What I was given, was happily the most maneuver-complete play session of this superb game to date and a massive US defeat with the Jap AI whopping me a massive 1320 vs 228 points.
Port Moresby was invaded! I took out the Shoho but the Zuikaku and Shokaku went completely unscathed and the Lex and Yorktown went down, with a little over 2 days scenario time to go. For 5 days out of 8, this game was nothing but a fantastic bout of search, move and wonderment.
Sure enough, early on per history the Australian B17's managed to spot the mysterious Jap Carrier Force but couldn't score a hit. However, the Jap AI seemed to know what was up.
For the first time ever, it didn't react ot me, it didn't approach me and instead as the map will show, practically sneeked into the Torres Straight guarding the approach to the Gulf of Carpentaria and Darwin a little to the west, off map.
There it waited in a trap. Time and again I found myself badly out of position, watching painfully as the Jap invasion force snaked along the New Guinea coastline to invade.
Then finally, I could react. The Shoho succumbed. Yet, thanks to storm fronts the big Jap flat tops drifted away. That is, until they found me first. The Yorktown went down with successive hits, its planes en route to harrass the Jap transports! The Lexington went under soon after.
What a great scen! Amnesia of life, having not played the game for a week or two made it as fresh as ever. I can't wait to see what the title and hopefully this series will become. Kudos again SSG.
Action Map superimposed over the 1942 battle:
