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

[Bullwinkle58]

Also, you told them to run right into the highest Japanese air superiority hex in the world right now. Toward a healthy KB.

Open their TF screen. The middle button "Set TF Routing/Patrol Zone" has buttons at the bottom for setting the TF's "chicken" posture. What route they take, and whether you want them to run from air superiority or bore on in. It still depends on TF CO, damage, etc. but you can insist here if you are willing to take the risk. NB that the routing will ONLY safe route around threats you have reconned or seen on search. IF your opponent has moved 600 Bettys to that island since the last time you took a look and you set the routing so that the code thinks that island is still empty and routes past it . . . doom on you.

I don't recall if those buttons are in the manual or were added or embellished in a very early patch. Read the patch notes in any case. They also have tool tips in the mouse-over hover. Those are very important buttons for the Allies, especially in the first year.

[AU Tiger_MatrixForum]

ORIGINAL: Cannonfodder

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...)

Ok, that explains why the CA TF's didn't attack I guess. The part I don't understand is that they were set at Mission Speed to move to a target hex five hexes away and return. Moving at Cruise Speed to a target hex 5 hexes away, that would mean they would have gotten there and returned one hex, yet both were sitting in Sydney when the turn opened.

As to the POW TF, I had set it to bombard the base where all of the Nells are coming from, it is quite exposed, but they failed to attack THREE times; all of them from staging hexes well within range to get in and get out. One of the attacks was Mission Speed, the third one was set at Full Speed, and I think I set the set the second one to Full Speed - I meant to but don't recall actually setting that speed.

I am getting very frustrated with the Naval aspect of this game. Sure, the carrier hits were certainly my fault, but I cannot get the other warships to do what I want them to do. He is giving me some pretty good openings but instead of capitalizing on them, my forces just wait to be sunk by airplanes.

I am seriously considering withdrawing every one of them either off board or to the the WC for a year or two until they get some decent AA. Until then I would just fight a war of posts, and concentrate on land warfare.

It is extremely annoying to see an opportunity, and them watch my ships sink because the code did something unbelievably stupid.

[AU Tiger_MatrixForum]

ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58

Also, you told them to run right into the highest Japanese air superiority hex in the world right now. Toward a healthy KB.

Open their TF screen. The middle button "Set TF Routing/Patrol Zone" has buttons at the bottom for setting the TF's "chicken" posture. What route they take, and whether you want them to run from air superiority or bore on in. It still depends on TF CO, damage, etc. but you can insist here if you are willing to take the risk. NB that the routing will ONLY safe route around threats you have reconned or seen on search. IF your opponent has moved 600 Bettys to that island since the last time you took a look and you set the routing so that the code thinks that island is still empty and routes past it . . . doom on you.

I don't recall if those buttons are in the manual or were added or embellished in a very early patch. Read the patch notes in any case. They also have tool tips in the mouse-over hover. Those are very important buttons for the Allies, especially in the first year.

Gotcha. Will do.

[witpqs]

Not sure if you are up on the difference in movement between WITP and AE: Basically, TFs set for 'mission speed' will move at cruise unless their commander (the game engine [:D]) has some appropriate reason to decide otherwise. In WITP it was 1 phase of full + 1 phase of cruise = mission. AE is 2 phases of cruise = mission, unless the little electrons decide otherwise.

That might not answer all of your puzzle about how/why they moved the way they did last turn, but it's a basic difference to be aware of.

The detailed type of movement orders spelled out by others are also critical so have a look at them and play around with them.

By the way, surface forces in AE are much more potent than they were in WITP. When you get comfortable with making them work ~the way you want them to you will see that. There was a thread a number of months back where someone complained that they never intercept carriers, and the number of combat reports of intercepts that many of us posted was surprising. IIRC correctly I posted a dozen from just one PBM up through early 1943.

Also, attached is something I wrote a while back that was also posted to the wiki.

[AU Tiger_MatrixForum]

ORIGINAL: witpqs

Not sure if you are up on the difference in movement between WITP and AE: Basically, TFs set for 'mission speed' will move at cruise unless their commander (the game engine [:D]) has some appropriate reason to decide otherwise. In WITP it was 1 phase of full + 1 phase of cruise = mission. AE is 2 phases of cruise = mission, unless the little electrons decide otherwise.

That might not answer all of your puzzle about how/why they moved the way they did last turn, but it's a basic difference to be aware of.

