A few newbie questions

[SilentHunter]

So instead of starting a new thread about this I'll post here; I'm curious for those who know how to play the game do you actually track all of your units and losses? Example; I have 220 Soc-1 Seagull's I raid an island and lose 10. I write down somewhere or keep track that I lost 10 of these and now only have 210, but get reinforcements next month of another 20 of them. Do you guys play and track it to that level? I'm still learning the basics of the game and getting lost in the smallest campaign but would love to hear how the veterans play so I know what to work up to when/if I start the grand campaign and don't get for the next year

[SilentHunter]

Help guys,

In the thousand mile war scenario why I can move any of the subs and don't understand why. The unit info page does not allow tf creation or sub movement options. It says they are attached to 5th fleet but I can't find 5th fleet, this is playing as japan.

In the coral sea scenario as the allies, can someone walk me through the steps on how you order your fighter aircraft to do patrol in the hex your ship is in only, in fact all aircraft to only defend instead of attack anything they see?

Thanks

[SilentHunter]

ORIGINAL: SilentHunter

Help guys,

In the thousand mile war scenario why I can move any of the subs and don't understand why. The unit info page does not allow tf creation or sub movement options. It says they are attached to 5th fleet but I can't find 5th fleet, this is playing as japan.

In the coral sea scenario as the allies, can someone walk me through the steps on how you order your fighter aircraft to do patrol in the hex your ship is in only, in fact all aircraft to only defend instead of attack anything they see?

Thanks

disregard question one there was create a taskforce button on the ships screen, when added to the task force I could now give them move/other orders. Regarding second question I'm astill not yet able to figure it out. There's a lot of layered complexity to this game.

[Schorsch]

Just use the range options in the unitscreen for flying CAP in the hex they are based at. (put max range at 0 or 1)
If ur doing this on your carrier fighters, remeber that ur bombers wont have any escort on longer ranged targets, so adjust their settings too (or put on naval search/ASW insted).
Manual pages 143+

[HansBolter]

ORIGINAL: SilentHunter

So instead of starting a new thread about this I'll post here; I'm curious for those who know how to play the game do you actually track all of your units and losses? Example; I have 220 Soc-1 Seagull's I raid an island and lose 10. I write down somewhere or keep track that I lost 10 of these and now only have 210, but get reinforcements next month of another 20 of them. Do you guys play and track it to that level? I'm still learning the basics of the game and getting lost in the smallest campaign but would love to hear how the veterans play so I know what to work up to when/if I start the grand campaign and don't get for the next year

I don't as the game tracks it for me and I can see it in several places easily.

Just about once a week I look at the airframe production/replacement list, not only to keep track of current stocks and rates but to look ahead to next months added types.

You can also see the current pool level for any airframe by looking a squadron of that type and seeing what level of replacements are currently in the pool.

[SilentHunter]

ORIGINAL: Schorsch

Just use the range options in the unitscreen for flying CAP in the hex they are based at. (put max range at 0 or 1)
If ur doing this on your carrier fighters, remeber that ur bombers wont have any escort on longer ranged targets, so adjust their settings too (or put on naval search/ASW insted).
Manual pages 143+

Got it just tried it and exactly what I need. Just testing things out but I'm trying to play a pure defensive game and win the war of attrition when is comes to air. Let them keep attacking me while my CAP around the carrier tears them up. So far not going as planned though

[SilentHunter]

@HansBolter - Thank you as I learn more about the game it hard to know how much I should actually care about turn by turn. Hard to keep in mind this is about the big picture and not a single battle.

[HansBolter]

ORIGINAL: SilentHunter

@HansBolter - Thank you as I learn more about the game it hard to know how much I should actually care about turn by turn. Hard to keep in mind this is about the big picture and not a single battle.

One thing I try to point out to newcomers is that the game is really a HUGE database.

The deeper you delve into it the more you stay on top of things.

Some turns I zip right through orders because I am anxious for the coming big battle that turn.

Other turns I spend an hour or two digging into the database before I end the turn.

