OF Advanced AI mod

[Warnstaff]

Opposing Fronts Advanced AI mod


If you are using patch 2.400 and are having problems, download the 2.400 compatible module in the attachments list at the bottom of this post. You should also changed the shortcut for the mod to -dev -mod OF_AI_mod

New official forum here!
Courtesy of my friends at R-force!

******* This mod latest update REQUIRES the Opposing Fronts expansion to work!********
This has been confirmed on December 7, '07.


***New release as of 01/05/2008***

Download
You can also download the second attachment.

The readme:
******************************************************

Opposing Fronts Advanced AI mod v2.0


Installation:

- Extract zip file into main Company of Heroes directory. Make sure that the .module file is in the main CoH directory!
- Create a shortcut to RelicCoH and add "-dev -modname OF_AI_mod" (no "") to the end of the target line.

Optional: Icon install
- Right click on your new Opposing Fronts AI mod shortcut and click "Change icon".
- Click "Browse" and find the icon in the main OF_AI_mod folder.
- Select the new icon and click OK.

Uninstall:

- Delete the OF_AI_Mod folder, OF_AI_Mod.module and the shortcut you created for the mod.

Contact:
Please leave comments, suggestions and all other feedback at the Advanced AI mod thread on RelicNews Forums. At the time of this Readme, it is at the following link:
http://forums.relicnews.com/showthread.php?t=137865
or the official forums:
http://www.r-force.org/modules.php?name=Forums
Do NOT ask how to get maps working, that is not something I do. Ask a mapper.

Changes:
-All AI's aggressiveness improved
-British AI now better place emplacements (note that this is still poor right now).
-Fine tuning to most unit purchasing rules
-Mortar and nebel usage improved (Thanks UberBugz!)
-Added scar function top show if AI mod is indeed active (Thanks UberBugz!)
-Misc. changes too numerous and minor to list.
-US AI error bug finally fixed as far as me and my team can tell (<--did not make it into readme).

New functions:
-When starting a game, press " ctrl - shift - ~ " (no ") and a very clear message should apear that shows the AI mod is active (navigate this console with pageup or pagedown).
-Testmode; made by UberBugz to speed up development and testing. See 01_setup.SCAR for functions. Activate by adding -TestMod to you're shortcut.

Credits:

Team:
Warnstaff - Coder and Project Head
BalckOmne - Beta Tester
Solja - Beta Tester
bzorglub - Beta Tester
Buck_Nekkid - Beta Tester
Instago - Beta Tester
SGMRock - Beta Tester

Contributers:
runab0ut - The new icon for the AI mod shortcut
d4m - Advanced Coder
UberBugz - Advaned coder and SCAR coder

*****************************************************


For vCoH 1.71:
Version 1.2 has been uploaded! Click this link to download! Also adding as forum attachment.
The command line in the readme has been updated to fix the command line. The command line should be as follows:

-dev -modname AI_Mod

[svensk]

Holy crap! *downloads*

[Nerdinheimer]

Woot!!!

[revolucion09]

yay, gonna test it on commando (as always with credits for you warnstaff and fenwe!)

[Nerdinheimer]

Can we get a list of the resource bonus' at every level of AI difficulty? Cheers man.

Also, installation instructions?

[Warnstaff]

Installation instructions is under Installation have a closer look

The AI gets a 30% manpower increase on normal, double manpower and fuel on hard, and quadruples on expert

[SoxSexSax]

Woot. Excellent job. Can't wait to download it.

One little thing before I do:

"AI will not be able to pick Armor and Terror doctrines."

"AI will now use calliope barrages a lot."

"AI now able to call in pershings a lot."

I just can't see how the top statement can tally with the other two, given that armor doctrine is needed for calliopes and pershings. Could you explain please.

[Warnstaff]

Oh, woops, typo!

Fixing now

LOL!

[revolucion09]

i cant download it =( click on download and keeps loading, after 10 minutes i get an error, is the link working for ya?

[Warnstaff]

Try the new attachment

Looks like filefront chose the worst time to start maintenance

[Gremlin Shoota]

Woot Finally Out.

Worst time for FileFront to have a maintenence...

[Warnstaff]

Check the attachment

[jjwa]

Thanks a lot for the new version of this nice mod .
The Readme.txt still has these conflicting statements tho:

-AI doctrine selection now truly random.
-AI will not be able to pick Armor and Terror doctrines.
-AI will now use calliope barrages a lot.
-AI now able to call in pershins a lot.

I downloaded it from the attachment, 3 minutes ago.

[Henry666]

hey warnstaff, just played two rounds with my bro with your mod on lyon (4) and st.hilaire, amazing work, first we tried expert allies ai on lyon, hell that reminded me of the battle for the alamo mod in old act of war times, got blown away with calliopes and after that they went straight through my tanktraps with pershings over an uncovered bridge - game over. The hard ai was good defeatable but that needed some work too.

tried axis hard ai on st.hilaire - that was fairly simple compared to allies ai on lyon (guess it depends on what doctrine ai choses).

anyway, keep up the good work - I will only play skirmish with your mod from now on ...

