Too much Iron in my Diet - Mundy(A) vs KenchiSulla (J)

[Mundy]

Unfortunately, Sydney's busy fixing the other two CVs I ran out of fuel. If it looks like a long fix, they'll go to Pearl. I like keeping the CVs together, but I'm tempted to leave a presence in Pearl.

From the AI game I had, the spawning units in Vietnam were pretty weak. Their main threat is taking cities I've bypassed.

I have been playing in a rather ham-handed manner. No real disasters yet on the USN side, so I'm trying to stay careful. I can see the possibility of getting a 4 v 2 fight, if he keeps KB split.

Ed-

[Mundy]

23 January 1942

The ARD, YFD-2 eats a couple torps 3 hexes SE of Suva. I didn't think I had to run the gauntlet for two more hexes. Flt is in the low 70s, so I have a feeling she won't make it. I chased the subs away from San Fran, but I'm having trouble at Fiji. At this point, it looks like 2 CVs will be going to Pearl.

KB Div 1 is almost to Bombay, chasing shipping. Royal Sovereign will re-route either to Karachi or hang out by the northwest map edge -- probably the latter.

Also is a landing at Attu.

Apart from this, he's incessantly bombing the Rangoon fugitives and the slugfest in China is ongoing.

Ed-

[Mundy]

My other issues...

I've got the feeling that Tracker and Combat Reporter don't like 64 bit Java. I'm thinking of installing the 32 bit version to see if that helps. If anyone else has any suggestions, I'd be happy to hear them.

As the allies, I don't lean on Tracker too hard for info. It's best use for me is letting me know when an LCU has reached it's destination, which is easy to miss -- especially in China, where you're sending the ants everywhere. Knowing where resources and fuel are accumulating is fairly no-brainer as the Allies. No production to worry about either. Playing Japan is another matter. I do admire all you IJN players, as I feel like a leaf in a hurricane when I try.

I rely on Reporter pretty heavily, as it recaps things very nicely. I find it helpful with intel reports, too.

I've been tempted with Intel Monkey. I've been hesitant to sully my hard drive with a Python installation. That's probably a bit unfair. Back at my old IT job, we were pretty much a VB based group. Then one guy who was on the team a short while, decided to take a shortcut on a job by writing an app in Python, which, of course, fell into my lap after he left. I didn't know Python, and couldn't support it at all, and I was trying to replace it with a proper app before I got laid off. I hope they're choking on it now...

Too bad Bodhi doesn't have an AE version of his app. I never used it myself, but read stories of guys magically tracking invasion convoys, solely by lack of radio discipline. The IJN seems to use their radio equipment to talk to their girlfriends back home. [:D]

Ed-

[witpqs]

1) I don't use combat reporter and don't know anything about what it needs.

2) Tracker requires 32-bit Java 6. That's covered on the Tracker web site, in spite of which there are a zillion of the same question and answers in the Tracker thread. I've posted instructions there on the easiest way to get both Java 7 and Java 6 on your system for that. If you can't find them shoot me a PM. I understand that now Java 8 is out or partly out but the process should be the same. BTW make sure you are using the same DLL as for AE, for example if you are using the Beta then copy over that very same DLL.

3) Installing Python on your system will not affect anything else. Those guys have done a wonderful job - it is very clean!

You will find yourself using Tracker a lot more as time goes on even as Allies. The other alerts are quite worthwhile, plus LCUs sorted by planning objective, looking up airplanes, how fast bases are building, absolutely invaluable for the information required for managing devices including replacements and upgrades, and on and on.

I'm partial to Intel Monkey, too! [:D]

[Mundy]

Thanks, that helps.

I've never been a Java guy, so I've been pretty clueless on the versions and such. For me, Tracker and Reporter seem to run very similarly. What I've done to fix one in the past generally works for the other.

I'll get Python. I just won't code anything in it. [:D]

Reporter is pretty nice. It sums up all the ops and combat reports from the daily text files, and when you click on something in the list, it will zoom to that map location. It helps me catch things I may miss on the replay -- especially mine victims.

I'm thankful our forum has all this extra talent making these neat things.

Ed-

[Sangeli]

ORIGINAL: Mundy
I've been tempted with Intel Monkey. I've been hesitant to sully my hard drive with a Python installation. That's probably a bit unfair. Back at my old IT job, we were pretty much a VB based group. Then one guy who was on the team a short while, decided to take a shortcut on a job by writing an app in Python, which, of course, fell into my lap after he left. I didn't know Python, and couldn't support it at all, and I was trying to replace it with a proper app before I got laid off. I hope there choking on it now...

