[MarkShot]

I came across this interesting technique for understanding the AI that is more friendly and fun than reading the doctrine files.

(1) Put together whatever you want to test into a scenario.

(2) If you want purely AI, then create a controllable sub in a remote corner of the map.

(3) Run the scenario and turn on truth. You can watch how the AI performs TMA, launches weapons, evades, ...

I suppose all you scenario designers must know this already as show truth would seem a good means to debug scenarios.

One other thing I found out is that despite units being on different sides with ROE=WAR, you need TACTIC=TRANSIT SEARCH if you want hostilities. TACTIC=TRANSIT basically will result in opposed units just ignoring each other.

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Right now, I am playing through other people's scenarios, but I have a dream of creating my own dynamic scenarios. What would make them special beyond just dynamic placement boxes, dynamic groups, probability of inclusion?

Well, I would like to do something similar to the TC (Take Command) model. This is an American Civil War game which was designed by a friend, Adam Bryant. A large scale battle goes on around the player and upon that back drop the player plays his role upon the grand stage.

So, unlike your typical SC/DW mission where you the player are tasked and are center stage, my vision would be is that there would be a larger action going on within the battle space. There would be a number of concurrent missions going on each having random elements such that the battlespace would be a dynamic world, since the units and actions going on would be too complex that events could not easily and precisely repeat. Within this dynamic world based on events and random luck, you might be called to intercept a convoy or assist support a commando team that has landed or be part of an alpha strike against a port and lead attrit enemy naval forces before the strike takes place. Part of this would be similar to WWII subsims, so your involvement and tasking would depend on bubbles of activity which you sail which instantiate objects and events and this could be done with goal oriented proximity triggers.

So, head towards a convoy forming, you'll be doing commerce raiding. Head towards a barren area of coast, you'll evacuate friendly nationals. Head towards an area where an airstrike took place, you might have some life guard duty.

This is the thing I miss in SC/DW the feeling that anything and everything is going on "out there". It all depends on where you sail to what you will encounter.

Just curious has anyone tried to create such a dynamic environment in SC/DW?

Other comments?

Thanks.