Western Civilization in Grave Danger - AU Tiger (A) vs. Skyros (J)

[BBfanboy]

There is the little matter of three days to get her off of pierside repair. I think preparing her to become an artificial reef is not unreasonable. [:(]

[AU Tiger_MatrixForum]

ORIGINAL: topeverest

Lots of interesting things happening. The empire has had a pretty good time of it. He is doing some good things.

I prefer to defend Clark, as it is excellent terrain and offers a fall back to extend life. definitely learned that your opponent went specifically hunting for Lex. You should expect this kind of behavior more. prob shouldnt try to move Lex until system damage well below 50. She prob wont survive the long trip to USA.

The Lex cannot move - it is on a delay from leaving the pierside repair. It will be destroyed next turn.

ORIGINAL: topeverest

INHO, you need to rethink your naval search patterns. The KB should not be able to sneak up on a base repairing a major naval asset. Prob also should or have CAP up all the time when repairing major naval assets if you cant give yourself several turns warning. That TF in DEI shouldn't have gotten that freebie or been able to sneak up. Is this the third time you have been surprised and taken losses as a result? What do you think is going wrong?

I haven't been paying as much attention to searches as I should. I am attributing this to a WitP hangover where TF's were ALWAYS spotted. I need to make this more of a priority. I have very little to east of Australia searchwise - I need to set up some bases with AVP's or something, but that will take time. The uncovered gap is huge.

And FYI, since moving some of the assets around, I now see a TF with the Kaga starting to move west under Borneo from the Celebes. I am certain this is the route that CL TF took. Even though I see it, there is nothing I can do because the Dutch bombers are worthless against warships, and bat about .250 against unescorted merchies.

The good British pilots are pretty much all gone in attacks on Japanese convoys, about all that is left is 30-40 skill level pilots.

The American pilots won't attack.

ORIGINAL: geofflambert
Today, and today only, I will offer you a disagreement with topeverest. With 77 systems damage Lex can go round the earth several times without sinking. 24 flood damage is nothing to keep you from going to sea. Get her outta there. Leave the air wing behind.

The Lex cannot move. It was on "pierside repair" until KB showed up at Darwin.

[geofflambert]

Hate to be the bearer of bad tidings, I wanted to see what you could do, but at this point I'm afraid I have to advise you that your Arctic adventure is over. You cannot support it.

[AU Tiger_MatrixForum]

ORIGINAL: geofflambert

Hate to be the bearer of bad tidings, I wanted to see what you could do, but at this point I'm afraid I have to advise you that your Arctic adventure is over. You cannot support it.

Sure I can. That is where all of my engineering units are!

[:D]

I should be getting the turn back anytime now.

[geofflambert]

[:)] I meant any hope of a successful adventure is over. Sorry for misspeaking, but your adventure has only begun.

[AU Tiger_MatrixForum]

ORIGINAL: geofflambert

[:)] I meant any hope of a successful adventure is over. Sorry for misspeaking, but your adventure has only begun.

Actually I will continue with Operation Arctic Blast. It is a long-term project anyway with no offensive anticipated until 1943, at the earliest.

[witpqs]

Even if Lex could move, you need to be aware of something. In AE systems damage has teeth. It affects other things, most notably damage control. So if a ship with some major flotation damage is at sea and gets some flooding (meaning minor flotation damage, above and beyond the 'major' number which is in parentheses), it will be far less able to get the flooding under control if it has 77 sys damage.

[AU Tiger_MatrixForum]

Skyros did not send the turn tonight. Lets hope that he was stunned into inactivity by hordes of A-24 Banshees!

[topeverest]

War still going pretty darn well for allies with zingers and Palembang in the condition they are in. He will regret chasing the Lex when he could have been quarantining DEI, and you have learned quite a bit how your opponent plays. Hopefully he came back for the Lex and hopefully massed CAP will take some teeth out of KB air compliment. This is one of the biggest 'to do's' early on. IIRC, those initial A24's have lousy naval attack skill, but perhaps I am remembering wrong. You did have the Lex compliment though.

[bradfordkay]

Massed CAP in Australia in early 1942? Wirraways and the remaining USN Buffaloes? Ward, do you even have those undertrained P40 squadrons in Oz at this time?

Edited to put this in the correct century... [8|]

[AU Tiger_MatrixForum]

ORIGINAL: topeverest

War still going pretty darn well for allies with zingers and Palembang in the condition they are in. He will regret chasing the Lex when he could have been quarantining DEI, and you have learned quite a bit how your opponent plays. Hopefully he came back for the Lex and hopefully massed CAP will take some teeth out of KB air compliment. This is one of the biggest 'to do's' early on. IIRC, those initial A24's have lousy naval attack skill, but perhaps I am remembering wrong. You did have the Lex compliment though.

Yeah, I was temporarily bummed out, but I am ok now.

I was joking about the A-24's, but I DO hope the US Navy pilots do SOMETHING this turn.

[AU Tiger_MatrixForum]

ORIGINAL: bradfordkay

Massed CAP in Australia in early 1042? Wirraways and the remaining USN Buffaloes? Ward, do you even have those undertrained P40 squadrons in Oz at this time?

I noticed that too.

The massed CAP he was referring to (I think) is the fighters from the Lex, elements of the Enterprise fighters, and the Aussie cannon fodder.

