USN Subs stymied

[wga8888]

I have a vs human game playing the USN which is now in May 1944. Japanese ASW on average hits 3 USN subs a turn, one USN sub sinks a turn. I have not yet found any IJN merchant shipping routes, my sub attacks vs his merchant ships are rare; the Japanese merchant fleet is largely intact. I have not yet figured out what to do differently. Suggestions are welcome.

Perhaps its just another game design irregularity. Others include: a handful of IJA fighters can down scores of Allied heavy bombers while losing few IJA fighters; British Liberators having shorter range than USAAF B24s; P51s having only an extended range of 6 making them unable to escort B29s anywhere (such as from Iwo Jima), B29s flying daylight missions at 30K get shot down by the bucketfuls with few IJA losses, IJA ability to avoid pilot experience degradation by flying a thousand planes a turn against unmanned US Philippine bases and isolate Chinese units in NE China no matter how many times I destroy the IJN carrier fighter force, IJN winning every CV battle to date, F4Fs suffering 100% losses in the first combat eliminating USN air cover followed by nearly 100% destruction of USN TFs; mass standardization on IJA & IJN plane types a year ahead of historical while the majority of US production is fixed to obsolete designs and historical upgrades, 20K mines can defeat any allied invasion, enemy bases are usually too far for Allied fighters to perform missions to gain experience in the first 18 months, USN cannot sustain bombardment as have to retire to reload until can reload by AE at sea in 1945, etc.

I quickly learned that playing against AI is pointless as AI is incompetent. However a human player, using the historical tactical Japanese advantages and avoiding all of the historical Japanese strategic handicaps, is a formidable/dominant opponent.

[Capt]

I've been thinking. Are you playing a user modified scenario? Do you know how to tell.

It seems that a lot of changes have been made. More Japanese pilots and higher experience levels for them. Changes in availability dates for Nip aircraft.

Someone knows where the American subs are and the Jap ASW has increased experience levels.

Mines well they are a bitch. You need to sink the Nip minelayers. Counter mining can do the trick.

If this is a user modified scenario quit and never play that guy again.

[wga8888]

I original question is since I cannot find the IJN transport shipping, is the USN submarine campaign yet another broken feature in the game. Or am I doing something wrong. The IJN is hunting and systematically sinking the USN subs; his shipping lanes are no where to be found.

As far as I know we are using the standard 1941 scenario. I do not know how to tell if a player defined vresion is in use.

I have a good relationship with the opponent and we have a next game scheduled after this one concludes. However that will likely be my last game as too many things in the simulation seem to be broken, the majority to the benefit of the IJN. The Japanese tactical strengths are present but none of the Japanese strategic weaknesses. I think the use of Player Defined Upgrades strongly favors the Japanese. Tojos replace Nates and Oscars throughout the air fleet by mid 1942 while the US has to fly P39s and P40s throughout 1942. Japanese planes arrive 3-12 months early while the majority of US production is P39s & P40s into 1943. The US is unable to convert all US fighter production to P38s and have them arrive 6 months early.

As in Uncommon Valor, the Japanese player declare such options are required to make the game fun for the Japanese. I stopped playing UCV after 8 games (vs 5 opponents) as the IJN dominate all CV battles (having twice the number of CVs, better planes, better pilots) and easily win by end of 1942 sudden death unless they choose not to. All Allied bases and the two entry bases can be raided by the IJN at will. The USN has to return all arriving ships back off-board to Pearl when they arrive as they are just targets. If caught on the turn they arrive, they are sunk. If played conservatively, by late game in 1943 they can invade Lugan but will be facing the superior IJN CV fleet and under a strong IJA air umbrella, as Lugan is outside the range of all USN planes. Exception of the P38 but at only 40 replacements/month, cannot sustain losses over one day, whereas the Japanese can fly 3 fighter types to spread out the losses. The USN cannot be offensive, and cannot succeed defensively anywhere.

I do not know how many broken features are fixed in AE but they is so much more minutia involved in AE, looks to be painful to one who just wnats to play vs getting PhD in AE. Decision Games War in Europe si broken as any number of optional rules ensure a defacto Axis victory by October 1942 when Russian is broken (as in the last 12 games I have played regardless of side), Uncommon Valor is broken. WITP may be broken. Of course this all assumes a competent Japanese player; there is no point playing a incompetent player, as could just as easily play the incompetent AI.

I am starting to play WITE. I dabble in Eagle Day Bombing the Reich (use to play a lot of Grigsby's USAAF on Apple IIE in the 1980s). Unlikely I would see the equivalent of a dozen German Tojos attack 100 B17s, shoot down 45 without a loss. Germans called attackign the US HBs controlled suicide; however that is not reflected in WITE. Unescorted B29s are brought down in huge numbers with essentially not losses to the Japenese even at 30K.

[wdolson]

It sounds like you're playing PBEM and your opponent is dedicating more resources to ASW early on than the Japanese did in the real war. If you do something that is a departure from history, you're likely going to get different results.

Bill

[wga8888]

Likely true my IJN opponent has amped up his ASW efforts. I believe I should withdraw my Subs to be used as a tactical force in the van of my offensive TFs. Have started using B25s and B29 subgroups for extended naval search from Burma (mandalay, some day Rangoon) and China to find his merchant shipping and mine ports. B29s seem to be ineffective in bombing with few supply hits and high drop of morale and serviceble planes after a mission out of a level 9 base.