A new and different battle plan for the AI

[Hook]

I just saw the AI use a battle plan I'd never seen before.  Usually they use one of 6 or 7 fairly standard plans, but not this time.  They never moved from their setup positions, only forming defensive lines when my forces got close.

This was not a bug.  I'd accidentally set the game to Command Both Sides rather than Command the Grand Armee.  Since I intended to play French anyway, and you start on the French side if you command both sides, I didn't notice what happened until I watched the replay.

Do you have any idea how hard it is to get through several Russian defensive lines??  Those guys are tough!

It ended up a strategic victory for me, but a tactical victory for the Russians. I wasn't able to get close enough to control the Allied lines of operation.

This was played using DemoII.  You might get a better result playing the original demo, as your corps commanders might be more aggressive there than in DemoII.  If anyone tries this, let us know how the battle turns out.

Hook

[Count von Csollich]

This was not a bug.  I'd accidentally set the game to Command Both Sides rather than Command the Grand Armee.  Since I intended to play French anyway, and you start on the French side if you command both sides, I didn't notice what happened until I watched the replay.
Hook

But if you set the "command both sides" it wasn't a new AI battle plan, but just your inactivity to give the russians any order...wasn't it?...that's what happened to me...I forgot that I had the settings that way and the "enemy" didn't move a thing and I just couldn't break through the defences...the only thing the corps behind the line did was to send support forward until they formed a defensive line themselves...that's the way I understood the enemies action...They were waiting for orders... from me...as I had the settings on "command both sides"...

As to how to punch through those lines...I believe it to be impossible if you don't have a huge numerical advantage...like the modern "maxime" at least a 10 to 1 advantage for the attacker...just likes Torres Vedras...

[Hook]

Right... it's not a new *AI* battle plan... but it's certainly new and different, and I was surprised to see it.

I was able to push back the two corps in the center to a considerable extent, but was unable to push them back far enough to gain control of the lines of operation. 

This is probably a good exercise to learn how to deal with enemy defensive lines.

Hook

[Gunner24]

So far I have found these defence lines almost impossible to deal with, I've been winning my few battles by forming them myself and having the AI break on them, then counter attacking the very badly damaged attackers, from the weakened flanks.

Funny thing is, this is also how TW games are won !.....a lot of the time the attacker will fail, becasue both sides have roughly equal forces, then the defender becomes the attacker and has a badly weakened enemy to beat.

I did manage to get a game in today and by about midday it looked like a certain defeat for me, it looked like I was heading for the worst result so far, but then it all changed suddenly and the Russians broke, with two fresh Corps I swept away what remained of the enemy army, this was partly due to good luck as the biggest Corps I had in the rear had refused all orders to move earlier on - it was like a forced reserve !.

I believe it to be impossible if you don't have a huge numerical advantage

I think MP games are going to be very hard for the "attacker" to win, assuming an equal level of player skill on both sides, the attacker is going to be at some dis-advantge in making the "first" move against a well laid out defensive line..........on the bigger maps it will be a different story, but on the small maps, with a large OOB it's going to be very hard.

[Count von Csollich]

I think MP games are going to be very hard for the "attacker" to win, assuming an equal level of player skill on both sides, the attacker is going to be at some dis-advantge in making the "first" move against a well laid out defensive line..........on the bigger maps it will be a different story, but on the small maps, with a large OOB it's going to be very hard.

Definetely...but I think there is no great sence in playing on a small battelfield...

[Hook]

You only have to have a huge numerical advantage locally, not over the whole battlefield.  Next time I'm going to try attacking each end of a defensive line on a very narrow front to see if it helps.  Obviously you need some artillery preparation.  

Hook

[Count von Csollich]

You only have to have a huge numerical advantage locally, not over the whole battlefield.  Next time I'm going to try attacking each end of a defensive line on a very narrow front to see if it helps.  Obviously you need some artillery preparation.  
Hook

I did that..if you have enough space to manoeuver properly...it works...I also reorganized all of the "montebello - artillery" into one corps and let it blast away on an enemy defensive line (I wanted to get the Wagram and Waterloo feeling...)...I found it helps more if you assign more batteries to xour corps commanders than uniting all of the units into one corps because they use them better and redeploy them quicker...I didn't loose any guns with this corps but there were to many guns to be effective...

[Gunner24]

You only have to have a huge numerical advantage locally,

This is sure the key, and on the biggest maps it will be so interesting trying to get into this position, when the other side is trying to do the exact same thing to you !........I'm ready for the MP now...........only 2 weeks to wait ?.