What's your turn workflow like?

[ryanb]

Hi all,
New player here trying to get my head around this huge game. I've been messing about with the smaller scenarios, reading tons of AAR's, gameplay tips, FAQ's, etc.

One thing I'd like to ask the more experienced players is, do you have a set list of ordered tasks that you stick to when playing? I'm all over the place right now, and I can see that it won't scale at all to the full war scenario. Any suggestions on how to organize your gameplay to be better able to handle the scope of the game would be greatly appreciated.

-R

[Sauvequipeut]

For what it's worth, I always stick to a pattern of going anti-clockwise round the world, breaking the map down into manageable operational chunks.

So Alaska first, then Canada, the US/Panama, Pearl/Central Pacific, Fiji/New Caledonia/South Pacific, New Zealand, Australia, New Guinea/Solomons/Southwest Pacific, Phillipines, DEI, Malaya, Burma, India & off-map British bases, then over to China to round the turn off.

Within each area, I have a set pattern of working through the bases...North to South or East to West and generally try to do air units first, then naval, then ground.

I check the Ops report and Sigint at the beginning of every turn to see if there's anything I need to act on immediately. Then re-check at the end just to be sure.

I've found I can save a lot of work by organising the rear areas. So in the US, for example, all the permanently restricted air units that withdraw from theatre get sent to Eastern US to act as training squadrons until it's time to go. Temporarily restricted air units with no withdraw go to Ogden until I have the PP's to buy them out. Unrestricted air units go to other bases divided by type...fighters at one base, tactical bombers at another, heavies at a third...until it's time to ship out. Shipping wise, North Pacific runs out of Seattle, Central Pacific out of SF and South/Southwest Pacific out of LA. Ground units intended for those theatres are massed there ready to ship. Perm restricted ground units that withdraw go into a unit dump out of the way (like Butte..), unless they have engineers in which case they get to be construction workers until the wave off. Temp restricted no-withdraw go to San Luis Obispo until I have the PP's to buy the out...Temp restricted ground units with a withdrawal date go to Fort Ord up the road in case I need them badly enough to pay the PP cost.

I try to organise all my rear areas like that, operations permitting. It makes for a mad first month with units and ships travelling all over the place, but once the system is in place, it's a great time saver. When you need something, you know where to find it.

After a bit, it becomes second nature...unless something major is going down, each area can be skimmed through in a couple of minutes. I still sometimes miss things though - c'est la guerre

[rustysi]

Just gonna have to find what works for you. Most players here, myself included, tend to do turns by theater (HI, west coast, China, India, etc). I do 'housekeeping' at the beginning of the turn. By that I mean, check pools for devices, pilots. etc. Upgrade LCU's and air units (I do most things manually, maybe when I have more experience that'll change). I've only played Japan as yet so I'll check my resource areas occasionally to make sure stuff isn't piling up, and allocate shipping accordingly.

[Lokasenna]

ORIGINAL: rustysi

Just gonna have to find what works for you. Most players here, myself included, tend to do turns by theater (HI, west coast, China, India, etc). I do 'housekeeping' at the beginning of the turn. By that I mean, check pools for devices, pilots. etc. Upgrade LCU's and air units (I do most things manually, maybe when I have more experience that'll change). I've only played Japan as yet so I'll check my resource areas occasionally to make sure stuff isn't piling up, and allocate shipping accordingly.

I jump all over the place.

I run two monitors, and on the second monitor I have a Word document open with notes on the combat replay, as well as thoughts it provokes, such as "NEED TO MOVE THESE". I'll bold the important items.

Other than that, I do a lot of scrolling and map staring, scheming and plotting... I might write these plans down in the Word doc, or I might not.

[jwolf]

ORIGINAL: Sauvequipeut

I always stick to a pattern of going anti-clockwise round the world, breaking the map down into manageable operational chunks.

So Alaska first, then Canada, the US/Panama, Pearl/Central Pacific, Fiji/New Caledonia/South Pacific, New Zealand, Australia, New Guinea/Solomons/Southwest Pacific, Phillipines, DEI, Malaya, Burma, India & off-map British bases, then over to China to round the turn off.

Not to be too picky, but isn't that clockwise? But the principle is sound. I like your ideas for organizing units in the US. I've been randomly grabbing whatever I can get my hands on, and the results tend to be ... random as well!

[Sauvequipeut]

ORIGINAL: jwolf

ORIGINAL: Sauvequipeut

I always stick to a pattern of going anti-clockwise round the world, breaking the map down into manageable operational chunks.

