Greetings,

Would it be possible to add a simple scripting tool to create basic "If" "And" "Then" routines to control unit behavior? This would limit the necessity to "babysit" the game to counter-act opposing player actions. It could also be used to support allies in the same manner.

For instance:

"If 14th Armored Car Regiment sees enemy then retreat to grid L2"

or

"If 3rd Tactical Bomber Squadron encounters enemy within patrol range then sortie to within attack range and patrol"

or

"If Ally Germany is attacked within 50Km of 32nd Infantry Division then Forced March to attack range and engage enemy"


Lists of available options could be made into drop down menus for easy point and click interface. It wouldn't completely do away with the need to stay on top of the round, but it would go a long way towards not being a total slave to the game. Any ideas, suggestions, criticisms, comments?

Thanks!

ChaosWarlord

This has nothing to do with botting of any kind. It's simply leaving standing orders for a unit. You would still have to play continuously, it just creates room to not have to be a slave to the game. If you give a unit bad instructions, or if the instructions you gave are overcome by the player adopting a certain strategy, that is good for the game.

Botting in your example is just mindless automation. This requires you to think and plan, not just point and click.

Then we're going to have to agree to disagree. A bot does not enhance a game, a scripting language such as I describe would assist commanders in tailoring the reactions of their units. I'm not sure why you feel the need to shoot down this idea or what your personal "hangups" with your so called bots are, but your argument is perfunctory and irrelevant to this discussion.

Exactly my idea behind this Macalex. I'm self employed, married with two children. I enjoy playing this game immensely and plan to keep playing it. However, compared to someone who doesn't have the life I have an can sit around all day moving pieces around I'm at a disadvantage. I'm not asking for some way to cheat or automate the game, just give simple instructions to units that would amount to "standing orders".

A poster above mentioned a "script war" as a result of this. It's laughable suggestion that being able to give simple instructions to your units to use in your absence would in any way reduce a players enjoyment of this game. To me it seems like the opinion of someone who enjoys the advantage of being able to play this game all day long rather than having a life.

This suggestion is about fine tuning the reactions of our units, not automating the game. The skill to be able to use such a tool would be greater than "simply moving pieces around the board" as we do now.

There is his argument in a nutshell. It amounts to being easily able to defeat opponents who are "busy" doing other things like working, playing with children, doing homework, sleeping.. etc.

If this poster were smart enough to think this through beyond a perfunctory (knee jerk) response s/he would see that this could also be used AGAINST another player to overcome their defenses. Scout the reactions to your actions, and devise a strategy that makes use of that "intel".

Live, Love, Laugh.. if you're doing those three things then does it really matter how others perceive the quality of the life you are living? I meant you no offense, I just firmly believe this is a GREAT idea that could really enhance this game. You seem to think that it would easy to just "script" away mechanics of this game. In fact, you would have to INTIMATELY understand how this game works and the mechanics of the combat system in order to be able to use this tool properly.

You boil it down to automation, whereas I understand the command and skill regarding the finer details of the game in order to make use of it. Rather than reducing the a players "attention span" the reverse would be true in that you would have to be totally dialed into the tactical and strategic situation of the game at any given moment. A thorough understanding of the use of mixed forces, air/land/sea combat, and a fair amount of forethought would be required to make it work. Students of the game would be rewarded, while still being required to continuously monitor the in-game situation and make adjustments based on the ever changing battle field conditions. And during times of high activity, even players who make use of this tool would be actively pushing pieces around the board based on the situation they're in, whether that be attack, retreat, defense, sneak attack, or any other scenario you could think of.

It wouldn't make the game easier by any stretch of the imagination, and indeed many players may simply choose to "push pieces around the board" rather than putting in the real effort to make best use of this tool.

Sure, dismiss me as a troll because it's the easy way to win your argument. I won't be responding to anything else you post.

I don't want to remove from the game the challenge and need to maintain daily upkeep, nor do I want to "automate" the fun out of the game. All I want is the ability to leave "standing orders" with a unit. I'm tired of losing a unit, like an armored car sent on a scouting mission because a militia pops up in some backwater hills and gets a 75% power increase. A simple order to turn around upon encountering an enemy unit (mission accomplished, return to base) to save that unit while I'm doing other stuff like eating, sleeping, playing with my kids or doing a job would really help out.

It's not about botting or automation to get ahead or farm the game, where I know bots have been an issue before. It's about scripting behavior into a unit, sort of an AI that's totally dependent on your ability as a player and your grasp of the political, tactical, and strategic situation in that game at that very moment.

You would have to routinely update your orders to your units in order to keep them viable for the changing game environment. Botting denotes automation irregardless of the current situation, an automation that performs a function intended to create a benefit so a player is relieved of menial tasks. The scripted AI I'm talking about is based on your intuitive grasp of the games mechanics, and your command of your nations situational awareness.