The Good The Bad & The Indifferent

[Chickenboy]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel
The only out-of-the-ordinary event during the day was that some of my carrier aircraft squadrons re-sized from 27 to 36 aircraft.  Does that take a PP draw?

Good question. Dunno. Did they also upgrade airframes outside of their programmed path?

[Crackaces]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

Actually it's 320 PP (or 370 if you count the additional 50 i would have received on the day).

[&:]

I do think that PP's should be accounted for in the game like a balance sheet. Therefore if something unusual happends it will be quite clear. What is most unusual in this case is nothing in the Combat Reporter -> Operations Report under misc?

[HansBolter]

[/quote]

Boyington returns in the game as a squadron leader. There are some who think he outright lied about his victory total in China. A complex person no doubt. Interesting in that Maj Neale was my top ace in 42 in both of my campaigns. Retired as a Brigadier general in one and died in the air in the other.

[/quote]

He never leaves the game as a pilot if you transfer him out to reserve before the AVG withdraws. In fact all the AVG pilots are far too valuable to lose by letting them leave with the squadrons. I empty the squadrons of pilots to the reserves, then I withdraw the AVG. A few weeks later they all transfer in to the new fighter wing that arrives in India (can't remember the number as I'm at work) and I have top notch pilots in Burma, a theater that usually sees not stop air activity.

[Canoerebel]

Uh oh, I wonder if that's it???  Yesterday, I upgraded a few squadrons to different airframes - B-25 to B-17 and a couple of Audax/Wapiti type frames to Blenheims or such.  I bet that's it.  Yikes, I've skewered myself!
 
P.S.  But at least I know what happend now instead of being totally bumfuzzled.  Thanks, Poultry Lad.

[Crackaces]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

Uh oh, I wonder if that's it???  Yesterday, I upgraded a few squadrons to different airframes - B-25 to B-17 and a couple of Audax/Wapiti type frames to Blenheims or such.  I bet that's it.  Yikes, I've skewered myself!

P.S.  But at least I know what happend now instead of being totally bumfuzzled.  Thanks, Poultry Lad.

AAAAAAHHHHHHH!! I have never played PDU=on .... good lesson .. !!!

[Chickenboy]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel
P.S.  But at least I know what happend now instead of being totally bumfuzzled.  Thanks, Poultry Lad.

I think we should allow for the possibility of both your knowing what happened now and also being bumfuzzled in a more permanent sense. [:'(] They're two separate causality loops here, Dan. [;)]

[Canoerebel]

Some day, Rooster Man, I'm gonna play you and kick yer sorry rear end half way to Manitoba.
 
...Wait, you already ARE half way to Manitoba!

[Chickenboy]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

Some day, Rooster Man, I'm gonna play you and kick yer sorry rear end half way to Manitoba.

Pfft...you and what Army? [looks at Allied OOB]

Oh. Never mind. [:D]

[HansBolter]

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel
The only out-of-the-ordinary event during the day was that some of my carrier aircraft squadrons re-sized from 27 to 36 aircraft.  Does that take a PP draw?

Good question. Dunno. Did they also upgrade airframes outside of their programmed path?

Not all off path upgrades cost PPs and the ones that do clearly state the cost when you choose to go off the path and prompt you for a confirmation.

Hard not to notice you're spending for this when you do it.

[Canoerebel]

I didn't notice, but I'm pretty sure that's what happened.  I now recall that changing 2EB to 4EB is one of the instances when the PP expenditure is invoked, and I swapped a B25 squadron to B-17s.  That has to be be what happened.

[artuitus_slith]

This airframe discussion brings up a slightly off-topic idea I had to balance the air war a bit. Currently the Japanese can outproduce the allies significantly, and there is nothing the allies can do to increase there production. What I would like to see is the ability to 'buy' airframes with political points.

This could be accomplished in two ways. The first and simplest way would be to assign a cost per engine per airframe. Something like (3xE)xA=N where e=engines, a=airframes, and n=number of political points. So a fighter would cost 3pts per airframe, while a twin engine would cost 6pts, 4e 12pts.

Alternately they could assign a point value to each type of aircraft in the game, so a p40 costs less than a p47 ect. This would be more labor intensive, but could also be more tailored so that a p40 costs less in late 43 onwards ect, to represent the fact that these aircraft were being brought offline in the ETO/MTO and were available for re-assingment. This is just an example, older model bombers ect would also be available for 'hire'.

Overall this should help balance out the air war a bit more, while not giving the allies a huge advantage, after all there are many things the allies have to spend PPs on to prosecute the war, but having the ability to get another 25 p40s early in the game (at a cost) might be worth the investment. Just a thought.

[Bullwinkle58]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

Uh oh, I wonder if that's it???  Yesterday, I upgraded a few squadrons to different airframes - B-25 to B-17 and a couple of Audax/Wapiti type frames to Blenheims or such.  I bet that's it.  Yikes, I've skewered myself!

P.S.  But at least I know what happend now instead of being totally bumfuzzled.  Thanks, Poultry Lad.