I play more by mood and what I have the mental stamina for that day than by a regimented process, but I do try to review as much data as possible at least once a week in game time.

[SilentHunter]

You guys are being very helpful, the game is starting to make sense and reading the manual this week has helped to put a lot of ideas in my head. Question though I'm on turn 47 of the Thousand Mile War scenario and something just does not seem right. I have all aircraft from Adak Island and Dutch Harbor flying sweep @ 100% and 4 hex for the fighters and 10 hex for the bombers. Fighters at 5000 and bombers at 9000, I'm getting tons of reports every turn from combat reports that enemy ships and planes are sited just off my coasts, I'm seeing they are recon'ing my units every turn as well. I have 3 task forces of subs doing sub patrols around the coasts, and 2 task forces of battleship/destroys doing surface combat patrol.

I've yet to spot any enemy that shows up on the map nor has any combat taken place in 46 turns. I think something is wrong, most likely the user but I don't know what it is.

Here is the latest combat report, I've seen reports several time of 10 ships moving se @ 10mps right next to dutch harbor but again nothing is being found on the map, no red contacts. Any help would be appreciated.



TF 1 sighted by Japanese Aircraft at 167,50 near Dutch Harbor
OS2U-3 Kingfisher reports turbulence in water at 170, 50 near Dutch Harbor
PBY-5A Catalina reports oil slick at 171, 50 near Dutch Harbor
TF 3 sights Japanese Aircraft at 171,50 near Dutch Harbor




EDIT * Just a note I switched back to the coral sea scenario and I'm spotting all kinds of things, is the thousand mile war scenario broke? I am using combat reporter and Chemkids maps.

[SilentHunter]

^@ anyone can help out on the above question.

[Schorsch]

First thing i´ve seen u doing "wrong" here is your sweep mission. While Sweeping u want to be diving on your enemies. Flying @5000 does not help with that. Start with an altitude of 15000-20000 and try if that helps with shooting down the enemys. While flying Escort/Cap u dont want to be that high, just slightly above your bombers.
To spot Surface tfs u need some planes to fly the "Naval Search" order. Either put a whole group on the "naval search" mission, or set some % to search (the settings above the range settings).
You can maximise your naval search efficiency by setting search arcs.(read the manual for that somewhere between page 143 and 155?? i guess, dont have it at hand atm.)
These turbolences and oil slicks ur spotting are most likely Submarines. Planes/SCTF dedicatet to ASW missions should deal with that. (or use the % settings like above)

I dont have this scenario touched for years so i cant say anything specific about that.
EDIT.
BUT you can check the tech support forum. somewhere on page 2 should be a thread with updates to all scenarios, just in case something is going wrong with yours.

[SilentHunter]

ORIGINAL: Schorsch

First thing i´ve seen u doing "wrong" here is your sweep mission. While Sweeping u want to be diving on your enemies. Flying @5000 does not help with that. Start with an altitude of 15000-20000 and try if that helps with shooting down the enemys. While flying Escort/Cap u dont want to be that high, just slightly above your bombers.
To spot Surface tfs u need some planes to fly the "Naval Search" order. Either put a whole group on the "naval search" mission, or set some % to search (the settings above the range settings).
You can maximise your naval search efficiency by setting search arcs.(read the manual for that somewhere between page 143 and 155?? i guess, dont have it at hand atm.)
These turbolences and oil slicks ur spotting are most likely Submarines. Planes/SCTF dedicatet to ASW missions should deal with that. (or use the % settings like above)

I dont have this scenario touched for years so i cant say anything specific about that.
EDIT.
BUT you can check the tech support forum. somewhere on page 2 should be a thread with updates to all scenarios, just in case something is going wrong with yours.

This is really frustrating, I don't know if the game is broke or it's me.
I'm spotting many things, even my catalinas report spotting 9 and 10 Jap ships right next to me dutch harbor hex but nothing is showing up on the map, no enemy's. If I turn fog of war off I see them all over the place. I'm running all 6 sets of plans from fighters to catalinas, to the kittyhawk III's, in both sweep at 25000 and 1000 altitudes, running naval attack/sweep at altitudes of 15000 and 2000, the search arcs are fully covered day and night. Ops reports shows activity all around me, constantly being discovered by enemy planes, yet again nothing showing up on the map nor is any combat happening unless I deliberately fly to the enemy airbase.

