The JFB Tips and Hints Thread

[TheLoneGunman_MatrixForum]

Since I've been lurking for a while, I figure it's time I actually start posting.

This thread is intended to be a repository of information for all of your JFB needs.

What it's not meant to do is to explain all of the ins and outs of the game, give you an order-by-order description of how to handle turn #1, or get inside the inner workings of the Japanese Economy. That being said, let's share the little things that can improve everyone's game just a little bit more.

My first contribution is this:

After snooping around many of the IJN's ships to look at their captain's stats, I came across two very competent captains that would be much better off being transferred to command a carrier. The ship they start on and their stats are listed below.

CA Tone - Okada, Tametsugu
Leadership: 67
Inspiration: 66
Rank: CPT
Naval: 45
Land: 30
Air: 71
Admin: 49
Aggressiveness: 74

xAP Brazil Maru - Takatsugu, K.
Leadership: 58
Inspiration: 62
Rank: CPT
Naval: 37
Land: 38
Air: 71
Admin: 52
Aggressiveness: 56

So next time you need to find a carrier captain, or you're trying to maximize your "Air" stats for the KB at the start of a game, transfer these guys and give the Tone a better surface warship captain.

Cheers!

[Chickenboy]

Not so sure about that TLG.

I think 'naval' skills are pretty important for captaining aircraft carriers. Help 'em avoid torpedo tracks, squalls, pesky SCTFs and the lot. I don't believe that the captain rankings for these ships affects the skill of pilots, as that responsibility falls to the squadron / sentai leader. The captain is all about moving the ship around in the water.

For an ideal KB captain, I'd like a (primary) high naval rating, (secondary) leadership and inspiration and (tertiary) modest, non-rabid aggressiveness.

[TheLoneGunman_MatrixForum]

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy

Not so sure about that TLG.

I think 'naval' skills are pretty important for captaining aircraft carriers. Help 'em avoid torpedo tracks, squalls, pesky SCTFs and the lot. I don't believe that the captain rankings for these ships affects the skill of pilots, as that responsibility falls to the squadron / sentai leader. The captain is all about moving the ship around in the water.

For an ideal KB captain, I'd like a (primary) high naval rating, (secondary) leadership and inspiration and (tertiary) modest, non-rabid aggressiveness.

Interesting, is there any documentation regarding what each skill does?

The reason I ask is because those officers with high "air" skill are reported on the bottom as being best suited for commanding carriers, while those with high "naval" are said to be best suited for surface warships.

Edit - This is what I've found digging around WITP, since I couldn't find anything too specific for AE. I'm sure there are still similarities:

Leader's Ratings:
(Skill = Leadership, Morale = Inspiration)
- SKILL - Roll by Unit Leader effects Unit's experience gain.

- MORALE - Effects number of strike & patrol aircraft that fly,
- Effects LCU Fatigue reduction,
- Effects LCU Morale reduction due to Fatigue,
- Effects LCU element disabled due to Fatigue,
- Effects disabled LCU element destroyed due to Fatigue,
- Effects Air Unit Morale recovery,
- Roll by HQ Leader effects attacking & defending LCU assault value,
- Roll by LCU Leader effects attacking & defending LCU assault value,

- SURFACE - Roll by ASW ship Commander effects sub search (ASW TFs only),
- Roll by Sub Captain effects Sub contact chance & Sub's chance to survive ASW attack,
- Roll by TF Commander effects chance of "crossing the T" & attaining surprise in surface combat,
- Roll by ship Captain effects ship's chance of locating a target during surface combat.

- AIR - Roll by Group Leader effects number of strike aircraft that fly,
- Roll by Air HQ Leader effects number of strike & patrol aircraft that fly,

- LAND - Roll by HQ Leader effects attacking & defending LCU assault value,
- Roll by LCU Leader effects attacking & defending LCU assault value, firing accuracy and expirience gain,
- Rating of Amphibious HQ Leader effects chance of amphibious unload success.