So Alaska first, then Canada, the US/Panama, Pearl/Central Pacific, Fiji/New Caledonia/South Pacific, New Zealand, Australia, New Guinea/Solomons/Southwest Pacific, Phillipines, DEI, Malaya, Burma, India & off-map British bases, then over to China to round the turn off.

Not to be too picky, but isn't that clockwise? But the principle is sound. I like your ideas for organizing units in the US. I've been randomly grabbing whatever I can get my hands on, and the results tend to be ... random as well!

That'll teach me to proof-read my posts

[wdolson]

As Allies, I usually start in Hawaii, then deal with anything that needs to be dealt with at the Panama Canal, then North America. After that, I tend to move westward across the map dealing with anything that needs attention. About once a week or so I check on the quiet areas where nothing is going on to make sure bases aren't running low on supplies, but I otherwise ignore them. I end at Cape Town. As territories change hands I vary exactly what I look at each turn, though usually only the active theaters or rear areas with some importance get attention every turn.

Bill

[wegman58]

I'm doing my first campaign against the AI, as the Allies and it has been boring - I have a script that doesn't try hard to go anywhere it hasn't taken already and I haven't seen carriers for months (I have all of mine, a couple of CVLs lost to submarines and the JUNYO pair did a raid to New Zealand that ran into cruisers).

First thing I do is look for damaged ships and make sure they are headed for safety (I think I had two AKs collide - no enemy in the area, no submarine attack, lots of damage on two). Sort by system and floatation and make sure the damaged ships are headed for port unless there is a reason not to.

I'm one of the 'disband if damaged' school so I look for subs healed in port.

I always look for weapons load on task forces - sometimes a sub has ZERO torpedoes and isn't heading back to the barn.

Look at the Strategic Map and look for task forces (filter anything else out) - if there are red spots outside of the enemy areas see if anything needs to be done.

It is very quiet so I only have a couple of places where combat is going on. I kept Port Moresby (it is the AI) and there is action there; I have some action in the CBI area, but not much.

I monitor exposed (NOT in big bases) troops in Malaria zones.

THEN I check the major ports - Karachi, the off map hubs, Perth (used for keeping Oz in fuel and supply from Capetown (which gets fed from the East Coast)), Sydney, Brisbane, San Diego, LA, Seattle.

Check the Ops Report to move reinforcements - stockpile in Panama until I get ASW escorts, Portland to Seattle (or San Francisco); Alameda to San Francisco.

Less frequently I look for high fatigue air units not in a hot zone. Adjust as necessary. And look for acceptable (50+) experienced air groups in the rear areas - if restricted dump the pilots into reserve and replace with rookies - if unrestricted think about getting to the front somewhere.

However I'm looking at this as learning about game mechanics and I will adjust and learn. And once I start getting Corsairs and Hellcats we might be more aggressive and have to look at more things to do.

[Malagant]

I check out industrial stuff first, including checking supply/fuel levels at the forward bases that need and setting up supply runs, etc. This also includes reviewing new arrivals and sending them off to where I want them. Tracker is used extensively here.

Then I review Combat Reporter to make sure nothing new and scary has happened that needs immediate attention or will affect/change ongoing operations.

Then I have two kind of overlapping systems to go over the 'fighting' stuff....I have things mentally arranged in 'regions' (Burma, Malaya, Sumatra, Java, Luzon, Mindanao, north, central, south china, Aleutians, PNG/Solomons, etc). I review those regions, and do stuff as needed. But at the same time I think of things in terms of Operations. I try to arrange forces for specific operations, and try (but fail frequently!) to keep notes on what's assigned to which operation and those are where the bulk of my attention goes. I find organizing my thinking in terms of operations helps me plan out everything I'll need before starting and finding I'm missing something (on crap, I ran out of fuel! Where are my AOs?!)

After I'm done, I look again at Combat Reporter and Tracker to make sure there wasn't anything I missed.

[Cap Mandrake]

I am very disciplined about this kind of thing.

1) Sort files by date

2) Open specific file

3) Immediately go to scene of best fight

4) Check ship damage of combatants

5) Go get more ice cubes for G & T..and refresh drink if needed

6) Get something to eat

7) Go to political discussion to complain about Islam

8) Go back to AE. Cursor is now at Lake Winnepeg...get distracted looking at funny names of Canadian units

9) Turn down sound of annoying Duran Duran song.

10) Go back to AE. Start over........

