Increasing Allied Air Production

[PaxMondo]

For my mod, I want to have the allied air production continue to ramp up in 45 through 46. In other words have the P51H ramp up from 162 ac/month in 9/45 to say 250 ac/mo in 3/46.

What is the most elegant way to do that? I would prefer not to create another device number with higher build rate. Has someone come up with a way to have new production come on line?

THanks!

[JuanG]

A/C factories on the mainland US might do it, though do beware they might advance the date of arrival, so plan accordingly. 1 factory 'complex' would repair 1 per day after the availability date, so would ramp up production ~30 per month. 2 factories would repair 2 per month etc. So you can work with these to get initial 120 from the replacement rate, then have 1 size 120 factory which would be in full swing in 4 months.

The other way would be to have a P-51H-1 device with say rate 160 in 9/45, with a second P-51H-11 device coming in later with additional production (no need to necessarily replace all of the first ones, if the devices are practically identical).

[PaxMondo]

Juan,

Thanks. These are the two ideas I had come up with as well. The factory has exactly the issue you mention, by '45 it will have fully repaired and changed the arrival date. Not what I am intending here at all.

My goal is to "crank up" the allies late war by removing the "Midway" assumption. Meaning, if Midway doesn't happen giving the allies some "light at the end of the tunnel", they won't ease off on the their production in '45. I want it to continue to go strong through 4/46. So, I want the '44 arrival rates of planes, ships, and LCU's to continue, rather than the historical tapering off. I hate creating a 2nd device with same specs with a later arrival date and the original device upgrading to it so that the planes will get used. However, that seems to be the best alternative.

Appreciate your input.

[JuanG]

Well, what I meant with the second device is not so much a replacement as it is a supplement -> this way the allied player doesn't have to worry about switching everything to the new model (with associated downtimes, especially if youre using Babes style AV support or service rating tweaks like I do); rather, the squadrons that arrive after the second one goes into production use that, while the earlier model continues to be produced and used as normal. Its not optimal and somewhat ugly, but it works.

With regards to factories, while it will probably repair itself by then, there are 2 ways around this;
1) HR the allied player only to switch them on when they become available (or say 3 months earlier, to get a little random in there).
2) Push the planes availability back, so that the factory will hopefully hit correct availability roughly on the intro date; this has the advantage that it makes plane introductions a little fuzzy for the allied side (could be a few months early, could be late, depending on how the factories repair). The downside is that as you say it will likely be full repaired by then (or rather it has to be if its going to move the R&D date), which means that there is no production ramp up.

A third option is to have a fixed build rate, and then monthly convoys to the east coast ("November '45 Aircraft") which would include increasing amounts of planes each month. The fun here is if the players are using +/-60 day variable reinforcements, these will not be necessarily in the right order or timed as planned. This could be a good or bad thing.

[PaxMondo]

Convoys .. that is a good idea. Might be the best. The opponent here is the AI at this time, so he ignores all HR's ... [;)]

[SvenNyqvist]

You can place the factories on an island far from the front, which will stay allied (Tahiti or so). The repairing will only start after you supply it (with 20.000+). I don't think it will work with allies AI.

[dwg]

You actually have historical precedent to do it via duplicate devices, in that the P-51H was shadowed by the P-51L and P-51M with alternate engines. No P-51Ls were completed, but the first Dallas built P-51M had just completed prior to the end of the war (1629 ordered). Bring those Dallas built P-51Ms in a few months behind the P-51H and you have your production hike.

[Shark7]

ORIGINAL: JuanG

Well, what I meant with the second device is not so much a replacement as it is a supplement -> this way the allied player doesn't have to worry about switching everything to the new model (with associated downtimes, especially if youre using Babes style AV support or service rating tweaks like I do); rather, the squadrons that arrive after the second one goes into production use that, while the earlier model continues to be produced and used as normal. Its not optimal and somewhat ugly, but it works.