[Warnstaff]

Thanks Henry

@jjwa: The conflicts in the readme are typos - the posted readme is correct

[revolucion09]

lol i mixed up advanced mod with commando mod's squads behaivior, damn enemy infantry didnt stop pusshing me off

great work with that, the abilities and the upgrades =)

[FN_IDIOT]

Will AI ever play Armor or Terror?

[Warnstaff]

Yes, please read the readme posted in the OP.

[Nerdinheimer]

Is there anything I can do to allow me to play new downloaded maps while still using this mod?

You might want to add more comprehensive download instructions, newbies will have a tough time with that.

[Warnstaff]

I'll add some better instructions.

And you can use the custom map in the mod. I can, all I did was extract my maps to:
Company of Heroes\WW2\Data\Scenarios\mp

Viola!

[jjwa]

There is one thing that is bothering me most about the AI (with or without your mod).
The entering and exiting of buildings they do with their squads. AI infantry often goes into a building when one is nearby during a fight, but they almost always immediately get out again, go in, get out, etcetera... Very stupid. Sometimes they stay in, but I have not been able to discover yet when that is.
Would be cool if this is fixable .

[-=Firefly=-]

putting custom maps in the

Company of Heroes\WW2\Data\Scenarios\mp

path works only with sgb files. but i downloaded maps with sga extension. is there any way i can play those packed maps in the mod?

thanks so far!

[vesper]

OMG ITS HERE.
thankyou so much

[Corsix]

putting custom maps in the

Company of Heroes\WW2\Data\Scenarios\mp

path works only with sgb files. but i downloaded maps with sga extension. is there any way i can play those packed maps in the mod?

thanks so far!

HOWTO Use SGA scenarios with your mod

[-=Firefly=-]

great, works fine. thanks a lot!

[edit]
do pios rebuild the main hq if its down?
if not can you make them do, plz?
[/edit]

[edit] v.2.0
is it possible to make infantrie retake abondoned paks?

[the end]

[Warnstaff]

Thanks for answering that Corsix

@Firefly: Long running problem - the AI doesn't seem capable of understanding that repair exists - for anything

The abandoned AT guns are not tackled yet - probably needs SCAR editing.

[Quitch]

Ah, glad to see it's own. Sad that fenwe has had to move on, but hopefully he'll be back one day. The DoW AI project has gone on for years after all.

[Ecthelion]

Just played a game on Semois where I did a pin from the South side as Axis. The Allied AI never got a Barracks up but stuck to his WSC start... was this a new feature? allowing the Allied AI to go WSC or Riflemen? And is the choice random?

[Warnstaff]

What difficulty was that? The AI does have different initial build orders, and is currently not that good at tactics (next version - not hotfixes), so it needs some resource bonuses to operate with a challenge.

It may not have had enough resources to build anything else.................. you have a replay?


In any event, feedback is always welcome As long as it's not "you suck" or "go play online n00b!"

[scorryuk]

My friends & I are big fans of your Mod. Wouldn`t play COH without it. Great work, thanks.

[SoxSexSax]

Congratulations Mr Warnstaff and Mr Fenwe, you have successfully made the CoH AI worth fighting.

The AI now:

1) Masses units rather than trickling them. The first time you run a rifleman squad into 3 units of volks and get OMGWTFPWNED in 5 seconds, you'll realise how big an improvement this is.

2) Consistently looks to move its tanks to get rear shots. I mean ALL the time. Only Axis tank you'll be single handedly killing with a M10 is a Stug, because all other Axis tanks will tear you to shreds if you try.

3) Drops AT guns as Airborne, 90% of the time in pretty smart locations. Calls in Pershings when armor. Tigers...need I say more?

4) Actively contests the more important points on the map throughout the game.

5) Is absolutely LETHAL with snipers. Almost to the point of annoyance, in fact. A jeep/bike or counter sniper is practically essential in any team game as allies.

6) Builds OPs on strat points that have been harassed a lot. Shocked and impressed the hell out of me when I first encountered that!

7) Builds multiple panthers and keeps them together. Yesterday I played on 4P Lyon and encountered a total of 12 panthers...challenging, to say the least.

There are other great improvements too that I can't remember off the top of my head. It really is a VAST improvement over the stock AI...almost unrecognisable. Anybody wanting to play online NEEDS to get this mod, because playing against this on Normal is much more like an online battle than the stock AI on Expert.

A few pieces of constructive criticism though. The 2 major issues with the AI that I can see are:

1) Still can't go through barbed wire until it gets vehicles

2) Still doesn't seem to repair its units

Other than that I can't see any problem with it. Really is a great piece of work. Nice one!

[svensk]

Thank you for the updated mod! My friends and I had a LAN saturday night and we only played COH with your updated AI mod and it was a blast. We really had to work together to beat just 2 AI's even though there was 4 of us on an 8 player map.

[su27]

Can anyone post a replay from battle against Aliied Hard AI on Angoville? I can win with normal AI but losing badly against hard...