The detailed type of movement orders spelled out by others are also critical so have a look at them and play around with them.

By the way, surface forces in AE are much more potent than they were in WITP. When you get comfortable with making them work ~the way you want them to you will see that. There was a thread a number of months back where someone complained that they never intercept carriers, and the number of combat reports of intercepts that many of us posted was surprising. IIRC correctly I posted a dozen from just one PBM up through early 1943.

Also, attached is something I wrote a while back that was also posted to the wiki.

Thanks

[AU Tiger_MatrixForum]

BTW, just a little off topic, but do you have any idea how distracting it is to have 2 dogs and a 10 year old under your desk?

[X(]

[AU Tiger_MatrixForum]

From Skyros:
"Sydney harbor must be shallow since nothing is sinking."

[Bullwinkle58]

ORIGINAL: AU Tiger

BTW, just a little off topic, but do you have any idea how distracting it is to have 2 dogs and a 10 year old under your desk?

[X(]

Are any or all of them drunk?

(kidding! kidding!)

On your frustration, I get it. We all went through it transitioning from WITP. AE is so different it's a whole different game, not an extension. It has very fine controls that WITP didn't, done to respond to the things players yelled about (like mid-ocean surface intercepts), but the cost is having to learn how all the controls interact and sometimes interfere with each other. And then to accept that sometimes no matter what you do the Grigsby God of Random Numbers reaches in and scrambles your plan. We've all been playing paranoid for so many years now it's second nature. To have a newbie who is also an advanced WITP player come in cold and start a PBEM with NO experience with the engine (gotta say told ya so here [:)])_is like a little vacation to 2009 for most of us.

Don't run and hide in the naval game. You get so much metal later you can afford to lose while learning now. He is making a lot of mistakes too in his first Japan run-through. But this engine WILL punish "close enough for government work." The amount of detail that has to be hand-managed is immense. Over time you'll learn shortcuts and what you have to look at every turn and what can ride a few days. But to really be good at AE takes a lot of time and a lot of hair-pulling.

[Bullwinkle58]

ORIGINAL: AU Tiger

From Skyros:
"Sydney harbor must be shallow since nothing is sinking."

Just so you know you should play with sound on. The sound effects often provide clear info of what happened to ships off-stage, weeks or months before they show up sunk or mine-struck.

[AU Tiger_MatrixForum]

ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58



gotta say told ya so here

Next time you tell me that, please change your avatar to this first, otherwise I won't understand.....

[8D]

[Bullwinkle58]

ORIGINAL: AU Tiger

ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58



gotta say told ya so here

Next time you tell me that, please change your avatar to this first, otherwise I won't understand.....

[8D]



That's the eye make-up I sport for sure. [8D]

[AU Tiger_MatrixForum]

What the.....?!?!?!?!?!?!

Be careful not to set TF's to follow submarines, even by accident!
[:-]

[Bullwinkle58]

ORIGINAL: AU Tiger

What the.....?!?!?!?!?!?!

Be careful not to set TF's to follow submarines, even by accident!
[:-]

You have invented a new mistake. Congrats! [8D]

[AU Tiger_MatrixForum]

The only reason I found it was because i was thinking, "Now where the heck are those AR's? They should be there by now...."

[&:]

[Bullwinkle58]

ORIGINAL: AU Tiger

The only reason I found it was because i was thinking, "Now where the heck are those AR's? They should be there by now...."

[&:]

You did manage to get them to a position perhaps never seen before. [:)]

[AU Tiger_MatrixForum]

Ya know what? This has set me to thinking.

Obviously he has NO search aircraft up there, now where are my closest ships with big guns......

[Bullwinkle58]

ORIGINAL: AU Tiger

Ya know what? This has set me to thinking.

Obviously he has NO search aircraft up there, now where are my closest ships with big guns......

This will probably end well . . . [:'(]

[AU Tiger_MatrixForum]

ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58

ORIGINAL: AU Tiger

Ya know what? This has set me to thinking.

Obviously he has NO search aircraft up there, now where are my closest ships with big guns......

This will probably end well . . . [:'(]

[:D]

[AU Tiger_MatrixForum]

Just imagine Cuttlefish describing this in his AAR!

[topeverest]

Can you update the zinger Palembang situation? If you get a bit more time, you might actually have the chance to hold one or both of these, which would be exciting. It may just be me, I am expecting your opponent to catch on to the fortress stuff and shift his fleet and LBA to quarantine.