TA2 AI Wish List

This page is for the compiling of a list of what people wish the AI in Total Annihilation 2 to be able to do. It was quite poor in the original game, and despite the major improvements made by AI designers, we were always limited by the engine itself.

If you wish to add anything to the list, please e-mail me with your ideas.

Please note that some of these may be conflicting ideas as I post anything that sounds sensible.

The AI in Total Annihilation 2 should:

• Win the high elevations.
• Never send troops through bottlenecks unless its surrounding is secured.
• Never retreat unless the enemy withdraws, too.
• Chase the enemy when they beat a heated retreat.
• Advance when it has the numbers, but dig-in when it doesn't.
• Never send force into harms way when the enemy can be plucked from a distance.
• Move where the enemy least expects it, send its feints through where it was expected to move.
• Keep tabs on the force of the enemy, even if it means giving the enemy knowledge of its force.
• Use its swiftest force to pincer attack; its strongest force should fight head-on.
• Deny its enemies resources and horde its own.
• Not hardcoded into the engine .
• Use different personalities such as rusher, defensive, porc. You should be able to allocate personalities to AI's or allow them to be picked at random.
• Make proper use of all units, including radar and jammers.
• Not be all seeing.
• Be easy to customise through a front end program. Give the ability to limit the technology that the AI can use.
• Work alongside other AI's. You should be able to use one custom AI per AI player/position, not be limited to one AI for all.
• Attack from many different routes instead of always using the beeline. It should execute tactics such as pincer, and not always choose the closest target.
• Have better pathfinding.
• Be more aggressive out of the box.
• Use scripting when a map maker wishes to write it.
• Create squads of units and treat them as independent groups.
• Make more complex uses of units, such as for spotting purposes, retreating, or where appropriate order them to do nothing.
• Use formations, deploying units in appropriate positions, with longer ranging units at the back.
• Be less predictable, using known tactics, such as surrounding the enemy.
• Have basic chat. It should be able to call for help, or request assistance in an assault.