A few newbie questions

[Alfred]

Post screenshots to show the different variables which impact.

Re Singapore or any hex. The non owning side also benefits from the terrain defense bonus. Plus how do you know the enemy is out of supply. Many threads show that units carry their own supply. They only run out of supply when their LOC is cut and they have consumed their own organic supply.

Alfred

[morganbj]

ORIGINAL: Alfred

IMHO you will find it easier to understand LCUs (your original starting off point of a few posts back) once you understand the following point. Everything in a unit is a device. It is immaterial as to whether one is referring to a squad of men, artillery tubes or radar set, every line item listed in the TOE is a device.
Alfred

You guys heard it here first. Alfred is calling all WWII veterans tools.

Well if an infantry squad is a device, and a device is a tool .....

Just kidding. [:D]

[Alfred]

ORIGINAL: bjmorgan

ORIGINAL: Alfred

IMHO you will find it easier to understand LCUs (your original starting off point of a few posts back) once you understand the following point. Everything in a unit is a device. It is immaterial as to whether one is referring to a squad of men, artillery tubes or radar set, every line item listed in the TOE is a device.
Alfred

You guys heard it here first. Alfred is calling all WWII veterans tools.

Well if an infantry squad is a device, and a device is a tool .....

Just kidding. [:D]

[:D]

However I will quibble with you on one point. I am an equal opportunity kind of guy, so I don't exclude WWII newbs...[:)]

Alfred

[brian800000]

ORIGINAL: Alfred

Post screenshots to show the different variables which impact.

Re Singapore or any hex. The non owning side also benefits from the terrain defense bonus. Plus how do you know the enemy is out of supply. Many threads show that units carry their own supply. They only run out of supply when their LOC is cut and they have consumed their own organic supply.

Alfred

I know they are out of supply because they have the (-) supply modifier in the combat report.

I don't know how to post a screenshot, but this is a retyping of the major elements:

----------------------------------
Ground Combat at Singapore

Allied Deliberate Attack

Attacking Force: 30248 troops 371 guns 285 vehicles AV1089
Defending Force: 33384 troops 549 guns 338 vehicles AV 837

Allied Adjusted AV 681
Japanese Adjusted AV 1997

Assault odds: 1 to 3

Combat Modifiers:
Defender: Terrain (+) Supply (-)
Attacker:

Results:
Japan:
709 casualties
Squads: 2 Destroyed 46 Disabled
...

Allied:
3535 casualties
Squads: 42 Destroyed 263 Disabled

[wdolson]

Early war Allied troops, especially in China, Burma and Malaya have very poor morale and experience levels.  Many times leadership is very poor too.  Conversely, early war Japanese usually have very good morale, experience, and better leadership.  The Chinese never improve all that much, but British, ANZAC, and American troops will improve dramatically over time.

The combat modifiers aren't a perfect report of what's going on.  The calculations make the US tax code look simple.  Trying to report that in a few lines, something gets lost in the translation sometimes.

When calculating the odds, support devices count as a fraction of AV for defense, but 0 for offense.  If you have a lot of base units, HQs, etc. in the stack, they will help when you're attacked, but adds nothing to your offensive power.  Combined with the poor morale, experience, and leadership levels of Allied early war troops, don't expect much offensive capability from them.  They might be able to slow down or even stall the Japanese for a while if you can get a bunch of units in a fortified hex with other terrain modifiers in your favor, but don't expect to be able to counter attack with much punch.

BTW, the issue with planes not attacking troops in a hex you own has been fixed.  It was a bug.  It should be in the next beta release.  I don't think it's in the one that is currently up.

Bill

[brian800000]

ORIGINAL: wdolson

Early war Allied troops, especially in China, Burma and Malaya have very poor morale and experience levels.  Many times leadership is very poor too.  Conversely, early war Japanese usually have very good morale, experience, and better leadership.  The Chinese never improve all that much, but British, ANZAC, and American troops will improve dramatically over time.

The combat modifiers aren't a perfect report of what's going on.  The calculations make the US tax code look simple.  Trying to report that in a few lines, something gets lost in the translation sometimes.

When calculating the odds, support devices count as a fraction of AV for defense, but 0 for offense.  If you have a lot of base units, HQs, etc. in the stack, they will help when you're attacked, but adds nothing to your offensive power.  Combined with the poor morale, experience, and leadership levels of Allied early war troops, don't expect much offensive capability from them.  They might be able to slow down or even stall the Japanese for a while if you can get a bunch of units in a fortified hex with other terrain modifiers in your favor, but don't expect to be able to counter attack with much punch.

BTW, the issue with planes not attacking troops in a hex you own has been fixed.  It was a bug.  It should be in the next beta release.  I don't think it's in the one that is currently up.