With regards to factories, while it will probably repair itself by then, there are 2 ways around this;
1) HR the allied player only to switch them on when they become available (or say 3 months earlier, to get a little random in there).
2) Push the planes availability back, so that the factory will hopefully hit correct availability roughly on the intro date; this has the advantage that it makes plane introductions a little fuzzy for the allied side (could be a few months early, could be late, depending on how the factories repair). The downside is that as you say it will likely be full repaired by then (or rather it has to be if its going to move the R&D date), which means that there is no production ramp up.

A third option is to have a fixed build rate, and then monthly convoys to the east coast ("November '45 Aircraft") which would include increasing amounts of planes each month. The fun here is if the players are using +/-60 day variable reinforcements, these will not be necessarily in the right order or timed as planned. This could be a good or bad thing.

JuanG I'm curious, does the Allied player even get R&D? I thought there were on an unwavering fixed schedule.

[JuanG]

I was under the impression that if they had on-map factories for an aircraft type not yet available, they would produce R&D points and advance it.

Granted, this was before all the changes in the latest version (ie before all the beta patches and now the official one), so Im not sure its still the case...experiment time, will report back soon.

EDIT: Seems this is not the case; the factories just remain inactive until the date is reached. Need to check if they repair during this time...

EDIT #2: So they do repair, but do nothing else. Hm, thats a dissapointment.

[Shark7]

ORIGINAL: JuanG

I was under the impression that if they had on-map factories for an aircraft type not yet available, they would produce R&D points and advance it.

Granted, this was before all the changes in the latest version (ie before all the beta patches and now the official one), so Im not sure its still the case...experiment time, will report back soon.

EDIT: Seems this is not the case; the factories just remain inactive until the date is reached. Need to check if they repair during this time...

EDIT #2: So they do repair, but do nothing else. Hm, thats a dissapointment.

So basically, you don't have to worry about putting the extra production on map, at most, they just get a boost from start date for the model instead of ramping up. No early arrival though, right?

[JuanG]

ORIGINAL: Shark7

ORIGINAL: JuanG

I was under the impression that if they had on-map factories for an aircraft type not yet available, they would produce R&D points and advance it.

Granted, this was before all the changes in the latest version (ie before all the beta patches and now the official one), so Im not sure its still the case...experiment time, will report back soon.

EDIT: Seems this is not the case; the factories just remain inactive until the date is reached. Need to check if they repair during this time...

EDIT #2: So they do repair, but do nothing else. Hm, thats a dissapointment.

So basically, you don't have to worry about putting the extra production on map, at most, they just get a boost from start date for the model instead of ramping up. No early arrival though, right?

Seems about right. They also upgrade, so I guess theres that.

I was hoping they would move availability forward, since as I said earlier, this could be used to make aircraft introductions a little fuzzy for the allies.

Seems the best solution is probably the convoys if you dont want a duplicate model.

[PaxMondo]

THanks for the testing and comments. Am planning to use convoys for my mod.

[topeverest]

I have conducted several late war mods and played with the aforementioned concepts for the allies. Convoys work well (starting at 7841 on locations tab, use weapons slots P38's start at about 2330 on the drop down box), as do creating air units with the airframes you want to add to the pool. Either will work well.

There are several convoy examples that can be easily copied and of course any squadron could be copied and refitted with the appropriate airframe and size.

[inqistor]

Monthly convoys are kinda PITA. And new plane model is always new plane, so it can not be used as replacements for unit with old model.

Is it possible to put convoy on any place on map? You would have just to find patch of ocean far enough from any possible base (to not allow air supply transport), make it inaccessible (all hexsides red), and put there damaged plane factories, and no supply generation. When time is right, convoy with supply will show there, and factories begin to repair.

[LargeSlowTarget]

ORIGINAL: SvenNyqvist

You can place the factories on an island far from the front, which will stay allied (Tahiti or so).

Depends on the opponent. I for my part send KB and the Wake Invasion forces straight to Tahiti on turn one - with an extra AP tagging along to fetch the girls... [;)]

[NormS3]

topeverest-

will only slots over 7841 work?