- ADMINISTRATION - Roll by HQ Leader effects ability to use support to reduce Disruption and Fatigue,
- Roll by Unit Leader effects ability to use Supply to reduce Disruption and Fatigue.

- AGGRESSION - Roll by TF Commander effects chance of Bombard TF to change mission to Surface Combat,
- Roll by TF Commander effects chance TFs will converge more rapidly in Surface Combat,
- Aggression rating of Sub Captain effects chance of contacting enemy TFs.

To me, this makes the "Air" skill extremely important, especially if you're trying to maximize the amount of strike aircraft you can get into the air.

Thanks for the response though Chickenboy! [:)]

Edit Again! - Wait a sec, re-reading it and reading what you've said, it appears that the "Air" skill is useful only for the actual squadron leaders and not the TF captains. Unless there are more bonuses or penalties applied before or after. [X(]

[AcePylut]

I've always understood "Air" skill to impact anything to do with Air...
 
And naval skill to only matter in ship-2-ship combat.

[TheLoneGunman_MatrixForum]

Ok having done some more research (it always pays off to try and at least act like you know what you're talking about [;)]), I have went back over this thread on how to choose leaders and it pretty much states that the "Air" skill is needed for the TF Commander since he is acting as the HQ for your air units.

I'm under the impression that this also means the "Air" skill for individual captains is not important since they are not part of the HQ, and so they end up having no bearing on the aircraft on their ships.

However, it seems information regarding the inner workings of these skills leaves much mystery behind and that there has never really been a good explanation as to what each skill does exactly.

This thread, initially attempting to provide tips and hints has now left me thoroughly confused! [:D]

[Chickenboy]

ORIGINAL: TheLoneGunman

I'm under the impression that this also means the "Air" skill for individual captains is not important since they are not part of the HQ, and so they end up having no bearing on the aircraft on their ships.

That's my impression as well. When I said KB captain late in my previous post, I should have been more specific and meant 'individual aircraft carrier captain who is not the overall admiral of the KB Air Combat TF'.

[AcePylut]

Either way, nice find on those cap'ns.
 
Were you bored or something... going through ships like xAP's!!!!! to look at their cap'ns?

[TheLoneGunman_MatrixForum]

ORIGINAL: AcePylut

Either way, nice find on those cap'ns.

Were you bored or something... going through ships like xAP's!!!!! to look at their cap'ns?

I'm in the process of getting a Japan PBEM Turn 1 save prepped. I figure I might as well start one now before I even have an opponent so I can plan the whole thing out and be able to send out the turn as soon as I'm ready to start my first real PBEM full campaign.

So part of that prepping was to try and go through as many of the ship's captains as I could to see if there were any gems hidden among them or to see who needs to be shifted to different duty.

The xAP was just a lucky find!

At any rate, the Tone's captain should be changed on Day 1 regardless, since he is not a suitable captain for a cruiser, with such low naval skill (though his high aggressiveness might make him attractive to some).

[topeverest]

To state the obvious, the JFB must preplan his or her economy with relation to the geographic objectives of the Empire. Players must also have a good understanding of their merchant fleets objectives and capabilities. It is highly advisable to plan out each supply, fuel, oil, and resource convoy prior to starting the game, inlucluding the obvious early geographic acquisitions. It's an art form i can't say I have nearly mastered, but I can state this - failure to plan can and will bite you on the behind quicker than the 43+ allied sub warfare.

[FatR]

Tiny floatplane units in China aren't as useless as they seem. You can release them really cheaply (3 PPs) and resize then on an AV. A 9-plane Jake unit actually can cover approaches to whatever major port you need to screen with its ASW patrol routine.

This might be obvious, but composing convoys from transports of a single type will allow more efficient use of carrying capacity. Take into account this when planning what ships go where on Turn 1. Also, for equally obvious reason, it is better to have one convoy that is just under the maximum port capacity, than several smaller convoys. The big convoy might take more time to load, but minimizes the chance of meeting subs, allows for a stronger escort (I think that 4 escorts is a bare minimum for a convoy on a permanent loop), and requires only one PP payment for an effective commander. By the way, do not disregard the need for effective commanders! Convoys making regular resource runs are among your most permanent TFs, and their commanders cost cheap.