Bill

thanks, that makes sense. Still, the result seems odd. The Japanese move into a hex and we just stare at each other.

Do you know why I can't move to Jahore bahru from Singapore and why supplies don't flow there? Am I right to assume you aren't allowed to move from one contested hex to another? (Both hexes are under attack)

[wdolson]

Think WW I, nobody is strong enough to knock the other out.

If both hexes are contested, that's why you can't move troops.  It's probably why supplies don't move too.  The path setting routine for supply and LCU movement is pretty much the same.

Bill

[Mac Linehan]

ORIGINAL: Alfred

The "64" = the percentage of the TOE currently in the unit
The "45" = the percentage of of the TOE which is fit for combat
Hence a unit with 100/100 = a unit fully fitted out to its TOE with all squads/devices fit and available for combat.

With replacements on, provided you have support squads available in the pools and the unit is located near a supply depot, then yes you will eventually have 90 support squads. Note each replacement support squad will cost you supply from the supply depot at the rate of 1 supply point per load cost.

Alfred

Alfred -

Didn't know this; am always learning. Thank You.

Mac

[brian800000]

ORIGINAL: wdolson

BTW, the issue with planes not attacking troops in a hex you own has been fixed.  It was a bug.  It should be in the next beta release.  I don't think it's in the one that is currently up.

Bill

Is there also possibly a bug with ACMs? I thought that they keep your mines from going under 150 if disbanded in a port, but mine are still eroding.

[Bullwinkle58]

ORIGINAL: brian800000

ORIGINAL: wdolson

BTW, the issue with planes not attacking troops in a hex you own has been fixed.  It was a bug.  It should be in the next beta release.  I don't think it's in the one that is currently up.

Bill

Is there also possibly a bug with ACMs? I thought that they keep your mines from going under 150 if disbanded in a port, but mine are still eroding.

The section says: "6.6.1.2.2 MINEFIELD TENDERS.
A special class of ships, Minefield Tenders (ACM type) reduces the decay rate of minefields at
bases. Each ACM can protect (i.e. service and repair) 150 mines from decay."

Reduces, not prevents. There are still randoms involved I believe. ACMs give a lower chance of decay/better chance of a good random.

[brian800000]

ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58

ORIGINAL: brian800000

ORIGINAL: wdolson

BTW, the issue with planes not attacking troops in a hex you own has been fixed.  It was a bug.  It should be in the next beta release.  I don't think it's in the one that is currently up.

Bill

Is there also possibly a bug with ACMs? I thought that they keep your mines from going under 150 if disbanded in a port, but mine are still eroding.

The section says: "6.6.1.2.2 MINEFIELD TENDERS.
A special class of ships, Minefield Tenders (ACM type) reduces the decay rate of minefields at
bases. Each ACM can protect (i.e. service and repair) 150 mines from decay."

Reduces, not prevents. There are still randoms involved I believe. ACMs give a lower chance of decay/better chance of a good random.

Makes sense. I just checked a save game against my current game. There were 6 (and later 7) ACMs at Pearl Harbor for the period, and 1 ACM at Port Moresby.

At Pearl Harbor, there were 321 mines on 2/9, and as of 2/19 there were still 321.

At Port Moresby, there were 98 mines on 2/9, but only 93 mines on 2/9.

So at Port Moresby I was getting some benefit, but not a very good one.

[CaptDave]

You can't move from Singapore to JB because the Japanese own the hex side. No movement is allowed across a hex side owned by the enemy. Note, though, that each hex side really has two sides, and it's the side moved INTO that matters. You can follow them into Singapore, but you can't go back out. (Manual, section 8.3.1.2, p 191.)

Of course, this assumes they moved in via land, as usual, rather than by amphibious landing...

[brian800000]

After a hiatus, a few more questions...

1) Closing in on 3 months of the war, my Catalinas have been undergoing a slaughter. I've lost 66 to op losses alone. Although I've adjusted this at different geographies, I've been putting them on 50% search, 20% training. I've been increasing them to the max number of pilots and decreasing the maximum range by a couple. Am I doing something wrong?

2) The "Reserve" mode seems to be great for recovering from fatigue and disruption, but it doesn't seem to be speeding the repair of disabled devices. Is this a correct theory?

[wdolson]

1)  Losses due to damaged planes crashing are counted as ops losses.  Are your Catalinas being lost at the same rate in safe places like the west coast as they are in combat zones?  You should see the losses in combat zones be higher as they get shot up by CAP and flak and are lost on the way home or crash on landing.

2) You should put them in Rest mode to recover.  They should repair a bit quicker that way too, though there are other factors like still being in combat, malaria zones, etc.