[HansBolter]

Too bad about the cruisers being ties up to the piers.

I hope my point wasn't lost though. The allies have no air cover to start in OZ and it's some time before sufficient can be gathered to be able to protect a port. When the KB comes calling early you have to be prepared to flee with everything. Hopefully most shipping has already left these ports.

One of the fist big tasks for an allied player is combing every port on the board that isn't a supply/fuel/reinforcement source and sending every last long legged transports back to the source ports (Abadan, Aden, Capetown, Los Angeles, San Fran...).

By the second week of the war I typically have nothing left in Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland and Wellington but a few auxillaries and the short legged xAKLs.

[AU Tiger_MatrixForum]

ORIGINAL: HansBolter

Too bad about the cruisers being ties up to the piers.

I hope my point wasn't lost though. The allies have no air cover to start in OZ and it's some time before sufficient can be gathered to be able to protect a port. When the KB comes calling early you have to be prepared to flee with everything. Hopefully most shipping has already left these ports.

One of the fist big tasks for an allied player is combing every port on the board that isn't a supply/fuel/reinforcement source and sending every last long legged transports back to the source ports (Abadan, Aden, Capetown, Los Angeles, San Fran...).

By the second week of the war I typically have nothing left in Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland and Wellington but a few auxillaries and the short legged xAKLs.

Yes, I see your point, and will follow your advice. I did not realize just how vulnerable Oz is in the early game.

[Bullwinkle58]

Just a nudge as you learn the AE wonderfulness . . .

Off-map is a great thing. If/when you get the crips off the pier you don't have to send them across the wide expanse to WC. Duck around the corner, pull into Melbourne and get System to a number that starts with '5', then ease, at Cruise speed (very, very important) over to CT with at least two ASW escorts. Fix there or proceed to EC, the biggest yard in the game.

Let him have Canton I. You don't ever need to go near the place.

[xnavytc56]

Sorry to hear about Lex, was hoping for a better outcome. I do agree with Bullwinkle, CT would be better to go to instead of west coast with the damaged ships. But I'm a newbie what do I know.

TC ET1(SS)

[witpqs]

ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58

Just a nudge as you learn the AE wonderfulness . . .

Off-map is a great thing. If/when you get the crips off the pier you don't have to send them across the wide expanse to WC. Duck around the corner, pull into Melbourne and get System to a number that starts with '5', then ease, at Cruise speed (very, very important) over to CT with at least two ASW escorts. Fix there or proceed to EC, the biggest yard in the game.

Let him have Canton I. You don't ever need to go near the place.

If you decide instead to go to Port Stanley on the way to the East Coast, get some fuel there before arrival.

[AU Tiger_MatrixForum]

Frustration

The Lex still lives, but only because the Japanese did not hit the port this time.

I figured out why the Navy pilots at Sydney won't fly - 51% runway damage.

Damn.


And oh yeah, the POW got creamed by Nells. 82 float, 64 major

[AU Tiger_MatrixForum]

Ok, I guess I just don't know how some of this stuff in the game works. When the Japanese hit Sydney I had created two CA Surface Combat TF's with very aggressive leaders, set them on max react range (6), and were undocked in the port. I figured maybe, if the Japanese came close they would "react" into the KB. They didn't. So last turn I had them both charge out about 5 hexes in two different directions at Mission Speed with max react on. The turn opened with them both (still?) sitting in Sydney, with one of them getting smashed by the KB. This turn I am running the other one far away at full speed since obviously I don't know how to make them attack. So far, I have several "failure to attack" with surface combat TF's even with aggressive leaders; the POV TF was sitting right smack dab in the middle of the Java Sea when it had easily been in range to bombard their target and get away.

IMO, warships seem to be only good for two things: providing some AA cover and giving the enemy aircraft some easy VP's. I am thinking of withdrawing all warships, except ASW assets, from the combat zone.

[KenchiSulla]

ORIGINAL: AU Tiger

Ok, I guess I just don't know how some of this stuff in the game works. When the Japanese hit Sydney I had created two CA Surface Combat TF's with very aggressive leaders, set them on max react range (6), and were undocked in the port. I figured maybe, if the Japanese came close they would "react" into the KB. They didn't. So last turn I had them both charge out about 5 hexes in two different directions at Mission Speed with max react on. The turn opened with them both (still?) sitting in Sydney, with one of them getting smashed by the KB. This turn I am running the other one far away at full speed since obviously I don't know how to make them attack. So far, I have several "failure to attack" with surface combat TF's even with aggressive leaders; the POV TF was sitting right smack dab in the middle of the Java Sea when it had easily been in range to bombard their target and get away.

IMO, warships seem to be only good for two things: providing some AA cover and giving the enemy aircraft some easy VP's. I am thinking of withdrawing all warships, except ASW assets, from the combat zone.

If you want surface TFs to react you need to assign them to patrol a hex.. It is still not a guarantee though.

What you are trying to do would only work if you meet an enemy TF on the way in to your destination hex or AT your destination hex. Looking at the cruise speed of your TF is important if you assign mission speed as usually the TF will move at cruise speed to its destination (unless ordered to bombard a base for example).

Usually I use full speed if I think I need it to cover the distance to my destination (especially as the Japanese, a mad dash in for some knife/night fighting and then a mad dash out out of enemy air range...)