Shakedown Cruises - Naval Experience

[ReadyR]

The manual has the following entry regarding Shakedown Cruises

6.3.7 SHAKEDOWN CRUISES
It can be useful to run a week or two long shakedown cruise, when a ship is first commissioned.
Many ships come into the game with very small combat experience.

Does anyone know whether off map movement (US East Coast to Capetown for example) results in the ships increasing their experience level? I keep forgetting to make a note of this to track it.

Thanks for any insights.

[Nomad]

Yes they do.

[Lowpe]

Any task force, in any state, even docked ones, will perform shakedown cruises if experience is below national and ship type levels....leadership has no effect.

[Rusty1961]

ORIGINAL: ReadyR

The manual has the following entry regarding Shakedown Cruises

6.3.7 SHAKEDOWN CRUISES
It can be useful to run a week or two long shakedown cruise, when a ship is first commissioned.
Many ships come into the game with very small combat experience.

Does anyone know whether off map movement (US East Coast to Capetown for example) results in the ships increasing their experience level? I keep forgetting to make a note of this to track it.

Thanks for any insights.

It isn't worth the effort or time for the Allied player. Numbers count the most in combat.

[ReadyR]

Thanks all. Most appreciated.

[Moltrey]

ORIGINAL: Rusty1961
It isn't worth the effort or time for the Allied player. Numbers count the most in combat.

This^. You will find ReadyR that trying to stay organized with regards to TF movement orders and flow, etc. is one if not the biggest challenge a new player faces as Allies. It is SO easy to lose track of things. So any rather superfluous missions are, while not a waste of time, more active TFs you don't want to have to keep track of later.

One of the best ways to help get organized is a "shorthand" in each TF's Name/Description.
For example:
Three to four letter abbreviations for Origin-Destination, another abbreviation for task (fuel/cargo/supply/trans/supt, etc.) and perhaps the lead (or flag) ship (* in the detail screen of TF).
So "SYD-PMORE Supply TF Grantby" is a supply convoy originating at Sydney and delivering supply to Port Moresby with the lead ship named "Grantby".
Using the Name like this in combination with the "Future Destination" base location lets you do things like sending troops to Noumea from Los Angeles while stopping at Christmas Island to refuel from fuel tankers anchored at CI you previously sent there. You will change their route via the reminder of "Noumea" and of course have the "Do Not Unload" active so they don't start unloading the troops meant for Noumea at Christmas Island.

You will soon develop your own method that works for you and tweak it along the way.

[Platoonist]

ORIGINAL: Moltrey

SYD-PMORE Supply TF Grantby" is a supply convoy originating at Sydney and delivering supply to Port Moresby with the lead ship named "Grantby".

Nice system. [8D] Kudos.

[Moltrey]

Thanks Platoonist. I have a lot of different schemes I use depending on circumstances.
For instance:

1. Area supply TFs that are to be used "on demand" i.e., the destination base changes most every time they get back to home port, I use labels like "N. Coast Cargo TF Ajax", "S. Seas Supply TF Hauto", "Aleutian Dual Cargo TF XXXX", "AUST Local Chain Sup TF Jame"
2. Tankers are typically "LA-PH Fuel TF Gulfstream"... whereas Replenishment TF are "USN Oiler TF Neosho" as you need flexibility
3. Transport TFs are usually "5thMAR Noumea Trans TF Fillmore" (likely more abbreviated), etc. or just "Lugan Inv Trans TF LaGrange"
4. Mixed TFs like minesweepers also doing double duty as ASW are "Pago MineSw/ASW TF Greene"
5. Local Minesweepers that stay in the base hex are just "Noumea Minesweeper", with an added "A" or "B" for large bases with multiple ones.
6. Surface TFs I use descriptors for task, like "UK Raider TF Repulse"
7. Subs I keep it short to "USN Sub TF Porpoise", & "Dutch Sub TF KXII"
8. Rescue transports I use "Miri Evac TF Malcolm"

I tend to keep CAPS for the INITIAL and DESTINATION ports/bases to know they are multi-run TFs instead of one time (for the most part).
Lots you can do with it to help logistics matters.

