Sardaukar's Newbie Tutorial AAR for Newbies (vs. IJ AI)

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Sardaukar
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Sardaukar's Newbie Tutorial AAR for Newbies (vs. IJ AI)

Post by Sardaukar »

This AAR is meant to ease the new AE players into playing AE Grand Campaign vs IJ AI as Allies.


1. DON'T PANIC! Game is immense, but you do not have to consume it all right away. Like family-size pizza, you can take it slice by slice. I enjoy playing against AI Japanese, trying different strategies and discovering new historical things about Pacific War. Generally, my first turn as Allies in AE used to take 4+ hrs to input orders (and I have played WitP since 2004), now it's about 1.5-2hrs. Remember, as Allies, you do not have to do everything during first turn. It is still daunting task, but also rewarding.

2. HAVE FUN! Remember you are playing against AI, it's feelings will not get hurt if you realize you made big mistake and you want to re-do last turn. After you have mastered some of the basics, it is good to restrain yourself from "cheating", but when learning, it is OK. Just try not to replay a turn where your losses where from bad luck, not from bad orders (like having your CV sunk by IJN SS would be bad luck (if you had planes on Naval Search...) etc.).

3. DON'T GET INTO BAD HABITS! Sooner or later you want to play PBEM and lot of the small tricks you learn against AI will no longer work. Your opponent may be an idiot, but not an Artificial Idiot! Also, do not "game the engine". There are some exploits, that will give you extra edge vs AI. Don't do it.


Game will be:

Allied vs. IJ AI

AI Difficulty: Historical (to avoid supply & combat benefits for AI)
Facilities to expand: OFF (you want to turn on this base by base, not have it suck your supplies immediately, especially in China)
Automatic Upgrade: ON
Replacements: OFF
2-day turns (gives AI some more edge and slows down operations while speeding the game up)
Historical First turn: OFF (because of 2-day turns, I want to be able to input some orders during first turn)
Fog of War: ON
Advance Weather: ON
Allied Damage Control: ON
Player Defined Upgrades: ON
December 7th surprise: ON
Reliable USN Torpedoes: OFF
Realistic R&D: ON
No unit withdrawals: OFF
Reinforcements: FIXED


TO BE CONTINUED! [8D]
"To meaningless French Idealism, Liberty, Fraternity and Equality...we answer with German Realism, Infantry, Cavalry and Artillery" -Prince von Bülov, 1870-

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Roger Neilson II
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RE: Sardaukar's Newbie Tutorial AAR for Newbies (vs. IJ AI)

Post by Roger Neilson II »

THis is a really good idea, one of those, now why didn't I think of it type of ideas. Hopefully others will contribute as you run it so it becomes a very useful resource.

Well done. Kudos.

Roger
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RE: Sardaukar's Newbie Tutorial AAR for Newbies (vs. IJ AI)

Post by Sardaukar »

Turn 1:

BEFORE DOING ANY ORDERS, ASSESS THE STRATEGIC SITUATION:

On this map, there are outer limits of maximum theoretical allowed Japanese expansion in BLUE. On your side of that line are areas that you SHOULD DEFEND AND KEEP. You should of course fight for bases outside these absolute limits, but not to death. Of course, some bases like Efate and Luganville in South Pacific may be difficult to reinforce in early game and may fall to Japanese even when inside the BLUE limit.

In RED are places you should start reinforcing IMMEDIATELY or as soon as you have troops available. You will have quite limited troops available in Dec 41, so you need to prioritize.

In GREEN are your major Troop, Supply and Fuel Transportation routes. It's not coincidence that they are close to BLUE and RED areas, you need to keep your supply routes open.



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RE: Sardaukar's Newbie Tutorial AAR for Newbies (vs. IJ AI)

Post by PaxMondo »

ORIGINAL: Sardaukar

Automatic Upgrade: ON
Sar:
What's your thinking on this?
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RE: Sardaukar's Newbie Tutorial AAR for Newbies (vs. IJ AI)

Post by Sardaukar »

ORIGINAL: PaxMondo

ORIGINAL: Sardaukar

Automatic Upgrade: ON
Sar:
What's your thinking on this?