Heh. I use Python all the time at work for scripting and thought about making my own tracker app. Decided it wasn't worth it cause of the other ones out there. Instead I'm trying something far more ambitious and useful; a pilot automation program. It's going slow and there are certainly are issues in trying to get this working on multiple machines. For example, I just got a new laptop with 3200x1600 resolution and now a bunch of my old methods no longer work b/c of issues with the Windows API with that resolution; it thinks I'm running at 1600x900 for some reason. But Python is a fun language to work with and it's pretty ideal for rapid prototyping by a single person (which is why it is so useful to me at work). However, when your code starts getting more and more complex you start wanting things like explicit casting, protected attributes, etc, that are missing from Python. Right now my code is near 1,000 lines long and it's difficult to keep track of all the methods I have and how they work. I probably should document it better. Looking at the source code of Intel Monkey I see witpqs is much better at that than I am...

But what I don't understand is why you need Python to run Intel Monkey. There's a module called Pyinstaller that allows you to turn python programs into executables. That's what I was eventually planning to do at least.

[witpqs]

But what I don't understand is why you need Python to run Intel Monkey. There's a module called Pyinstaller that allows you to turn python programs into executables. That's what I was eventually planning to do at least.

I just haven't gone there yet. Py2exe is only for pre-version 3. cx_freeze is current. Those take a Python based app and bundle it into an executable that get's run as is. Is that what Pyinstaller does?

[Sangeli]

ORIGINAL: witpqs

But what I don't understand is why you need Python to run Intel Monkey. There's a module called Pyinstaller that allows you to turn python programs into executables. That's what I was eventually planning to do at least.

I just haven't gone there yet. Py2exe is only for pre-version 3. cx_freeze is current. Those take a Python based app and bundle it into an executable that get's run as is. Is that what Pyinstaller does?

Oh ya that's why I use Python 2.7 instead of 3.x. Not enough modules for Python 3.x yet.

I've never used Pyinstaller before but according to the documentation that's what it does. It turns all relevant code into a single executable file.

[Mundy]

An executable was also my question about Intel Monkey. Heck, even MS Access used to let you make stand alone executables. I don't think that's the case anymore.

We used Access as a front end for our apps. The database itself lived in Informix. It was rather handy, with all the forms and reports easily made in one spot.

Ed-

[Mundy]

Finally... suck-sess!

No, not my grand strategy. I finally got Tracker and Combat Reporter. I had to install v6 32 bit Java. After some fidgeting, I would up doing a fresh install on both apps. Tracker worked right away, but Reporter was still fussy. I followed the advice and in Java's bin folder created a server folder and copied the contents from the client folder to that one. Problem solved.

I'm having trouble with Intel Monkey, but posed the question on witpqs' thread.

I feel like the blinders are off, now that I have these again.

25 January 1942

Despite our time zone difference, we've been cranking 2 turns a day out. He's probably been up late getting the second one out, so I hope he's not pushing himself too hard. I'm usually home by 1400, which helps for him. The benefits of going in to work early.

He's landed at Tarakan last turn. The shore defenses are messing up one of his xAKs pretty good, but the overall effect is almost nil.

Apart from that, apart from China, it's been mostly quiet. Calicut's been getting hit repeatedly in the port, since my damaged fleeing CL/DDs from Colombo ran to hide there. They're all pretty messed up after two turns of this. It looks like KB Div 1 is heading back south.

I've been getting lots of Hurricane squadrons arriving at Aden, which will help. This all takes time, since I have to ship them, move them by rail to a base and wait for re-assembly. I also have to find suitable bases down near the tip of the country with enough support. I've been sending a USAAF bomb group, I think the 3rd, to Cape Town, but it will be over a month before they're in-theatre and ready. Oz troops at Aden are also shipping across and moving south. I haven't followed enough AARs to know what the prime landing spots in India are after Ceylon, so I'm trying to be careful. The Aussie troops will be the pointy edge of any real defense.

Ed-

[witpqs]

I'm having trouble with Intel Monkey, but posed the question on witpqs' thread.

Answered:

Your game switches (in the shortcut that you use to start the game) must include -archive. That switch makes the game save a copy of each turn's report files to the archive folder underneath the save folder.

