A family affair - Speedy vs El Padre

[Bif1961]

The last time a father was fighting a son in America would called it a Civil War.

[witpqs]

Speedy,

T's comments regarding Port Moresby in your open thread in the War Room are spot on. But, in a game against your dad, especially if he is less experienced, Port Moresby might be the center of a bunch of whopping fun battles. Think about it.

[Speedysteve]

Hi All,

Today was actually an anti-climatic day. I was hoping to either catch important TF's around PH or smash the port and sink some BB's and I was aiming to net enemy fighters on patrol over Luzon with Zero Sweeps.

In the end I located no meaningful TF's around PM (except a small AMc TF of which 2 were sunk) and an afternoon strike was disappointing in that none of the numptys in charge decided to load torps onto the Kates. As such the damage caused was less than I hoped (although several of the hits on BB's were by 800KG bombs). I really hope at least one of these sinks to make it 'worthwhile':

Afternoon Air attack on Pearl Harbor , at 180,107

Weather in hex: Heavy cloud

Raid detected at 109 NM, estimated altitude 14,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 40 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 60
B5N2 Kate x 89
D3A1 Val x 122



Allied aircraft
P-36A Mohawk x 12
P-40B Warhawk x 27
F4F-3 Wildcat x 2


Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 5 destroyed
B5N2 Kate: 1 destroyed, 3 damaged
D3A1 Val: 7 damaged
D3A1 Val: 1 destroyed by flak

Allied aircraft losses
P-36A Mohawk: 5 destroyed, 3 damaged
P-40B Warhawk: 3 destroyed, 9 damaged
P-40B Warhawk: 1 destroyed on ground
B-18A Bolo: 1 destroyed on ground
B-17D Fortress: 1 destroyed on ground
SBD-1 Dauntless: 2 destroyed on ground
A-20A Havoc: 1 destroyed on ground

Allied Ships
DD Ward
AVD Thornton, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
BB Oklahoma, Bomb hits 7, on fire, heavy damage
CA Minneapolis, Bomb hits 2, on fire
BB Arizona, Bomb hits 4, on fire, heavy damage
BB Nevada, Bomb hits 3, heavy damage
CL Honolulu, Bomb hits 1, heavy damage
CL Phoenix, Bomb hits 2, on fire
AV Wright, Bomb hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
CM Oglala, Bomb hits 1, on fire
BB West Virginia, Bomb hits 3, on fire, heavy damage
DMS Wasmuth, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
BB California, Bomb hits 3, on fire, heavy damage
CL Helena, Bomb hits 1, on fire

KB will now head SW under Johnston Island and then westwards to support the invasion of Wake.

----------------------

SRA:

The Sweeps over Luzon found 1 (!) P40B on patrol which was easily shot down.

Other than that a bunch of invasion TF's edged nearer to Luzon from Formosa and Babeldaob.

Troops continue to unload at Patani and Kota Bharu.

It looks as though Dad's running wholesale away from Luzon and Malaya as several TF's were spotted fleeing. Netties from Saigon and Takao struck many of these in the Malacca Strait and the PI Archipelago sinking a reported 5 x AK and 3 x AP.

2 x SS were reported sunk by mine's SS I-154 off Singapore and SS Stingray off Manila.

[CaptBeefheart]

Very cool that you're playing your old man. I could never get my dad interested in board games or computer games later on.

Cheers,
CC

[Cribtop]

Speedy,

I see you're from the UK. Who is your favorite EPL side? I'm a huge Gunner but will forgive you even if you favor another team. The story of how a Texan became a Gooner is long and complicated, I assure you. [;)]

[Speedysteve]

Thanks Cody - there was no real problem there as my Dad got ME into Computer games back in the mid-80's.

Hi Cribtop - I'm also a Gooner! Have been since I was 8 years old when my Step-Dad came on the scene (He's an Arsenal fan too). This season is certainly 'fun' so far but for me it will ultimately be the same old story for the past 8 years - we don't have a strong enough squad to compete with the tope 3/4 sides in England and as such we won't anything. I can but hope though [;)] Big game tonight though which I'll be watching non TV - Arsenal vs Chelsea.

Is your story family friendly? [;)] If so feel free to tell!

P.S. I'm really enjoying playing the Japanese right now. It's frustrating that these early turns take so long to do (last turn took me 4.5 hours - better than the 26.5 hours of the first turn [;)]) as I want to play lots of turns!

[Speedysteve]

Hi guys,

Quick Q as want to make sure before I expand Engine Facs too much.

Do R&D planes require exactly the same number of Engines to produce a point as would do production? E.G. a LB requiring 2 engines will require 2 engines to produce an R&D point?

If so then it looks like some of my Ha-32/Ha-33 requirements for engines are over 400 each!

Thanks

[Spidery]

ORIGINAL: Speedy

Hi guys,

Quick Q as want to make sure before I expand Engine Facs too much.

