EA Damian(J) V Nemo(A) "Renaissance"

[ny59giants]

The Chinese hordes now have experience and plenty of supply. A bad combination for you. [:(]

[1EyedJacks]

So what's going on? Is the game still being played or did you two call it quits?

[n01487477]

Mike,
still being played at a really small pace at present, firstly it was because I was working on TrackerAE1.1, then Nemo had to do some clinical research, & now holidays and travel have got in the way again. Last correspondence a few days ago, had us both wanting to continue, but as he might be away for a few days, which is a pity cause I'm on holidays ... we'll see if we can pick this back up in a week or so.

I really want this game to continue. Sent him a turn 2 days ago.

So with a week off, I can be a pain in Floyds neck and send him lots of code to integrate, and get on with my C4 Engine project/learning (C4 is a game development studio), which is really stretching my C++ knowledge - hence the need to relearn[8|]. This is the first real time I've got into serious investing some time and money into making something, I've always had ideas of doing something, but now I've decided to tinker away ... maybe something will come of it, maybe not. 1 programmer is not really enough for the scope of this, but then again I'm not an artist either. Still it fills the days, when I'm not diverted by other pursuits. [;)]

Cheers
--Damian--

[n01487477]

Similar to Hartwig,
I'm still waiting for news from Nemo - I know he has been busy, just hope he picks up this game again ... as we both communicated last, it would be a pity to let this one drop, having got so far.

--Damian--

[n01487477]

The good news is that this game is about to restart again after clunking to a halt in the last 2 months. Nemo121 has notified me that he is back on deck and I expect within a week I'll see a turn in my inbox.

Coolness![&o]

[n01487477]

Woke up this morning on a cloudy Busan day, drizzling outside as winter approaches. Fired up the computer and had a turn in my inbox ...[8D]. It has been a while so I was surprised to see what I'd planned a month or so ago.

29 April '43
[*]MSW Wa12 and ML Ma3 were sunk to SS attacks. DD Hatsuyuki got torpedoed in port at Keijo.
[*]Fighter sweeps at Nanchang had a good day inflicting 3-1 losses on the Allies. 73 Tojo's were employed, going to ramp that up and make Nemo pay, before china goes postal.
[*]Usual supression attacks at Borneo, Jesselton, TayTay, Morotai went off without a hitch.
[*]Shock attack failed to displace the Allied units, I hope that I can clear the path in a day or two, with more reinforcements arriving.

[n01487477]

30 April and 1st May

A bit annoyed at myself, the group of Chinese Lcu's get across the river, the departing hex was J/A (I thought it was mine), but the destination was J for sure ... Is this right? Can't see how they can move from an existing HEX with enemy troops into a hex (across a river) which was definately Japanese 1 turn earlier.

Sent my Behemoths into Changsha, lost 12, bombing seemed ineffective at 20K ... but Nemo assures me these things can kill at that height.

Getting hit by hordes of SS on transports around Japan, my LB seems to be doing a pretty piss-poor effort at present and more DD's have been sent back to Japan to help the growing crisis.

All troops offloaded at Haichow and Tsingtao, these will have to run like the clappers to stop the breakthrough. More troops inbound.

Moratai goes to Level 1 airfield, despite my attempts to keep it at a 0, by bombing the port (which has been haphazard). Next turn large sweeps and LB going in. If this base gets going, I'm going to have to pull out in this area. Give Nemo the chance to run havok. As if he doesn't need the incentive.

[n01487477]

2nd May '43

Big day over Moratai and Nanchang. 300 planes bite the dust, 180 for the Allies and 120 for my guys. My LB vectored to hit Moratai fail to fly and my plan to have just one day of attacks, will keep going until this base is hit and supressed. It is unfortunate, but necessary.

[n01487477]

3 May '43

[n01487477]

Another soon to be announced match up as Nemo121 tells me he's just upgraded his first batch of these buggers...

[Capt. Harlock]

He's already got Corsairs and Spitfires. But I guess the real threat of the P-47C is its range.[:(]

[1EyedJacks]

Stans? Are the ycoming early?

