Stupid Axix AI ruins the game.

[Baldos]

I always play Germany because if I play GB or USSR the game is ruined by Germany attacking and starting wars it can't win all at the same time,
Now playing multiple games as Germany Italy always losses north Africa because they invade Yugoslavia at the same time they are invading France, All the Italian armor is in Yugoslavia in late 1939 instead of in N. Africa,,,

 

[Secret Master]

All the Italian armor is in Yugoslavia in late 1939 instead of in N. Africa

So Italy is doing poorly in North Africa without German help? Sounds like the first realistic thing you mention in your post.

 

[KalZakath]

It takes a little adjustment sometimes, but isn't that just like in life? Could Italy have realistically held North Africa without the Afrika Korps?

I try to look at allies that are run by AI as that kind of kooky uncle who shows up at all the family gatherings. You're family, so he's there, and it's all well and good most of the time, but you never are really sure that that he's not going to use a gallon of gasoline to start the grill or strip naked in front of aunt Ida and dive into the fountain claiming that he's Aquaman.

That's one of the reasons I keep Italy out of the main war as long as possible - definitely til after France has fallen. If you know your ally has a weakness, do your best to make sure he can't do some things that will harm the faction in the long run. Don't let him go against the allies in Africa until you have France to land troops more safely to support him in North Africa. Maybe do your Yugoslavia push earlier than you want, or support Italy's with some troops (The mountaineers or the Austrian troops from the Anschluss are pretty good for this, and they really aren't necessary for your main push westward.)

 

[Shatter12]

I find that unless I play as the Axis (Germany especially, Italy or Japan) they lose quite quickly. Mainly due to the fact that Germanys and Italy's NFs mean they're at war with all of Europe bar themselves, Sweden, Finland and of course Switzerland. The NFs really do need a redo, or at least the NFs need the previous country to capitulate, not exist, or is part of your faction before they can choose the next one. Europe just ends up with border gore as no-one can invade Japan.

 

[LiberiusX]

Italy can take care of Africa all by itself IF Germany takes care of Yugoslavia soon after France, either by coup, getting lucky on The events, or by military action. Italy will send most of its divisions to Africa, instead of being spread all over the Balkans/Mediterranean.

By executing this strategy, I've found Italy to be a reliable AI ally, probing the Allies in East Africa, the Middle East, and the Raj. If you want to see Italy go nuts, take Gibraltar and watch the Vichy and Italian Navies chop the Royal Navy to pieces.

 

[Nuuunuu]

im not sure is it patch or what but in one my gaming period german ai builded more motorized/mechanized divizions than inf divizions .. but now i havent seen any moto/mech divizions from ai german + some other stuffs are different.. i think german was better in some older patch than now.. can it be?

 

[Regaccio]

It's not just the Axis AI that's screwed up - rather, it's a few fundamental problems with the AI in general that tend to manifest most apparently in Germany.

• The first fundamental problem is that the AI will usually declare a war if a focus just gave them a new wargoal, and Germany is even more likely to do this. Even if they're still tied up in Poland and half their units are undersupplied, they will declare war on the Netherlands and Belgium anyway and start a pointless offensive against France.
• Now because the AI is fighting on two fronts, it starts ferrying its units back and forth and back and forth, constantly re-positioning them for no conceivable reason - this is the second problem.
• Then, as it re-positions units, it assigns them to new armies, and is constantly shifting armies and army leaders around (go in observer mode and you'll often notice armies being made and destroyed by the second); I wouldn't be surprised if this is contributing somewhat to lag problems. This is the third fundamental problem.

It just so happens that Germany is in a position to make all three of these problems (brainless war declarations, inability to handle multiple fronts, constant pointless repositioning) all happen at the same time. This means that even the very buffed-up 1939 Germany can lose a land war against the Allies before the Soviets even enter the fray... Which is pretty sad. But it's not just a Germany problem, it's an AI problem overall. The Soviet AI is no better at fighting on two fronts, it just so happens that they don't have to fight Japan in historical mode so it doesn't matter.

 

[Baldos]

So Italy is doing poorly in North Africa without German help? Sounds like the first realistic thing you mention in your post.

German help would not help if they start a war with Yugoslavia in 1939. Germany has Poland, the low countries, Denmark, France and the UK to deal with.

My point was that the AI Italy and AI Germany cannot "pace themselves" to conquer in order. Both start wars one after the other before they are even able to win the first war.

In this example AI Italy joins war against France and then declares war against Yugoslavia in late 1939 instead of protecting Libya against the UK and France.

In prior games as UK or USSR ...AI Germany started invading France before finished in Poland and the started Barbarossa before finishing in France. The result was that AI Germany lost by 1942 getting overwhelmed in France by France, UK and USA in 1942.

 

[Donkey Kong]

So Italy is doing poorly in North Africa without German help? Sounds like the first realistic thing you mention in your post.

Way to dodge his point. If Italy doesn't have German support in Africa, it shouldn't declare war on Yugoslavia, right?

 

[Baldos]

It's not just the Axis AI that's screwed up - rather, it's a few fundamental problems with the AI in general that tend to manifest most apparently in Germany.

• The first fundamental problem is that the AI will usually declare a war if a focus just gave them a new wargoal, and Germany is even more likely to do this. Even if they're still tied up in Poland and half their units are undersupplied, they will declare war on the Netherlands and Belgium anyway and start a pointless offensive against France.
• Now because the AI is fighting on two fronts, it starts ferrying its units back and forth and back and forth, constantly re-positioning them for no conceivable reason - this is the second problem.
• Then, as it re-positions units, it assigns them to new armies, and is constantly shifting armies and army leaders around (go in observer mode and you'll often notice armies being made and destroyed by the second); I wouldn't be surprised if this is contributing somewhat to lag problems. This is the third fundamental problem.