While we are on this note, never disband TFs that have good commanders. Always leave at least one ship in them.

Convoys carrying resources from Port Arthur and Shanghai can be routed entirely through shallow waters.

[LoBaron]

I think Chickenboy is right.
 
Air skill of a ship captain does nothing for the performance of CV airgroups.
This is only influenced by the TF´s commander (?) and the squadron leaders.

[Rob Brennan UK]

ORIGINAL: LoBaron

I think Chickenboy is right.

Air skill of a ship captain does nothing for the performance of CV airgroups.
This is only influenced by the TF´s commander (?) and the squadron leaders.

Can be useful in case you forget to assign an overall TF commander as the default commander will be the biggest CV captain ( as in tonnage not who ate the most pies ). Useful for anyone with my kind of memory .. sieve like[;)] .

[Swenslim]

Only two things will help allies win the war, Sea Bees and 4 engine bombers, everything else pose no real danger for real JFB.

[1EyedJacks]

ORIGINAL: TheLoneGunman

Ok having done some more research (it always pays off to try and at least act like you know what you're talking about [;)]), I have went back over this thread on how to choose leaders and it pretty much states that the "Air" skill is needed for the TF Commander since he is acting as the HQ for your air units.

I'm under the impression that this also means the "Air" skill for individual captains is not important since they are not part of the HQ, and so they end up having no bearing on the aircraft on their ships.

However, it seems information regarding the inner workings of these skills leaves much mystery behind and that there has never really been a good explanation as to what each skill does exactly.

This thread, initially attempting to provide tips and hints has now left me thoroughly confused! [:D]

1. As Japan you'll probably mass your carriers into KB/Mini-KB TFs. I think it's a good idea to keep a pair of ranking officers with high air skill stats in your carrier TFs in case you want to spilt one up. There's nothing like being prepared - lol.

2. Crank up Nells, Oscars, Sallys, and Zeroes. Crank up engine production to support your air frames. Bump up Vals and Kates. Remember all of those Claudes -n- Nates? You are gunna wanna upgrade fast.

3. Figure out where you want your HQs with Torpedo support and make sure those bases have plenty of supplies.

4. Training program - bust a move from turn 1.

5. At the beginning of the war the allied pilot skills suck and Japan's pilot skills rock. Coupling superior fighter pilot skill with high-altitude Oscars is a good combination early in the war.

6. Railways are your friend.

7. Japan's subs start out sweet. I bump my leaders for aggression.

8. I've found night bombing works well for Japan. Train for bomber accuracy.

[Nemo121]

Remember the game can be counter-intuitive.... Sure you want high air skill and high aggression skill leaders in your fighter groups but if you've got to choose one over the other and have superior airframes go for high aggression leaders ( they mightn't get the best position but they'll have their unit make more firing passes - which means more kills ). If your planes are poorer and are gonna face a lot of fighters then maybe consider a high air skill leader with low aggression - they are more likely to get good initial positions and advantage but bug out quickly --- minimises losses and kills, maximises experience gain in such a situation.

But there are exceptions - give your P39 squadrons high aggression leaders and they'll stick in there while the escorts blast them and still have enough aggression left over to stick around and blast the bombers. Since air skill doesn't matter all that much when lining up on a slow and level bomber I don't bother to put high air skill leaders in with the P39s... Save the high air skill and aggression guys for the anti-fighter squadrons, the anti-bomber squadrons will make do with high aggression only.


The above is, obviously, applicable to both sides as I don't , personally, agree that there's any place for Allied or Japanese "tips and tricks".... If one learns good strategy then one can apply that equally to one side. If one believes in "tips and tricks" I think you may not be focussing on learning the basics - which will always stand to you no matter which side or game you play.

