Creating a (hopefully) competitive bot using Claude Code.

husky81

@Cernel said:

optimized on V5, maybe it will be better to call it "WW2v5 AI" or something like that. Anyway, I'm overreaching.

yes, you're right. I would be looking for games using the TR setup. However, at the level that I am working at now, examples of "good" play on either setup would be useful as data points.

The way I am programming the bot is map and rules agnostic, so it can read in the rule set and territories from the triple A map file, then use its logic to play the given map. It values territories by: Capital status, IPC value, connectedness to other territories, factory slots. I do not tell it that India is valuable, it should find that out by looking at its central location and its 3 production slots.

One caveat being that the bot is currently quite slow on WW2v5, so any larger map would really slow it down. Once I get it to be good, I will try to optimize more for speed, hopefully allowing for play on larger maps.

husky81

@TheDog said:

@husky81
You and Claude have been busy! 🤯

So much info to absorb.

So tempting to customise just for one map and very hard to keep it generic like the TripleA AIs.

The list of tried and tested tactics is awesome.
Having a list like that allows the Claude AI to 'try' the neutral tactics and for it to learn if they work on its new current map.

For me a standout is

Keeping tanks inside the main stack instead of one step behind: detrimental (a nice confirmation of the owner’s principle).

On maps like 1941GCD, this is a valid Russian tactic. But for Germany , I cannot afford not to keep the German tanks out of the Attack stack. I guess its map dependant?

Its fab to see the win ratio has increased, well done!

To clarify, it only keeps the tanks outside the main stack when safe (at least that's the intended behaviour), it may still mess up. That's trickier in the mid and late game as Germany on a normal map, because the rear tank stack has to contend with air plus naval units coming in. I still play like that in some positions though, a stack of tanks and new infantry in Baltics connecting Germany to Karelia, the Baltic tanks defend both landings in France and put pressure on Arch, Finland and West Russia. Of course once the Allies have enough Units in Finland, this becomes unenable.

TheDog

@husky81
For future maps. The current TripleA AI is poor at Naval strategy.

In particular one very big improvement would be the reuse of transports in Global maps.

In detail, this is the USA returning empty Transports from Europe/Normandy/Torch back to the USA for a refill, to be reused again.

husky81

@TheDog said:

e current TripleA AI is poor at Naval strategy.

In particular one very big improvement would be the reuse of transports in Global maps.

In detail, this is the USA returnin

Transport logic is an active area that I'm working on, though it is far from solved. The challenge is to keep transports moving to useful squares, while remaining protected.

TheDog

@husky81
Well

Another biggy is picket fodder/Destroyers.

Meaning that they screen Transports or a Carrier/battleship strike stack.
Placed 1 Sea Zone away from from the above so Surface fleets cannot easily attack the above.

TheDog

I only play my own global map 1941GCD, as Britain/USA I line my Transport route with Destroyers, meaning they dont have to move .

This tactic should work for most global maps?

Maybe this is a valid option for HuskyAI ?

TheDog

@husky81
Another Triple-AI failing is Naval blockades, in PvP they can be used to cripple an enemy economy.

HuskyAI could be used to add up valid ships that Blockade and be sent to camp on certain Sea Zones and used as a valid tactic.

In 1941GCD submarines cause 2 Blockade vs certain ships that cause 1 Blockade, so if HuskyAI knew this it could use submarines more efectively.

TheDog

@husky81
HuskyAI could do the following;

Shucking, sending Transports back and forth for reinforcements.
How to define a Shucking unit?

In most A&A maps a Transport 0-0-2 with 7 Transport Capacity is a Shucking unit.

But not every unit with a Transport Capacity is a Shucking unit, they need splitting out by function, as below.

In 1941GCD it has 3 Transport Capacity units with transportCapacity
Battleship 3 TC, transport Inf-Trained, xml has isCombatTransport
Cruiser 2 TC, transport Inf-Elite, xml has isCombatTransport
Convoy 14TC, a mix of units, this is a Shucking unit

Air-Transport, an isAir unit, 0-0-4 with 8 transportCapacity is an air transport unit.
It has 2 roles,

Dropping paratroopers into enemy territory in Combat move
Reinforcing into an owned territory in non-Combat move

Food for HuskyAI

Cernel

@husky81 said:

@Cernel said:

optimized on V5, maybe it will be better to call it "WW2v5 AI" or something like that. Anyway, I'm overreaching.

yes, you're right. I would be looking for games using the TR setup. However, at the level that I am working at now, examples of "good" play on either setup would be useful as data points.

What's your knowledge of the balance of "World War II v5 1942 SE TR" from anywhere? Is this game considered very well balanced or not? If it favours one or the other side, what are the common ways of rebalancing it if any?

husky81

@Cernel said:

m anywhere? Is this game considered ve

I would say that it is exceptionally well balanced, when played without turn limits (played until one side concedes or looses on victory cities.

It is the only map that is played on "Axis and Allies 1942 Online". it has been played there for years, including discord leagues and tournaments. Many formats such as league have players play a double round robin with no bids, each player playing a game as each side. At the highest level (Generals), both sides play pretty even. last season (20) each faction earned 30 out of 60 points, and the current season is trending in the same direction.

This is the league Google Sheet with records from this and the previous season.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1vojmhuMfHiYwAVa6xj_9EQuH8Eyc-nF-7YzeeKCbZHo/edit?gid=259980370#gid=259980370