Groundhog Day! - No NJP

[Mike McCreery]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

It will be interesting to see how things play out: serious sir Robin vs hyper aggressive Japanese (your description).

Here is hoping that NJP can pull off a win and even the score. No offense![:D]

I have noticed that his AAR is quite active and often see your input... TRAITOR!!!

Only time will tell ;]

[Mike McCreery]

February 8, 1942

The Chinese capture Suchow and due to armies moving east to reinforce Hankow will begin moving on Wuchang.

NJP's new plan for China may win him the game or give him fits...

[Mike McCreery]

I am trying to do things differently from the last game in terms of training. One thing I did was let my ships sit docked in port. In this game, most of the warships I am currently not using for other things (which is pretty much all of them right now) are on patrol in port with a range set between 0 and 2 and 9 days hold time on the location.

This has already yielded some pretty impressive results to my crew training. In approximately 2 months time the Heavy Cruiser Indianapolis has gone from 55/44 training to 55/52 - a gain of 8 points. Other ships gained 2-3 points of night training skill.

It may not be huge but across the board it will certainly help things over time. The small fuel cost is certainly worth it.

Another thing I am working on which is stupid to overlook but I have is the training of the search crews on the individual cruisers and battleships. From the beginning of the game, those crews not being used on ships are set to 100% training 0 distance. I have 4 full sets of float plains training ASW search on the East coast of America and when they get good I am going to swap them out for search training and then those pilots go on the ships that are active

By doing some of these things I hope to improve the results of surface combats. NJP seemed to have the edge in most of them in the last game and I believe that some of these factors could be part of it.

[Lowpe]

Experience is very important in ship crews...

I think some ships like yms are capped at 25 from simply patrolling...have you noticed that?

[Mike McCreery]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

Experience is very important in ship crews...

I think some ships like yms are capped at 25 from simply patrolling...have you noticed that?

I never paid attention to ships training because I did not realize that I could affect it. I am guessing that ships have training caps much like the army does. We shall see though. Some of my battleships have night experience in the 30's. If I can get that up into the 50's even if there is a cap they should do much better in combat.

[obvert]

ORIGINAL: Wargmr

I am trying to do things differently from the last game in terms of training. One thing I did was let my ships sit docked in port. In this game, most of the warships I am currently not using for other things (which is pretty much all of them right now) are on patrol in port with a range set between 0 and 2 and 9 days hold time on the location.

This has already yielded some pretty impressive results to my crew training. In approximately 2 months time the Heavy Cruiser Indianapolis has gone from 55/44 training to 55/52 - a gain of 8 points. Other ships gained 2-3 points of night training skill.

It may not be huge but across the board it will certainly help things over time. The small fuel cost is certainly worth it.

Another thing I am working on which is stupid to overlook but I have is the training of the search crews on the individual cruisers and battleships. From the beginning of the game, those crews not being used on ships are set to 100% training 0 distance. I have 4 full sets of float plains training ASW search on the East coast of America and when they get good I am going to swap them out for search training and then those pilots go on the ships that are active

By doing some of these things I hope to improve the results of surface combats. NJP seemed to have the edge in most of them in the last game and I believe that some of these factors could be part of it.

From playing both sides I've noticed that the IJN has much better crews across the board in the beginning, but even now in 43 I don't have close to the 70+/60+ crews the average IJN destroyer has. That with a bit of action and lots of bombardment runs and patrolling. I know it will get better, and soon it won't matter as much due to the quality of Allied ships plus training, but it is tough in the beginning.

I've also tried to pay close attention to the training of FP on ships. I always get 60-70 search skills into those and use them on day and night patrolling.

[Lowpe]

It is amazing to watch a ship with experience in the high 70's or 80's fight. They are very accurate!

[Mike McCreery]

February 12, 1942

In the last game NJP moved on China in an overall way enclosing and pushing in the perimeter. This caused him to have to fight units multiple times and as he reached ChungKing I had 4500AV of units waiting for his final assault which never came.

In this game he has gotten smarter and was planning a direct strike into the heart of Chungking without trying to kill all those perimeter units first.

Unfortunately for him, those perimeter units have AV and can fight and block. I know I cant win China but I am not going to roll over on it either.

[Mike McCreery]

Line Islands

It appears that NJP has completely given in to his expansion fever as he is heading for the line islands. Disappointing really. I wanted to have a prolonged fight in this game. He does not understand what constitutes a good Japanese defense yet and even though he is very intelligent and logical and has read quite a few AAR's doesnt see that I guess.

If he wants them, he can have them. I appreciate being able to start my counter attacks with islands so close to home and so far from his own. In addition, I may not even take them and just leave them for him to defend. They dont affect my supply lines and my strategic battle plan does not include them or find them necessary in any way. It may add some days to shipping but that is a relatively minor issue.

What it does do is spread him out even further and eliminate any chance of a significant layered defense. If he is heavy at the line islands I can hit canton and take that base and isolate him. IMO, taking real estate in the pacific is a waste of time for the Japanese. If they just reinforced the guam area and Truk then it is really hard to get a foothold. If he spreads out to every island in the pacific I can take him piecemeal or I can isolate those bases or I can ignore them and drive straight through to another objective also isolating those bases.

[Crackaces]

I have to agree with your assessment. There is an excellent AAR by PzB vs Andy where the IJ empire is established to
the line islands .. then supply and the IJ economy collapses game ends

tm.asp?m=997347&mpage=1&key=

The extra toys consumes a lot of supplies ..

[Lowpe]

So what is that: Eastern and Western Oz, Ceylon (did he do Ceylon can't remember) and all over the Pacific. Anything in Alaska yet?

I read his AAR and know his secret plan...psst: he wants the Panama Canal.[:D] You didn't hear it from me though.

[Mike McCreery]

ORIGINAL: Crackaces

I have to agree with your assessment. There is an excellent AAR by PzB vs Andy where the IJ empire is established to
the line islands .. then supply and the IJ economy collapses game ends

tm.asp?m=997347&mpage=1&key=

The extra toys consumes a lot of supplies ..

To add to that he chose DBB-C and didnt realize it until I pointed it out a few days ago. I explained to him that I thought it was more of a hindrance to the Japanese who now have to pay 30% more in fuel to transport supplies, resources, oil and even fuel.

[Mike McCreery]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

So what is that: Eastern and Western Oz, Ceylon (did he do Ceylon can't remember) and all over the Pacific. Anything in Alaska yet?

I read his AAR and know his secret plan...psst: he wants the Panama Canal.[:D] You didn't hear it from me though.

Be careful what you say. Even your comment leads me to believe that any discussion of attacking Alaska in his AAR is not likely. That could give me information he would rather that I not have.

As far as Alaska, lets just say as he nears the American coast he would find resistance increasing.

Because my opponent now has an AAR is one of the reasons I am getting much more vague about my plans. Even when people dont mean to slip, they can let info out. I would not want to get wind of NJP's plans from a 3rd party.

[Lowpe]

No hint meant...but duly taken to the woodshed.[:-]

[Mike McCreery]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

No hint meant...but duly taken to the woodshed.[:-]

No harm, no foul :]

[paradigmblue]

ORIGINAL: Wargmr

Line Islands

How do you get the search arcs from different bases to appear on the screen at the same time?

[Mike McCreery]

ORIGINAL: paradigmblue

ORIGINAL: Wargmr

Line Islands

How do you get the search arcs from different bases to appear on the screen at the same time?

It is the 'Z' key.

[Mike McCreery]

February 13, 1942

No attack materialized in the last few days at the line islands. Either NJP is having problems conducting a simple amphibious assault which is doubtful. or... He thinks I am stupid ;]

The KB is in full sight as far away from the pacific as possible. I believe the other alternative is that NJP is trying to bait me into attacking the amphibious assault that is bobbling around in the pacific ocean west of the line islands.

I know he has additional air assets and I know his 2nd carrier TF is out there waiting. He was/is hoping that I am going to attack with my buffalo's....

Tip for the newer AFB's out there. Dont go chasing after every stick the Japanese throw. NJP is a good player and likes to try to set up traps. He sets CAP traps and tries to bait me into foolish attacks. The counter for the Allies is to develop a strategic plan and for the most part to follow it.

It is not in my best interest to mix it up with the Japanese yet in the Pacific. It helps me the more he expands into the area so if he takes the Line Islands, so be it. If he is just playing with me, so be it. When I decide the line islands are my next line of defense I will reinforce them with sufficient troops to make it hard for NJP to take them. If he takes them before that my reinforcement groups become amphibious assault groups.

One of the hardest things I see for players is to have patience. For the allies, everything gets better over time. You get better planes, the ships upgrade the armies upgrade, you get much more, etc. If you take nothing back until the end of 1943 you still have 2 1/2 years to win the game. The Japanese can expand into this same territory in 2 months at the beginning of the game.

[Mike McCreery]

February 15, 1942

Whoops... Just mis-clicked on my opponents AAR for the first time. Was out even before it loaded but those are the dangers ;]

It looks like NJP is either doing a denial of shipping to Northern India to prevent the Canadian Divisions from showing up or he is going to do a direct attack on Karachi. Not really sure which one yet. If he attacks Karachi it could be exciting.

He blew up a medium size transport fleet up north and killed a bunch of engineers and base force troops that were just rebuilding from being taken out by the Japanese. Otherwise, I dont have plans on moving much through this area right now. He cannot leave the KB here forever.

[Mike McCreery]

February 17, 1942 India

NJP has finished conquering and is likely consolidating Ceylon to set up a base. This is not a bad defensive place to have until the Allies can put more airpower in between the east coast and this island. Then it is a POW camp.

Otherwise, India is quiet. I havent seen the KB in 2 days and I am not really looking for it. He is going to go where he will for a while and there is nothing on the seas to get in his way.