Is the new game designed to only allow for corps size battles and below, or can the player command a whole army as the previous game allows?

Thanks,

davinci

[mitra76]

Very good. Will the artillery move up and support the infantry as it advances? In Gettysburg, the AI forgets about the artillery after it deploys the first time and it almost never moves again.

This depends from his "spot" in the schema and if it is not the first engaged unit of division before the "play" starts, because already engaged units are not forced to change place. If the battery is not already shooting is forced to move the the destination spot. More aggressive schemas foreseen frontal positions. So movements of single subunits of a division in fight are based mainly on three factors: division "play", engaged yes\no, his stance. A battery which lost his targets but still has enemy visibile and with a aggressive stance will react trying to return in fighting range (a battery in hold to the last will react to enemy only to distance equal to his firing range, other stance using multiplicator of the firing range), a division which terminate his "play" because there're no more engaged unit between his brigade, will restart the global movement to the previous tactical objective.

Another situation possible is that if the battery commander has not possibile targets and has aggressive stances (from defend to above) can search to move to a best ground in a range around him.

[mitra76]

Is the new game designed to only allow for corps size battles and below, or can the player command a whole army as the previous game allows?

Thanks,

davinci

Like before, all the hierarchy levels are permitted

[Marching Thru Georgia]

Does the corps AI do more in this game than just give initial movement orders at the start of a battle? Does it dive orders to the divisions during the fighting?