It just so happens that Germany is in a position to make all three of these problems (brainless war declarations, inability to handle multiple fronts, constant pointless repositioning) all happen at the same time. This means that even the very buffed-up 1939 Germany can lose a land war against the Allies before the Soviets even enter the fray... Which is pretty sad. But it's not just a Germany problem, it's an AI problem overall. The Soviet AI is no better at fighting on two fronts, it just so happens that they don't have to fight Japan in historical mode so it doesn't matter.

Thanks- for your detailed explanation. My observations are consistent with your three points. A WW2 game is no fun with out an effective AI axis. The Axis drove the war. A game that does have an effective Axis AI is no fun to play as another power.

I always play Germany since the other major power respond generally historically. That is why I "lost it" with AI Italy starting new wars that had bad timing. I expect AI Italy to need help in N. Africa and starting a war in the Balkans but on historical setting this should happen after France falls.

 

[Baldos]

Italy can take care of Africa all by itself IF Germany takes care of Yugoslavia soon after France, either by coup, getting lucky on The events, or by military action. Italy will send most of its divisions to Africa, instead of being spread all over the Balkans/Mediterranean.

By executing this strategy, I've found Italy to be a reliable AI ally, probing the Allies in East Africa, the Middle East, and the Raj. If you want to see Italy go nuts, take Gibraltar and watch the Vichy and Italian Navies chop the Royal Navy to pieces.

Thanks I will try that. taking out Yugoslavia ASAP after the Fall of France. I'll move up "Demand Slovenia" a no will give my a DOW.

 

[Baldos]

It takes a little adjustment sometimes, but isn't that just like in life? Could Italy have realistically held North Africa without the Afrika Korps?

I try to look at allies that are run by AI as that kind of kooky uncle who shows up at all the family gatherings. You're family, so he's there, and it's all well and good most of the time, but you never are really sure that that he's not going to use a gallon of gasoline to start the grill or strip naked in front of aunt Ida and dive into the fountain claiming that he's Aquaman.

That's one of the reasons I keep Italy out of the main war as long as possible - definitely til after France has fallen. If you know your ally has a weakness, do your best to make sure he can't do some things that will harm the faction in the long run. Don't let him go against the allies in Africa until you have France to land troops more safely to support him in North Africa. Maybe do your Yugoslavia push earlier than you want, or support Italy's with some troops (The mountaineers or the Austrian troops from the Anschluss are pretty good for this, and they really aren't necessary for your main push westward.)

Good Point. I'll try that also in a Germany game. I will keep Italy out until France is about to fall. That does make France a bit harder since in most of my Germany games Italy causes France toi move a lot of forces to the Frenco-Italian boarder.

 

[LiberiusX]

Thanks I will try that. taking out Yugoslavia ASAP after the Fall of France. I'll move up "Demand Slovenia" a no will give my a DOW.

You may not have to. In my past 3 campaigns, Axis and non-aligned, Yugoslavia has switched to Axis under its own volition. It triggers a civil war, in which Germany crushes the Allied side of the country.

Maybe I've just been getting lucky. I didn't see this in my first 2 DoD runs. I don't have any new mods running that should have changed this.

However, you can certainly help Yugoslavia along by influencing fascism.

As Germany, I'm not a big fan of annexing everything in sight, less coastline to protect during the main war, the better. I can deal with the Balkan lebensraum issue after accounts have been settled with SOV.

 

[KalZakath]

You may not have to. In my past 3 campaigns, Axis and non-aligned, Yugoslavia has switched to Axis under its own volition. It triggers a civil war, in which Germany crushes the Allied side of the country.

Maybe I've just been getting lucky. I didn't see this in my first 2 DoD runs. I don't have any new mods running that should have changed this.

However, you can certainly help Yugoslavia along by influencing fascism.

As Germany, I'm not a big fan of annexing everything in sight, less coastline to protect during the main war, the better. I can deal with the Balkan lebensraum issue after accounts have been settled with SOV.

The one plus with Yugoslavia is that you can get access to Mediterranean ports earlier if you so wish. It's usually a lot safer to transport troops from there to North Africa (as Germany) than all the way around the Iberian Peninsula. If you don't take the Vichy event, though, that gives you your med ports there.

 

[LiberiusX]

The one plus with Yugoslavia is that you can get access to Mediterranean ports earlier if you so wish. It's usually a lot safer to transport troops from there to North Africa (as Germany) than all the way around the Iberian Peninsula. If you don't take the Vichy event, though, that gives you your med ports there.

Honestly, haven't really thought about it, because Italy has been doing a bang up job taking Cairo/Suez all by itself here lately. I did take Gibraltar and used a motorized army to sweep across North Africa from there, mopping up the British and Free French, which helped Italy along even more, though they had done most of the heavy lifting. My motorized made their way to Turkey just in time for Barbarossa.

Also, Germany, as Axis leader should view faction members as tools. You may not want to call every ally into Barbarossa. I've been leaving Italy out of it, so they can concentrate on other things. Yugoslavia is a great policeman for the Balkans, keeping naval invasions under check. DoD Romania is an absolute powerhouse and is the perfect ally for Barbarossa. They churn out a ton of divisions that at the very least can provide some resistance to SOV counterattacks, freeing up your best divisions for envelopments and pushes for VPs.