[1EyedJacks]

Japan starts out with few Zeroes and lotsa Oscars. All I'm saying is that at the start of the war Japan has advantages in trained pilots. Both sides will deploy a training program ASAP. What Japan doesn't have is lotsa front-line air frames in December of 41.

I've also found the auto-convoy system much improved over WiTP. I'm dumping a lotta PB into the pool of ships for ASW support.

The intent of the "Tips -n- Trix" is to share the little things. There's a steep learning curve and reading other players thoughts on things to "tweak" for the Japanese side of the table looks like it'll be fun to read.

[mike scholl 1]

[quote]ORIGINAL: 1EyedJacks
7. Japan's subs start out sweet. I bump my leaders for aggression


Does anyone know WHY this is? The IJN had never fought a submarine campaign in it's entire history (the Chinese certainly didn't have much of anything to practice on.). Even their pre-war training (as scouts for the "Decisive Battle") had little to do with the kind of commerce war other nations practiced. Yet they start the war rated like veteran U-Boats. Never have understood the rational behind this.

[xj900uk]

But there are exceptions - give your P39 squadrons high aggression leaders and they'll stick in there while the escorts blast them and still have enough aggression left over to stick around and blast the bombers. Since air skill doesn't matter all that much when lining up on a slow and level bomber I don't bother to put high air skill leaders in with the P39s... Save the high air skill and aggression guys for the anti-fighter squadrons, the anti-bomber squadrons will make do with high aggression only.

Unless your lucky enough to encounter unescorted bombers, P39's suck in 41/42 in air2air combat especially when up against the far superior Zero, save perhaps at low altitude when the planes lack of turbosupercharger isn't so much of a hinderence.
Save your P39's for either low-level base defence or else straffing his advancing troops and planes - believe me it's just abou all that bloody great big cannon is good for.
By the end of '42 your P39's will think about starting to upgrade either to 2nd generation air superiority fighters (eg P38) or else ground support fighter bombers.

[ny59giants]

Fuel, fuel, and more fuel are priority #1. This is the choke point for Japan. Thus, your Refineries will be the primary target for economic bombing campaign, whenever it starts. Many players have a HR that this cannot start until mid-43. Your best AA units will go here. You get over 250,000 fuel per month from a fully repaired Palembang. The earlier capture of this base, the better, IMO.

ASW training and planes - you will want to crank up production of your first generation Helen as they get MAD in 43. I start training up some of the Sonia, Ida, and Mary from day one. They need above 50 NavS experience and then high ASW experience. You need to be able to find the subs (NavS) before they can kill them (ASW).

[castor troy]

ORIGINAL: xj900uk

But there are exceptions - give your P39 squadrons high aggression leaders and they'll stick in there while the escorts blast them and still have enough aggression left over to stick around and blast the bombers. Since air skill doesn't matter all that much when lining up on a slow and level bomber I don't bother to put high air skill leaders in with the P39s... Save the high air skill and aggression guys for the anti-fighter squadrons, the anti-bomber squadrons will make do with high aggression only.

Unless your lucky enough to encounter unescorted bombers, P39's suck in 41/42 in air2air combat especially when up against the far superior Zero, save perhaps at low altitude when the planes lack of turbosupercharger isn't so much of a hinderence.
Save your P39's for either low-level base defence or else straffing his advancing troops and planes - believe me it's just abou all that bloody great big cannon is good for.
By the end of '42 your P39's will think about starting to upgrade either to 2nd generation air superiority fighters (eg P38) or else ground support fighter bombers.

In the GAME the P-39 perform just awfully good when being set to MAX altitude? Why? Because they should then dive on the Zeroes and that´s what counts. Using them at low alt being dived on by the Zeroes will result in massacres just like every P-40 model from 41-44 will be shred by every Japanese fighter that can fly higher. Forget about most stats in the game, the most important is the ceiling of the fighters. The dive wins in the game.