I want majority of units to Upgrade automatically, so I'll be turning Upgrades and Replacements OFF manually when needed. At start this is mainly PH & WC P-40 units etc.
"To meaningless French Idealism, Liberty, Fraternity and Equality...we answer with German Realism, Infantry, Cavalry and Artillery" -Prince von Bülov, 1870-

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RE: Sardaukar's Newbie Tutorial AAR for Newbies (vs. IJ AI)

Post by traskott »

Suscribed. What a such nice idea... 
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RE: Sardaukar's Newbie Tutorial AAR for Newbies (vs. IJ AI)

Post by Sardaukar »

Lets start to do this thing like pizza, slice by slice. [:'(] This is going to be according to my playstyle, so you just have to bear with me. [:D]

I usually start giving orders at Pearl Harbor (since game screen centers there):

Air:

- set all 4E bombers (B-17) to Training 100% Naval Search or ASW (since this is what you are going to use them mostly in early war, forget about Naval Attack right now)

- set Patrol planes to either Naval Search or ASW (I use alt 6k for Search, 1k for ASW), 50%, remember to reduce range to Normal range, for example 20 -> 16 with PBY-5. This is to reduce Ops losses that can easily decimate your plane pools. Patrol planes are your friend in early game and you can never have enough. Do same with Patrol planes in Midway, Johnston I. and Palmyra.

- set 2E bombers, A-20 or B-18 to Training 100%, either Naval Search or ASW.

- set Fighters to 50% CAP Escort, 15 000 ft (main altitude for Allied fighters, it'll take a while to get planes that do better higher, mainly Hurricane IIc and P-40K. Since we are playing 2-day turns, you need to have some fighters up in case IJN Kido Butai (KB, Mobile Strike Force, IJN main carrier force) decides to stick around for extra days.

Naval Forces:

- set your docked SS (submarines) to "Patrol around target" of your chosen locations, I chose, Truk, Marianas, Midway, South coast of Japan & Wake. Even with Mk14 torpedo having 80% dud rate until 1/43, you do get lucky now and then. Do same to SS TFs east of PH, "Set patrol zone - patrol around target - reaction range 1. Try not to set patrol zone too close to coast, since subs are vulnerable in shallows. If feeling for more control, you can set patrol zones manually. Do the same to various SS TFs that are at sea already around the area.

- now, the most important units you have around PH, your carriers. Set your carrier planes for example as follows: Fighters 50% CAP Escort, 15k alt., Dive Bombers Naval attack, 20% Search, 13k alt. Set your Torpedo bombers with Naval attack, 13k alt.

Set 2 CV TFs to close Wake I, select suitable spot withing Torpedo Bomber normal range from Wake I. and set "Remain in Position". We can cheat a bit, since as Supreme Allied Commander, Pacific (SACPAC), you do have good grasp of enemy intentions, don't you? [:'(] Note that you have Marine DB unit aboard CV Lexington, transfer it to Wake I. with same settings as above. Also set Marine F4F unit in Wake as above.

- you have TF near Johnston I., one CA and 5 DMS. Sent it somewhere, anywhere, but not to PH. If KB sticks around, they will be sunk plus waters around PH are infested with IJN subs. In this game, I sent them to Palmyra for now.

In addition, set PH to expand Port, you are going to need the size 8 port as soon as possible, so can actually set it now.

This is about it for Central Pacific for first 2 days. And you don't even have to do all this right now, you can just set Patrols and CAP fighters.

Now, there are only India, Burma, Malaya, China, Philippines, DEI, Australia, West Coast and rest of Pacific left to set up...[:D]

"To meaningless French Idealism, Liberty, Fraternity and Equality...we answer with German Realism, Infantry, Cavalry and Artillery" -Prince von Bülov, 1870-

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RE: Sardaukar's Newbie Tutorial AAR for Newbies (vs. IJ AI)

Post by traskott »

Now, there are only India, Burma, Malaya, China, Philippines, DEI, Australia, West Coast and rest of Pacific left to set up..

Oh, just some minor details...I see.
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RE: Sardaukar's Newbie Tutorial AAR for Newbies (vs. IJ AI)

Post by cantona2 »

Great idea sar

One thing I always do, picked up from one other aar, is to set all Dutch LCUs to rest/training except ENG units. Helps raise morale. As the Japanese juggernaut approaches the first to go back to combat status are the AA units and then the rest as the battle reach these shores.

In China, i know im getting a bit ahead of myself, a blitzkrieg in Kweisui in the north can be easily done within the first weeks.
1966 was a great year for English Football...Eric was born

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RE: Sardaukar's Newbie Tutorial AAR for Newbies (vs. IJ AI)

Post by scott64 »

Lucky for you, tonight it's just me


Any ship can be a minesweeper..once !! :)

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RE: Sardaukar's Newbie Tutorial AAR for Newbies (vs. IJ AI)

Post by [RS]Wedge »

This is AWESOME!  Just what I need to get me started in the right direction.   I just added your thread to favorites so I can follow along.
 
