This new stand alone release based on the legendary War in the Pacific from 2 by 3 Games adds significant improvements and changes to enhance game play, improve realism, and increase historical accuracy. With dozens of new features, new art, and engine improvements, War in the Pacific: Admiral's Edition brings you the most realistic and immersive WWII Pacific Theater wargame ever!
I have no problems with the AI scripts taking it to some places that were never invaded IRL.
I will say that I am less than enamored with the AI teleporting TFs. I am coming to grips with the unlimited sorties (as I recall my CHS game where the AI kept sailing the KB through the DEI but only launching attacks with 5-6 a/c - presumably because it was low on sorties and couldn't rearm), but when the computer player gets to violate the laws of physics I tend to get bent out of shape. Luckily SantaChez came through and my PBEM first turn just arrived this morning!
Me neither. But maybe the IJN perfected the Philadelphia (Osaka) Experiment? [&:][;)]
I'm in late March, '42 in my CG, launch version, and while the Japs have taken Canton all their carrier groups are either focused on consolidating their hold over DEI or supporting invasions around Buna...no carriers have shown up south of New Britain yet. The only ballsy thing the AI has done is send a cruiser and two destroyers to raid Noumea, twice. The first time I lost a bunch of transports but then stationed a permanent patrol of destroyers in the harbor, which blunted the most recent raid, cosing me a couple of ML's and PG's.
If the AI does get adventurous around Suva I've still got all five US carriers and three British carriers, although one is laid up at Sydney with 40 floation damage from a sub attack. The Japs have also sent a task force with a BB to hammer Akyab. About three weeks ago they landed a division at Akyab, which promptly marched north to Cox's Bazar, where they sit and endure day after day of air attacks from Calcutta, completely unsupported by the rest of army which is engaged at Rangoon, where I have 67,000 men and level 3 fortifications holding back a much smaller forces of Japs. I've reinforced all four bases on Timor, and in the last couple of turns there have been some carrier air attacks and one aborted invasion and no attacks on Darwin. They have Buna but show no signs of coming around Milne Bay, yet.
As I'm playing the game I'm reading H.P. Willmot's Empires in the Balance, which I recommend as a very good narrative of the military and political history of the Japanese offensive between December 7th and April, 1942. Willmot makes a point on several occasions as to the shortcomings of Japanese strategy, in particular their rigidity of thinking and lack of strategic creativity and ability to adapt once things go off script. In many ways the AI adequately simulates that inability to be creative and stick to the game plan whether events have made the plan obsolete.
Your goal as a theatre commander in WWII was not to passively defend what you had; it was to take the initiative and make the opponent defend what he had.
Must Concur -
regardless of AI behaivor; you know where they are (and will be for a while, evidently), so round up what you've got and go get them.
The AI is doing well in my game. It's turned up somewhere I was expecting, I won't say where exactly, but about a month earlier than I thought. I was lucky that Enterprise was in the area on her way to Oz and the NZ cruisers were a day or so away at full speed. I managed to fight off that invasion, but next time I might not be so lucky especially as all my LCUs are still on their way. It was a proper invasion as well, a decent sized transport force with cruiser support. The KB had been around a few days earlier, although it's gone for now. Good to see major targets get proper invasion forces [;)]
In my CG it's now late 10/42 and my search planes picked up a strong CA TF headed east towards Johnston Island. All my CV's are down in SoPac land so I've got a fast BB TF of Washington plus some CL's and DD's headed SW to try and intercept them. My Marines retook Bora Bora a few game weeks ago and since then the AI has stopped expanding. It holds Milne Bay and the Shortlands, over to Tarawa and out to Baker Island, and the DEI over to Cox's Bazaar. I've already retaken Guadalcanal and Russell Island, and my next steps are Baker, Tarawa and Milne Bay.
While I enjoy the AI being agressive in going after ahistorical objectives, I dread the manner in which it undertakes these operations sometimes.
Play against the AI is a fine balance of having fun and endeavoring to keep the game from going down the drain too soon due to overwhelming losses to the AI. When the AI serves it's navy up on a silver platter for the slaughter I sometimes have to consider if I really want to end the game this soon by sinking them.
Case in point. I am in early January '42 in the Hakko Ichiu scenario. The AI started an OP to invade Midway. The group of TFs were spotted by Catalinas and submarines about 10 hexes out from Midway (just beyond Vindicator range). I had the Sara in the South Seas refeuling from AOs near Noumea and the Enterprise and Lex about halfway from Pearl to Canton reacting to an invasion there.