[spence]

This is a Gary Grigsby game at heart. Hate to say it but having pilots train for every conceivable mission except brushing their teeth is absurd when anything that happens on a ship gets filed under "crew experience" is BS (I wonder if Gary being a retired USAF person has anything to do with it). Several times the Japanese Battlefleet deployed (and other than the Haruna Class) and none of those ships were in any way distinguished by their conduct yet they all have an initial crew experience over 65 for both night and day. Meanwhile the USN BBs have a daytime crew experience in the 50s and a nighttime experience in the 30s although the ships of both nations practiced for exactly the same time of combat in exactly the same way (once again excluding the Haruna Class BBs - very SCRIPTED daytime surface combat).

[Nikademus]

The two navies did not train the exact same way. Lots of differences. Depends on what you referring too.

Gary Grigsby? I still find it funny how his name is taken in vain in the manner that it is. No doubt he himself gets some amusement. In the end as a programmer once told me the truth of the matter, at least from a programmer's view. The Illusion of choice.

sage words. Helped me get thru a lot of frustrating playtests

Nice to see you're still alive Spence. Hope all is well with you.

[btd64]

Before the war, the Japanese navy trained heavily during the day and at night. That gave them the advantage early on....

[Nikademus]

yes. To be fair to Spence's point......the Night Exp value for the IJN BB force, outside of the converted "Fast BB" wing of the IJN.....Haruna class, should from what I've read at least, be no less or more than USN BB night exp ranges. thats all.

btw. Sad Panda moment. Surface combat in UV/WitP/AE requires a serious disparity in EXP to show over time a disparity in results. How do I know this? I helped work on it. I pointed it out. But....there were a lot of arguments on what the values should be set as.

shout out to the late Mike Scholl. He was a contributor. He and I didn't always agree....but we worked together along with other team members and agreed on a solution that was acceptable to the team.

[Ian R]

ORIGINAL: Platoonist

ORIGINAL: Moltrey

SYD-PMORE Supply TF Grantby" is a supply convoy originating at Sydney and delivering supply to Port Moresby with the lead ship named "Grantby".

Nice system. [8D] Kudos.

I use IATA codes.

Also, you can see that info on the mouseover popup whether you name them or not.

[Sardaukar]

Some of the things you can just leave undocked in TF to gain the exp. Allies in 1942 start to get LOT of minor combatants.

[HansBolter]

My IDs are a lot simpler:

USN Car Div 1: United States Navy Carrier Division 1,2 3, etc.

USN Bat Div 1...etc

USN Cru Div 1...etc

USN DesRon 1...etc

USN Rep Div 1....Fleet Oilers

USN Rep Car Div 1....Replenishment Carrier Division


For Continuous Supply missions I don't need to identify where it is coming from

Pearl Supply, Pearl Fuel

Pago Pago Supply, Pago Pago Fuel

This allows for quick identification of TFs in the middle of the ocean with a mouseover without me having to memorize a bunch of codes.

[rustysi]

I'm with Hans. KISS.[:D]

[spence]

shout out to the late Mike Scholl. He was a contributor. He and I didn't always agree....but we worked together along with other team members and agreed on a solution that was acceptable to the team.

It's a great game even if it has a few foibles. Many thanks Mike and Nicademus.

[Ian R]

ORIGINAL: HansBolter

My IDs are a lot simpler:

USN Car Div 1: United States Navy Carrier Division 1,2 3, etc.

USN Bat Div 1...etc

USN Cru Div 1...etc

USN DesRon 1...etc

USN Rep Div 1....Fleet Oilers

USN Rep Car Div 1....Replenishment Carrier Division


For Continuous Supply missions I don't need to identify where it is coming from

Pearl Supply, Pearl Fuel

Pago Pago Supply, Pago Pago Fuel

This allows for quick identification of TFs in the middle of the ocean with a mouseover without me having to memorize a bunch of codes.

This is why I use IATA codes -multi-tasking for trivia night.