Player v Player with new AI

We used to do a lot of player v player but the AI then was nowhere near what it is now.

I would like to do PvP again but also maximize the capability of the AI when doing so. How best might we do that? Limiting rules on TC? Always keeping one division as AI only?

Any other thoughts?

To make the battle a bit more unpredictable and even challenging I'd say having half of each army under AI control would be worth a try. So two or three divisions on each side under human control and two AI division on each would be a good starting point.

That sounds like a great approach. Would love to try one

That sounds like a recipe for complete mayhem! The problem I see is that the AI at corps command level tends to do rather dumb things. If there's one objective it sends everything there and keeps 1 division in reserve. A bit boring for the player if he is that division. At the one objective a huge slugfest ensues and the AI will trample all over the player division deployment areas because it has no understanding of them. As a player team vs the AI we've begun to appreciate and maintain clear lanes of advance in our attacks and areas of responsibility in defence (most of the time). With the AI doing whatever it wants I'd probably just pull out and let it get on with things, awaiting an opportunity to use my guns or cavalry as needed.

With multiple objectives the Ai also tends to inore them all except one so the same kind of battle would result.

With no objectives the AI does its sandbox things and sends its divisions to random parts of the map - hardly fun for a player team.

I think pure player vs player games would be better because with PvP I want the extra tension of facing a human opponent and not the AI part of a human/AI team. In recent weeks we've had six people present several times so 3 divs a side or 2 divs a side + separate corps commander would be possible games.

I interpreted it as a division being AI not Corps. I would not want a corps command as AI so I definitely agree with you there. But with a human corps commander you could bring 3-4 division per side (one being AI) with no problem. I miss player  versus  player and wanted to pull the best of both worlds. Would love to do player v player tomorrow

How about 2 army commanders, 4 Corps commanders. Corps have 2 smaller Divisions, perhaps art and HCav reserves included. Corps will be intentionally too big for even experienced players to micromanage battalions/Regiments without this being a significant distraction. Corps commanders could still TC their div commanders to micromanage brigades or battalions occasionally, though.
If more than 6 players, they take brigades, not divisions, as these divisions would be too much micromanaged (as, perhaps, they are now) and the Corps commander's job would be made much easier, as they would only have one Division to command.
Perhaps Army commanders could have their own Army reserve units if art or H Cav ?

Now that we can use scripting in MP, the AI controlled divisions can be given a destination and stance. That information can be folded into the situation report. The human players can then decide how they want to complement or ignore the AI's intentions.

I also suggest that the human CinC only give orders to AI at the Division level only, unless “extenuating circumstances” exist and can never consist of TCing a commander

So for example a Brigade in contact with or about to be in contact with an enemy unit ... a battalion getting shot at in the flank for no reason ...

The longer a CinC spends at this level the less he spends in the big picture so such actions must be taken wisely