AI cheats?

[Gui]

I'm considering this game and I read a negative review saying that the AI cheats.
Is it true and what does it mean exactly?

[12lambes]

On harder difficulties the AI can exceed the movement allowance that they would otherwise have.

[HB]

Originally posted by Gui:

I'm considering this game and I read a negative review saying that the AI cheats.
Is it true and what does it mean exactly?

The AI does not play by the same movement rules a human player uses, so at the end of a human turn it teleports all its units to where it wants them so you can see a formation to have moved from one end of the SU to the other in a week to better locate itself to avoid encirclement or prepare a counter attack and so on regardless of movement cost, so mountains and swamps and distance have no effect of the AI but does on a human. Dont get confused over giving the AI combat/logistical advantages in the game set up screen as being the same as the AI cheating, its entirely possible to make the AI perform combat/logistics, far above its base rate by how you set it up.

[trooperrob]

Is there any mitigation of this re distance to the player units.
I mean, attempting to breakthrough and surround units becomes useless if they just teleport out.
I know they can't teleport from a closed pocket, but can they massively exceed movement to get out of a pocket they couldn't normally escape?

[HB]

Yes Rob, when playing against the Ai you have to accept it will re organise itself each turn by teleportation, its kinda immersion breaking but you get a better AI to play against with it.

[jabgamer]

AI units will not teleport if they would be required to move zoc to zoc to exit a near-pocket. So if you can't isolate them, you need to at least lock them in with zocs. As for the general warping, this is used to allow the AI to shuffle units around defensively, but it should not be warping units and then using them to attack in the same turn. Also, there are other ways limits are placed on how the AI moves it's units. However, if you don't zoc lock the units, you may see the AI bug out further than they could by MPs, especially if you're trying to create very deep pockets over several turns.

[trooperrob]

Thanks, I did wonder if that was the case.

[Dalogan72]

The game is complicated but extremely easy to win, you don’t need cheats. The AI will cheat only at challenging level or above. Most people just play normal.

[trooperrob]

understood, but I seem to be big on attrition (1943+) as soviet. I try to rush for railway lines / depots, as it makes the enemy retreat, but knowing you need to at least zoc it to prevent enemy that couldn't actually move out manually stay in the pocket is helpful if you play vs AI.
I currently cut the lines, impacting their supply, making them retreat.
I would like to improve my technique by actually pocketing them.
It is more difficult in game, as units don't follow the historical no retreat directive as much. so they don't usually stay in place to allow encirclement if they have the opportunity to move back.

[Dalogan72]

It is extremely painful to watch but in this channel you got tactics how to beat the game easily even in 1941 challenging campaign 1943 campaign challenging and 1944 campaign challenging. There is no voice but you got move by move. https://youtube.com/@dalogan7290?si=8LcPfzTwRYvhZBzu

[trooperrob]

Usually play Stalingrad on as USSR - I get attached to my units, and don't like seeing all of them killed or captured in 41,42. Also like the ability to create units.
Trying to learn how to play without memorising individual moves - Wish to learn general tactics and apply them. - Trying to learn the air at present.
Hard, because after end turn all I want to do is move my ground units :)

Will get to 1941 eventually.

[Simurgh]

Originally posted by Dalogan72:

The game is complicated but extremely easy to win, you don’t need cheats. The AI will cheat only at challenging level or above. Most people just play normal.

Does this mean that the game is not challenging but just complex?

[Medicus]

Originally posted by Simurgh:

Originally posted by Dalogan72:

The game is complicated but extremely easy to win, you don’t need cheats. The AI will cheat only at challenging level or above. Most people just play normal.

Does this mean that the game is not challenging but just complex?

Yes. You can spend hundreds of hours learning it but u dont need to in order to win against ai. Playing a human is a different story.

[Harada.Taro]

Yes AI is cheating in many ways....

AI never has supply trouble
AI don't suffer attrition
AI can indeed teleport itself nearly everywhere so that it will always form a line against your troop every turn no matter you destroy the incoming unit.
AI as unlimited reenforcment and insta reenforcement

That's the conclusion my games have led me to.

[jabgamer]

AI suffers all the attrition rules just as the human player's units. No cheating is going on with supply. Not sure what you mean by unlimited reinforcements. What it does is move differently than human players. If not having to move through a zoc, it will warp units around to form a line. AFAIK it won't warp units and attack with them.