I hate to just call it quits on this scenario as it seems the best one to start training on, but at this point I don't know if the game is broke or it's me. If I go back to coral sea everything seems to work fine, I'm spotting everything and it's all over the map.

[Yaab]

I have a vague recollection of similar problems with this scenario. Last year, I used the scenario to run some naval attack tests at 100 feet. I got the "ship spotted" messages but saw no ship icons on the map. Cannot remember though if I attributed this situation to bad weather/pilot low experience. Later I moved to the Guadalcanal scenario to run my tests.

Maybe the scenario is bugged?

[SilentHunter]

ORIGINAL: Yaab

I have a vague recollection of similar problems with this scenario. Last year, I used the scenario to run some naval attack tests at 100 feet. I got the "ship spotted" messages but saw no ship icons on the map. Cannot remember though if I attributed this situation to bad weather/pilot low experience. Later I moved to the Guadalcanal scenario to run my tests.

Maybe the scenario is bugged?

That's what I'm thinking too, it's hell on a new player though just when you think you are starting to understand you run in to something like that and spend days trying to work out what your doing wrong. I have no loaded any scenarios so these are ones that came with the game, which now makes me question which ones work and which ones don't? Can one of the devs chime in on this if possible. Thanks guys for trying to help.

[Alfred]

I wasn't going to respond to the nonsense, worthless "facts" and contradictory material that is being posted here but other newbies might actually think there is some substance to this nonsense.
 
No, the scenario is not bugged.  The fault lies entirely with SilentHunter who has no idea what he is doing and wants to find excuses for his very poor play.
 
1.  Anyone who knows anything about computer wargames, knows that the only thing different between each scenario is the database.  The game code remains the same.  It is the same game code which drives scenario 1, or scenario 5 or scenario 26.  Every modder who makes a scenario is applying his own database to the game code.  Not a single "issue" identified by SilentHunter is database derived.  Ergo, there is no bug in the scenario.
 
2.  As there is no bug, why should any dev respond to the request outlined in post #474.  Devs and experienced players have better things to do than waste their time answering nonsense.  Devs and experienced players do assist new players who make an effort in the first place and present material in a logical manner and with sufficient detail to identify the issues.  That has not been the case here.  Nor does the 14 hour delay between posts #469 and #470 engender a sympathetic attitude.
 
3.  In post #462 it is clearly stated that SilentHunter is playing the Japanese side.  Yet in all the subsequent posts it is clear they are raised from the Allied perspective.  Either he is being economical with the truth or he is playing the scenario Head to Head.  If it is the latter, that is a very important factor which has been omitted which combined with what he said in post #466 of adopting a purely defensive game, goes a very long way to explaining the lack of action in the 47 turns to date.
 
4.  SilentHunter keeps on throwing about terms such as Combat Report as "evidence" that things are being seen but then not being placed on the map.  In post #469 he provides the latest "Combat Report" which shows 2 Allied and 2 Japanese sightings.  The problem is that is not a Combat Report.  The information he provided there is not what one sees when the true Combat Reports, which are accessible by hitting the short cut key "C", are fetched.  In a sense this lack of attention to detail is not at all surprising for it was he who in post #455 wanted to reduce the time for turn resolution and in post #460 stated that he had reduced all delays to zero.  Time after time, experienced players point out that the true Combat Reports do not disclose all the important information.  Very important information is contained in the Combat Animations.  Devs and I have regularly pointed out that no third party software is necessary to understand this game.  Over reliance on such third party software often stunts a player's AE awareness.  Perhaps SilentHunter would like to become a brain surgeon but not be bothered with the years of training required.  Are there institutions in the USA which, upon receipt of the appropriate sum of money, reward such individuals with the mailing of a certificate attesting to their surgical skills.
 
