AI is much improved in conquests
Sept 26, 2017 4:34:28 GMT
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Saltin, best75, and 4 more like this
Post by soonerjbd on Sept 26, 2017 4:34:28 GMT
Having played a few conquests with nations of various strength, I must say they have done a great job improving the AI. The game is much more nuanced than WC3. A few general observations...
- Naval warfare is much more important. It wasn't as crucial playing as 1943 Russia, but it is huge for most nations with a coastline. There are two big reasons. One is that land units now have serious defense penalties when embarked. They are sitting ducks for naval units and air strikes. Bomb attacks get bonus damage on embarked land units like they have in the past against naval units. Land units with range also can't fire frI'm range while embarked. The second reason is that the AI is much better at using its naval power. They will decimate attempts to sneak unsupported invasions. The end result is that you will likely have to fight a serious naval campaign before you can land units, particularly against Japan or Britain or the U.S. You have to first defeat the enemy navy, occupy his ports and then soften up city defenses and coastal batteries before landing a successful invasion. Fighting as 1939 China, I had to use a couple of naval generals to make any headway. Then I had to swing my Navy around the tip of India and fight a second massive naval engagement in the Persian Gulf against Spain and Italy.
- Building a Technology Center early makes a huge difference. It is probably the best landmark building. Early on, especially as a smaller nation, you won't have much technology coming in. Building that Tech Center will let you build the tanks and cruisers you need to start taking enemy cities. The other big advantage is it advances your tech level much faster, which will eventually get you to nukes, but more importantly early on, it will let you build upgraded factories on your front lines to start building heavy tanks and rocket artillery. Speaking of rocket artillery...
- Rocket artillery are a huge leap over howitzers now. At some point, you are likely to go up against massed tanks and infantry. Rocket artillery really help with this. They do better damage to the main target than howitzers while also getting the secondary damage to nearby units. Plus, you no longer have to worry about hitting your own units.
- The enemy is much better at pressing its attacks. You will spend some time defending if you have a major power on your border, particularly if it is Japan or Germany.
- Allies still suck, maybe even worse than WC3. That may be my biggest complaint. I don't expect them to win the game for me, but they seem totally inept. Playing as 1939 China, by the time I beat back Japan, Germany and Italy had virtually wiped out all the allied nations in Europe and Africa. I had to retake most of Russia while also beating back a massive Italian invasion of India.
There is a lot more I could say. I'm very impressed with the improvements in conquests. It is more difficult, but not so difficult as to be impossible. It just requires more thoughtful strategy.
- Naval warfare is much more important. It wasn't as crucial playing as 1943 Russia, but it is huge for most nations with a coastline. There are two big reasons. One is that land units now have serious defense penalties when embarked. They are sitting ducks for naval units and air strikes. Bomb attacks get bonus damage on embarked land units like they have in the past against naval units. Land units with range also can't fire frI'm range while embarked. The second reason is that the AI is much better at using its naval power. They will decimate attempts to sneak unsupported invasions. The end result is that you will likely have to fight a serious naval campaign before you can land units, particularly against Japan or Britain or the U.S. You have to first defeat the enemy navy, occupy his ports and then soften up city defenses and coastal batteries before landing a successful invasion. Fighting as 1939 China, I had to use a couple of naval generals to make any headway. Then I had to swing my Navy around the tip of India and fight a second massive naval engagement in the Persian Gulf against Spain and Italy.
- Building a Technology Center early makes a huge difference. It is probably the best landmark building. Early on, especially as a smaller nation, you won't have much technology coming in. Building that Tech Center will let you build the tanks and cruisers you need to start taking enemy cities. The other big advantage is it advances your tech level much faster, which will eventually get you to nukes, but more importantly early on, it will let you build upgraded factories on your front lines to start building heavy tanks and rocket artillery. Speaking of rocket artillery...
- Rocket artillery are a huge leap over howitzers now. At some point, you are likely to go up against massed tanks and infantry. Rocket artillery really help with this. They do better damage to the main target than howitzers while also getting the secondary damage to nearby units. Plus, you no longer have to worry about hitting your own units.
- The enemy is much better at pressing its attacks. You will spend some time defending if you have a major power on your border, particularly if it is Japan or Germany.
- Allies still suck, maybe even worse than WC3. That may be my biggest complaint. I don't expect them to win the game for me, but they seem totally inept. Playing as 1939 China, by the time I beat back Japan, Germany and Italy had virtually wiped out all the allied nations in Europe and Africa. I had to retake most of Russia while also beating back a massive Italian invasion of India.
There is a lot more I could say. I'm very impressed with the improvements in conquests. It is more difficult, but not so difficult as to be impossible. It just requires more thoughtful strategy.
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