[n01487477]

Capt.Harlock - yep he has had the Spit VIII for 2 months and they are hard to bring down, but he only makes about 50/mth so not a big deal. The thunderbolt is likewise a small production run of about 25/mth. Yak-3 in small numbers etc But all these little bits add up to big bits. The P-51B Mustang also comes in next month and by then I'll be facing a combo of these. This is what I'm producing at present... and it still isn't enough! I guess we are close to parity on fighter production.

Mike - Stans(3/45) are a life time away as is the Shinden(1/45), hoping the ki-219 Uhu makes a little difference -- I wish any of these had been the bug instead of the Sabre's [:D]

[ny59giants]

I had forgot about this PBEM for a while. I'm glad to see that you two are back at it. Good luck holding the tsunami at bay. [:D]

[n01487477]

Yeah, the one regret I have in this game is that I've never "stuck it to the man" ... there have been opportunities to do this in the last 6 months of game time, but I was like a little deer caught in the headlights of the Nemo juggernaught. Still, I think Nemo has begrudging respect for my efforts to hamper his operations, even if sometimes he thinks I play too forward. I'm aggressive and won't back down too easily - even when common sense should prevail.

4 May '43
I had planned for the Angels to go into Nanchang today, unfortunately the LB rested, the sweeps had their usual success, if you can call attrition success. This report is typical for each and every day.

Day Air attack on Nanchang [C China] , at 48,38

Japanese aircraft
Ki-44III Tojo x 94
Ki-48-II Lily x 1

Allied aircraft
F4U-1 Corsair x 6
P-38G Lightning x 3
P-40E Warhawk x 25
Spitfire VB x 3
Spitfire VIII x 3
LaGG-3 x 4
La-5FN x 3
MiG-3 x 13
Yak-3 x 6

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-44III Tojo: 22 destroyed
Ki-48-II Lily: 1 damaged

Allied aircraft losses
F4U-1 Corsair: 3 destroyed
P-38G Lightning: 3 destroyed
P-40E Warhawk: 22 destroyed
Spitfire VB: 2 destroyed
Spitfire VIII: 1 destroyed
LaGG-3: 4 destroyed
La-5FN: 1 destroyed
MiG-3: 11 destroyed
Yak-3: 5 destroyed

Moratai is finally suppressed and I can call off the hounds for a little, but this will be just another base I need to bomb each and every turn, added to Jolo, Jesselton, Brunei, Taytay bomb runs I have to do at the expense of supplies and pilots.

CL Ayatosan Maru, gets hit by 6 bombs by Vengeance I's, some 12 hexes out of China, I can't remember the last time I could do that! Many ships are getting hit, by search aircraft despite LRCAP - this mechanic still annoys me somewhat ... I guess that Allied LB must be pretty experienced by now. And just to add salt into my wounds an AK is attacked near Cebu, by planes flying from Hong Kong ... he has no recon in the area.

I'm not sure what Nemo is up to in China, but I see the hordes approaching in all directions, so I know the final battles are looming. More on china in the next installment.

--Damian--

[n01487477]

5 May '43
Another good day for me, 3(144):1(52) aircraft losses for the Allies, with a raid on Nanchang by my Angels and sweeps again doing the damage. I've got a feeling the Allies are starting to feel the strain over the skies of Nanchang and i might actually break the back of his considerable fighter wing over this base. I'd think that he is starting to rotate a bit more in and out with the other large green blob in Hong Kong.

My fighters are in bad shape, but they'll keep hammering away just for the hell of it, I can't take on his troops, but this might be an area to chuckle about in the dark days ahead.

Nemo has started making more use of his search planes and large amounts of hits on my transports are starting to happen, this is in response to my decimation of his SS's ( or so he claims -- but he has plenty), and the fact he want me to LRCAP these movements with CVE's ... no dice I say, LRCAP hardly works against this and I will take the losses to transports rather than give ground easily elsewhere.

