GWX's "uber" AI demystified

[Warner Von Shultz]

Ok, it's late where I'm at; but let me take a stab at this and see what I can pull up. Sorry if this reply is mismanaged, I'm half asleep right now....




I think that when people play this simulation using the stock version of this game it affords you with the ability to do things and get habits in place that are not historically accurate to what a “real” U-Boat commander would do. For example I have seen many a video on youtube where a U-Boat slugs it out with a destroyer or two to show they can when a surface engagement. I have also seen in GWX mods of SH3 in video where people slug it out with escorts.


I have found with any simulation there are two ways to play them. First is the way of learning the way the AI plays and then take advantage of its weaknesses and exploit them to get high scores etc; but then there is the “realistic” way of playing the games thinking with the mindset of a real U-Boat commander with a real live crew. If you think that the AI in the GWX mod is too powerful, then you are probably making too many unrealistic risk that a commander might think twice before doing in real life. For example, if you are going to surface and slug it out with anyone in a gun dual you are probably stretching the limits of reality verses the real commanders of these boats during WWII. I sure the commanders and boats that survived the war were the ones that had captains that were well aware of what their boat could realistically do and not do and were aggressive to a fault when they knew they had the advantage; but were cautious enough to make the decision to dive to safety and away from danger if they saw that making an attack on X target would probably result in the the U-boats sinking. I don't know about many here; but when I see a target that has multiple strong escort destroyers and I am in less than 15 meters of water I think twice before I attack that ship because I know I am going to have one hell of a time trying to escape in shallow water. Yes I could simply risk the attack and if I die reload the gamesave; but when you do that what is the point of playing any game? It destroys the “realistic” point of the game when you do that.


I have found with this simulation that if you act like you truly only have one life in one career then the decisions you make will keep you alive for much longer. The AI in the GWX mod when playing realistically is strong, given the limitations of the game; but not so strong that escort seems to have Uber AI. I have found myself many of times thinking that I could evade an escort only to get major damage in GWX. And other times I have been surprised at how multiple escorts seem to just be content to let me slip away. There are many factors you cannot model in real life that would be impossible to do in this game. The ones the GWX had control over make me convinced they made AI changes that lead to more realistic game play. I'm sure that a convoy with many escorts was a tough nut to crack in real life, now – in the GWX mod – when you can crack that nut it all much more enjoyable as those beast sink below the waves by the fury of your eels.