I turned Halsey's TF around and headed for Midway knowing it would take 3 days to get into range. I had not spotted any carrier TFs but knew one was probably in the vicinity. Here is where the AI fell on its face. Once spotted the entire force developed a case of "deer in the headlights syndrome" and FROZE in place for three days as if awaiting the arrival of my carriers. Upon arrival I discovered that the Midway invasion force was covered by a SINGLE fleet carrier. I promptly sunk the Hiryu and proceeded to rain slaughter on all the rest of the shipping.
I can appreciate the AI using single carrier TFs in remote locales unlikely to be populated with American carriers, but going to Midway with a single carrier....come on!
The AI could also use a little help understanding that just because it now occupies Manila that is NOT a free pass to relocate shipping there without first clearing the minefield and silencing the 14" guns at Bataan.
Here is a screenshot of the AIs SECOND attempt to bull it's way through. Two days earlier a TF with 2 CAs a CL and 2 DDs sunk themselves in such a foolish endeavor. I certainly hope the AI isn't going to repeat this every two days.
AI is under code orders to avoid those two hexes with big guns only thing that overwrites it is a script so if a script is sending uunits there its fixable but I needa Save before and after so if you see something odd like that send me a save
Quick question about those ai files listed earlier in this post Andy.
I took scenario 2 and then resaved it as scen 30, made just a few changes to CV names for fun - will all those alt ai files still be used for this new scenario?
It looks like it has them listed in the editor (has same ai list as scen 2 as I didnt change anything) ... but was wondering if those data files would need to have the names changed so that it reads aei0030-07.dat etc.
In the case it's not reading any of these ai files what does it do then? Im about April 42 so far and the ai (Japan) is doing fine - mostly regular stuff.
M
When you save as you are only saving the original (default) ai file "aei001.dat", take note of the fact that this file does not have a '-nn'.
The first three digits are the scenario number. The dash number number are the alternate ai files starting at -01 up to -99.
If you want alternates you will have to make them yourself. The editor only opens the default ai file when you edit a scenario and is not aware of any alternates.
Each ai file has 2000 slots of scripts that can be used to program each side. When you first load a scenario up the game will randomly select an ai file to use for the entirety of the scenario. So, scenario 30 would look like (default) ai file aei030.dat plus if I add two alts aei030-01.dat and aei030-02.dat.
In my current game, the Japanese AI loves New Zealand and Suva. It has sent a TF to easter NZ and it just sits there in a NZ port, doing nothing but fighting off a few NZ inadequate naval air attacks.
Meanwhile, there are several AI TFs roaming back and forth between Noumea and Suva, and they've been there for the better part of a month. At one side of their joy cruise, they hammer Noumea, at the other they hammer Suva with their air power (I think it's two CVEs in the TFs). Apparently, they have lots of spare sorties laying around [sic] and unlimited fuel. I'm taking a cautious apporach and have a couple of CAGs in Luganville waiting for them to leave, but they just seem to stay. Sadly, it IS good training for them.
My point is that I appreciate the more challenging game the AI gives, but it seems like it could do so without having to resort to operations that are completely unlikely and ahistorical.
Oh, well, I'll just have to wait for another underescorted invasion TF at Canton and take out my frustration there with my cruiser TFs.
Ah, na I think playing the AI is a flawed idea, the AI has unlimited resources so any war against it would simply be one of tactical value.
A strategy to "cut off the Japanese Oil supplies" or strategies like it would not work as it has unlimited resource.. So IMHO playing the AI would only serve to try out different tactics or operations.
When you save as you are only saving the original (default) ai file "aei001.dat", take note of the fact that this file does not have a '-nn'.
The first three digits are the scenario number. The dash number number are the alternate ai files starting at -01 up to -99.
If you want alternates you will have to make them yourself. The editor only opens the default ai file when you edit a scenario and is not aware of any alternates.
Each ai file has 2000 slots of scripts that can be used to program each side. When you first load a scenario up the game will randomly select an ai file to use for the entirety of the scenario. So, scenario 30 would look like (default) ai file aei030.dat plus if I add two alts aei030-01.dat and aei030-02.dat.
Thanks BigJ,
Just to make sure I understand, with my scenario 30 (based on 2) I can just copy all the scenario 2 alternative ai files change the names to aei030-01.dat etc and then paste them back in the SCEN folder ... correct?
AI does not teleport TF's said it before saying it again.
If you see a TF teleport its is a bug but every single save I have seen purporting to be teleporting TF's has not been teleporting TFs
I give up on this one obviously the urban myth is stronger than any post I make on the subject
Andy
Thanks, Andy... I hadn't seen you refute that myth before. I've never seen it happen, but it has been mentioned so often that it has reached "urban myth" status. I apologize for believing it...
AI is under code orders to avoid those two hexes with big guns only thing that overwrites it is a script so if a script is sending uunits there its fixable but I needa Save before and after so if you see something odd like that send me a save