5.  Post #469 is just nonsense.  The basic complaint is that after 47 turns he hasn't had combat and can't find the enemy.  Yet in post #472 he does admit that he can get combat if he deliberately flies to the enemy airbase.  A rather important piece of information he omitted from post #469.  He states that he is reading the manual.  I see no evidence that he is or if he is, he certainly isn't reading the sections of the manual which address his concerns.  Section 7.4 of the manual on page 171, which is titled "Air Combat", opens with the sentence "Air combat occurs when opposing aircraft meet in the same hex ...".  Where is the evidence that Japan (which presumably is he himself) is sending aircraft to Adak or Dutch.  Or for that matter he is sending aircraft to Kiska or Attu.  And before you attempt to justify your position about sightings, they are something else quite different which I deal with below
 
6.  More nonsense from #469. Allegedly all aircraft are flying 100% sweeps.  Really?[&:]  The fighters are flying sweeps at 4 hex range at 5k alt and the bombers are flying sweeps at 10 hex range at 9k altitude.  Let's put aside for the moment that it is impossible to assign a bomber the sweep mission, and if he believes I don't know what I'm talking about, let he try to explain the absence of sweeps for bombers in the tables on pages 158 and 159 of the manual.  Let's also put aside for the moment that in post #472 the altitudes now seem to have become 25k and 1k, and also 15k and 2k.  Being generous I will say he is totally confused and has no idea what he is doing or more importantly what a sweep is in the game.
 
(a)  Page 150 of the manual states what the game's "Sweep" mission does.  How does he expect any air unit, assuming it has been given a "sweep" mission, is going to have any interaction with enemy ships or submarines.
 
(b)  Note how he has limited his fighters on sweep to a 4 hex range (and for what it is worth, his bombers to a 10 hex range).  The distance between Kiska and Adak is 5 hexes, and the distance is 14 hexes to Dutch Harbor.  Even if the sweep mission was being assigned correctly to his fighters, they cannot undertake it successfully because Kiska is too far away.  Unless of course he has given them Kiska as the target when the normal range limit would be overridden.  But of course no mention has been made whether any of his air units have been given targets.
 
7.  Again from that treasure trove which is post #469.  His 3 sub task forces and 2 BB/DD "surface combat patrol" have had no combat in 47 turns.  No mention of how they have been structured, eg what sort of patrol parameters have been assigned.  More importantly, silence on what exactly he expects them to find; enemy surface ships, enemy subs, flotsam, plastic bags?.  The so called sightings from the "Combat Report" which is the only material he has actually posted, are consistent with sub activity.  Since when do sub or surface combat task forces primarily concern themselves with locating and then prosecuting contact with subs.  That is what the dedicated ASW task force is supposed to do.  Of course that would entail having read as a minimum pages 76-78 of the manual where all the different types of task forces are identified.
 
8.  Then there is the so called constant sighting of enemy task forces but their non appearance on the map.  Once again I draw attention to chapter 10 of the manual.  Nothing particularly surprising here, especially when one takes into account the very low ASW ratings of the Allied at start patrol airplane pilots.  Heaven forbid we should have been given any details as to whether they had continued their at start training and what their current ASW ratings are.  We don't even know if air units have been assigned ASW missions.  Some mention is made of naval search but that is not the same thing, even assuming we can trust that statement.  If, as per #472 but not mentioned in #469, search arcs (assuming they are on ASW search, a big if)are being made night and day, there is still no mention of the parameters such as range, percentage set to search etc.  Personally I don't believe his assurance that it has been taken care off properly.  The scenario starts with 2 patrol units only.  Two more additional units come in as reinforcements.  he therefore has 4 units, apparently operating out of two bases on day and night.  These are not monster sized units.  He cannot have 360 degree ASW coverage, 24/7.  Nor can he be coopting the bomber units if they are on naval attack/naval search and even if they are coopted the pilots suck at ASW.  Then there is point 9 below.
 
