Back at the Japan I finally took the People's Republic Of China. And when I mean "I" I do mean me. The AI, now with many little Fronts, had no idea where to put its troops and when the war started with the Chinese Communists victory only happened because I rushed my Special Forces to the battle front while my Air Units blasted the enemy before they could leave their provinces.
My strategy was to ignore the spreading Chinese Divisions and ram my way to the Capital. Which worked - the People's Republic of China has little in the way of Victory Points. Also most of their Divisions were Militia with little Organization.
The end result is me coming to the conclusion that the level in which the AI is set is as important as the Army's equipment and numbers. If, for example, playing Germany while invading Poland or the USSR, you are going up against a large Front, yes, but only ONE Front. So turning on the AI on the Theater or Army Group levels is best. Even giving them control of some of the Air Units isn't a bad thing as long as they have airbases and you keep an eye on them.
But when facing the Western Front you have to look at it differently. A human player may see it as one Front. But a AI sees a bunch of tiny Fronts. Which may, or may not, become active War Fronts. So it is best to set up AIs for each of the National Borders. While allowing them to exchange information via a Theater HQ which is controlled by the player.
The farther down the AIs is activated the more PRECISION and CONTROL you will have on the Fronts. And for those with OCD the OOBs are easier to keep neater.
My Pacific AI (in the American AAR) is having issues because every Tag I put on every Island is a another small Front. While a, let us say, Germany Theater with Tags within the USSR can be seen to be dealing with only ONE Front. The size of the AI's forces needs to be based on the Front they are facing. If Denmark declares war on Germany the AI facing Denmark can handle it without the WHOLE Western OOB having to react to it. The other AIs will KNOW about but will likely stand their ground unless the AI facing Denmark needs help.
Yes, AI will send forces to help in other Fronts if they feel it is needed. I have no problem with that and will even reassign the reinforcements to the AI they are trying to help.
Its almost like a single AI can only handle one Front at a time. After that it has problems weighing the importance of where to puts its units. And in the end decides to mass its troops on the Front with the Nation with the highest threat level is. Or if many Fronts are equally threatening it moves units about. It just panics.
So I planned to reorganize the Chinese Theater. On the hopes that instead of massing its troops around Guangxi Clique it will also place units on the border with Yunnan and Xibel San Ma and British Southeast Asia. At least I was planning to but I joined the Axis and German started World War Two. And then I had to see how well the Imperial Japanese Navy could handle the British Asiatic Fleet.