Routine convoys optimalizations

Chmee · Post by **Chmee** » Wed Jul 31, 2002 6:09 pm

Hello.
While playing the Japaneese side I experience the following problem. My resource pool skyrockets while the amount of oil reserves stabilized at about 3500 points what of course directly affects the number of PPs distributed each turn. And all this in spite of capturing all those oil reach bases on Borneo and Sumatra. I tried different techniques like keeping all tankers in Nagoya or leaving a tanker unit in every oil base but the results were always the same. No oil, no PPs = end of blitzkrieg as soon as in April, '42.
Another question is whether the task forces get and spend PPs just because they exist? Should I disband them if I want to save more PPs for the Combined Fleed HQ?
And finally, what's the meaning of an asterix by the number denoting the amount of oil or resources produced in a base? Does it mean that the industry is damaged? This would explain my oil problems. If so how can I repair it? Maybe an SBF or an engeneer unit in an industrial base would help?
Cheers; Chmee

Jeremy Pritchard · Post by **Jeremy Pritchard** » Wed Jul 31, 2002 7:47 pm

The * means that oil/resource has been picked up from that base that turn.

What is probably draining your oil pool is a combination of things.

1. Industrial increase (every point of industrial increase, Heavy Industry, Shipyard, Aircraft factory) takes up 25 resource and 25 oil points. This growth is constant and you cannot, and probably dont want to mess with it.

2. Routine convoys themselves. Each transport uses up 40 points of fuel, which can cause a severe drain on resources. If you have tons of resources, you might want to remove some MCS from the routine convoy system. You will have to manually supply more bases, but this should increase your oil reserves.

3. Find an area of battle and use your best units. Quality over quantity. Don't use your battleships, use Heavy Cruisers. Don't use your old or smaller DD's (Kamikaze-Mutsuki along with Hatsuharu, etc..) use your modern destroyers. Having small TF's of high quality vessels for main combat duty will save a lot of oil instead of using all of your ships in Midway-esque operations.

4. Place all of your rejected DD's on convoy duty throughout 1942. IJN ASW is not penalized in 1942, but is severely in 1943 and 1944 on. It is best for you to kill as many subs, and limit your losses to sub attack in 1942 as much as possible. Place all of your DD's not doing anything on routine convoy duty (i.e., at Nagoya). This will eat up fuel points, but saves you oil in the long run by killing subs that go after your tankers.

5. Limit carrier operations. Rely on LBA for air cover (especially in the Solomans). Have a lot of LBA bases and innundate with loads of fighters and torpedo bombers. LBA uses up a lot less fuel than carrier TF's.

6. Limit your areas of operation. Use as few PP's as you can. There is an undocumented Monsoon season in the Burma area, that attacks LCU readiness, which means a greater draw on PP's. It is best to have one theatre of operation, with only a few HQ's being involved, with the rest remaining inactive so they do not drain PP's. Attacking everywhere, even reshuffling forces, drains PP's. Plan your placement of troops, ships, and aircraft strategically. Even switching aircraft types use up PP's.

7. Training airgroups use up fuel points. Only train groups at the Home Islands. This will limit loss of oil because it eliminates the middleman, being the need to transfer fuel to forward bases requires the use of tankers/MCS to shuttle fuel to these bases that use fuel themselves.

I have other tips, but have to go due to an impending thunderstorm.

Denniss · Post by **Denniss** » Wed Jul 31, 2002 8:49 pm

It would be better letting the automatic convoy system not spread out japanese fuel in so much quantities especially into the china - singapure line .
Very often I have bases with 4000+ fuel .

And resources level gets abnormally high - in a mid 43 game I have 600.000+ resources but crippling at about 7000 oil .

Jeremy Pritchard · Post by **Jeremy Pritchard** » Wed Jul 31, 2002 8:58 pm

8. Before you send out airgroups to other bases, make sure that they are up to full strength (Figther/Fighter-Bomber 48, Tactical/Heavy-Bomber 36, USMC/Patrol 24) as well as fully trained.

9. Before you send out LCU's to other base make sure that they are up to full strength in Infantry and Artillery (dont worry about AFV's as there will always be a shortage and LCU's will tend not to reach their maximum)

10. Saving supply also saves oil. If you don't wrecklessly use up supply (i.e., having units build up at forward bases) you will have less ships required for routine convoy.