A few newbie questions

[brian800000]

ORIGINAL: bjmorgan

I think I have about 600 YMSs in Astoria helping the salmon industry.

Why not park them around the world, put them on minesweep duty, and turn them over to the computer? That way if anyone does lay a mine, you will have a shot to immediately clear it.

[Misconduct]

ORIGINAL: brian800000

ORIGINAL: bjmorgan

I think I have about 600 YMSs in Astoria helping the salmon industry.

Why not park them around the world, put them on minesweep duty, and turn them over to the computer? That way if anyone does lay a mine, you will have a shot to immediately clear it.

Problem is the cost in fuel to transport them, many other vessels are better to handle mines then moving YMS across the map.

[Smeulders]

ORIGINAL: Misconduct

ORIGINAL: brian800000

ORIGINAL: bjmorgan

I think I have about 600 YMSs in Astoria helping the salmon industry.

Why not park them around the world, put them on minesweep duty, and turn them over to the computer? That way if anyone does lay a mine, you will have a shot to immediately clear it.

Problem is the cost in fuel to transport them, many other vessels are better to handle mines then moving YMS across the map.

Well, you are the allies, those couple of fuel points that a YMS will use isn't really going to hurt. Nearly all of my major bases have a bunch of YMS in the hex just in case.

[Alfred]

Use the YMS as escorts in a Transport TF.

Alfred

[TulliusDetritus]

And given that subs are a pest [:@] think about training [Army] level bombers as ASW platforms.

[TulliusDetritus]

ORIGINAL: Shark7
Naval Search or ASW 60%, Training 30%, Rest 10%.

NO!! [8D] I [and Castor Troy too] can really tell that there will be very high operational losses if you do that. Around 15, 16, 17 Catalinas per month. I used to do that, so I know what I am talking about. As a norm naval search should be 50% searching AND 50% RESTING = 3 or 4 operational losses per month [8D]

[Misconduct]

ORIGINAL: TulliusDetritus

And given that subs are a pest [:@] think about training [Army] level bombers as ASW platforms.

Pretty much what I use Japanese Army bombers for.

[wdolson]

If you're playing the AI, you will probably have a lot of long range subs off the west coast of the US to deal with.  All those small ships with a single depth charge rack can be put into ASW TFs and they at least keep the subs tied down.  Don't expect them to sink much though.

A lot of those ships with no ASW but local mine sweeping capability aren't super useful in an AI game, but vs a human opponent, they can be a backstop to prevent mining of your home ports.  PBEM in WitP often resulted in heavy mining of enemy ports.  Mines aren't as plentiful in AE, but it can happen.

Bill

[Shark7]

ORIGINAL: TulliusDetritus

ORIGINAL: Shark7
Naval Search or ASW 60%, Training 30%, Rest 10%.

NO!! [8D] I [and Castor Troy too] can really tell that there will be very high operational losses if you do that. Around 15, 16, 17 Catalinas per month. I used to do that, so I know what I am talking about. As a norm naval search should be 50% searching AND 50% RESTING = 3 or 4 operational losses per month [8D]

That is what I use all the time and my ops losses are minimal. Granted I play as Japan.

In my current game ALL of my H6K units are set up just like that and I have lost a grand total of 16 for 3.5 months of game turns (IE around 100 turns). That is the loss total for all types of losses BTW. It may have something to do with allies, but you are losing more in a month than I lose in 3 to ops losses, and I'm still able to train while they are in use.

So one can assume that there is a difference in the algorithm for the allies OR the fact that the H6K Mavis is a 4E aircraft with high durability is making a big differece.

[TulliusDetritus]

ORIGINAL: Shark7
So one can assume that there is a difference in the algorithm for the allies OR the fact that the H6K Mavis is a 4E aircraft with high durability is making a big differece.

That has to make the difference, because if you do that with the Allied patrol planes you will witness a massacre. Ok, what I say is NOT true if you play as Japanese. But as Allies, everyone is warned [:)]

[Nomad]

disregard

[morganbj]

Am disregarding.

[Bullwinkle58]

ORIGINAL: bjmorgan

Am disregarding.

