AE, the real game (YH v TS mk IX)

[Panther Bait]

Also, weren't subs on downed pilot duty in communication with the local forces?  I know it's a slightly different thing, but it shows that communications with local forces, including maybe scout planes, is possible. 

[Yamato hugger]

ORIGINAL: byron13

I don't know. It just seems that this episode show submarines tracking ships in an exceptionally coordinated and aggressive manner.

Cant say I disagree with you because I dont. Frankly this is the first time I set reaction distances on subs and am seeing the results myself for the first time. I can see this as a can of worms that will lead to many many future threads. And frankly I can understand the argument for both sides. The nice thing about this particular thing is you can always make a house rule preventing it or limiting the range.

ORIGINAL: Panther Bait

Also, weren't subs on downed pilot duty in communication with the local forces? I know it's a slightly different thing, but it shows that communications with local forces, including maybe scout planes, is possible.

I read a book the captain of the Barb wrote (many years ago) and one of the chapters was on pilot recovery duty. The way it worked (in a nutshell to the best of my recollection) was a sub was assigned to a given operational area and when a pilot went down in that area, air-sea rescue would report the location to the sub. At no time did the sub transmit (didnt want to give their location away). They either found the pilot or they didnt. No one knew until the sub returned to port. And many people are surprised to learn that the Japanese also recovered their pilots in this manner. Greg Boyington was picked up by a Jap sub on pilot recovery duty. Thats how he was captured.

[Dili]

I have seen accounds of several days of tracking.

[Sardaukar]

I cannot wait to try this myself! [8D]  Probably lot of people will have house rule like: Sub react range max 1 (or 2). 

[crsutton]

ORIGINAL: byron13

ORIGINAL: crsutton

Could a player send a lone ap in with a hunter killer TF ordered to follow? Classic honey trap..... I see that subs are going to be fun.

Or run decoys to clear out an area for a following TF.

I'm a little concerned we've created a monster. I don't know dickey-doo about historical sub ops, but this seems a little too aggressive. To a degree, weren't sub patrol areas assigned to pretty much just one sub to minimize fratricide? Of course, if you set react to zero, you can keep subs in their area, and there's no reason you can't give orders to pursue ships across the entire Pacific in order to get a kill. Still . . .

To what extent did Japanese or American subs get accurate tracking information from aircraft reports? Didn't subs communicate with just Pearl? Would a PBY/Mavis yap out blind over the radio a ship's position, course, and speed in the off-chance that there might be a friendly sub in the area that would hear it? There certainly wasn't coordination between CommSubPac in Pearl or SF and VP-1 at Levu Vana so that VP-1 would know what friendly sub was where and when. My impression is that, generally, subs did their thing and everyone else did their thing, and n'er the twain shall meet. So I'm a little skeptical of aircraft spotting for subs - not that it couldn't be done (I think the Germans tried to an extent, though didn't that still go air to shore to ship?), but was it?

And for a sub to be chasing AP's for a couple of hundred miles would require the sub to run on the surface the entire time with a nifty wake. Does a sub in this mode increase its risk of being attacked by a/c? And, of course, if there is a significant enemy air presence, the sub is going to be forced down enough where it probably couldn't keep pace with its quarry.

I don't know. It just seems that this episode show submarines tracking ships in an exceptionally coordinated and aggressive manner.

I believe that once American subs got decent radar that they tended to work closer together. They were using loose wolf pack tactics late in the war. Americans were very very good at radio traffic interceptions and interpretation. Using this skill, they really did have an excellent grasp of where Japanese convoys were and frequently rounted subs long distances to intercept specific convoys. I don't see why they would not be routing intercepts from other spotting reports as well but don't know much about this.

[crsutton]

ORIGINAL: Yamato hugger

ORIGINAL: Sardaukar

I think it did hit Admiral's booze locker! [:D]

The "Heavy damage" was caused by torp hits on the first turn.

Bettys/Nells still carry torps, but if the pilot isnt trained in the attack, then they arent going to hit much. Pilots with less than 50 experience dont really do a lot. Here is an example of why you need not fear the plane but the pilots instead:

So how would you go about training up that specific group for torpedo bombing? Can training be set to a specific skill in the game?

[Chad Harrison]

As for the subs though, this could also help represent the Allies ability to use SigInt to track a specific TF and route subs to it.

I have always thought that subs were way under powered, especially for the Allies.

[Speedysteve]

With you there Chad.........

[Chad Harrison]

ORIGINAL: Speedy

With you there Chad.........

