The Let There Be Calm Upon the Waters AAR

[gwgardner]

Good points, Henri.

Let it be known that I had already resolved to move out of the Hawaiian Zone this turn. Which I will do. However, just as a test of the AI I decided to do a save game and then click end turn and stay around. I won't reveal in detail what the AI did to me, in order not to take away the surprise for others, but it ... no, I won't say anything beyond: try it if you dare!

[axisandallies]

Ha, good one!........they call it a trap by Elvis.

[Tomokatu]

[X(] What does Elvis have under command?? [X(]

[balto]

GW, you sold me and I just bought it. The suspense is killing me. Cannot wait to see what happened with your gutsy/crazy decision.

Could you post as many of those "Carrier Air Strike" screens like you did before so we can ask you some questions about some of the fields within those screens?

GREAT JOB, keep them coming. Thanks

[gwgardner]

ORIGINAL: balto

GW, you sold me and I just bought it. The suspense is killing me. Cannot wait to see what happened with your gutsy/crazy decision.

For sure. Right now my main carrier group is headed back to Tokyo Bay for refit.

[gwgardner]

I'm auditioning for the most incompetent commander status.

I sent in a landing force to Lingayen Gulf the first turn, and thought I had left sufficient naval support to keep those units in fully beachhead supply. Comes turn two, and I realize I had goofed up, sending four CAs down to the Gulf of Thailand, where they are no longer needed since Siam has joined the Axis. My Malaya invasion force is now drawing supply from Siam.

So my force on Luzon now only has 12 supply (from 5 CA and 2 BB groups). Enough to let me inch towards the Bataan penninsula, where part of the Philippine militia has gone into fortifications. But not enough to destroy that militia. Meanwhile recon shows that Manila has apparently been declared an open city. If I had had full supply, I may have been able to march in.

Don't make these mistakes at home, guys. Very frustrating.

[Richard III]

Your saying here that LCU`s draw supply through Fleet Combat Units like BB`s /CA`s rather then supply ships like AK\APA`s ??

[gwgardner]

Meanwhile, things are looking up in Malaya and Siam. With the cooperation of the Siamese, I can now move my air support, that was based in Indochina, onto the penninsula, much closer to the action. Then after the fall of Singapore, I can scoot them on up to support the early push into Burma. I can also release some portion of the navy to head back up to support the Philippine action. Unknown as yet - where is the Royal Navy.

Forces are even now loading into transports for a 2nd round of landings, in Borneo, Sumatra, Mindanao (Cebu was taken without a fight 1st turn.)

[gwgardner]

ORIGINAL: Richard III

Your saying here that LCU`s draw supply through Fleet Combat Units like BB`s /CA`s rather then supply ships like AK\APA`s ??

It's an abstraction of the AK/APA, since a Ca or a BB in this game is actually considered to be the named ship plus ancillary support craft such as supply ships, tankers, destroyers. As such they're called 'patrol groups' or 'battle groups.' The player has to see a task force in this game as sometimes a combat force, ready for engaging the enemy, and sometimes as representing all the countless other types of ships that will be present not necessarily immediately with the combat ships, but in the same sea zone. That's the way I look at it, anyway.

[jomni]

Or you can say that the supply ships will only be willing to pass through if the necessary ships are there to protect them.

[gwgardner]

Jan '42

Chinese partisans saw an opportunity when I moved a portion of my occupying troops to frontline positions. Constant harrassment in rear areas has required me to delay sending one armored unit forward, as it is necessary to put down rebellions in Tangshan and Qingdao.

Farther west I launched an offensive into Communist held territory, using 4 divisions of Inner Mongolian troops. The Communists counter-attacked on the Eastern flank of that offensive and wiped out one entire Mongolian division as it was negotiating a pass through the mountains north of Sinkawang.

[gwgardner]

Jan 16

The Philippines have surrendered. Two full divisions of US troops taken into custody. Supply mismanagement nearly derailed the taking of Malaya [I haven't mastered the art of convoys, and supply through Siam suddenly got cut off. Not sure why yet], until recon showed that the British had falied to fall back upon Singapore and had left a lone garrison force in the city. A powerful infantry corps, which was intended to reinforce the penninsula troops was instead sent directly against the city, and took it.

Similar landings in Borneo, Celebes, and Java have been successful. Sumatra will follow. A tentative advance into Burma is underway, but more in the way of reconnaissance than actual invasion, until the Malaya force can be released to head north.

For the last two weeks the a small raiding force made up of the Lexington and some patrol groups, from what I can tell, has been marauding into the Polynesian islands. Island garrisons bombarded, air defenses tested (one air unit destroyed). Since the preponderance of my fleet is in the South and in repair, the Lexington has had a free hand. But now I may have caught it.

[Rob Brennan UK]

ORIGINAL: jomni

Or you can say that the supply ships will only be willing to pass through if the necessary ships are there to protect them.

That makes sense .. being so used to WitP and AE its quite a stretch going back to a larger scale [;)].

Thanks for the AAR gwgardner, i'm on the fence to buy this (time to play it really) ..

[oldspec4]

Agree that this a very good AAR...will probably pick this up after the first patch fixes some of the noted issues. I had fun w/ ToW so seems that this would be a logical follow-up.

[gwgardner]

Glad you're enjoying the AAR. Sure hope you do get the game. The more the merrier.

One turn later, the Lexington slipped the noose out of the Wake Sea Zone, but I was able to spot it again in the Phoenix Zone. So I hit it hard with land-based bombers off of Maleolop Atoll and got a critical hit!

The Lexington will not be harassing the islands again.

[This brings up the question whether the AI should have had the Lexington out there raiding like that.]

[Severian]

It looks better than sinking of Prince of Wales and Repulse [:D] Congratulations Garry [:)]

[uncc]

I've not yet seen a response about "freezing units" that was raised earlier in this AAR? anyone? Thanks...

...We now rejoin the excellent AAR in progress....

[gwgardner]

ORIGINAL: uncc

I've not yet seen a response about "freezing units" that was raised earlier in this AAR? anyone? Thanks...

...We now rejoin the excellent AAR in progress....

Slipped throught the cracks. I think there is an entry in the data files for each unit, which can be set to 'frozen.' I personally prefer not to have frozen units, but will endeavor to stick to my house rule. By the way, that is sorely tested by the constant forays of the Chinese partisans farther south. The frequency of appearance of partisans is also a factor that can be set in the data files. A percentage chance. Right now it's really high, and difficult. Keeps the Japanese player on his toes in China, and makes it essential to do some careful long-range planning about where to concentrate troops for frontline offensives.

[jomni]

I heard that the new patch demands a restart.  Did you apply the patch already? 

[gwgardner]

Not yet. I'm thinking about keeping a 1.01 version.