Thoughts on playing TripleA / AI
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I am not sure if I will seem divvy with this post but when I get time to play I tend to focus exclusively on 1 Map - is that usual?
I just seem to play Big World 1942 v3 and that's it.
I came here from liking the original board games of Axis & Allies and played that on TripleA at first as could play online over the internet. I introduced my younger sibling and then he started exploring other maps and told me BW 1942 was like A&A but more territories and extra unit types / tech powers. When v3 hit where transports don't get any defence I switched to that version and have never played anything else since. Just wondering if people tend to find a game map they like and stick to it or play lots of maps?
However I digress - I found when playing humans online games never ever got finished and people never came back to finish games. I must have 50 plus game saves on my PC and many cant be played anymore as older server versions. I found anyone who was losing would rather start a new game when next on than finish and older game. So reverted to just playing the AI (local games). However I find 2 things - the AI in Big World 1942v3 never seems to realise the importance of protecting transports. Even on Hard for Japan, USA it will sail transports and drop of things and put no protection with them - I mean like 6 in one sea space clearly in range of defenders planes and repeats this over and over again becoming easy to beat.
Also if you get the Victory City win and opt to play on does the game never end - I find it strange there is no final ending like when ever single territory including neutrals is taken still the game does not end?
I guess I want a final you've conquered the world - well done GAME OVER. Seems the game will just carry on infinitely even though there's nothing to do - I kind of wish you could then go into the settings and make the winning powers become enemies - used to do that with my bro on the physical board game. When one side one we left it set up and say if Allies won come back later and then go at it Britain v USSR or Germany v Japan.
I have gone off topic - sorry, feel free to break up and move to other areas parts what should be posted elsewhere.
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The Fast AI in TripleA plays an OK game for players that are learning a map, The Hard AI plays better, but does take longer to play a turn.
1941 Global Command Decision was written with solo play in mind against the AI and will give you a better game than most maps.
Black Elk & I spent many hours, too many hours
trying to make the AI better, it has lots of features not in most maps, especially the A&A maps as they are geared for PvP and not solo play.See here
https://forums.triplea-game.org/topic/3326/1941-global-command-decision-official-thread?page=1Transports in the above map are called Convoy they have anti-sub built in and that helps the AI v subs. v Aircraft & other units the AI plays better because it has xml code that the AI understands to attack or defend all over the map, it is not just on capitals. Also it has stacking limitations for all the units so the AI cannot overstack and must spread out.
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I play lots of maps, looking for good things to put in my next map.
Also if you get the Victory City win and opt to play on does the game never end - I find it strange there is no final ending like when ever single territory including neutrals is taken still the game does not end?
This has to be coded and takes time to do, be thankful the map you play does have victory conditions as a lot of maps dont.
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@bluelionman said in Thoughts on playing TripleA / AI:
However I digress - I found when playing humans online games never ever got finished and people never came back to finish games. I must have 50 plus game saves on my PC and many cant be played anymore as older server versions. I found anyone who was losing would rather start a new game when next on than finish and older game.
It may be a map/game-related issue.
Big World has huge stacking issues, which usually make the game increasingly hard to play as time goes on, and especially the fact that the Germans player has to calculate and re-calculate every round critically for Portugal/Gibraltar, Spain, France, Western Germany and Eastern Germany greatly increases the amount of calculations (and risk of errors thereof) than, say, Revised, in which you mostly just have to calculate for defending Germany and either defending or retaking Western Europe. Calculations go even crazier with overlapping players (like having to calculate many same things both during Germans and Italians and for both).
Games, however, don't necessarily have to be so complex and sluggish as to be a chore to play after even only a few rounds. It's a matter of map/game-making.
For example, I've played well over 100 games of "270BC Wars" (a game I made), all live, and regularly finished about 99% of the ones with two players and even finished about half of the ones with four players.
By the way, if someone refuses to continue the game, that's a win too (for the other side).
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@bluelionman There are actually ways of handling most of the issues you raise.
Failure to Protect Transports Make the transports like they were in the Classic & Revised games, cost of 8 and defense of 1.
Opponents don't finish game Play them out against the AI. Give your opponents an income boost of 20%
Conquer the World Most TripleA scenarios are historical. Nations rarely fight on until complete destruction.
If you want to turn a board position into a mod, you can do so. Go to Export/Export game.xml File. You can then edit the alliances in the game.xml file. You will also need to edit the map.yml file so TripleA can find the game.
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I was playing BW1942v3 yesterday and I was nailed should never have been able to come back but I am a sadist and decided to fight on and just kept buying what I could waiting for AI to make a mistake and it did but it keeps repeating the error - I got the Paratroop power and used it to land in Germany when it moved all its stuff out as Axis controlled all land from there to the coast opposite Japan with USSR and China knocked out game I should be done for but every round since it just takes back Germany with minimal units even though it had/has tons of units around it and has allowed me to take it every round since and worse moved its units away towards Turkey - so much so I have been able to hang on to France, Vichy France and now taken Italy to - as it has no money to buy it can't defend its far coast and USA has now landed and forcing Germany back.
Somehow the AI does not understand if it loses its capital it loses its PU's and so will ultimately lose. But it never went to finish me off never bought Navy to go for UK or Japan when it should of.
On a separate note and not sure where to post this but in the game Notes area I wish it would list what the Tech powers do - I can't seem to find exactly what each one gives you - anyone new to the game only having played the original A&A also would have no clue nor which powers are under what as when you buy dice you have 2 choices Naval or Land something like that. Surely a list of the techs and what they give you would be more useful under the Notes section that a lot of the stuff listed there as there's nowhere in the game itself I can find anything to say what each tech gives you.
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@bluelionman The AI has trouble dealing with extreme situations, such as building up its power over many turns to destroy a large enemy navy.
Many mods have tech rules in the notes, but designers rarely bother if they are just using the rules from the boardgames. You can download the board games rules from the Avalon-Hill website.
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@rogercooper The boardgame only has 6 Techs so would never speak of all the others, this map has about 14 at least I think so A&As rule book would not help with that plus people are finding this platform having never heard of or seen the board game as it's not been sold in UK for over 30 years so would just be decent having it in the notes as a reminder what each tech boost does as I even forget myself. Besides in the board game Heavy Bombers got 3 dice, online (TripleA) it's 2 which is better as 3 is far two powerful.
Being able to have to hand what each tech does as your playing I just think would be super useful and once it's in the notes if you carry over notes map to map its always there and can edit such if you change techs in future maps as a creator.
Just my two penneths worth.
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@bluelionman said in Thoughts on playing TripleA / AI:
Besides in the board game Heavy Bombers got 3 dice, online (TripleA) it's 2 which is better as 3 is far two powerful.
Under V3 rules, you roll 2 dice per heavy bomber and hit only once if at least one of the two dice hits or use the higher of the two results for bombing raid damage.
How heavy bombers work in "Big World 1942 v3" is wrong if it is actually supposed to be V3 rules.
There are four problems with documenting techs in notes.
- Our correct understanding of the rules may change overtime (because of clarifications from the rules makers or even official errata). This would require a program change, and, if each game has tech documentation in notes, one would have to update them all singularly or leave them outdated.
- TripleA may (and actually does) implement the tech rules incorrectly, which would create the problem of whether in notes you should document how the game should work or how it works.
- The game-maker may make mistakes in documenting tech in notes, which would create or add to the problem of whether players should try to play by the notes or as per what the program does.
- Tech may create complex situations, so it is something for which it is hard to be clear and exhaustive.
However, I would agree that every game should provide the full rules-book for the game (which means fully documenting the techs too).
This said, you can find tech documented in some V3 rules games. For example, this is what you can find in the "World War II v3 1941" game-notes,
Technology *** Air/Naval Tech *** SUPER SUBS- subs attack at 3 JET POWER- fighters attack at 4 IMPROVED SHIPYARDS- naval units are cheaper AA RADAR- AA hit on 2 or less LONG RANGE AIRCRAFT- aircraft range increased by 2 HEAVY BOMBER- roll 2 dice for each bomber attack *** Land/Production Tech *** IMPROVED ARTILLERY SUPPORT- artillery support 2 infantry ROCKETS- AA conduct rocket attacks for 1d6 damage to production (each factory may only be targetted once per turn by one rocket, and only 1 rocket in each territory may fire) PARATROOPERS- each bomber may carry 1 infantry into combat (must stop in first enemy territory it reaches) INCREASED FACTORY PRODUCTION- factories produce 2 additional units (if territory value is 3 or greater), repairs 1/2 price WAR BONDS- collect an 1d6 extra PUs each turn MECHANIZED INFANTRY- tanks may carry 1 infantry each for 2 spaces
and this is what you can find in the "WWIIv3 1941 Move-Buy-Move" game-notes.
Technology *** Air/Naval Tech *** SUPER SUBS- submarines attack at 3 JET POWER- fighters attack at 4 IMPROVED SHIPYARDS- submarine, transport and destroyer costs reduced by 1; cruiser cost reduced by 2; carrier and battleship costs reduced by 3 AA RADAR- AA guns hit on 2 or less LONG RANGE AIRCRAFT- aircrafts range increased by 2 HEAVY BOMBER- roll 2 dice for each bomber in attack, but use only the lowest one, and 2 dice for each bomber in bombing raids, but use only the highest one *** Land/Production Tech *** IMPROVED ARTILLERY SUPPORT- artillery support 2 infantry ROCKETS ADVANCE- AA guns conduct rockets attacks, with a range of 3, for 1d6 damage to production (each factory may only be targeted once per turn, and only 1 AA gun in each territory may fire) (AA guns conducting rockets attacks can't move) PARATROOPERS- bombers may carry 1 infantry each into hostile land territories only (both units must begin their movement in the same territory; the bomber can't make a bombing raid; the bomber must stop its Combat Move movement in the first land territory it enters that was enemy owned at start turn; if the attacked territory has only AA guns and no other defending units, the AA guns are automatically captured without firing; if the bomber is hit by AA guns, the infantry it carries is also destroyed; paratroopers alone have no way to retreat; if retreat is possible, paratroopers retreat together with all other retreating land units) INCREASED FACTORY PRODUCTION- factories produce 2 additional units, if territory value is 3 or greater; repair 1/2 price, rounded up WAR BONDS- collect 1d6 extra PUs each turn MECHANIZED INFANTRY- armours may carry 1 infantry each
As an example of what I was saying at point 2, you can notice that the "if the attacked territory has only AA guns and no other defending units, the AA guns are automatically captured without firing" rule for the "Paratroopers" is how the game works but not how the rules are supposed to work (The AA guns should actually be able to fire in this case too.).
I'd let @Panther check that what I wrote and pasted is all correct if he will.
