Reluctant Admiral 3.0

[ny59giants]

Can Japan start out with at least Chutai (9 planes that can be broken up into 3 x 3) of Recon Zeros similar to the American Wildcat Recon?? Either the range is increased to be capable to what she would be able to go without guns or stay at the same range but the Zero be classified as Recon plane and come equipped with a camera.

What about having the weapons for a Jake change from carrying 4 x 60kg GP bombs to 1 x 250kg GP bomb?? If she can be trained up in ASW at least she can do some damage if she hits a sub. The Alf can go from 2 x 60kg bomb to 1 x 100kg bomb. I'm looking to help the Japanese ASW effort afloat.

[John 3rd]

Michael and I spoke about this yesterday. Was there--EVER--a Recon version of the Zero? I shall look in my library after I eat a TON of Turkey this afternoon...

[bk19@mweb.co.za]

ORIGINAL: bk19@mweb.co.za

On might also ask why are Dutch troops guarding facilities in neutral Portuguese East Timor?

After posting this question I was trolling the web and came across information which indeed details that the Allied forces were concerned enough about East Timor that Dutch forces were in fact positioned there, and the Japanese dropped by later and booted them out.

Kudos to John...

[John 3rd]

Nice that this is correctly done.

What do people think of combining the Japanese SNLF and allow them to form into larger, brigade-sized units. You might have the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Sasebo SNLF be renamed 1st Sasebo SNLF Brigade-A, -B, -C. No NEW units would be added to the OOB. The new Brigade units would have some additional organic components when combined. This would create the possibility of a Shock Force within the Kaigun. As stated earlier the Naval Guards units will also evolve and become Atoll Defense units packing AA and CD.

[John 3rd]

ORIGINAL: JWE

Less copy/paste than you might think. Be glad to help in any way I can.

John: If I sent you the RA Files would you be willing to copy/paste (or whatever if needed) them into one of your Da Babes Templates? I want an extended map and probably the same Scenario Template we're using for Perfect War. If it helps, I am not in any form of RUSH here...

[JWE]

ORIGINAL: John 3rd
John: If I sent you the RA Files would you be willing to copy/paste (or whatever if needed) them into one of your Da Babes Templates? I want an extended map and probably the same Scenario Template we're using for Perfect War. If it helps, I am not in any form of RUSH here...

Sure thing. I can do the Ext Map thing very quickly. Not quite sure what all you are thinking of when you say Template. Do you need anything else, like AAA, ASW, bombs?

[John 3rd]

If we copy the data, ships, aircraft from RA Scen 70 into one of your Da Babes Extended Map Scenarios wouldn't the AA, ASW, Bombs, etc...already be there?

[JWE]

AAA and bombs are done with modifications to the Device file. ASW is modifications to Device and Class files. Mods to Classes are then updated in the Ship file. [;)]

[ed] To be fair, AAA and bombs are a very easy cut/paste to AA guns, DP guns, GP and AP bombs in the Device file. No-brainer. I'll be sure and check/update those.

ASW is very involved: changes to WeapNum and WeapAmmo for almost every DD, DE, E, many PG, PB, PC in the Class file. Changes to DC characteristics in Device file. Changes (additions) to "special" sub diving depths to work together with the DC mods when it gets to algorithm time. And then all these changes need to be run through "update weapons from class" for the individual ships in the Ship file.

It's not hard, but ya'll have changed out some gun type weapons as well, so it can't be done as a cut/paste, without ruining your other changes. If I can get a list of all the DD/DE/E classes ya'll have changed, I could update the DC weap suites manually. Should "update weapons from class" ok after that.

[John 3rd]

OK. John you have yourself a deal. Since you have a good feel for RA do you think it should be transferred into a specific Da Babes Scenario? We'll go all out and import what you've described. There isn't much of anything you guys have done that I don't agree with. Well researched and implemented.

[JWE]

Rather than trying to shoehorn RA into a Babes scenario, I think it will be much simpler to just put the Babes "stuff" into RA. So RA will be just like BabesLite, but it will be RA, keeping the AI playability and all. The AAA, ASW, Bomb, "stuff" is exactly the same for BigBabes and BabesLite, so you won't be missing out on anything.

