Alternate WNT Scenarios (v11 Released)

[JuanG]

My plan is to do the Enhanced BB Variant first, and then work on the CV Variant.

I hate to make promises about dates, as I then have to apologise as I almost inevitably underestimate how long itll take.

Nevertheless, it will probably be a week or so atleast until the Enhanced BB Variant, and another 2-3 weeks after that for the first of the CV Variants.

In the meantime, I might release a 'Heavy' BB Variant which will have the USN building the two South Dakota class BBs instead of the Lexington CCs.

[JuanG]

So, as the next in line is the Enhanced BB Variant, I thought I would explain the key changes in this scenario, that although minor on their own, add up to a pretty dangerous foe. Most of these changes are as a result of Japan spending the 38-41 period seriously preparing for a long war, and investing in technologies such as radar, AA weapons, ect.

Infantry Weapons
Around 43-44 will see the Japanese infantry forces issued with decent AT weaponry. While this wont put them on par with the allied troops in this regard, it will seriously improve their capabilities against tanks which until then (apart from the Engineer squads) is pretty much non-existant. Minor improvements to other weapons will also increase their soft attack values slightly.


Light AA Weapons
The Japanese have a variant of the 40mm Bofors in service at the start of the scenario in small numbers, designated the 40mm Type 99. This is normally found mounted in dual mounts on ships of CA or larger size.

The 25mm is still in service, but has been modified slightly from lessons learned from the Bofors which results in a slightly higher ROF. They are also only mounted in dual mounts, as the Japanese spotted several issues with their triple mountings.

Later into the war, the 40mm will become much more common, although the small ships (under CL) will only ever mount 25mm. The final year (Mid 45 - Mid 46) will see introduction of the 60mm Type 4 AA gun. This is based on a concept somewhat like the USNs 3in/70 RF, though somewhat smaller. This weapon also quickly finds itself in landbased installations.


Radar
The Japanese historically had the expertise to develop adequate radar systems in a reasonable timeframe, but not the resources or the desire to do so. Here they have both, and most Japanese ships will get AS Radars by early 42 (in non-enhanced this occurs in mid 43). SS Radar becomes available in late 42 (normally early 44), with the improved Type 31/32/33 SS and Type 14 AS (both normally mid 45) sets available in late 43. A final set of improved radar gear in early 45, with the Type 35/36 SS and Type 16 AS radars. Radar development is slower in the Army, but still accelerated compared to normal. Aircraft radar does not see major improvements until 43-44 where it very quickly becomes rather good.


Aircraft
Japanese aircraft development will be somewhat accelerated in this scenario, the main aircraft that come into service earlier being the D4Y Judy, the B6N Jill, the later A6M variants, the A7M Sam, the Ki-44 Tojo, the Ki-84 Frank, the Ki-67 Peggy and the Ki-83. Most of these will see service 2-4 months before the current dates.

Another key change is Japans ability to provide high octane fuel comparable to that of the allies to their airforce throughout the war. This results in about a 3-5% performance increase for all their aircraft across the board.


Pilots
The Japanese pilot training program is more robust than in the normal scenario, and while the initial pool of pilots is only slightly larger, the output of the program increases dramatically in 42 once the war starts. The quality of the pilots is also slightly better (5 points).


Additional Ships
The Japanese have two key programs in place compared to stock. The first is the Matsu DD/DE program, with the first ships arriving in mid 42. Their production is rather slow at first, until around mid 43 where production increases drastically.

The other is a dedicated shadow CVL program for several 'liner' hulls built in the years before the war, somewhat like the historical Hiyo/Junyo. While not comparable to the shadow programs in the CV Variant, this program does give the Japanese 6 good sized (20,000ton) CVLs, each capable of around 30 knots and carrying 40-60 aircraft. Two of these ships arrive early 42, and the remaining 4 through late 42 to mid 44.