In other words, if you are not saving the reports in that fashion every turn, then Intel Monkey has nothing to work with.

[Mundy]

A slow day at work today, so I started reading the Gorn's wyrmmy AAR. People kept wondering why I was snickering.

27 January 1942

Got the Monkey working. It just wanted to live in the Tools folder. It's nice being able to sort. Supposedly the 57th Division is prepping to hit Brisbane. I'll have to make sure there's a reception if he does. Looking at past messages, I probably could have had a few days warning of the Trincomalee invasion. I'll have to pay more attention to this. The Brisbane thing may be a deception, but I don't know of Cannon would pull a crude subterfuge like that -- especially if it would be easily missed in the first place.

His Betties at Rabaul hit a transport group at Horn Is in Torres Strait. I've never seen them hit that far before. I've been pulling the forces off of there and sending them to Moresby. Between PM, Cairns and Darwin, I can keep good enough tabs on that area. I'm going to keep Terapo on the list of bases to develop when practicable. He's landing at Hollandia this turn.

I think the entire IJAAF is in China-Burma right now. I'm literally losing hundreds of Chinese troops each turn. I have Rats and 1-15s trapped in the far north due to his taking Hami with his rampaging armored units.

Noumea's port and airfield are up to 3 now. I'm building away there and at Suva. I would like to develop Pago as a backstop, but can't spare the resources right now. The north is well covered, so I should have warning of anything approaching. I don't think I mentioned, by my big ARD sunk two hexes from Suva. That hurts. Another sub is off San Fran taking a missing shot at an xAK. I was resting the patrols, but I'll be sending them back out.

Colorado and Warspite are 7 hexes from Adak. I'm going to give them the good news. Odds are he knows they're coming. Hopefully, I can catch a bunch of patrol planes. I'm guessing they'll hit the turn after next.

More goodies coming in from Aden. I need more transports over there, it seems.

Ed-

[Sangeli]

ORIGINAL: Mundy
Noumea's port and airfield are up to 3 now. I'm building away there and at Suva. I would like to develop Pago as a backstop, but can't spare the resources right now.

It is too early to build up the base in a place like Noumea. The base is too easily suppressed via naval bombardment and your planes are too weak to put the airbase to good use this early. Rather, you're doing Japan a favor by building up bases it is likely to take. I've made that mistake before of gifting the Japanese base construction this way before.

ORIGINAL: Mundy
Colorado and Warspite are 7 hexes from Adak. I'm going to give them the good news. Odds are he knows they're coming. Hopefully, I can catch a bunch of patrol planes. I'm guessing they'll hit the turn after next.

What makes you think he knows they are coming? Unless he has an air HQ he can't arm patrol planes with torps. I'd be more concerned about Japanese subs.

[Mundy]

He's been very quiet to the east, so I'm hopeful he's focused the other way right now. I have 4 overlapping PBY squadrons from Noumea to Pago Pago all watching north, so I should have warning if he tries something. If so, I can pull my two carriers off the blocks in Sydney if need be.

He's had Mavises patrolling East from Adak since he took it. I think two BBs are probably hard for him to miss. Maybe I'll get lucky and find he's solely running them from an anchored AV there which gets blasted. I'm not worried about torps. I think he took these two bases on the cheap, so I don't expect any real resistance. I've been moving stuff to Dutch Harbor, so if he has ambitions that way, it will be a harder nut to crack.

Ed-

[Mundy]

28 January 1942

Thanks for the curse, Sangeli. Warspite just ate two torps. Fortunately, she's only at 13 flt, so we'll continue on. This turn there's a landing at Amchitka Is. I'm rerouting the battlewagons SW and will not send them to Amchitka from the south. It will take at least two days to get there, but maybe I can catch the transports. Failing that, they'll eat 14" shells on the beach.

Another pest showed up next to San Francisco and put a torp into Aylwin. Her companion got a direct depth charge hit, but no telling what the damage was.

Cannonfodder also took Dobo, which is inconveniencing. That might wind up being an Aussie amphibious practice mission at some point.

Within the next week, I'll have 4 BBs out of the West Coast yards with their upgrades. I'll start them at Pearl and probably send a couple to Suva. I'm toying with basing another two out of Juneau. I'd have to round up some cruisers and destroyers to accompany them if I do. I'll take a day to think on it. I don't like the sub presence right now.