[n01487477]

6 & 7 May '43
With the withdrawal of Allied fighters from Nanchang to Hong Kong, I get a phyrric victory of sorts. Now this is the only base (apart from Amoy)where Allied a/c are based and it is a base where I dare not go. I had thoughts of using all my LB and fighters sweeping from Formosa to have a go, but I think the cost benefit is just untenable.

On this day Nemo sent LB from Okha to Sasebo in an effort to kill my Angels. In his email the following turn he said that he had a further 1000 a/c tasked from Hong Kong ... this would have been deadly and raises the point, that on any given day he can pummel a base, having full knowledge of my fighter numbers and this is what he did on the 7th, with 450 aircraft hitting Fukuoka, destroying most of my HI there.

So with China almost locked up, I withdraw my fighters to the Home Land, knowing that the cat and mouse game is one I will never win. I can't hit hit Hong Kong, and he can hit me ... it is going to be difficult and the only thing I have up my sleeve is to LRCap bases and hope to get lucky one day.

4 AK's were torpedoed this turn despite escorts but I'm still exacting a toll against the Allied SS's, with almost one sunk every 2 days.

I've still got a years worth of Oil, and Res have remained static at about 180 days, due to my import regime from Manchuria/Korea, but as the Allies thrust into China, this will be reduced to a drip. I have a load of Res on Formosa, and would love to get it, but without more CV's escorting I think it might be a suicide run. Other Res area's are all in the danger zones, but as I think this war will go into 44, I better see what can be done... of course if Nemo bombs the heck out of my HI, there will be no need [;)]

[Capt. Harlock]

In his email the following turn he said that he had a further 1000 a/c tasked from Hong Kong ... this would have been deadly and raises the point, that on any given day he can pummel a base, having full knowledge of my fighter numbers and this is what he did on the 7th, with 450 aircraft hitting Fukuoka, destroying most of my HI there.

Any chance you can send in a fast bombardment TF?

[n01487477]

ORIGINAL: Capt. Harlock

In his email the following turn he said that he had a further 1000 a/c tasked from Hong Kong ... this would have been deadly and raises the point, that on any given day he can pummel a base, having full knowledge of my fighter numbers and this is what he did on the 7th, with 450 aircraft hitting Fukuoka, destroying most of my HI there.

Any chance you can send in a fast bombardment TF?

That is a great idea, except the 1000 LB he has placed at Hong Kong on 0-80% search locate my forces a long way out and even though I can LRCAP the TF, which despite Nemo's assertion, that it will cause him large losses, but I see the reality a little differently ... many hits on my TF, small losses in enemy a/c. Then there is of course the Pe-2's and every bomber in the arsenal that will make mincemeat of such a force 100's of miles before they can even fire a shot. I'm thinking Yamato's last suicide run here.

I'm glad you are still reading & making good suggestions Capt, on this one though, I think I'm out of options.

8 May '43 - a very unusually normal day...
[*]Davao has been mined again and a DE plowed into one.
[*]SS Shad was hit 5 times and SS Sunfish 2 hits by ASW.
[*]The usual defensive bombing operations by both sides.
[*]Only 34 planes are destroyed in one of the lowest days that I can remember in months.

This is how far out Nemo regularly sees and gets hits !

[n01487477]

8~14 May '43

A few days of nothing and then the hammer falls. Nemo sweeps Nanking with loads of fighters in 2 sweeps and destroys my fighters there. His new planes are better then 1:1 now, and I've withdrawn to lick my wounds. The skies over Nanking are clear for Allied bombers to destroy the rest of the resources and HI there. I just can't keep Shanghai and Nanking with 120+ fighters each and also protect everything else. I'm surprised no LB came in today, but maybe this was by design, tomorrow they can have the field.

The Allied fleet moves out of Ambonia and seems to be heading toward Kendari, I also decline battle here, where I could have moved all my CV planes, but they would probably hit a brick wall of fighter cap anyway... I need to save these guys for later. IF Nemo ever makes a mistake. I had thought of hitting Ambonia today, but have also decided on caution.

A few days ago I had sent my CV's toward Kendari, but fuel/supply issues have really plagued me and I'm squeezing every last drop to keep my ships running.