[derhexer]

Latest version - v7 - 16th October 2009

Scenario 42 - Alternate WNT BB Variant;
RAR - http://www.fileden.com/files/2009/8/1/2 ... en42v7.rar
ZIP - http://www.fileden.com/files/2009/8/1/2 ... en42v7.rar

Hope you can help. I downloaded teh zip file into the Scen folder inside my AE folder. I ap-plied WINRAR anmd split out som,e DAT files - wps042.dat, wpp042.dat ,Latest version - v7 - 16th October 2009

Scenario 42 - Alternate WNT BB Variant;
RAR - http://www.fileden.com/files/2009/8/1/2 ... en42v7.rar
ZIP - http://www.fileden.com/files/2009/8/1/2 ... en42v7.rar

Here are the files in my Scven folder
wps042.dat
wpp042.dat
wpl042.dat,
etc,
and art files

buy\t when I fire up AE, no new scenarios

Help??

Chrios

[JuanG]

Did you unzip/unrar it inside the SCEN folder? If you did, you should have a SCEN and ART folder inside the SCEN folder - the need to be moved to the main AE folder. You should always unzip/unrar into the main AE folder, and everything automatically will go where it is supposed to.

If this does not help, a screenshot of you SCEN folder would be very helpful.

[moonraker65]

You need to move everything in the "seperate" scen folder in to the main "Scen" folder in AE. The extra ship art should be unzipped in to the main "Art" folder in AE. Otherwise you won't see any of the scenarios or new art.

[DuckofTindalos]

Question for Juan: have you considered perhaps adding some of the BB's the Dutch thought about building in the '10s and '20s?

[Akos Gergely]

Hi Terminus!

Sorry for speaking in the name of Juan. Actually I'm planning to do a super BB mod based on his enhanced BB mod, and that's an option for it along with a lot of other BBs

[DuckofTindalos]

The Dutch BB's probably wouldn't have been worth much, being underarmoured and slow, but still...

[derhexer]

Did you unzip/unrar it inside the SCEN folder? If you did, you should have a SCEN and ART folder inside the SCEN folder - the need to be moved to the main AE folder. You should always unzip/unrar into the main AE folder, and everything automatically will go where it is supposed to.

If this does not help, a screenshot of you SCEN folder would be very helpful.

The CTRL-Prtsqn doesn't seem to work, so in my SCEN folder are files like
wps042.dat
wpp042.dta
wpl042.dat
etc.
all the files that went into SCEN\SCEN are now in \SCEN

The Art files are in \ART
Yet, your '42 scenarios don't show up when I select a scenario, even when I scan down the whole list


So, any advice?

[Historiker]

ORIGINAL: Terminus

The Dutch BB's probably wouldn't have been worth much, being underarmoured and slow, but still...

Do you mean the intended Scharnhorst copies or the earlier models intended in the 20th?

[DuckofTindalos]

Like I said, the earlier ones.

[traskott]

A question.. The AI is ready for been used in a GC ? ( IA works [:o]? )

Thank you!

[Historiker]

Juan,
I have the Washington Treaty on the table in front of me.
o.V.: Conference on the Limitations of Armaments. Wahsington November 12, 1921 - February 6, 1922, Washington 1922. Page 1600:

"Part 4:
An aircraft carrier is defined as a vessel of war with a displacement in excess of 10.000ts standard displacement designed for the specific and exclusive purpose of carrying aircraft. It must be so constructed that aircraft can be launched therefrom and landed thereon and not designed and constructed for carrying a more powerful armament than that allowed to it under Article IX or Article X as the case may be. (...)"

So if you intend to make Japan stronger in the CV versions, you have some possibilities that aren't even totally unhistoric.

If Japan build an aircraft carrier including the flight deck, hangars, elevators and island - and simply puts a storage for supplies on the aft half of the flight deck, it isn't an aircraft carrier. It can be rated as aircraft transport and no one has to be telled how fast it really is - Chitose and Chiyoda were officially much slower than they really were.
As planes can't land it doesn't fall under the rules of Washington, especially if it is unarmed. But there's no restriction that the supply storage musn't be removed afterwards or that its hull is prepared for additional guns up to 6in. It was allowed to construct merchant ships in a way (strenghening the deck) they can carry guns up to 6in.

So if you want Japan to be stronger, you have quite a few additional options, especially as these ships have no limit in displacements.
Carriers below 10.000ts don't count as carriers as well, Ryuju was initially planned to be below this 10.000ts. So additional small carriers are also only limited by shipyard output between 1923 and 1936. Of course, if Japan already has some of these in 1930, it's most likeley London 1930 would limit them, too.