Do R&D planes require exactly the same number of Engines to produce a point as would do production? E.G. a LB requiring 2 engines will require 2 engines to produce an R&D point?

If so then it looks like some of my Ha-32/Ha-33 requirements for engines are over 400 each!

Thanks

Don't think so. I think it is one engine for each R&D Research point. So a 2E Bomber requires 1 engine per day per factory (assuming size 30 to 300 R&D factory).

[Speedysteve]

That's good to know. Why does tracker indicate 2e and 4e planes need that number under the R&D column for engines?

[Speedysteve]

Take this example. Why does the circled R&D section list the engine numbers including 2 x Engine for some planes?

To confirm is it only 1 engine needed per R&D plane regardless of if production of plane needs 2/4E?

[Cribtop]

ORIGINAL: Speedy

Thanks Cody - there was no real problem there as my Dad got ME into Computer games back in the mid-80's.

Hi Cribtop - I'm also a Gooner! Have been since I was 8 years old when my Step-Dad came on the scene (He's an Arsenal fan too). This season is certainly 'fun' so far but for me it will ultimately be the same old story for the past 8 years - we don't have a strong enough squad to compete with the tope 3/4 sides in England and as such we won't anything. I can but hope though [;)] Big game tonight though which I'll be watching non TV - Arsenal vs Chelsea.

Is your story family friendly? [;)] If so feel free to tell!

P.S. I'm really enjoying playing the Japanese right now. It's frustrating that these early turns take so long to do (last turn took me 4.5 hours - better than the 26.5 hours of the first turn [;)]) as I want to play lots of turns!

Well, the good news is that after the first few turns things settle down a bit, but you can expect to do more work as Japan for the first six months at least.

As for Arsenal, it all began in 1835 when the Texas revolution began in the town of Gonzalez. The townsfolk had been given a cannon for defense against Indian raids. As tensions mounted, the Mexican authorities sent a detachment to confiscate the weapon. The locals refused to surrender it, flying the flag in the link below:

http://www.google.com/search?q=gonzales ... EwepQuM%3A

The battle itself was an inconclusive exchange, but the first shots of the war were fired. The attitude of the "Come and Take It" flag is critical to the ethos of Texas ever since.

I was always a player of both styles of football in my youth (and was quite fast in both sports if I do say so myself). My interest in "round football" only grew with age, and as the Premier League began to be broadcast in the States, I had to pick a side without any obvious geographic loyalty. One look at the various shields was all it took. The cannon of Arsenal was so reminiscent of the Gonzalez flag that I knew this was my team.

The only slightly awkward thing is that I am a lifelong fan of the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA, so there's a bit of dissonance with that other North London side's name, but I simply think of them as Sp*ds and move on nicely. [:D]

[Speedysteve]

LOL Cribtop. That's a cool story. Probably one of the more diverse stories of why someone became an Arsenal Fan. Thanks for sharing (mind you after last nights dismal effort against Chelsea I may have to change allegiance [;)])

[Speedysteve]

Hi guys,

Just to extrapolate on my earlier post. If I'm reading Tracker right it seems I need 351 Nakajima Ha-35 engines for R&D (not that all of them are needed as I'm not producing or repairing Ki-43 IIb). As such I need 321 engines if I'm reading this right?

Breaking this down:

A6M2-N Rufe - 10
A6M3 - 60 (will ultimately upgrade to A6M5c)
A6M5 - 30
A6M5c - 30
J1N1-C Irving - 7 (14 engines)
J1N1-S Irving - 60 (120 engines)
Ki-45 KAIa Nick - 13 (26 engines)
Ki-115a - 31 (will ultimately upgrade to Ki-115b

= 321 engines.

I assume this means I need 1 engine point per engine on R&D planes rather than 1 engine point per plane?

Lastly, I'm concerned I'm over expanding or over producing. I'll need to increase Ha-35 engines alone by 140! Nakajima Ha-45's are even worse (due to R&D 90 x Grace, 210 x George, 90 x Peggy (T), 120 x Frank etc). I need to increase Ha-45's by a whopping 690 to accommodate all R&D.

Am I missing something here or am I over producing (Should I be planning and producing 60-210 R&D fcs for each key plane type as I'm doing)?

[Speedysteve]

Hi all,

KB:

We almost bagged an important target today - CV Lexington.

SS I-20 spotted and attacked her (missing her with 6 torpedoes[8|]) SW of Johnston Island (see red circle). KB is diverted to the south in a vain effort to attack her if I can find her tomorrow.

-------------------

PI:

No air raids today due to bad weather (had planned more sweeps and a port attack at Manila to attack a suspected 10 x ships still there). The first troops went ashore at Vigan and Aparri. Legaspi will be invaded tomorrow as well. Additional troops, scheduled for Luzon are embarking at Pescadores and Takao.

