Why all of the off map areas?

[pad152]

I played the CHS mod for WITP, and off map area for British forces coming into India made sense but, Panama didn't! I mean just have stuff show up on the west cost of the US/Canada a week later.

In the AE manual I see off map areas for the Soviet Union, Eastern Canada, Eastern US, Monbasa, Cap Town, Port Stanley, plus others. I just don't see the reason for most of these and forcing the player to moving troops, ships, supplies, etc. not only across the pacific but, also move them to/from all these other off map places seems like a bit. What the pacific map wasn't big enough, there wasn't enough already for the player to do? What is the purpose of these? What does this add to the game other than waste player time?

[Terminus]

To help slow things down. WitP has always been too fast.

[pad152]

ORIGINAL: Terminus

To help slow things down. WitP has always been too fast.

Slowing the tempo of operations and wasting the players time isn't the same thing!

[madflava13]

Doesn't seem like a waste to me... I am looking forward to utilizing off-map areas for training, ship repair, etc...

[Andy Mac]

There are other reasons as well
 
Falklands are ony there to provide a refuelling point for units moving via the Atlantic
Mombasa to give the arrival point for East and West African units and to give a base connected to Capetown that is not cut off until the Med opens i.e. a closer rally point than Capetown
Soviet to give an off map secure supply point for the Soviets
Aden and Abadan reinforcement and fuel point for ME respectivelly
Capetown as main supply point for West until Med opens and major of map Shipyard (durban and simonstown repair yards)
USA and Canada box to provide off map shipyards and reinforcement points
Panama Canal major fuel arrival point for Venezualan convoys and arrival point for a lot of US naval forces
 
So they all have reasons some folks will agree with them other not
 
 

[Terminus]

All part of the package...

[pad152]

ORIGINAL: Andy Mac

There are other reasons as well

Falklands are ony there to provide a refuelling point for units moving via the Atlantic
Mombasa to give the arrival point for East and West African units and to give a base connected to Capetown that is not cut off until the Med opens i.e. a closer rally point than Capetown
Soviet to give an off map secure supply point for the Soviets
Aden and Abadan reinforcement and fuel point for ME respectivelly
Capetown as main supply point for West until Med opens and major of map Shipyard (durban and simonstown repair yards)
USA and Canada box to provide off map shipyards and reinforcement points
Panama Canal major fuel arrival point for Venezualan convoys and arrival point for a lot of US naval forces

So they all have reasons some folks will agree with them other not

I though I was playing War in the Pacific, Not War in the Falklands, War in African or War in the Med(this is not my idea of War in the Med anyway [8|]). The player now has to worry about refueling ships in the Atlantic and the Med, are you kidding?

Do auto convoys (AI control) even work for moving stuff between these areas?

[ny59giants]

Japanese players could use the map edges with the stock map and even Andrew's extended map to isolate Australia. Capture of Exmouth (Australia) and then either NZ or the Society Islands would make this happen. Many Allied players have lost shipping due to the restrictions of the current map edges. IMO, this will take away those possibilities and make for a more balanced game.   

[m10bob]

Some of us feel those "off map" places were mandatory for historic reasons.
At least 2 American divisions staged from Panama and never set foot anywhere near the west coast of CONUS.

[pad152]

ORIGINAL: m10bob

Some of us feel those "off map" places were mandatory for historic reasons.
At least 2 American divisions staged from Panama and never set foot anywhere near the west coast of CONUS.

If Panama can't be attacked by the Japanese it has no effect on the game, you might as well place troops on the moon.

[Fishbed]

Man, what's the fuss about? First time I hear about a WITPer complaining about having too much... stuff?!

You had a bad day or what? Everyone thinks this makes the game richer, as an allied player you just have the same units, but this time at least you can deal with them sending them across the map without having to worry about a Japanese interception, send your assets where you need them... You don't need to involve yourself more than you'd do without them, and still you have access to dozens of new possibilities... Is that because they're nothing left to complain about that I see to see such pain ni the a** threads all over there or what?