Thank you so much for your time and effort Sardaukar.
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RE: Sardaukar's Newbie Tutorial AAR for Newbies (vs. IJ AI)

Post by Fletcher »

It´s a revolutionary AAR !. Amazing idea. Congrats Sardaukar.
Best wishes,
Ramón
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RE: Sardaukar's Newbie Tutorial AAR for Newbies (vs. IJ AI)

Post by PaxMondo »

ORIGINAL: Sardaukar

ORIGINAL: PaxMondo

ORIGINAL: Sardaukar

Automatic Upgrade: ON
Sar:
What's your thinking on this?

I want majority of units to Upgrade automatically, so I'll be turning Upgrades and Replacements OFF manually when needed. At start this is mainly PH & WC P-40 units etc.

OK, I will defer to you on this.

I would point out that with so FEW replacement a/c in '42 that I normally like to really control which units upgrade and to what model a/c. There are a large number of LBA and INT units which are going to rotate out by 15Mar42. I prefer to not upgrade those. But this is player choice.
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RE: Sardaukar's Newbie Tutorial AAR for Newbies (vs. IJ AI)

Post by Sardaukar »

West Coast, Panama, East USA, North Pacific:

- set Kodiak, Anchorage, Prince Rupert, Vancouver, Seattle, Tacoma, Portland, Alameda, Mare Island, Los Angeles and San Diego to expand. Couple of those bases do not have engineers yet, but you'll soon have plentiful enough.

Air:

- set all fighter units that belong to restricted or permanently restricted commands to Training Escort 100%. We are going to use these units as training units, transferring pilots with exp 50 or more to General reserve. Set them to draw pilots from "Replacement", that ensured they will draw raw pilots with 30 exp from flight school and not experienced ones from General reserve (you need these in combat very soon).

- set all P-40 units to not accept replacements and not to upgrade. You are going to need those replacement planes elsewhere soon.

- set B-26 Marauders to train Naval Attack at 100 ft, 100%. Transfer them from Eastern USA to San Francisco, they are going to ship to South and SW Pacific soon.

- set Patrol planes to 100% Training, Naval Search, and transfer from Eastern USA to SF.

- set Dive Bombers to 100% Training, Naval Attack, 10-15k, I use 13k as default.

- remember to populate air units with pilots, fill them up with "Get Pilot", set pilot draw to "Replacement" if you plan use one as training unit.

Naval:

- set CV Saratoga air units in San Diego to training 100%, Escort for fighters, Naval attack 13k for DB & TB. Set pilots drawn from upper switch as "Trained 50+". Better do that to all other CV air units too (Enterprise and Lexington are at sea, so do this when they get back to port). Even though you do not yet have many 50+ exp pilots in Navy pool, in future you do not want to draw total rookies into CV air units.

- send Submarines from San Diego and SF to Pearl Harbor. Fleet boats will remain there for now, S-class boats will continue to Australia.

Ground:

- 2nd Marine Def Bn is prepared for Pago Pago, you can form Amphibious TF from 2 APs and AK in San Diego and send it there right away.

- 34th Infantry Rgt to Strategic mode, to be shipped to PH where it forms part of 24th Division.
"To meaningless French Idealism, Liberty, Fraternity and Equality...we answer with German Realism, Infantry, Cavalry and Artillery" -Prince von Bülov, 1870-

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RE: Sardaukar's Newbie Tutorial AAR for Newbies (vs. IJ AI)

Post by Sardaukar »

India & Burma

- Set Aden, Abadan, Karachi, Bombay to enlarge port. You need to max out these ports to ship troops and fuel to India. Lot of your reinforcements come via Aden and needs to be shipped from there. Almost all of your fuel comes from Abadan and needs to be shipped to India from there. You are going to need to ship lot of fuel to keep production in India going.

- set Colombo, Trimcomalee, Madras, Calcutta, Diamond Harbour, Dacca, Chittagong and Ledo (later also Imphal) to build airfield. These are the bases you will use to conduct air war against Japanese in Burma.

Naval

- disband SC TF in Colombo

- set TF in Bombay, carrying 48th Gurkha Brigade, to go Chittagong instead, home port Bombay. When ships are back, send troop transports to Aden for future use.

- set TF in Karachi, carrying 46th Indian Brigade, to go to Chittagong, as above.

- set TF in Goa, carrying 44th and 45th Indian Brigades, to go to Colombo, with home port Bombay, see above.

- set TF in Cape Town, carrying units of 18th UK Division, to land them in Perth, Australia.

Ground:

- India has lot of Garrison requirements, check that you fulfill those and do not move too many units away from such bases.

