PDXCON 2015: The Grand livestreaming schedule for PDS (Including HOI4)
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Yes, that we thought also when the AI was previewed for HoI3.
Worst case scenario is that the AI tries to race to the objective, neglecting flanks and terrain, using armor to cross rivers, while non moterized infantry is staying on plain terrain type and breaking up the cohesive advance.
Edit: If the AI could do it now, they would have showed it maybe a bit more clearly. For now we haven't seen anything spectacular with AI momevent or executing of a "Battleplan".
I have a question for the devs regarding defensive organisation. If you take a general with 4 divisions and assign him to cover three province defensively, will the AI cover the 3 provinces with one division each and hold back the 4th one? Will the AI commit all of the available divisions directly on the "front" provinces? I know this varies a lot but I'm really curious to see how the AI will implement the concept of reserves.
I really think that for us to be pleased with the system there will need to be some player input to assign a reserve. Be happy to be proved wrong, but I doubt the AI will cope with it.
And your question highlights some the deeper issues that the new Battle Planner will ultimately be judged by.
But that could be even worse, what would happen if one of the Polish provinces had fortifications? The AI cannot choose to ignore the players instructions.
If they're picking their own way there, surely they could be coded to take fortifications etc. into account. But I mean, ignoring that second province would risk creating a gap in the front, so normally I'd probably want part of the force to go there despite fortifications or poor terrain etc.
But hopefully it's not only prioritize. F.e. if I mod some new equipment like "amphibious tanks - The LVT's" in, I want them exactly placed in a specific marine division.
How is initiating the construction of many divisions going to work? Will the player have to click on an 'add' button 40 times to get 40 divisions, or will there be some batch system akin to hoi2/3? And will there be some kind of minimalistic view toggle of the division queue list or something else to get a good overview of what divisions you have on queue when you have a lot of divisions planned?
Have they said that? What if the general is allowed to interpret your orders, and deviate from them, or even ignore them?
One of the most famous sayings in military strategy is:
"No battle plan survives contact with the enemy."
In other words, the enemy forces might not do what you expect. Your own forces might not be able to do what you expect. Weather and other factors are not predictable. So immediately the plan might need to be adjusted, and the AI will presumably do that if you don't. Will it batter head-on into a fortress, or seeing an opportunity to flank the fortress and cut off supply, will it take it?
Why not just prioritise that MAR? Presumably it's not equipment used by INF etc. So only the marines might want them, and if one particular Div is prioritised and the others are not drawing any equipment from the pool, of they are 100% already with earlier equipment, then one you want will receive them.
In HOI3 the Player AI (set Objective) was, for my taste overly cautious and did guard its Flanks well. In fact it went so far that it did not utilise the speed of its mobile units to their full extent so that the slower Infantry divisions could secure the flanks, even if there was no danger of an enemy counter attack.
So if I make a plan to drive my PZ Divisions through the forests around Sedan the AI could decide to ignore that plan because forest are bad for tanks?
That is not going to happen in the game the AI will only have the freedom to interpret my plan if that plan is open to interpretation, if that plan is vague such as shown by podcat at 22.53, however if I make a detailed plan with specific attack vectors for particular divisions the AI cannot and will not ignore them its the player that can only change them otherwise what was the point of making a detailed plan.
And indeed no battle plan survives contact with the enemy but of course that raises another issue why penalise a Division for a change to a plan if that change is warranted, the fundamental problem with plans is that they are not what is happening but what you think will happen and the almost certainty that it will not go according to plan but that is not an argument for thinking that the AI has the freedom to do what it wants only a recognition that the player will need to change their plan.
Do you think the AI will attack and keep attacking, if you give an attack vector to a couple of poorly equipped/trained GER Inf Divs to attack a heavily defended Maginot Line? Will a dumb AI bleed you white sustaining horrendous casualties trying to reach an unobtainable objective?
The AI controlled formations in HOI3 didn't.
If four Divs in two provinces are assigned an attack vector with a one province wide objective, will all of the Divs move into a single province, and advance leaving a gap in the line, allowing the enemy to get behind you and cut-off supply?
The AI controlled formations in HOI3 didn't. They always tried to maintain a front.
If a front of 12 provinces, given a Schwerpunkt order, will units on the flanks advance if they see a gap in the enemy line that they can exploit? In HOI3 they would.
The AI controlled formations in HOI3 didn't.
If four Divs in two provinces are assigned an attack vector with a one province wide objective, will all of the Divs move into a single province, and advance leaving a gap in the line, allowing the enemy to get behind you and cut-off supply?
The AI controlled formations in HOI3 didn't. They always tried to maintain a front.
If a front of 12 provinces, given a Schwerpunkt order, will units on the flanks advance if they see a gap in the enemy line that they can exploit? In HOI3 they would.
Assigning specific groupings to specific tasks could be the key and then giving them "another phase" to carry out (so they breakthrough where ordered, taking the province, and then follow the original plan). This, of course, raises the question of how grouping can be done within a battle plan.
Yes infantry Divisions will attack a heavily defended Maginot Line if that is what your plan intended because its not the AI that is ordering the attack its the player.
I think your failing to grasp the difference between AI control in HOI III and AI control in HOI IV with regards to plans.
A plan in HOI IV is not just a general instruction to the AI to get your army to Paris it can also be detailed instructions on how to get your army to Paris so if you ask it to go through the Maginot Line it will try to go through it.
I agree. Units are to follow a battle plan. Even if battle plan is dumb. If you order them to take a specific province, they are tasked with taking that province. However, it does not state HOW they are going to do so. That's the difference between more and less detailed battle plans. I hope game will be able to handle that difference.