Full AI Overhaul

Updated for 1.3.2 and all 1.3.* versions.

Let’s make the AI less static and more war-focused!

Modded in vanilla:
(screenshot #1: Japan, Dec 1938 – successful after 15 months)
(screenshot #2: Germany, Mid 1940 – successful as expected)
(screenshot #3: Italy, Early 1940 – surprising success in Africa)
… without any advantage given to the AIs aside, just better use of their brains and faster planning for players and AIs.

Modded in 1.3.2:
– Fixes new AI variables introduced in patches.
– Germany victorious over France in december 1939.
– Germany defeating Denmark, Belgium, Netherlands and invading Norway in early 1940.
– Japan outcome is still unpredictable vs China, but moves a lot.

– *mostly* Compatible with ALL other gameplay mods.
– AI part is fully compatible but division/brigades part may have light impact on other mods.
– Modifies checksum.

The Full AI Overhaul basically takes all possible AI parameters we have our hands on, and tries to make the AI more efficient, in a general way, without giving it any unfair advantage or cheat. Instead of focusing on a specific country and trying to force historical events, it tries to improve all AI brains at the same time.

It may then still lead to unexpected results, but with much better output and gameplay from AIs.

Efficiency is estimated as follows:

– we want a "less static" AI
– we want an AI which tries to deliver on its objectives; for instance, tries to win the wars it declared.
– we want an AI capable of using its battle plan instructions with more ability.
– we want an AI capable of leading more offensive actions and less sitting around.

The mod also includes very few other corrections, following player feedback from vanilla version, such as a naval airforce passthrough fix and a strong update on AI armored approach.

Please note however that if the mod worked pretty well before 1.1 patch, it still needs a few upgrades to work with new 1.1 hardcoded or moddable-coded values.

Update #1 (day 1): hotfixes.
Update #2 (day 2): major AI improvements.
Update #3 (July 2): compatibility with Patch 1.1 and a few AI upgrades
Update #4 (July 4th): refined AI with better management of battle progression and troop support.

My thanks to all testers for their patience, testing, outstanding support, and outstanding forgiveness, in case the AI beats your head against the wall repeatedly or even if it fails in doing so.

AI campaign results (latest version):

Italian campaign of Ethiopia – lasted 3 months (instead of 6)
Spanish Civil War – lasted 6 months (instead of 3 years)

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AI corrections (observed in games):
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* All AIs now succeed more in their wars and offensive actions.

For instance, in my modded games, Germany DID succeed in its invasion of Netherlands, Belgium, France, and even Danemark (who could believe in that!). It did France in a month and Netherlands and Belgium in even less.

Italy did succeed on its campaign of Italy (since Update #2).

* All AIs now succeed in taking care of invasions and problems.

For instance, in my modded games, Germany successfully rooted out all Allies early invasions in Italy instead of just ignoring them.

* AIs now care less about "matching strength on a front", but try to push it instead.

This is what is most important.
You will still have some ease vs AIs, but just not as much!

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AI corrections: (details)
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Planning and army usage:

* all "be static and let’s mot move" values are reduced

* multiple attack directions are favored.
* AI will evaluate and cancel doomed situations earlier.
* Entrenched units will still favor staying where they are, but much less.
* AI will consider more of its units available for an attack plan.
* AI won’t move units back and forth from afar as much.

* merely ignoring provinces without VP is no longer an acceptable way of dealing with war, especially if they have enemy units
* bringing more troops to the front, instead of 1-on-1 combat, so as to activate attacks is favored
* main enemy must be dealt a fatal blow and receives a focus to deal with him, instead of just keeping him alive
* fortified positions won’t be ignored as easily

* and the main change to make AI less static, is that all planning bonus score (including player planning) increases faster.

This is because an AI was often waiting in vanilla for it to reach the max bonus before it acted out.
This update makes the AI more active without giving it a specific advantage, as a player can also use planning.

Brigades and industry focus:

* larger division spending favored instead of minor ones (ie new tank models)
* AIs will no longer ignore researching motorized equipment and armor
* AIs will no longer fear using its 50 % advantage to acquire a tech earlier (thus making now your regular countries using their tech advantage, ie Germany having medium tanks earlier)

Since update #2, AI mixes up its brigades with more variety than in vanilla.
For instance Germany created a medium tank division and put 4 lines of heavy tanks and 7 lines of medium tanks in training in early 1940. In vanilla it did not train or produce any, not before long. I did not provide any new template thus far, as I let vanilla content but with a better AI usage.

I took a look on a few other mods recently, and one also focuses on this objective.
We did have the same starting approach to this problem.

This mod should be compatible with the other, although using any other gameplay mod is at your own risk.

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Other corrections:
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* Lowered naval passthrough;

Naval air was reported by players as not being suppressed enough by fighter cover.
Instead of 50 percent pass-through-air-cover, we now have 25 percent.

This allows players to have a more realistic management of air and naval air.
This allows AI not to be too much exposed to a player abuse of this – players reported using only naval air now in vanilla.

This will be exported as a separate mod after further testing.

* If you are interested in some other fixes, there is also a compatible Balanced Warscore mod I released here: (to avoid casualties counting as much, among other fixes)

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=709115292

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Submods
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Submods are mods which need this one to work, but focus on several areas opened by this one.

AI Bonuses only:
This submod by Phriyion gives the planning bonuses to the AI nations only.
This is an interesting upgrade as we can consider this an advantage that players do not need.

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=718844234&searchtext=Full+AI+Overhaul