Is there a way to save the AI from buying weak AFVs?

[Cap'n Fantastic]

I'm playing a set of single player campaign rules right now and while they're fun, I've noticed that for the last four battles, the AI keeps buying weak, thinly armored, undergunned AFVs which do a lot to help my kill tally, but offer no real threat to my tanks or crews.

Lemme explain:
My core force in the campaign right now is a platoon of M4 Shermans (I think at least one Guards Armored unit was centered around lend-lease tanks). I wanted to try something different and thought I would need to be a lot more careful with my "Ronsons" than the old T-34 or KV-1.

So far, I've butchered a ton of PSW 222s and 250/9s. Beyond that, I've only seen a lone Stug III (legitimate threat that actually shrugged off a few hits and made me nervous), a Panzer IVG and a pair of Marder IIIs (again, dangerous but doomed when exposed to a 75mm gun -- even a low velocity one). The AI has had at least 1500 pts to play with for most of these fights, so it seems it should be able to do better than that (a platoon of StuGs would be a thrill and easily affordable).

Are Combined Arms infantry more likely to have tanks than Combined Arms mechanized units? Would it help to drop rarity values (as I know what I can buy and will stick to the rules regardless) so the AI can access more heavy hitters?

Just curious.

[RobO]

That's a difficult question. You could buy them yourself - set the axis (in your case) purchase option to Allow Human. It isn't that much of a disadvantage when you consider that the aim is to buy something that makes the game more difficult for you. And you don't have to do it in every battle.

This stems from a weakness in this kind of campaign - in fact in most single player campaigns. When your core is composed of tanks you will in effect have a Combined Arms force mix, regardless of the one chosen by the game. This gives you an advantage in relation to the AI. I just hope that my difficulty settings mitigate that.

Did you say in that other thread that you would send me your spreadsheets? They wuold help me determine if the promotion rules work as intended. Among other things.

[Cap'n Fantastic]

Rob --
I've been knocked out by a virus my son brought back from his daycare center. Not the best 31st birthday present :)

I'll send the spreadsheet when I feel human again.
Matt