--------------------

Malaya:

Kota Bharu was taken today after the heavy guns of Kongo and Haruna smashed the defenders overnight.

2nd and 3rd Wave forces are en route from Japan, Hainan and Indo China. They'll be landing at Patani (also including Av. Support forces tomorrow), Singora and Kota Bharu.

The bad news for the day was Netties decided to tack an Allied convoy SE of Singers with escort. I lost 6 x Netty and 8 x Zero over the day for 11 x Buffalo and no damage to enemy ships. Not good.

[SqzMyLemon]

ORIGINAL: Speedy

Lastly, I'm concerned I'm over expanding or over producing. I'll need to increase Ha-35 engines alone by 140! Nakajima Ha-45's are even worse (due to R&D 90 x Grace, 210 x George, 90 x Peggy (T), 120 x Frank etc). I need to increase Ha-45's by a whopping 690 to accommodate all R&D.

Am I missing something here or am I over producing...

For first time Japanese economy and production I'd put the brakes on somewhat. How aggressive do you plan on being? If you plan on doing a lot of combat and replacing losses you might think about lowering some of your R&D initially. The rate of repair for some of the later airframe R&D is so long you could increase those factories slowly rather than a massive investment at game start. One thing to remember, the engine bonus towards R&D is substantial, so I tend to concentrate on stockpiling engines as quickly as possible. My advice would be to concentrate on a few airframes you really want accelerated and increase accordingly, but a large number of airframes can be left to historic arrival dates. It all depends on your style of play and what aircraft best suit your needs. Don't fall into the trap of trying to accelerate everything by a month or two as the expense often doesn't justify the benefit. Focus on a few airframes first and then see where there's wiggle room to expand further if desired. I've been meaning to post my R&D in my AAR, pop in sometime and I'll show you my numbers and explain my reasoning just to give you one example. Many of the Japanese sided AAR's will have their R&D showcased as well.

[Speedysteve]

Thanks Lemon,

I'll pop in and have a look at your AAR.

I'm streamlining as I thought fit - roughly a 2nd, 3rd and 4th Gen aircraft in each role.

It's hard to say on how tough the air war will be as I don't know Dad's style of play. I plan on being aggressive and to take out as much as I can from the Allies in 42.

As such is it unusual to have a total engine need of 700? How does that compare to other games as an average?

Also can you confirm that R&D planes require 1 engine per engine (P1Y = 2 engines for example) need rather than 1 engine per plane?

[Skyros]

You do not have to build engines for planes that are in R&D. What tracker is telling you is you have potentially 350 more engines a month if everything produced today. Right now you have a surplus building which will aid R&D once the total gets above 500.

ORIGINAL: Speedy

Hi all,

KB:

We almost bagged an important target today - CV Lexington.

SS I-20 spotted and attacked her (missing her with 6 torpedoes[8|]) SW of Johnston Island (see red circle). KB is diverted to the south in a vain effort to attack her if I can find her tomorrow.

-------------------

PI:

No air raids today due to bad weather (had planned more sweeps and a port attack at Manila to attack a suspected 10 x ships still there). The first troops went ashore at Vigan and Aparri. Legaspi will be invaded tomorrow as well. Additional troops, scheduled for Luzon are embarking at Pescadores and Takao.

--------------------

Malaya:

Kota Bharu was taken today after the heavy guns of Kongo and Haruna smashed the defenders overnight.

2nd and 3rd Wave forces are en route from Japan, Hainan and Indo China. They'll be landing at Patani (also including Av. Support forces tomorrow), Singora and Kota Bharu.

The bad news for the day was Netties decided to tack an Allied convoy SE of Singers with escort. I lost 6 x Netty and 8 x Zero over the day for 11 x Buffalo and no damage to enemy ships. Not good.

[Speedysteve]

Ah ha. That's great. Thanks Skyros

[SqzMyLemon]

ORIGINAL: Skyros

You do not have to build engines for planes that are in R&D. What tracker is telling you is you have potentially 350 more engines a month if everything produced today. Right now you have a surplus building which will aid R&D once the total gets above 500.

However, you will consume engines once an R&D factory is fully repaired and actually advancing the aircraft. That is something you need to factor in if you wish to keep your engine stockpiles above 500 to gain the bonus. In case it's not clear either, the engine bonus only applies to repaired R&D factories as far as I know. You will not gain the engine bonus for researching an aircraft unless an R&D factory is fully repaired.

I think Damian spelled out the exact cost in a previous thread somewhere which I'll try and locate. I think a good rule of thumb is you'll expend one or two engines per 1%/day researched depending on whether the aircraft is a 1E or 2E.

[Speedysteve]

I'm confused a little to be honest. Skyros says you don't need engines for R&D planes but you're saying you do need them? OR am I thinking you're saying that you need to build your engine surplus up to 500 and when a plane advances some engines are used and you need to build them back up to 500 to continue getting the bonus?