[Don Bowen]

ORIGINAL: pad152
... you might as well place troops on the moon ...

Naw - those moonie divisions have a very poor combat record.

[rogueusmc]

ORIGINAL: ny59giants

Japanese players could use the map edges with the stock map and even Andrew's extended map to isolate Australia. Capture of Exmouth (Australia) and then either NZ or the Society Islands would make this happen. Many Allied players have lost shipping due to the restrictions of the current map edges. IMO, this will take away those possibilities and make for a more balanced game.   

The off map areas doesn't rid us of the map edge problem...just narrows it down. It works both ways though...allows your opponents to set ambushes in select locations but allows you to patrol those same concentrated areas. Just my two cents...

[Fishbed]

ORIGINAL: rogueusmc

ORIGINAL: ny59giants

Japanese players could use the map edges with the stock map and even Andrew's extended map to isolate Australia. Capture of Exmouth (Australia) and then either NZ or the Society Islands would make this happen. Many Allied players have lost shipping due to the restrictions of the current map edges. IMO, this will take away those possibilities and make for a more balanced game.   

The off map areas doesn't rid us of the map edge problem...just narrows it down. It works both ways though...allows your opponents to set ambushes in select locations but allows you to patrol those same concentrated areas. Just my two cents...

Well Japan can't be everywhere. KB can lurk in the Indian Ocean forever, and even then it means it is not somewhere else. Submarines will patrol, and well it will exactly look like what they did historically in the first place. IJN fanboys will tell you they can't assault Madagascar with their brand new SSX like their historical counterparts did. I think we can handle that.

[pad152]

ORIGINAL: Fishbed

Man, what's the fuss about? First time I hear about a WITPer complaining about having too much... stuff?!

You had a bad day or what? Everyone thinks this makes the game richer, as an allied player you just have the same units, but this time at least you can deal with them sending them across the map without having to worry about a Japanese interception, send your assets where you need them... You don't need to involve yourself more than you'd do without them, and still you have access to dozens of new possibilities... Is that because they're nothing left to complain about that I see to see such pain ni the a** threads all over there or what?

The focus of the game should be on planing and conducting combat operations in the Pacific without having to worry about stuff in the Atlantic or anywhere else.

[Andy Mac]

I think you are over estimating the impact of these boxes their primary purpose is off map shipyards, supply generations and troop arrival points and they therefore allow you the player to determine the priorities for you shipping - do you want to divert ships to ahistoric amphib ops well you can but your logistics pipeline will suffer

[SuluSea]

ORIGINAL: pad152

The focus of the game should be on planing and conducting combat operations in the Pacific without having to worry about stuff in the Atlantic or anywhere else.

That is STILL the focus of the game. The US had shipyards on the east coast for vessels that were able to sail to the east coast ports and the allied player should have that option if they chose to utilize it.
Japan gets enough what ifs in this game , the east coast port option isn't a what if of WW2 but a reality. Sorry , but you're off base.

[TalonCG2]

Hmm, what was this conflict called again??? Oh yeah! World War II! Guess what, the entire world was involved!

This only adds realism and extra options IMO. Good on the developers for doing it this way.

If you don't like it, don't buy it!
[8|]

[sven6345789]

i am happy the off map boxes are in; on the CHS map the Aden box gave the british a safe place and an ultimate supply source from where he could return. Panama gave the american some feeling of fighting a two ocean war. you needed to organize your forces and devote transports to them. i like that.

btw, aren't there some scheduled convoys coming into capetown and other cities from time to time? thought i saw a screenshot a few months ago showing such a convoy (turned into a base force or something like that after unloading, but i am not sure).
Do the u-boats make trouble? (like getting a small chance of system damage while on the way to britain? Not that i want it in, but would be interesting.
Is my guess correct that major british warships released for the pacific become available in Great Britain at the time released historically?

[Andy Mac]

ps 30 minutes with the editor and you can move everything that arrives there to arrive on map I would strongly recoommend removing about 40% of the allied shipping if you do btut thats your choice