Speaking of subs... I have heavy patrolling around Japan proper. all my subs are doing 3-4 hex long triangle patrols, so they're overlapping and covering a goodly amount of water. I've had almost no encounters over the last three weeks. In all my prior games, I was encountering something at least twice a day. I suspect he's running fewer big convoys instead of a constant stream of ships. It's still a good gauntlet to run. Maybe he hasn't been exporting lately.

All three divisions of KB are now vanished. I'm suspecting they may rendezvous for some yard time before the next mission. Hopefully they'll go to Japan.

Ed-

[Sangeli]

I've always like keeping my subs closer than mainland Japan. As you say hard to find convoys out there. I've found it easier to find ships near the front lines and in the DEI. But everybody has their own preference.

[Mundy]

I guess it depends on the opponent. Against other opponents, I was averaging 2-3 encounters near the Home Islands per day.

I've got 6-8 subs running out of Dutch Harbor now. My long term goal is to use Midway for the fleet boats. S boats are running out of Brisbane, Darwin and Suva. With them, of course, they aren't going too far. I've had them in all the various little passes in the DEI, but I'll probably detach a couple to the Torres Strait.

Not that I'm getting new P-40 units in Australia, I've been disbanding some of the survivors from the Philippines. Their experience has been in the 20 - 30s range, which is getting them slaughtered. At this point, anyone in the 50s, for me, is a hard bitten ace. It'll fill up the pools for the better squadrons. Cannon had actually suggested it to me, and it's something I hadn't considered. Usually at this point in the war, I'm desperate for any fighter presence in Oz. I'm getting more planes in Brisbane and Townsville right now than I can support.

A bunch of APs are due to reach San Fran in the next few days. Priorities right now are getting base forces out. A USMC Raider battalion is enroute to SF, and I'll probably get that out too. I have 4-6 four-pipers in San Fran converting to APDs, and I'll be moving them to the front as soon as possible. I plan to use Raiders and Oz commandos to probe his farther flung holdings.

Ed-

[rook749]

ORIGINAL: Mundy

Thanks, that helps.

I've never been a Java guy, so I've been pretty clueless on the versions and such. For me, Tracker and Reporter seem to run very similarly. What I've done to fix one in the past generally works for the other.

I'll get Python. I just won't code anything in it. [:D]

Reporter is pretty nice. It sums up all the ops and combat reports from the daily text files, and when you click on something in the list, it will zoom to that map location. It helps me catch things I may miss on the replay -- especially mine victims.

I'm thankful our forum has all this extra talent making these neat things.

Ed-

The more I learn about reporter, tracker and Intel Monkey the more I can't play with out then. One of the things you need to keep tabs on with Tracker every couple of months is when his airframes arrive. If you keep track you can see what planes his is accelerating. You can't counter it but you can at least make plans for it before the arrive early and in force.

[Mundy]

Monkey, I find, is nice because of the ways you can sort things. Sorting by "target" lets you find possible enemy destinations rather nicely. That feature perked me up that he had a division training for Brisbane. I do know that it's a common subterfuge to mess with an opponent that way. I don't know if the Japanese ever get any kind of detailed intercepts that way, so I haven't been inclined to retaliate. Usually they get helpful things like "Pearl Harbor is transmitting radio signals".

I'm looking forward to February, when my own a/c production ramps up a little.

Ed-

[Sangeli]

ORIGINAL: Mundy
I have 4-6 four-pipers in San Fran converting to APDs, and I'll be moving them to the front as soon as possible. I plan to use Raiders and Oz commandos to probe his farther flung holdings.

A little aggressive aren't we? Probably too early to start probing defenses. And bringing in a raider unit to an unoccupied dot hex isn't going to do much good either at this point. Rather, I would suggest keeping your Raiders right now in local reserve ready to board APDs (or even already on board). When Japan bears down on your defenses it's going to be very difficult to get in transport ships where you need reinforcements; that's probably the best usage of the Raiders this early.

I like your aggressive attitude but don't lose sight of the fact this is a long war and it's only January 1942.

ORIGINAL: Mundy
I'm getting more planes in Brisbane and Townsville right now than I can support.

Yea that happens. I like bringing those big USA BFs with 200 support to OZ to assist here. They are too big to be useful in CentPac atolls due to stacking but all that support can come in hand in OZ with the large numbers of LCUs there. Australia does not have enough native aviation support so bring some in! That being said, I believe you get a couple of 75 aviation support units next month which will help.