Experimental and Optimised campaign versions of Ligny, QB and Waterloo
Posted: Sat Oct 27, 2018 10:05 pm
I have published revised scenarios covering several variants of full battles for Ligny, QB and Waterloo playing as the French plus an associated package of mods. I have published several scenarios together because the mods incorporate some changes to unit characteristics specified in OOBs which means the mods will not function as intended with normal scenario and OOB files. The mods also change some files used by the Grog Tool Bar. I have therefore added my changes to the Tool Bar’s already changed files. My mod must be installed after the Grog Tool Bar i.e. it should appear first in the mods list. The main changes relate to the characteristics of cavalry and artillery.
The Experimental Optimised (EO) series of scenarios has some specific features to make the Allied AI a better opponent particularly with respect to the use of artillery. It does this in five ways:
1) One weakness for the AI is that it tends to keep its guns at too great a distance so rarely manages to use canister. The series includes an artillery mod that I have previously published which extends the effective range of canister up to an historically accurate 500 yards for 12lb cannons and correspondingly less for smaller calibres. The AI Artillery routines will not normally recognise this extended range, however, the EO series battlescripts include frequent commands to tell the AI batteries to use canister. This gives the AI an advantage versus the player who has to issue these commands themselves.
2) With Shrapnel the British had a deadly weapon not available to other armies at Waterloo. The standard game’s implementation of Shrapnel is largely ineffective. I have used a modified canister shell available only to British Howitzers that fires out to 750 yards which is actually rather less than true Shrapnel capability. This works very effectively and allows the Allied AI to decimate any French formations left in the open within 750 yards of a British Howitzer.
3) The AI is not very good at protecting its guns from cavalry raids which can be quite devastating when the charge button is mashed. Historically although the French “captured” Allied batteries they were not able either to remove or disable them. This situation is replicated in the EO series version of Waterloo as Allied batteries occupying fixed positions will get replacements for some of the guns “captured” by the French. This will only happen if the Allies retake control of the area (effected by specific battery objectives). If the French stay in control then they are judged to have time to “spike” the guns or capture them in the case of 6lb batteries for which the French had similar ammunition.
4) Additional AI scripts have been created for the AI’s Allied and Prussian batteries to cause them to halt and open fire once they are within canister range of a French unit. Additionally if an enemy unit approaches within a dangerous range (e.g. 300 yards) then Allied or Prussian batteries will implement retreat by recoil whist firing canister on the first few occasions when this occurs. Thus the AI script can safely order its batteries to a position where the French are likely to be, knowing that the batteries will stop and open fire and subsequently pull back if threatened. As I like to exercise hands-on control of very large battles myself, I have also added these automatic protective routines for the French 12lb batteries so I do not have to monitor them too closely.
5) The ammunition wagons in the standard game have virtually unlimited supplies so that guns can keep firing without restraint. I have reduced the stocks carried by French wagons so they might theoretically run out – note the game counts one rifle bullet and one canon shell as both utilising a single item from stock so a battalion might rapidly deplete an artillery wagon. Players will also need to monitor exhaustion levels for gun crews and hold fire or swap batteries out of the firing line when appropriate as exhausted crews will become both inaccurate and slow to reload. Wellington specifically commented that he had made sure to hold some batteries in reserve. The AI is not subjected to these constraints.
These 5 changes do not entirely address the AI weakness with respect to artillery but I have seen they do make a noticeable difference so much so that in my EO version of Waterloo I had to reduce the Major Victory points score from 50k to 35k. EDIT actually now back to 45k
The scale of the changes I have made to the scenarios and the multiple variants within them means that many aspects are relatively untested. I would welcome your feedback on both the ideas I have outlined to improve the AI and any practical experience you have playing my EO scenarios.
Finally I should recommend that the EO version of Ligny is probably a good place to try the changes out. Napoleon actually won the battle because his artillery was able to decimate the Prussian reserves who were posted on the hills overlooking the Ligny Brook. The extended canister range lets the French player replicate this success whilst at both QB and Waterloo the French player has to solve the problems caused by long range British Shrapnel which historically prevented the real French Generals from capturing Hougoumont.
Regards
Mike
The Experimental Optimised (EO) series of scenarios has some specific features to make the Allied AI a better opponent particularly with respect to the use of artillery. It does this in five ways:
1) One weakness for the AI is that it tends to keep its guns at too great a distance so rarely manages to use canister. The series includes an artillery mod that I have previously published which extends the effective range of canister up to an historically accurate 500 yards for 12lb cannons and correspondingly less for smaller calibres. The AI Artillery routines will not normally recognise this extended range, however, the EO series battlescripts include frequent commands to tell the AI batteries to use canister. This gives the AI an advantage versus the player who has to issue these commands themselves.
2) With Shrapnel the British had a deadly weapon not available to other armies at Waterloo. The standard game’s implementation of Shrapnel is largely ineffective. I have used a modified canister shell available only to British Howitzers that fires out to 750 yards which is actually rather less than true Shrapnel capability. This works very effectively and allows the Allied AI to decimate any French formations left in the open within 750 yards of a British Howitzer.
3) The AI is not very good at protecting its guns from cavalry raids which can be quite devastating when the charge button is mashed. Historically although the French “captured” Allied batteries they were not able either to remove or disable them. This situation is replicated in the EO series version of Waterloo as Allied batteries occupying fixed positions will get replacements for some of the guns “captured” by the French. This will only happen if the Allies retake control of the area (effected by specific battery objectives). If the French stay in control then they are judged to have time to “spike” the guns or capture them in the case of 6lb batteries for which the French had similar ammunition.
4) Additional AI scripts have been created for the AI’s Allied and Prussian batteries to cause them to halt and open fire once they are within canister range of a French unit. Additionally if an enemy unit approaches within a dangerous range (e.g. 300 yards) then Allied or Prussian batteries will implement retreat by recoil whist firing canister on the first few occasions when this occurs. Thus the AI script can safely order its batteries to a position where the French are likely to be, knowing that the batteries will stop and open fire and subsequently pull back if threatened. As I like to exercise hands-on control of very large battles myself, I have also added these automatic protective routines for the French 12lb batteries so I do not have to monitor them too closely.
5) The ammunition wagons in the standard game have virtually unlimited supplies so that guns can keep firing without restraint. I have reduced the stocks carried by French wagons so they might theoretically run out – note the game counts one rifle bullet and one canon shell as both utilising a single item from stock so a battalion might rapidly deplete an artillery wagon. Players will also need to monitor exhaustion levels for gun crews and hold fire or swap batteries out of the firing line when appropriate as exhausted crews will become both inaccurate and slow to reload. Wellington specifically commented that he had made sure to hold some batteries in reserve. The AI is not subjected to these constraints.
These 5 changes do not entirely address the AI weakness with respect to artillery but I have seen they do make a noticeable difference so much so that in my EO version of Waterloo I had to reduce the Major Victory points score from 50k to 35k. EDIT actually now back to 45k
The scale of the changes I have made to the scenarios and the multiple variants within them means that many aspects are relatively untested. I would welcome your feedback on both the ideas I have outlined to improve the AI and any practical experience you have playing my EO scenarios.
Finally I should recommend that the EO version of Ligny is probably a good place to try the changes out. Napoleon actually won the battle because his artillery was able to decimate the Prussian reserves who were posted on the hills overlooking the Ligny Brook. The extended canister range lets the French player replicate this success whilst at both QB and Waterloo the French player has to solve the problems caused by long range British Shrapnel which historically prevented the real French Generals from capturing Hougoumont.
Regards
Mike