Just send over the RA scenario files and I can do the updates rikki darn tik.

[John 3rd]

John: I will get the most current set of files from FatR and send them to you. Make the changes mentioned above and please place onto an Extended Map. Thanks--as always...

[John 3rd]

JWE: Still waiting on getting the files. Could just get them from the website but am not sure if FatR hasn't done any work to them 'unofficially' or not. Will send them when I have them. What is the status of your 'stacking limit' ideas/work?

Would like to start an Errata/Proposals list for the work we'll do once JWE makes his changes.

Here is the list that I have started:
1. Change the early American bases stats to better reflect information from Racing the Sunrise: Palmyra, Canton, Christmas, Johnston, and Pago Pago would be effected.
2. Evolve the SNLF and Naval Guards along the lines described earlier.
3. Lower Political Points to standard of Stock AE Campaigns.

Soli informed me that one or two units might be missing from the OOB and BB Oklahoma's art is missing. If anyone has noticed this or found an issue please Post below so this list can be folded into the work.

Ideas and problems are now being solicited. Anybody got anything to add to the list?

[John 3rd]

JWE: Email sent to you.

[JWE]

Got it. It's being done. You should get it back very soon.

Ciao. John

[John 3rd]

THANKS!

[FatR]

I'm late to the discussion, but a question to JWE: will your fixes involve overwriting the entire devices file, or only parts of it (if the latter, which)?

[FatR]

ORIGINAL: John 3rd

Ideas and problems are now being solicited. Anybody got anything to add to the list?

- Earlier introduction of Irving/Nick as nightfighters and earlier availability of night fighting units. Technology was there earlier, at least for their initial models, need was lesser than it is in AE. Although if the night A2A will remain as skewed towards bombers as it is, this will help little.
On the other hand, what I read since then suggests that Zero and Judy nightfighter versions were just (unsuccessful) field modifications, which shouldn't even be in the game.

- Ki-67 should use Ha-42 engine.

- A7M maneurability seems a bit underrated in the game, its power loading was relatively poor, justifying unimpressive topspeed, but its wing loading was the best among late-war Japanese planes. Test pilots too reported that it can beat late A6Ms in maneurabilility. A7M3 should not be carrier-capable, though, it was not supposed to have folding wings.

- Maybe making planes like Ki-51 and Ki-36 consume no engines, if this won't break them. The historical reason for building them was cheapness, but in AE you just can crank out more Oscars at the same price, which do ground support and kamikaze missions better.

- Tone down the number of 100/65 DP guns installed during upgrades a bit. In particular, none of them on old battleships, CVEs, Aobas and Furutakas (the old cruisers don't even have space for their installation, and this might be true for CVEs as well), and wait until 1944 to use them on Kongos/Nagatos. The current scale of IJN rearmament is too tremendous.

- Corrections to displacements and speeds of Japanese ships, like those I'm doing for the Perfect War)

[JWE]

ORIGINAL: FatR
I'm late to the discussion, but a question to JWE: will your fixes involve overwriting the entire devices file, or only parts of it (if the latter, which)?

I see you have done your own AA, so will only update bombs and DCs in the device file.

[ed] whoops, mispoke. Will tweak some standard values for a few guns (not your Sec_AA numbers though). There's some errors to fix and stuff like that. Will have complete changelog.

Specifically, there's some (I imagine typos) confusion between and among the Brit 4.5in/45 QF MkV, 4in/45 QF HA MkV, 4in/40 QF MkIV. I really don't think ya'll want War-I relics armed with a gun that wasn't developed till '45-'46, yeah? [;)]

[John 3rd]

...only if those are JAPANESE ships! [:D]

Thanks--seriously--for the corrections.

FatR: Good to have you in the discussion. Like your comments. I concur on the Secondary re-arming being too great. My priority list would be:

1. CVs (1942)
2. CVLs (late-42/early-43)
3. CAs (some in late-42/most in early-43)
4. BCs (early/mid-43)
5. BBs (late-43/early-44))

[John 3rd]

OK. Working Mod day for the Cochran House. Am going to put together a set of changes to be done on the Mod once Good Sir John has completed his work.