A Better Class of AI
Interestingly, the computer opponents in Empire: Total War know to use
such circumstances to their advantage. Every time a battle starts, the
battlefield AI builds a strategy based on its goals in the grand
campaign. It may opt to retreat, to hold the ground at any cost, or to
simply maximize damage to you. During the Leipzig scenario, British
troops fell back in an organized retreat toward the city proper.
("Organized" meaning that some units stayed behind to do rear-guard
actions while cavalry swung around to thwart pursuit. It was an
impressive piece of strategy.)
The AI assumed that we wanted to capture the city intact, and therefore
sent units in the rear part of the city to take up defensive positions.
Unable to use artillery, we were forced to move into the narrow streets
with infantry, a situation that gave the Brits a chance to cause as
much damage as possible before abandoning the town. We fixed bayonets
(a one-time decision in the early parts of the game, as early
plug-style bayonets fill the barrel of the gun and won't allow firing)
and began filing through the city streets. As we massed our troops in
the town square, British units moved up to engage, while others swept
around to either flank us or force us to divide our forces. The losses
started piling up as the fighting erupted into chaos in the
cobblestoned alleys, while our cavalry and artillery were basically
useless.
The AI behavior we watched wasn't scripted, although admittedly
Creative Assembly chose a battle setup that allowed the AI to put its
best foot forward. Still, if the AI across the entire game is as
tactically shrewd as what we saw in the demo, it'll represent a real
leap forward for this type of game.