9.  Both Adak and Dutch start off with very small sized airfields.  Dutch has a small surplus of aviation support but Adak is already in the red re av sup on 15 April 1943.  No evidence that the airfields have been built up to accommodate the existing at start units, let alone the air units set to arrive.  No evidence that the necessary supplies have been sent to Adak to sustain effective air operations from that airfield.  We are completely left in the dark as to the situation on turn 47 at Adak re airfield size, amount of av sup, actual units located there, how many airframes remain serviceable etc etc.
 
 
There are many other things not provided, such as weather conditions, but I've already spent far too many hours on this nonsense.  Unlike many, I research my answers before I post.  A few screenshots would accurately disclose the situation.  But that would entail too much effort.  Far better to misinform us, expect us to guess, complain if no one responds within 14 hours, or better still clutch at any suggestion that the fault lies in the game itself.
 
Alfred 
 
 

[SilentHunter]

@Alfred

Wow, you would think instead of all that you could have at least tried to help me instead of berating me. It does not matter which side I play none of the contacts are showing up on the map...period. As mentioned in my post I'm trying to find out what I'm doing wrong because I'm new and trying to learn the game and this scenario seemed easier to start on that the coral sea. It's people like you that drive off new players, please don't respond to any of my post unless you have something useful to say or can tell me how to give you more info to help you help me figure out what's wrong.

I've restarted the scenario multiple times trying various things, sweeps/searches/naval patrol/cap at various altitudes and although I continue to report contacts in the combat reporter (even in hexes right next to my bases in dutch harbor which is why I limit the ranges to 4 hexes, I only want to spot the enemy task forces being report with 7-10 ships right next to me), nothing is showing up on the map. As someone trying to learn the game I've been open to this being an issue with something I'm doing wrong, which is why I'm asking for help!

[SilentHunter]

Here's some screens, being new I don't know exactly what to show you?

Here's the supply at adak, I've transported both supplies and fuel there, I'm low on aviation support but some planes should still fly right?

http://postimg.org/image/i1gqm5en1/

Here's some other screens. Again tell me what you need to see to be able to help me. I don't know if this save was from 50 turns in or not, but regardless on this save I've sighted many thing but nothing is on the map.


http://s6.postimg.org/epifsumw1/Desktop ... AM_388.png
http://s6.postimg.org/8ed8cflnl/Desktop ... _AM_41.png
http://s6.postimg.org/8ed8cflnl/Desktop ... _AM_41.png
http://s6.postimg.org/4w18g1krl/Desktop ... AM_174.png

[Lowpe]

Try putting your Catalina on naval search. They should have excellently trained pilots (NavSearch in high 60s).

You need to visit this thread, and watch the excellent tutorials here, as it seems you are an exceptionally raw newbie:

tm.asp?m=2353946 (this is a stickied post)

Convert your images to jpegs and you can post them with your message, like this: Post Reply, Click here to upload, check the box "Embed picture in post".



Bad weather can cause planes not to fly (plus other things), and the weather here is generally lousy.

It has been a long time since I played this scenario, but I believe Japan wins if they hold those bases, and they have a big base in the Kuriles (Paramushiro). So you need to get your search pretty far to the west...move the Cats to Adak from Dutch Harbor might help spot something.

[SilentHunter]

HEre's a short video of a few turns, what I'm trying to understand at this point is how the sightings report or ops reports are reporting back enemy task forces of 7, 8, 10 ships right around dutch harbor but I'm never seeing them on the map. Same with submarines, oil spots, periscope wakes and such. The reason I'm using ASW and naval search at such close hex levels is I'm on interested in finding those enemies around me.

Is it possible the reports are always false? I realize weather can play a role but after this many turns (outside the video) I would think with all those sighting reports something would show up on the map?

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2uuvnr

[Lowpe]

What is the average skill of the pilots doing the searching? You don't start with any ASW trained pilots I believe making sighting something of a problem. Plus what percent of the planes are on ASW, from your screen shot it is impossible to tell.

You have your best trained naval search pilots doing nothing...not changed from game start.

What in the world would make you think you should be having good results?

Invest a little time and watch the tutorials.[;)]