[Warnstaff]

Thanks for the support guys

SoxSexSax: The AI isn't yet capable of repairing yet............ fenwe was working on the problem, and so have other before, but it's met with only partial success with building repair bunkers. I think it's more hard coded then an AI function.

I'll start working on the wire cutting IIRC, the AI does acquire wire cutters (comes free with the Axis), but isn't using them yet............................ it's a WIP now

su27: If I could beat the hard AI, or at least the normal AI on 1 vs 1, I'd post a replay

[Ecthelion]

What about gun recrewing?

[Spin Doctor]

Playin the AI on hard 1 vs 1 is a lost cause. I almost had the Axis AI on the ropes once on Angoville, but it regrouped quickly with a mass of nearly 8 or more Stormtrooper and Volks squads with panzershreks and MP40s on my front lines. It was brutal... I've lost probably 7 or 8 Ango matches so far. Normal is a cakewalk by comparison, lol.

[Warnstaff]

Ecthelion: Haven't got that working yet......... I think i may fall under the SCAR coding, but not sure yet. If anyone has any suggestions on how to get this working, I'll gladly listen

[Nerdinheimer]

There is one thing that is bothering me most about the AI (with or without your mod).
The entering and exiting of buildings they do with their squads. AI infantry often goes into a building when one is nearby during a fight, but they almost always immediately get out again, go in, get out, etcetera... Very stupid. Sometimes they stay in, but I have not been able to discover yet when that is.
Would be cool if this is fixable .

Ditto.

I'd also like to second the notion that the step ups between the different difficulty levels be a bit more even. Expert maybe doesn't need to be quite so impossible, and normal could have a little less of a resource bonus imho.

Cheers! Good work though, really improved the game a LOT!

[Warnstaff]

I don't have control over rather or not the AI exits a building, only the chances of it going into one. Not sure how that works either............. hmmm....... maybe lowering the chance for entering might stop the in-and-out.............

I'll look into making expert not impossible, , maybe hard a little easier......but normal is gonna stay the way it is (it's only got a 30% manpower bonus........ thats all). Easy is normal without bonuses

[Spin Doctor]

I'd like to third the motion to bump the hard and expert levels down. I don't even plan to try expert 1 v 1. I suppose, that 2 v 2 and greater, it may not be so bad as it is, but I haven't tried that yet.

[su27]

su27: If I could beat the hard AI, or at least the normal AI on 1 vs 1, I'd post a replay

You're kidding me, right?

Playin the AI on hard 1 vs 1 is a lost cause. I almost had the Axis AI on the ropes once on Angoville, but it regrouped quickly with a mass of nearly 8 or more Stormtrooper and Volks squads with panzershreks and MP40s on my front lines. It was brutal... I've lost probably 7 or 8 Ango matches so far. Normal is a cakewalk by comparison, lol.

I thought you all won every day against hard AI and i felt so stupid and noobish.

[Warnstaff]

The pre-release version was killing me on normal 1 on 1 - and it hasn't changed. Team games is where I tend to do well, but I haven't been able to win a single game on hard since the new release

Of course........ I very rarely play 1 on 1.

[GrenadeMagnet]

Two words:


@$$ Kicker...


I haven't managed a win since I installed this, which is a nice change of pace compared to pre-AI improvement.

Now the challenge is to win...just once...lol.

[Aleena]

Played a 2 hour, 2v2 match on Lyon (a map with plenty of resources) and neither Axis AI player ever got any kind of veterancy. I assume it was just a fluke with the prioirty of the Kampfkraft Centre upgrades being subverted by the tide of battle. Has anyone else consistently experienced this though?

[Redonmyhead]

thanks for the time and effort u put into this project. gonna try it out tonight.

[Warnstaff]

Aleena: Sounds like just a fluke. The past several days, all but 1 of my games has had veterancy.

[TheBladeRoden]

Great, so now can you put in a Very Easy AI level, just so the AI's are more balanced between the winoverable and unwinoverable?

[SoxSexSax]

As far as difficulty goes, I reckon playing against the Normal AI is roughly equivalent to an average online game. Sure it gets a 30%(?) manpower bonus, but that's to offset the fact that it never repairs vehicles and can't cut barbed wire.

I have noticed another little issue Warnstaff. The AI, both Axis and Allies, frequently build a halftrack and then leave it next to their HQ for the whole game. This halftrack won't even move when under fire. I have seen the AI using halftracks successfully, so it's not a case of ALL halftracks having this issue, just seemingly one per team.

[zerothehero]

"I have noticed another little issue Warnstaff. The AI, both Axis and Allies, frequently build a halftrack and then leave it next to their HQ for the whole game. This halftrack won't even move when under fire. I have seen the AI using halftracks successfully, so it's not a case of ALL halftracks having this issue, just seemingly one per team."

Have also noted this on a number of my games.

[BlackOmne]

The problem with the halftrack in the base has been around ever since I started playing this mod. Can't recall if I've ever seen it in the stock AI games.