For sure the Audax to Blenheim costs PPs. But there is a warning screen you have to click "Yes" on to allow it. Did you rush past without reading? [:)]

These PP charges to change plane type were instituted at least a year ago in a patch. I still get yanked up short every time I get one of those nags. Old habits, etc.

Edit: see you copped to it later on.

[Canoerebel]

6/30/42
 
NoPac:  The Japanese invaders at Dutch Harbor attack and fail to take the base, thus illustrating a fundamental and recurring weakness in John's approach to invasions.  He brings two assault divisions totaling 350 AV.  No support, like combat engineers or artillery.  Lots of pre-invasion bombardments - a good thing.  But the meager Allied defense has an unadjusted assault value of three behind three forts.  The result?  A 1:2 deliberate attack that doesn't touch the forts.  How do you attack a base with an AV of three and zero supply and not take it?  He'll take it soon enough, but...seriously.
 
CenPac:  KB is steaming far to the SE of Tarawa in empty waters.  I like it where it is. 
 
SoPac:  More bombarding of Luganville. 
 
Australia:  The carriers and escorts arrive at Melbourne for some much needed rest.  Two Devastator squadrons swap out for Avengers.  My ships need about ten days in the yards to work out all the kinks before I move them...assuming I move them.
 
Bay of Bengal:  The flow of men and supply into Ramree continues.  The loss of 370 political points to ill-timed aircraft upgrading hurts!  Now it's another six or seven days before 41st Div. gets purchased...which in turn makes it that much longer before I accumulate the PPs to buy the troops bound for the western Aluetian invasion.  Ack!  Res ipsa loquitor.
 
China:  Looks good.

[pws1225]

Hi CR - A quick question if I may. What is the supply situation like for your units lined up in the trees in Burma? Given the lack of roads/trails there, can they be sustained in those locations until you're ready to move forward?

Regards, Paul

[Canoerebel]

Most turns the units are fully supplied.  I just checked and found that supply levels range from 95% to 105% of need.
 
I don't know what would happen if I advanced into the open terrain during the monsoonal period.  I'm erring on the side of assuming getting supply to troops might be tough.
 
My long term expectation is that supply will flow forward from what will be a line of big bases - Ramree, Akyab, Cox's, Chittagong, Imphal and others - at least when the monsoon ends, but perhaps earlier.

[V I Lenin]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

Most turns the units are fully supplied.  I just checked and found that supply levels range from 95% to 105% of need.

I don't know what would happen if I advanced into the open terrain during the monsoonal period.  I'm erring on the side of assuming getting supply to troops might be tough.

My long term expectation is that supply will flow forward from what will be a line of big bases - Ramree, Akyab, Cox's, Chittagong, Imphal and others - at least when the monsoon ends, but perhaps earlier.

Monsoon is as far as I know not affecting LCUs in non-base hexes (or enemy base hexes), but instead only bases themselves.

[Cribtop]

The air war is significant in the negative, IMHO. The Japanese can use their early pilot and airframe quality and quantity advantages to engage the Allies in attritional warfare, which if successful drains Allied pools but also results in an upward spiral for Japanese pilots and a corresponding downward spiral for Allied pilots. When this happens, Japan gets into the mid-war with crazy good pilots that either slow the inevitable Allied air dominance as later generation airframes come online or a pool of Flying Circus types that can be saved for decisive moments later on.

By avoiding this result, Dan has achieved something, IMHO.

[Crackaces]

ORIGINAL: V I Lenin

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

Most turns the units are fully supplied.  I just checked and found that supply levels range from 95% to 105% of need.

I don't know what would happen if I advanced into the open terrain during the monsoonal period.  I'm erring on the side of assuming getting supply to troops might be tough.

My long term expectation is that supply will flow forward from what will be a line of big bases - Ramree, Akyab, Cox's, Chittagong, Imphal and others - at least when the monsoon ends, but perhaps earlier.

Monsoon is as far as I know not affecting LCUs in non-base hexes (or enemy base hexes), but instead only bases themselves.

I might propose that it is sort of indirect. The best supply with the least spoilage comes from the closest base. Kaylemyo and Wazzup represent two good examples. If the overall supplies that move is cut in half it is harder to accumlate supplies that eventually propagate forward, and this propagation seems to me to require an overage of supplies at bases somewhere in the chain of things. But V 1 Lennin I beleive has the point that once supplies have propagated forward I have seen no constraints on supplying LCU's. in the monsoon seasons.

[Capt. Harlock]

I now recall that changing 2EB to 4EB is one of the instances when the PP expenditure is invoked, and I swapped a B25 squadron to B-17s.

I'm a bit confused by that choice. Do you really need long-range bombers at this point? Why not wait a few months for the B-24's?

[Canoerebel]

The squadron only had two B-25s with no replacements in the pool.  I only have three B-17 squadrons in India, with 100 planes in the pools, so this seemed like a good way to continue building my air force.  I have more B-17 squadrons en route from East Coast via Capetown.  I'm gonna need them when the time comes to punish Mandalay or Rangoon.