[Flicker]

I start at the menu with the summary to check air losses, ships sunk, air groups withdrawing / arriving, ships withdrawing / arriving, troops withdrawing / arriving - then act if needed. Then I go to the map, then the combat summary (action if needed, e.g., subs hit go home). Then I check the ships list and sort on damage to see if any ship needs to get sent home. Next I check the ops report and act if needed, then intel, then weather.

Next I start at the Pearl Harbor area and check theaters kinda clockwise (Pearl, Christmas, Islands, New Guinea, Oz, Darwin, DEI, Malaysia, Burma, China, Russia, back to India, off maps Abadan / Aden / CT, then Alaska, Canada, US.

For each base (I don't always look at every base), I check the base metrics, then ships, then air, then troops.

Occasionally I'll check pools and industry, but I'm not really good at that stuff yet.

Once a month I'll review each theater to ensure that everyone is busy.

Each turn takes me about an hour.

[Lecivius]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

I am very disciplined about this kind of thing.

1) Sort files by date

2) Open specific file

3) Immediately go to scene of best fight

4) Check ship damage of combatants

5) Go get more ice cubes for G & T..and refresh drink if needed

6) Get something to eat

7) Go to political discussion to complain about Islam

8) Go back to AE. Cursor is now at Lake Winnepeg...get distracted looking at funny names of Canadian units

9) Turn down sound of annoying Duran Duran song.

10) Go back to AE. Start over........

I do pretty much the same thing. Except insert Bud for G&T, I guess I'm a low brow type [:D]

[bomccarthy]

It seems that most players organize first by geographic location. I find it easier to organize through the main menu screens, filtering for certain data and sorting:

• Bases sorted by air support required, then supply required
• Land-based air units sorted by fatigue level, then filtered by nationality and type, then sorted by location
• Ship-based air units sorted by fatigue level, then filtered by type and sorted by ship
• Task forces sorted by endurance needed, then location (if at a base)
• Ships sorted by damage type
• Ships under repair sorted by base
• LCUs sorted by mode

Within these screens, I look for anything in orange and red.

Any air unit with a fatigue level of 10 or more gets a rest percentage assigned, unless the situation requires full commitment.

Filtering by air unit nationality and type, then sorting by location enables me to keep certain air offensives moving with rested units (after almost four years in my first GC, I know the location of each base by looking at its name; if something seems unfamiliar, I can click on the base name and the map jumps to its location). This takes the most time in a turn, since I constantly rotate units between flying missions and rest mode. During this process, I also keep the squadrons filled with reserve pilots and aircraft.

Because I don’t assign any convoys to computer-control, I need to keep tabs on convoys that have arrived at their home port – I name regular cargo convoys with their destination and home ports, so that when they arrive empty at their home port, I replace the damaged ships with fresh ones, then send the convoy back on its way for another cargo run, assigning new waypoints as needed.

Every couple of game weeks, I filter the ships screen by those due for an upgrade, this month and next month, and then filter by those not allowed to upgrade (to decide if any should be switched to “allowed”).

One thing I don’t have to do anymore is check for upcoming withdrawals – I used to check this at the beginning of every turn, to keep them burned in my memory.

Since this is my first GC, I can’t give any estimate of how long a typical turn should take in the first couple of years of gametime. Everything was so new back then that I would double- and triple-check a lot of things. Now, I have developed what seems to be a comprehensive routine, so my second GC should move a little more smoothly in the early years.

I achieved auto-victory in Jan ’45, but decided to keep playing because I hadn’t even invaded the Bonins or Ryukus yet. I also wanted to see what it was like to play with all of the Allied reinforcements. Now, at the end of October, a typical turn takes 4.5-5 hours to complete, including the combat resolution.

[pontiouspilot]

Before I get to any units or bases I do the following:
1. I check the weather carefully...cloud cover on and off
2. I check on large scale map for all enemy TFs and see if there is something unnoticed during other phase
3. I check the intell/enigma report and see if I can pull anything important out
4. I scour the Operational report for any clues on enemy TFs or movements.
5. I check all aspects of the broader Intel report to monitor units coming and going, losses for last turn etc

[stuman]

ORIGINAL: Lecivius

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

I am very disciplined about this kind of thing.

1) Sort files by date

2) Open specific file

3) Immediately go to scene of best fight

4) Check ship damage of combatants

5) Go get more ice cubes for G & T..and refresh drink if needed

6) Get something to eat

7) Go to political discussion to complain about Islam

8) Go back to AE. Cursor is now at Lake Winnepeg...get distracted looking at funny names of Canadian units

9) Turn down sound of annoying Duran Duran song.

