First campaign. Need a little help

[crsutton]

My first full campaing WPO or Witp and I need some help. It is obvious that the Philippines can not be held. I would like to get some unit out. However, what are the limitations on loading units there? I have a mixed AP AK task force and am trying to load up a few base forces to get them out but they do not show up as able to load.

Are the Allied units in the PI fixed? How do I get some of them out? Do I have to change HQ to load them up.

Thanks.

[Mike Carroll]

The Allied units in the PI are attached to a "restricted HQ". In order to get them to load on a transport you need to open the unit screen and in the upper left corner you should see the HQ they are attached too in yellow letters. If you click on the HQ you will see a list of HQ options and how many political points it will cost to change the HQ. You start the game with 100 political points and earn about 50 per day. A typical US regiment costs about 880 political points. Engineering units 125 etc. If you do not have enough political points then it will be grey'd out.

As a matter of policy I almost never evacuate any of the units from the PI, they are not that good (except maybe the airplane squadrons - really good pilots). Most of your units in the US start out attached to Nine Corps HQ, which is another restricted HQ - and you need your political points to get those units activated and out to Hawaii to protect Pearl Harbor, Midway and maybe Dutch Harbor.

Just a tip for the division size units. They usually require in excess of 2000 political points. I usually divide them into regiments and activate each regiment as I get the points. This gives me the ground forces in increments, but I can get them going every 18 days or so vs. waiting for 45 days before I get anything.

[Mike Carroll]

Each type of unit has a different load cost based on whether you are using an AP or an AK. A unit might require 3500 spaces on an AP, but require 20000 spaces on AKs. There is no problem loading units on AKs or having mixed task forces, just realize that it may take alot more AK space than AP space. Again you may need those AKs to be moving supply or even fuel. Early game you are little short on APs but later you typically have enough.

[mashkis]

I have the same question. I tried moving the PI troops but I could not get them to load.

I have also noticed that I can't load the 9th Corp Area troops in order to send them Pearl H. I did notice that once I converted them to SW Pacific they showed-up on the menu for loading them on APs or AKs but not if I convert them to USAFFE.

Why is that when I convert the 9th Corp Area troops to USAFFE it won't allow me to load them but it allows SW Pacific converted troops to be loaded? Is it because I am not hold PI?

[Mike Carroll]

USAFFE and Nine Corps are both restricted HQ's. So if you change a unit to one of those HQ's they will not show up for loading or if an aircraft will not be able to transfer to a base that does not belong to the HQ

Typically I use Southwest Pac for the Philippines, Nine Corps Hawaii for the area around Pearl, and SouthPac for the Marshall Islands

Not totally clean but works.

[Pkunzipper]

Because USAFFE is a static HQ.

As Mike said in the game there are 2 types of HQ: static and non-static (I'm pretty sure there's a list on the manual, I don't know if it is shown in-game). USAFFE and 9th Corp Area are both static, so you can't load troops (land and air) belonging to them onto ships, while SW Pacific (as well as 9th Corp Hawaii and others) is non-static, that's why you could load them!

[Pkunzipper]

damn... 14 sec slower...! [:-] [:)]

There isn't a logic on assigning HQ, just remember that small bases(with less than 20K supply) not directly linked with their respective HQ land unit, will receive reinforcements at their HQ land unit location... So you'd better keep bases well organizated! [;)]

[Mike Carroll]

I was looking through the manual for the list, but I can not find it. Sheesh I have not looked at this thing in a couple of years (WITP), need to flip through it more. Always find something I forgot.

Even WPO with the 165 page manual can be pretty intimidating. How did I ever start playing WITP?[8|]

[Mike Carroll]

OK page 94 of the Manual 7.1.1 titled Aircraft Restrictions has the Restricted HQs listed. I assume there is a similar section for ground forces etc. But this will get you the list of restricted HQs:

Japan:

China Expeditionary Army
Kwantung Army
Home Defense Army

Allies:

Nine Corps Area
USAFFE
Australian Military
Dutch East Indies
Canadian Military
New Zealand Military

[mashkis]

thanks everyone. I was just trying to keep the units close to their HQ. There is a lot to keep track with this game. I guess it will get easier once I have a few months into the game.

[Mike Carroll]

Best way to learn is to play it. It is very complex. I would also recommend at least one readthrough of the manual it is really pretty good.

Then when you are ready try a PBEM game. There is really no alternative to playing another person:-)

[crsutton]

Mike thanks for the tips. I think I will let them stay and save the PPs. Before I posted I did switch one base unit (figured they might be useful elsewhere) to the Dutch HQ. I am guessing that the Dutch Far East command is a static HQ as well as the troops still could not be loaded-and I was out 100 PP.

I guess I will just have to watch the PI units go down. Not many of them anyways.

[Aiscalp]

When scenario begins quite a lot of ground units are in a less than optimum condition such as the british forces but also chinese and US. Will they be coming to full force if the toggle 'Allow replacements' is turned on? If it isn't that means that they wont be getting any? I understand that available replacements are the ones shown in the pool, But this doesn't differentiate between say brits, aussies, us or chinese. So if for ex. you toggle the 'Allow replacements' in only 4 units (one for each nation) that request the same type (eg. support) there is equal probability that if there is such a replacement available, but not enough for all, it will go to one of them randomly?(or split among them?)Am I getting it right here?

[Aiscalp]

At least some of the units in the pool are common among nations

[Mike Carroll]

Yes over time the units will repair disabled squads. This represents replacements coming into existing units. The key here is you need alot of supply. Also note that in many places on the map you are in Malarial zones which are not optimal. The units in non-malarial zones will recover much more quickly.

The poor condition of the British units is built into the scenario to make it harder for people to massively reinforce the Philipinnes with British and Commonwealth units.

Most PBEM games are basically US vs. Japan with a rule stating the other countries stay out until attacked or something happens.

[Aiscalp]

Now that you've mentioned it...what's the diff btween resources and supplies if there is any?
I can see that some bases have a resource storage but if you pick it up with a AK TF then how is it replenished?

[Mike Carroll]

In the basic scenarios "Resources and Oil" are only used by the AI and probably not used at all in PBEM. The production system is turned off right now.

In the simple form. In War in the Pacific (production turned on) resources and oil generate "supply"/"fuel" and "resources"/"oil". The "supply" is what you use to resupply your forces, the "fuel" refuels your ships.

Resources and oil combine together to help the Heavy Industry, aircraft factories, shipyards, vehicle factories produce war material. In WPO you do not have to worry about that as the Japanese. Future scenario's will probably turn these features back on. Right now if you look at some major bases they generate a set amount of supplies and fuel each turn. This was done in WPO to simplify an already very complicated game.