How to successfully engage and destroy IJN Barges with US PT boats?

Uncommon Valor: Campaign for the South Pacific covers the campaigns for New Guinea, New Britain, New Ireland and the Solomon chain.

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Apollo11
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How to successfully engage and destroy IJN Barges with US PT boats?

Post by Apollo11 »

Hi all,

How to successfully engage and destroy IJN Barges with US PT boats?

Any ideas gentleman?


I tried everything (and I even got them in naval engagement during day and/or
night) but my US PT boats are simply unable to destroy any barge...

BTW, all naval engagement are at long ranges (i.e. more than 5000 yards). Why
is that? Shouldn't my PT boats come nearer and engage enemy from closer range
(first with their torpedoes and the with machine guns)?

Is this, perhaps, a possible bug?


Leo "Apollo11"
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Q-Ball
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Post by Q-Ball »

Great question, I have had the same problem. The PT's sometimes take out an AG, but I've never had them take out more than one at a time. Once, a force of 8 PT's tangled with an AG convoy and lost! No damage to an AG, but several hits on a PT boat. I guess the Japanese commander crossed the T.

I've had better luck using PG's and SC's, and finally I used a couple DD's to bust them up, they did great. But you can't do that if IJN LBA is active, because they will get bombed.
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Post by siRkid »

There was a change in 1.2 that prevented large ships from using PTs to get in close. Maybe this affected the range of PT only engagements. You should report this on the bug thread and save any files you have.

Rick
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doomonyou
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PT's

Post by doomonyou »

its true, I have had groups of 12 PTs attack japanese bombardment taskforces in the dead of night and they never get close...one would think occasoinally the pts would at least get within knife range of the escorts to the bombarding BB if not the BB's themselves.
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Joel Billings
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Post by Joel Billings »

Please send in a save if you have PT Boat only TF's that are engaging at night at ranges over 3000 yards. As for their inability to attack AG's, I don't know about this but will ask Gary. Did they do better in a previous version (i.e. attack at closer ranges and do more damage to the AG's)?
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Black Cat
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Well since you asked

Post by Black Cat »

Originally posted by Joel Billings
Please send in a save if you have PT Boat only TF's that are engaging at night at ranges over 3000 yards. As for their inability to attack AG's, I don't know about this but will ask Gary. Did they do better in a previous version (i.e. attack at closer ranges and do more damage to the AG's)?
The Good News:

The PT`s have attacked Toyko Express Bombardment runs in what I think are reasonable numbers of times with reasonable results ( some good, some bad , lots in between) seems quite balanced.

The Bad News:

That`s with 1.11
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Apollo11
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Post by Apollo11 »

Hi all,
Originally posted by Joel Billings
Please send in a save if you have PT Boat only TF's that are engaging at night at ranges over 3000 yards. As for their inability to attack AG's, I don't know about this but will ask Gary. Did they do better in a previous version (i.e. attack at closer ranges and do more damage to the AG's)?
The night ranges start around 9000-7000 yards and then close to
around 4000 yards.

Those two rounds (at ranges I stated) are whole combat I ever
see with my US PT boats.

What I don't understand is why my US PT boats launch their
torpedoes immediately at first round of combat (i.e. way too far
away).

The US torpedoes (and especialy those on PT boats) shouldn't
have been fired at 7000 yards (for Gods sake it's 6.5 km) - this
is very unrealistic as far as I know...


Leo "Apollo11"


P.S. I will try to find one savefile with US PT boats attacking at night.
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Joel Billings
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Post by Joel Billings »

What you are describing is the way things should happen if the PT boats are accompanied by non PT-boats. Again, please send a save if you can verify this problem exists with PT only TF's. It is quite possible that a bug was put in in the 1.20 version when the accompanied PT boat rule was implemented.
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Apollo11
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Post by Apollo11 »

Hi all,
Originally posted by Joel Billings
What you are describing is the way things should happen if the PT boats are accompanied by non PT-boats. Again, please send a save if you can verify this problem exists with PT only TF's. It is quite possible that a bug was put in in the 1.20 version when the accompanied PT boat rule was implemented.
My US PT boat TF was pure PT - nothing else was in it.

I will look for savefile when I get home.

BTW, to what e-mail should I send it?


Leo "Apollo11"
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Echo
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Uh Oh

Post by Echo »

This is bad news.

I've had great success with PT boats. If V1.2 screwed them up, I'm going to be pissed.
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dpstafford
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Re: Uh Oh

Post by dpstafford »

Originally posted by Echo
I've had great success with PT boats. If V1.2 screwed them up, I'm going to be pissed.
That would fit the pattern. Each patch has created nearly as many problems as it has solved. Still, I anxiously await the next one.
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Post by XPav »

2 problems:

PT Boats aren't using their light 50cals and 20mm on ships. This is all (aside from the torps) that the early PT boats (PT20s) have.

Later PT Boats have the 40mm, and they use that.

I agree though, they're horribly ineffective, and were broken by the patch.
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Re: Re: Uh Oh

Post by Black Cat »

Originally posted by dpstafford

That would fit the pattern. Each patch has created nearly as many problems as it has solved. Still, I anxiously await the next one.


For a Game as hugely complex as UV ( jezzz !, just fire up the Campaign Scenario and look at what going on in an interrelatered way ) it`s two steps forward, one step back, most, if not all Game Companies would have done one Patch 1.00 and that would be it...but you guys know that already , really just love playing as much as me I think :)

BTW, I think you will see Matrix and Gary support this for a _very_ long time..;)
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Apollo11
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I sent bugs (ZIPed save game files) to Matrix...

Post by Apollo11 »

Hi all,

I sent bugs (ZIPed save game files) to Matrix (Ross Moorhouse).

This includes two US PT bugs:

#1
Bug #1 (US PT boats don't expend endurance points)

#2
Bug #2 (US PT boats attack from to far away in surface combat)


I sincerely hope this will be fixed soon!


Leo "Apollo11"
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Paul Goodman
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Post by Paul Goodman »

Funny, the only thing that Pt's were really effective at was interdicting barge traffic. As pointed out, the PT boats generally engage at 5,000 plus yards. For some reason, a 36 knot vessel is unable to close with a 12 knot vessel (although in good weather a pt boat could top 50 knots).

While we're at it, the PT boats should not draw fuel from the fuel supply, which we assume to be bunker oil. PT boats burned aviation grade gasoline, not diesel oil. Therefore, they should be a load on normal supply (as are aircraft), not fuel.

Also PT boats are subject to conventional air attack, while barges are not. That seems odd. I've had a couple torpedoed by Betty's, which is a preposterous thought. Strafing aircraft and possibly Vals should be effective against PT's, but not Bettys and Nells.

Paul
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