10) Go back to AE. Start over........

I do pretty much the same thing. Except insert Bud for G&T, I guess I'm a low brow type [:D]

I often fall asleep somewhere in that mix.

[rockmedic109]

I make notes while a turn is running. When a sub is damaged {and possibly need to go to the body shop}, air raid {with planes needing to rest for a day}, Combat reports gives me wrong info on an opportunity to attack, and so forth; I take care of those situations first {lest I forget}. It'd be nice if Collisions are bold-faced in the Ops Report to make them easier to see. I guess I could do a word search of save file of the Ops report but I am too lazy.....er, I am trying to give the AI some help so I don't destroy it too fast.[:D]

I then start at Pearl, move east to Midway, up to the Aleutians {every third day or so}, down the west coast to panama, west to the Marshalls {this check is about to be ignored as they have been taken}, New Guinea/Rabaul/Truk, <about to insert Philippines here>, Sumatra/Burma/China.

[Mike McCreery]

You are supposed to have a plan?

[witpqs]

Mine:

- Watch the Combat Replay (same for Combat Resolution for Japanese player).
- Open all 4 reports in a text editor.
- Open AAR entry in the text editor.
- Open Tracker.
- Read/skim down through the Combat Events Report, jumping/cutting & pasting to the AAR & AE as necessary.
- Glance at but mostly skip the SigInt Report in the text editor.
- Read/skim down through the Operations Report, jumping/cutting & pasting to the AAR & AE as necessary.
- Based on the Replay, skip around through the combat report for info and for cutting & pasting into the AAR.
- Read/skim through the SigInt report in Tracker.
- Go through the Events report in Tracker, sorted by event type, jumping to the AAR & AE as necessary.
- Go through the different theaters in mostly methodical fashion, but with some jumping back and forth, using Tracker as needed for quick info (replacements, etc.).

Note that the last step in this process was also being done little by little while I stepped through the various reports noted above. On some turns will also visit the various squadrons being used for pilot training. Sometimes make a CSV from Tracker of all LCU, then import that into a LibreOffice spreadsheet for sorting and filtering to help planning and organize preparation of LCU.

I write the entire AAR entry while doing the orders as noted above 99% of the time, including taking (and sometimes marking up) screenshots. Writing the AAR this way helps to organize thoughts and analyses.

[IdahoNYer]

My Allied turn routine:

- Watch the replay.
- Bring up the turn to see if air and naval losses seem to agree with the replay (the synch bug check)
- load up Combat Reporter and Tracker with the current turn. Review. Review again.
- break -
- Bring up the game turn. Start with West Coast convoys/reinforcements. Twice a month I'll check and work pilot training across all training squadrons.
- Do the turn pretty much by theater: NOPAC, CENPAC, SOPAC, SWPAC, Capetown, DEI, PI, Burma, India, Abadan, Aden, then China last. I'm usually pretty fatigued by the time I get to China if I do the turn in a single sitting (and it shows by the results of the war in China)
- Review subs on commerce raiding patrols, sending damaged boats back to port for repair.
- Save turn and send it out.
- Bring up my save and review/do AAR while waiting for turn.

[capthook]

Watch the replay then I check the information screen first - Checking air losses tells me a lot as the allies. If a lot of patrol aircraft are being lost to A2A, for example, that means the KB is probably around with its massive CAP. Unusual OPs losses or high combat losses are investigated then.

Next I hit the 'O' key and review the end of the operation report - if there are new reinforcements I might be interested in (a critical new division or a new CV) I'll set up their move then. The report tells the bases that have achieved a new level - most of these I'll visit then.

Then I start at Aden and work my way through India, Burma then China, then eastward though the bases on the rim of the Japanese empire. I'll hit the high points - a quick attack in Burma, stand down that bomber group that's taking losses, run away from the advancing KB in the South Pacific. Usually The USA west coast is last and I have a good idea of what places will need supply/reinforcement coming up, I'll build convoys and send them on their way with that in mind. That all takes maybe half an hour when things are running smoothly.

Then I'll have some fun if there's time. Maybe today I'll reorganize the Chinese airforce, start assembling the transports for an invasion next month, review the upgrade schedules for the allied heavy bombers (there's a lot of them), plan out the defense Ceylon, work on pilot training. There are so many interesting subsystems to take care.

The Allied ship upgrades alone is a huge task - it got me interested in the Allied AA improvements during the war which led to some interesting reading. So after I play WitPAE for a while, I have a dozen subjects I'd like to read about.