And so goes yet another thread . . .[:)]

[John Lansford]

I've got over 150 Catalinas in reserve and my patrol squadrons are all set to 50% search, 10-20% rest, so I must not be having a lot of problems with operational losses.

[Bullwinkle58]

ORIGINAL: John Lansford

I've got over 150 Catalinas in reserve and my patrol squadrons are all set to 50% search, 10-20% rest, so I must not be having a lot of problems with operational losses.

I've found a lot of variation in fatigue and Ops losses based on range. I tend to patrol at about 50-60% of max range, and I use 30% rest as a rule of thumb. I jack it to 80-20% when I know an attack is inbound. Even so, I don't think I've ever had 150 Cats in the pool. You're doing well.

[John Lansford]

Bullwinkle,
 
I wonder if it's because my planes are patrolling in areas that are rarely contested by enemy airpower?  A damaged plane should have a higher chance for operational loss, I'd think.  The AI has pulled its LBA out of SWPac (except for Burma) and CentPac all the way to the Marianas.

[Bullwinkle58]

ORIGINAL: John Lansford

Bullwinkle,

I wonder if it's because my planes are patrolling in areas that are rarely contested by enemy airpower?  A damaged plane should have a higher chance for operational loss, I'd think.  The AI has pulled its LBA out of SWPac (except for Burma) and CentPac all the way to the Marianas.

Combat damage should certainly be in there, so if you have no attacks it would help I think. I've always thought Ops losses were primarily a function of pilot fatigue, pilot skill, weather, and plane fatigue (seen in the PLANES hotpoint in the unit screen.) Metal fatigue is metal fatigue.

[Shark7]

ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58

ORIGINAL: John Lansford

I've got over 150 Catalinas in reserve and my patrol squadrons are all set to 50% search, 10-20% rest, so I must not be having a lot of problems with operational losses.

I've found a lot of variation in fatigue and Ops losses based on range. I tend to patrol at about 50-60% of max range, and I use 30% rest as a rule of thumb. I jack it to 80-20% when I know an attack is inbound. Even so, I don't think I've ever had 150 Cats in the pool. You're doing well.

I'm using full range with what I've posted. Again, that may have to do with the airframe durability of the H6k/H8ks.

[Shark7]

ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58

ORIGINAL: John Lansford

Bullwinkle,

I wonder if it's because my planes are patrolling in areas that are rarely contested by enemy airpower?  A damaged plane should have a higher chance for operational loss, I'd think.  The AI has pulled its LBA out of SWPac (except for Burma) and CentPac all the way to the Marianas.

Combat damage should certainly be in there, so if you have no attacks it would help I think. I've always thought Ops losses were primarily a function of pilot fatigue, pilot skill, weather, and plane fatigue (seen in the PLANES hotpoint in the unit screen.) Metal fatigue is metal fatigue.

That is a good point too, but I tend to use my H6Ks for long range snooping near the front. As I've posted elsewhere, could durability be a factor?

[brian800000]

A few more questions:

15. It seems I can't go from the West Coast to Australia without running out of gas. The only major port between the two is PH. There is no way I should run all the west coast convoys to PH, right? The port would overload. Am I right in thinking I need to operate subsidiary ports in the Pacific to take the burden off PH?

16. Convoys between India and Australia seem to want to take a questionable rout along Java. If I reroute the convoys using waypoints, will the CS convoy led computers respect the waypoints on the way home?

17. Lets say I've set up a major distribution hub at Sydney. It is now awash in gas and supplies. I now set up subsidary hubs to the smaller bases. How do I keep those smaller bases from overloading with fuel and supplies?

18. Let me see if I understand Air Commands properly. Every base has an air command assigned. You see that when you click on the base. If you operate a plane from one air command from the base of another air command, you suffer a penalty. However, you can't even move the plane to that base if it is a part of a restricted Air Command. Then you need to transfer the plane to an unrestricted air command. The actual command units are useful as they provide support personnel. Is that about right?

19. For air units stuck in less combat likely commands (eg, the US), until I get the political points to transfer the units, they are really just training squadrons. I was planning on flying a little patrol/ASW, but mostly training and resting. Once the pilots get decent experience, I send them to the pilot pool. Is that the general idea?

20. The manual says that pilots over 80 experience can become trainers. Do I get any benefit from doing that?