Neziroth wrote:Does anybody find the computer extremely hard to beat in Skirmish mode on anything other than Easy?
I've been playing 2x2 maps, with 3 computers all on normal mode and it seems like the enemies (axis) gets tanks so fucking quick and SO many of them.
Wtf.
if you have spare engineer time at the start.. it helps to wire off victory and med/high points with a very small ring of wire directly surrounding the point. works exceptionally well against the computer who is not smart enough to do much except shoot at it until they get some heavy vehicles up. but even when up against real players, it lets you more or less abandon a point entirely early in the game and know that you will have some temporary safety there.
Learn the maps and especially pay attention to areas where the computer's troops are constantly moving. If you drop some mines or a garrison there it'll basically serve you as a chokepoint until the AI kicks in and he stops sending troops through it. Plus some maps have some actual nasty choke points.. like the eastern part of Semois has a few ditches and a bridge which are sexy for mines or garrisons.
the worst part about playing the computer is the harassment you get from his pioneers early in the game, which occurs at virtually any difficulty setting. the harder the setting is.. the more your shit will get snapped up from behind you by a few roving squads of pioneers. A single Jeep with an engineer en route is usually what I go with to take out whatever leaks over. A jeep that's being repaired can handle 2 squads of pioneers(without flamethrowers, unless you micromanage the jeep and kite them).
As for anti tank shit.. The CPU axis almost always churn out Stugs, Half Tracks, and Armored Cars en masse before you'll see a panzer. They are not as tough as they look and you shouldn't think of them as "OH SHIT THEY HAVE FUCKING *TANKS*!!!!", but yeah.. they will fuck you up if all you have ready is infantry. I suggest going Airborne if you have a hard time against tanks. AT airdrops cost almost as much manpower as a manufactured one, but they are created instantly... without a motor pool.. and are obviously not exposed to the enemy until you drop them. Plus you can drop them exactly where you need them which is crucial because AT guns might as well be fixed emplacements for all the mobility they have. Drop them plenty far away from the target they will be attacking (you want the enemy tanks to be engaged before your AT guns attack or the tanks will aggro the AT gun and fuck it up close range) and always go for a flank/rear position if possible. Use Armor Piercing rounds liberally.. a stug, for example, will take 4-5 frontal rounds before dropping, or 2 frontal Armor Piercing rounds.
Sticky Bombs are also ridiculous against armor. They never miss and do almost as much damage as an AT round. Stickies are very expensive however and you should never use them as a full-time alternative to AT guns. The only problem with actually using them is that your riflemen usually get raped in the process. Ostwinds, for example, are particularly nasty to try to take down with sticky bombs because it takes quite a few to actually kill one and your riflemen are usually all dead by then.