[JuanG]

Just an updates on things now that patch 2 is out.

-Because of the new changes to naval devices included in patch 2, I've found that as these address several (with a few exceptions) of the issues I myself had with the values, I will be discontinuing Scenarios 40 and 41. This will allow me to keep my attention on the real focus of this mod; the BB, CV and the new joint-scenario I'm working on with csatahajos.

-The plan is to have v10 out within a week, two at most, and this will include a new version of BB variant, AND the Enhanced BB variant.

-After that, focus is first on csatahajos super-BB variant, and then the CV variant.

There will be changes to the scenario line up, which will be as follows from now on;

40 - Lite Adaption (discontinued)
41 - Full Adaption (discontinued)
42 - BB Variant
43 - Enhanced BB Variant
44 - Super BB Variant
45 - CV Variant
46 - Enhanced CV Variant

Juan

[moonraker65]

Looking forward to the CV Variants Juan.

[Texas D]

Ditto [:D]

[FatR]

ORIGINAL: JuanG

The CV Variant is based on the premise of what if the IJN in the early 30s saw a radical shift in thinking, and their doctrine moved away from a attritive night action followed by a decisive battle, to a doctrine based on atrrition through carriers and fast surface forces. The importance of night combat is not forgotten, as these forces are vulnerable at night, but it is not as important as historically, and the IJN still prides itself on its skill at nightfighting (aka I had to think up a reason for this cause I cant get rid of the XP bonus).

A belated comment: you need look no further than RL for this one. Surely, if IJN had a revolutionaty realization about the power of naval planes, the necessity to adapt the surface forces for action during nighttime, for theatres when enemy might have air superiority, would have been very logical. In fact, more effort could have been put in adapting their surface forces for night action, such as trying to replace 127/50 with a gun that has less power but can fire faster, and is overall better as a DP gun.

[FatR]

Overall, thanks for the mod. It certainly looks interesting, and I might try to play the BB variant against AI as Japanese, if I tire of my current stock campaign (I whipped Allied AI too hard by exploiting its scripted reactions and suicidal carrier raids, and stripped myself of challenge until late 1943 at least [:(]).

[FatR]

ORIGINAL: JuanG


Light AA Weapons
The Japanese have a variant of the 40mm Bofors in service at the start of the scenario in small numbers, designated the 40mm Type 99. This is normally found mounted in dual mounts on ships of CA or larger size.

I, personally, have many doubts about Japanese ability to make something of decent quality and in decent numbers out of Bofors without a total magical upgrade of their armament industry. This is based on Sovier experience with Bofors clones, which were passable for ground-based AA, but inadequate for naval needs, and also very hard to build in numbers. But again, this is an enhanced mod...

[JuanG]

ORIGINAL: FatR

ORIGINAL: JuanG


Light AA Weapons
The Japanese have a variant of the 40mm Bofors in service at the start of the scenario in small numbers, designated the 40mm Type 99. This is normally found mounted in dual mounts on ships of CA or larger size.

I, personally, have many doubts about Japanese ability to make something of decent quality and in decent numbers out of Bofors without a total magical upgrade of their armament industry. This is based on Sovier experience with Bofors clones, which were passable for ground-based AA, but inadequate for naval needs, and also very hard to build in numbers. But again, this is an enhanced mod...

It is, and you must remember Japan in general in these scenarios, not only Enhanced, has a superior industrial capacity to its original timeline equivalent owning partly to luck (no earthquake!) and partly to smarter decisions by the leadership.

I was torn about the choice of 40mm too personally, and considered something like a development on the 37mm german guns too. However, the availability of adequate (though not equal to allied) AA should make the late game much more interesting...

On that note, I've just finished work on Enhanced BB Variant, and should have v10 of both that and standard BB Variant out by tonight.

Next up will be both the semi-fantasy 'Super BB Mod' I've been working on with csatahajos, and also an AI-Friendly version of the BB Variant and Enhanced BB Variant that will give the AI a better chance. (Since it does not currently do things like conversions!)