7 Years War Update

[neonlicht]

Re: playing against the AI on v.1.04, here's my (limited) experience:

1. I noticed some scenarios that ship with the game have no AI scripts at all. And one scenario--080.Second Lutterburg--opened with a beep, an empty map, and a message saying "Error reading file".
2. The game's notes state that D-rated units cannot change formation, and that (in order to model the period's linear tactics) infantry in column is almost useless in combat. Taking note of these points, I tried to create a scenario in the Editor (for myself to play against the AI), and was careful to place the AI's D-rated infantry in line formation. I then gave the AI's force some attack orders via the AI scripts menu option. But when I tested the scenario, the first thing the AI did was change its D-rated infantry from line into column! Thinking I may have made an error, I repeated the experiment, but got the same result. UPDATE: My mistake--the Notes refer to D-status (Disrupted) units, not D-rated.
3. Although the game says that it aims to replicate the period's linear tactics, AI brigades don't seem to (attempt to) move together in a block or cohesive line, but rather straggle across the map in isolated groups. At least, that's what happened in the scenario I tried to create.
4. And so, when playing against the AI, I tend to set up its forces on the defensive, in linear formation, with instructions not to initiate any moves at all (except perhaps a cavalry manoeuvre).
5. When playing "hotseat" mode against myself, I thought I would utilise the "command-and-control" function to alleviate the strain on my mouse-clicking hand by getting the AI to move the numerous units across the map. But this caused the game to malfunction (units & objectives disappeared off the map) and terminate almost immediately in the end-of-scenario results dialog.