- set AUS 2/3 MG Bn in Karachi to Strategic mode, to be shipped to Aden. It is part of AUS 7th Div and will recombine with it and be shipped to Australia later.
"To meaningless French Idealism, Liberty, Fraternity and Equality...we answer with German Realism, Infantry, Cavalry and Artillery" -Prince von Bülov, 1870-

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RE: Sardaukar's Newbie Tutorial AAR for Newbies (vs. IJ AI)

Post by Sardaukar »

Burma:

Your main defensive line is in red. Your withdrawal routes are in blue, but they depend on enemy advance. See picture in next post. Do not attempt to defend Burma too heavily, your troops have abysmal experience and morale. On the other hand, try to buy time, since every day when road from Rangoon to Paoshan is open means 500 extra supplies in China.

- start moving combat troops to Pegu & base forces to Rangoon.

- set Pegu & Rangoon to build forts.

- march BFF Brigate and 13th Burma Rifles to Mandalay, they are useless in middle of jungle.

- note that Mandalay needs to be garrisoned

- march Moulmein BF to Rangoon, Taung Gyu brigade to Pegu, Prome, Bassein and Magwe units to Rangoon and Pegu (BFs to Rangoon, combat troops to Pegu)

- set all fighters in Burma to 50% Escort, 15k

- transfer one squadron of AVG to Chittagong, you have to change HQ, but you lose only few Political Points when using China Task Force.

- transfer another AVG squadron to Rangoon, third can remain where it is now.

- make TF and put merchant ships in Rangoon into it, send to Colombo or Bombay

- set Port Blair BF to Strategic mode and start to load it to Transport TF, made of xAP in same port. Send to Chittagong.

- set Bleinheims in Rangoon to Ground Attack, 6k

"To meaningless French Idealism, Liberty, Fraternity and Equality...we answer with German Realism, Infantry, Cavalry and Artillery" -Prince von Bülov, 1870-

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RE: Sardaukar's Newbie Tutorial AAR for Newbies (vs. IJ AI)

Post by Sardaukar »

Burma:

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RE: Sardaukar's Newbie Tutorial AAR for Newbies (vs. IJ AI)

Post by Sardaukar »

Malaya:

Your defensive lines in red. Withdraw units from north behind those lines, when possible.

- Set Johore Bahru and Singapore to build forts.

- Set Singapore supply level higher, so it starts to pull out supply from Malayan bases.

- all possible base forces to be moved to Singapore.

- Bases/units to be moved to south circled in white, if necessary, by using Strategic move. 2 AUS brigades to be moved to Singapore, set to Strategic mode and to be shipped to Perth. They form core of 8 AUS Division and will be very useful on SW Pacific, instead of delaying fall of Singapore for...maybe 2 days...

- set all combat troops in Singapore with no engineers to Rest/Training to recover morale.

- All air units transferred to Singapore, except Wirraways in Johore Bahru. Fighters 50% Escort, level bombers 6k Naval Attack, Torpedo Bombers 13k Naval attack (they can use torpedoes from Singapore). Patrol Planes as before.

Naval:

Force Z augmented with DD Vendetta and CL Danae, sent to Kuching. Damaged surface assets from Singapore sent to Soerabaja and set to auto-disband there. (We are not going to duke it out with IJNAF/IJN in north, but Borneo is different thing...)





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RE: Sardaukar's Newbie Tutorial AAR for Newbies (vs. IJ AI)

Post by Sardaukar »

DEI:

Quite straightforward. Bases with extra supplies set to build forts.

- South Sumatra units set to move to Palembang.

- In Java troops spread out a bit to cover north coast bases.

- Tanker TF set to move fuel from Palembang to Perth.

- extra xAPs and xAKs sent from Batavia to Singapore for future evacuation of Australians.

- Surface combat power concentrated to Soerabaja and Balikpapan. US CA Houston and CL Boise from Philippines will join Dutch & British ships.

- Dutch minelayers set to...mine ports [:'(] They are one-shot things, cannot be rearmed in DEI. Brit minelayer Kung Wo in Singapore set to mine Palembang port.

- undamaged Dutch subs sent out to patrol, those already at sea given patrol zones.

- Dutch air power concentrated to Batavia & Soerabaja, fighters and patrols set as usual, level bombers to train 100% Naval attack, 6k alt.

- Dutch transport squadron sent to Soerabaja and set to Pick up troops from Borneo and nearby islands. Note that you can air transport permanently restricted troops withing bases of same command.



"To meaningless French Idealism, Liberty, Fraternity and Equality...we answer with German Realism, Infantry, Cavalry and Artillery" -Prince von Bülov, 1870-

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RE: Sardaukar's Newbie Tutorial AAR for Newbies (vs. IJ AI)

Post by Sardaukar »

That's about it for today. Tomorrow Philippines, China, Soviet Union, Australia, SW Pacific and South Pacific. Then I can actually run this first turn. [:D]
"To meaningless French Idealism, Liberty, Fraternity and Equality...we answer with German Realism, Infantry, Cavalry and Artillery" -Prince von Bülov, 1870-

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