Well, except in our game. Isnt our house rule going to be that you only get one sub? [:D]

. . . The penguin warned me about your subs. One should be plenty! [X(]

[Speedysteve]

Don't know what you're on about....I'm awful with subs[;)][:'(]

[Yamato hugger]

Well in AE radar actually works, so as for sub effectiveness, that will improve as the war goes on. So as for the subs needing the react movement, I would say that would entirely depend on IF the sub tactics of the time was to report ALL contacts. If this is the case, then it certainly makes sense for higher HQ to route more subs into a possible contact situation. If this is not the case (an I dont believe subs keyed a mic unless it was damn important), then I would say no. No report goes out, then it also makes sense that no one should react to it.

Now frankly, I dont know. I read 1 book once years ago on the Barb, and to my knowledge they didnt report contacts (I would guess they would if it was a major surface unit). But then again, with ultra they knew pretty much were everything was anyway (which isnt modeled in the game of course). As I already said, this will spark many many threads and I can see and understand both sides. I think from a pure game aspect, react should be set to zero. The sub is already patrolling, and that in itself is a huge plus.

[CarnageINC]

Great stuff, Great stuff!!! [;)]

OH boy oh boy oh boy....I can't wait!

[Yamato hugger]

Oops, missed the TB question. No, other than getting a random hit on it in "general training", the only way to train in torpedo attacks is to actually do them. So this means once the well trained starting Belly/Nell pilots are dead, you really dont have a lot to fear from them.

[Yamato hugger]

The Fiji landing force was attacked this turn, far too close to their target for him to do anything about:

(Akagi, Kaga, Shokaku, and Zuikaku stand guard while a sub patrols underneath)




Afternoon Air attack on TF, near Yasawa Islands at 130,158

Weather in hex: Thunderstorms

Raid spotted at 44 NM, estimated altitude 6,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 28 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 3



Allied aircraft
Vincent I x 4


No Japanese losses

No Allied losses

Japanese Ships
xAK Keisyo Maru



Aircraft Attacking:
4 x Vincent I bombing from 3000 feet
Naval Attack: 1 x 1000 lb SAP Bomb

CAP engaged:
Akagi-1 with A6M2 Zero (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
(3 plane(s) diverted to support CAP in hex.)
0 plane(s) not yet engaged, 3 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 32810
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 4 minutes

a Japanese CM manuvering ...(Ev 76 / Sp 15)
a Yusen A Transport class xAK manuvering changes...(Ev 76 / Sp 22)
a Ehime Cargo class xAK manuvering changes...(Ev 76 / Sp 11)
a Ansyu-C Cargo class xAK manuvering changes...(Ev 76 / Sp 13)
a Japanese TK manuvering changes...(Ev 76 / Sp 8)

[Yamato hugger]

The New Caledonia force closes on their target. Luganville fell this turn to a SNLF force brought in by fast transports. The Hiryu, Soryu, and 2 CVLs are to the west (the covering force) still moving into position form the Moresby landings. There is also a BB division with them.

[Kull]

Looks like the JFBs worried about a nerfed "Evil Empire" in AE can put down their placards.....[;)]

[RocketMan]

Yamato hugger,

Will you end up paying a price for such rapid expansion later in the game? In other words, since you are expanding much faster and further than your historical counterparts did, will you have problems supplying all the areas you have conquered or transporting resources back to the home islands or are you not expanding as fast in other areas as your historical counterparts?

I ask because it seems like there should be some trade off that has to be made for this type of aggressive play.

[Yamato hugger]

ORIGINAL: RocketMan

Yamato hugger,

Will you end up paying a price for such rapid expansion later in the game? In other words, since you are expanding much faster and further than your historical counterparts did, will you have problems supplying all the areas you have conquered or transporting resources back to the home islands or are you not expanding as fast in other areas as your historical counterparts?

I ask because it seems like there should be some trade off that has to be made for this type of aggressive play.

Well I would if I had any plans at all to keep these bases. But I dont. The plan is to take them out to increase his sailing time to Oz and to slow his base buildup in this area. I have no intention of leaving a single troop south or east of Tarawa (excepting for the Solomons of course). In AE he cant see which airfields and ports are occupied unless he recons them. Picture this big black hole out there, and you dont know whats there, where the KB is or anything else. He isnt likely to charge right in without a major force. I will leave a few CL squadrons and recon planes (supported by AVs) to keep him guessing, but no major defensive effort will go into these areas.

Edit: Basically what I am doing is buying time to dig in and expand bases on my main defensive line before he gets a chance to hit it.

[RocketMan]

An interesting strategy. Made possible, as you say, by the new FOW rules which I was not aware of. Thanks for the reply.

[stuman]

Thanks for this YH, very fun and helpful reading.