Bill

[brian800000]

ORIGINAL: wdolson

1)  Losses due to damaged planes crashing are counted as ops losses.  Are your Catalinas being lost at the same rate in safe places like the west coast as they are in combat zones?  You should see the losses in combat zones be higher as they get shot up by CAP and flak and are lost on the way home or crash on landing.

2) You should put them in Rest mode to recover.  They should repair a bit quicker that way too, though there are other factors like still being in combat, malaria zones, etc.

Bill

Thanks for the reply.

In regards to #1, the west coast units are crashing quite a bit as well. A few squadrons are closing in on 50% op losses in less than 3 months.

In regards to #2, I'm referring to units for which rest mode isn't an option. For example, those at Singapore while it is under siege. What is best to do with those units? (I'm not discussing those that are completely ineffective that should be evacuated, but those that are perhaps 60/90, that could be much better with repairs but are still useful in their current state).

[brian800000]

ORIGINAL: brian800000

ORIGINAL: wdolson

1)  Losses due to damaged planes crashing are counted as ops losses.  Are your Catalinas being lost at the same rate in safe places like the west coast as they are in combat zones?  You should see the losses in combat zones be higher as they get shot up by CAP and flak and are lost on the way home or crash on landing.

2) You should put them in Rest mode to recover.  They should repair a bit quicker that way too, though there are other factors like still being in combat, malaria zones, etc.

Bill

Thanks for the reply.

In regards to #1, the west coast units are crashing quite a bit as well. A few squadrons are closing in on 50% op losses in less than 3 months.

In regards to #2, I'm referring to units for which rest mode isn't an option. For example, those at Singapore while it is under siege. What is best to do with those units? (I'm not discussing those that are completely ineffective that should be evacuated, but those that are perhaps 60/90, that could be much better with repairs but are still useful in their current state).

I think I discovered the answer to #1. I was setting the range by first going to the max, and then reducing a couple of hexes. For example, if the maximum range was 20, I was searching at 18. Unfortunately for my pilots, normal range tended to be 16. I've set all my patrols back to the normal range, with a few exceptions. Hopefully being a patrol pilot won't be the most dangerous job in the war any longer.

[Alfred]

ORIGINAL: brian800000

ORIGINAL: brian800000

ORIGINAL: wdolson

1)  Losses due to damaged planes crashing are counted as ops losses.  Are your Catalinas being lost at the same rate in safe places like the west coast as they are in combat zones?  You should see the losses in combat zones be higher as they get shot up by CAP and flak and are lost on the way home or crash on landing.

2) You should put them in Rest mode to recover.  They should repair a bit quicker that way too, though there are other factors like still being in combat, malaria zones, etc.

Bill

Thanks for the reply.

In regards to #1, the west coast units are crashing quite a bit as well. A few squadrons are closing in on 50% op losses in less than 3 months.

In regards to #2, I'm referring to units for which rest mode isn't an option. For example, those at Singapore while it is under siege. What is best to do with those units? (I'm not discussing those that are completely ineffective that should be evacuated, but those that are perhaps 60/90, that could be much better with repairs but are still useful in their current state).

I think I discovered the answer to #1. I was setting the range by first going to the max, and then reducing a couple of hexes. For example, if the maximum range was 20, I was searching at 18. Unfortunately for my pilots, normal range tended to be 16. I've set all my patrols back to the normal range, with a few exceptions. Hopefully being a patrol pilot won't be the most dangerous job in the war any longer.

That is still too far. Anything beyond 12 hexes is going to be iffy regarding actually spotting anything, and even 12 hexes is more than the range listed on page 217 of the manual.

The longer the search range the higher the fatigue and ultimately the greater the potentail for operational losses. At a range of 16 the marginal return IMO is not worth it.

Operational losses are also greatly affected by pilot (in)experience.

Alfred

[brian800000]

That is very bad news for my pilots because I'm not going to reduce their searches that far! Maybe they are no longer effective at those ranges but it gives me peace of mind having the illusion that they are. It takes a range of about 16 to keep a carrier task force traveling at normal speed to keep from sneaking up on you in one turn. And those tend to be large fleets that I think should be spotted more easily.

[John Lansford]

Assign 20% of the squadron to rest and their fatigue level and operational losses should reduce.  I do that and have now built up quite a surplus of patrol planes (early '44).

[brian800000]

ORIGINAL: John Lansford

Assign 20% of the squadron to rest and their fatigue level and operational losses should reduce.  I do that and have now built up quite a surplus of patrol planes (early '44).

When I put the sqadrons on 50% search, what are they doing with the other 50% of their time? I assumed it was basically rest.