Juan's Off-Map Aircraft Purchase System

[John 3rd]

Since a good number of people are playing the Treaty--RA--BTS Mods, I want to know if they have been using Juan's Off-Map Aircraft Purchase System? Has it been useful? Is it working?? Comments???

THANKS!

[chemkid]

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[btd64]

ORIGINAL: chemkid

...also, do folks playing this mod need some artwork for the topo map mods?
i 'bumped' juan's thread - it's a great concept and worth integrating into the map, i guess.

btw, here's the link to juan's thread:
tm.asp?m=3532557

Instructions on how it works are there to....GP

[John 3rd]

ORIGINAL: chemkid

...also, do folks playing this mod need some artwork for the topo map mods?
i 'bumped' juan's thread - it's a great concept and worth integrating into the map, i guess.

btw, here's the link to juan's thread:
tm.asp?m=3532557

I---for one---would LOVE that!

[chemkid]

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[ny59giants]

When talking with John, I brought up the issue of the Allies have too many modern planes available early in the war. I'm only in mid-Feb '42 and have used this twice - F4F-3 and P-40E. I pointed out there was a group of F4F-4 available in mid-Feb that should be pushed back at least a month as they don't become available until 3/42. IMO, there should be less of what could be considered front line aircraft available in '42. Less P-40Es, but still have the B model available which doesn't have drop tanks. Maybe a move to have new airframes not available for purchase until 'x' months after they become available. Planes like the F4F-4 would not come available until 3 to 4 months after production starts

[Symon]

We have been messing with the same thing in Babes Short Scens. The original design is pretty good as to when planes become available from the factory, but the paradigm can’t handle when the planes were to groups, how long the groups took to train on the new planes, and bears, oh my!

The game system allows a squadron in the middle of the jungle to upgrade to the latest and greatest without regard to reality. That’s the way it works. No harm, no foul.

In a short map scen, production is off, so there’s no GC stuff. Airplane reinforcements are by “special” convoys that dock and dump their planes into the pool. Hopefully the player will use these pools judiciously; they are not big, and are tailored towards the existing OOBs.

This is true for Japan as well as the Allies.

All these crazy mods of this and that. Nazi ships and airforces, and all that nonsense. Can help with WiTP AE, if you wish, by pm. It’s a different paradigm, I know. Ciao. JWE

[btd64]

ORIGINAL: ny59giants

When talking with John, I brought up the issue of the Allies have too many modern planes available early in the war. I'm only in mid-Feb '42 and have used this twice - F4F-3 and P-40E. I pointed out there was a group of F4F-4 available in mid-Feb that should be pushed back at least a month as they don't become available until 3/42. IMO, there should be less of what could be considered front line aircraft available in '42. Less P-40Es, but still have the B model available which doesn't have drop tanks. Maybe a move to have new airframes not available for purchase until 'x' months after they become available. Planes like the F4F-4 would not come available until 3 to 4 months after production starts

Yes, after some thought,I also think this should be adjusted. It makes sense that older aircraft should be available early and more up to date aircraft months after they become available....GP

[JuanG]

Just to chime in a little, the availability of slightly 'better' aircraft was because I built this set of arrivals for RA, not for a historical scenario. I reckon the increased threat of a more capable Japan would cause requests for more 'new' stuff in theatre to be heeded more readily.

One easy fix for the 'new' groups is to flip them from ADD(itional) to DIV(erted), and drop their airframe numbers without touching the price. This was they would be aircraft that should have gone to the ETO or Africa, and thus more expensive. The F4F group might just need a simply pushback of a month.

[John 3rd]

ORIGINAL: JuanG

Just to chime in a little, the availability of slightly 'better' aircraft was because I built this set of arrivals for RA, not for a historical scenario. I reckon the increased threat of a more capable Japan would cause requests for more 'new' stuff in theatre to be heeded more readily.

One easy fix for the 'new' groups is to flip them from ADD(itional) to DIV(erted), and drop their airframe numbers without touching the price. This was they would be aircraft that should have gone to the ETO or Africa, and thus more expensive. The F4F group might just need a simply pushback of a month.

Sounds like a good opening idea to me.

[John 3rd]

ORIGINAL: chemkid

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What happened to that LOVELY piece of map work Chemkid???

[chemkid]

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[HansBolter]

John,

My game against the AI is in mid August '42.

Unfortunately it is one of the most lopsided games I have ever had against the AI so my feedback on the air purchase system may be moot.

The Allies currently have 30k VPs to the Japanese 13.8k.

The Japanese have lost 3.3k planes in air to air while the Allies have lost only 750.

The AI has been completely blocked in Burma. China is almost completely liberated.....Shanghai fell a few days ago.

The entire Dutch army built a bastion along the Timor line with III Indian Corps.

Unbelivebly, the AI is still putting up a fight and surprising me with carrier raids (I've only sunk 2 CVs and 3 CVLs).

I went very slowly in the Solomons and NG. I waited until the first week of August to even recon Lunga and Tulagi and found 10-11 units in each.


After that update on game status here's my feedback on the plane purchase system.

At first it looks like a real candy store with way more plane choices than a player could ever avail himself of.

It looks like it could be heavily exploited in an "all-in" manner.

Granted, doing so would seriously handicap other efforts, but some one should look into playtesting an extreme air-purchase strategy to see what impact it might have.

I agree on delaying advanced planes to at least a point when they enter normally.

Obviously, in my game against the AI I haven't been pressed for airframes, but I have availed myself of several purchases anyway to flesh out what are normally abysmal pools for certain frames.

[John 3rd]

Thanks Hans. Any other comments for Juan on this?

[btd64]

Great for PBEM, AI, not so much. But that is good....GP

[sanderz]

cool mod - is it possible to add it into an existing game?

[chemkid]

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[oldman45]

I have to second what Gen Patton said, if you are playing against the AI its not a good add. In a PBEM environment I can see it being a real asset.

[HansBolter]

As a reminder, John 3rd didn't intend for this to be an AI scenario.

I simply am not in a position to be able to play PBEM and wanted to check out the new toys so I'm giving it a whirl.

Due to the rapid pace of an AI game I have at least been able to report a few bugs that have been fixed before others reached that point in their games.