Sink or Swim-A Noob's MisadventAAR

[Chickenboy]

ORIGINAL: daird

Okay, here's my problem. The manual is 300+ pages of useless, and doesn't tell me how to do the basics. I can't move ships or change air targets on my own, and the computer is doing everything besides clicking the mouse.

1. Are the December 7th attacks automated, or is it possible to change targets?

2. How do you move ships?

3. How do you select targets for aircraft?

The manual is outdated. No doubt. But for the basics, it is a worthwhile resource. Sure, there are some that play without reading the manual, but I think most read through it for an introduction. I would recommend you do it as the majority of the materials in there are germane.

The manual (and Grafin above) will tell you how to move ships. You may target specific targets for aircraft (e.g., a city for strategic bombing / a port for port bombing), but you cannot specifically target specific ships for attack by aircraft. The manual explains why. The forum can help corroborate it.

The December 7 attacks are automated if you are playing scenario 1 or 2 against a Japanese AI. You can change some of the impact of the initial strike by your game settings and preferences (e.g., 1st turn surprise). I agree with Grafin-you would be well advised to try the Coral Sea scenario before trying to understand the quagmire that is the grand campaign right away.

Patience.

[Trugrit]

It is a difficult game but it can be mastered.

Chickenboy has rescued people before.This forum saved me years ago.
You are not alone.

[Cap Mandrake]

What Grafin said. Start with Coral Sea. Either side. You will learn the mechanics, the forces are small and the map is reasonable...and it is fun. No production decisions.

Then do Guadalcanal where you will have to worry about logistics a bit more but still fun.

The pinnacle of complexity is playing as Japan vs a human opponent.

[;)]

[Trugrit]

Does not look good. Too Bad!

[Lecivius]

You picked THE hardest side, in THE biggest scenario, in THE most complex game, right off the bat? [X(] What, do you think because you mastered Cub Scouts you're ready to become a Army Ranger? (not that there's much difference, but that's another story).

Baby steps. Nice, simple, small, baby steps. How many people on the Paradox forums are willing to jump in & help someone just starting out? BT is not just teaching you to walk in formation, it changes your mind set. You need to do the same thing, here.

[Lovejoy]

daird, don't give up right away. If you can specifically state what problems you are having, I'm sure that you can get answers/advice/guidance. I came over from Paradox as well. This forum is very helpful to those who are learning the game, and is one of the more congenial and enjoyable forums out there. As others have said, playing Japan in the Grand Campaign as a start is very, very difficult. I started out on the Coral Sea scenario, and am currently working through the Operation Buccaneer and Guadalcanal scenarios. Ease yourself in.

While the manual is a bit out of date, most of it's information is still useful, particularly in the basic mechanics. Searching the forum for the topics you want information on is also really helpful for learning what's different from the manual. You can also pick up a lot of good advice about gameplay. Take notes: this is a massively complex game and writing down things will help you remember them and provide you with a convenient reference.

As far as the problems you've highlighted: I can repeat what others have said. If "Historical first turn on" is selected, the game runs December 7th like it happened in real life. The only other thing I can suggest is that you might be suffering from lag problems (which can make it hard to give orders and move about the map) if you have a new computer or windows 10. If this is the case, try some of the command switches in the readme and tech support. I could not play this game for a long time, but once I figured it out (from a post in the tech support forum) I was able to get it to work.

As a last thing, just remember that this game is really deep, and learning it is a long process. Another forum member said it was like eating an elephant: just try to eat one bite at a time.

[Grfin Zeppelin]

We lost him
Even so many years after the war Imperial Japan claims its victims.

[Kull]

ORIGINAL: Gräfin Zeppelin

We lost him
Even so many years after the war Imperial Japan claims its victims.

He'll probably come out of the jungle in 20 years.

[Grfin Zeppelin]

ORIGINAL: Kull

ORIGINAL: Gräfin Zeppelin

We lost him
Even so many years after the war Imperial Japan claims its victims.

He'll probably come out of the jungle in 20 years.

[:D]

[MakeeLearn]

daird MIA

[Lecivius]

Well, if you jump in the deep end to swim with sharks...

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: Lecivius

Well, if you jump in the deep end to swim with sharks...

[:D]

[Cap Mandrake]

He's become a meme, a form of immortality.

Next thing we know he'll be in the King Arthur saga.......

"....and thus, it came to pass that Daird of Northumbria, without even one day's taste of
martial flavor, was beknighted by Arthur himself and taken into the inner sanctum where there was much imbibing of fermented spirits and partaking of the carnal pleasures of the most winsome beauties of the land. In short, it was an awesome gig....."

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

He's become a meme, a form of immortality.

Next thing we know he'll be in the King Arthur saga.......

"....and thus, it came to pass that Daird of Northumbria, without even one day's taste of
martial flavor, was beknighted by Arthur himself and taken into the inner sanctum where there was much imbibing of fermented spirits and partaking of the carnal pleasures of the most winsome beauties of the land. In short, it was an awesome gig....."

Hmmm - "martial flavor" could easily be replaced by "marital flavor". Nice of Arthur to fix that for him ...

[Kull]

My favorite part is the timeline:

1) Total noob (fact, not insult) starts first game: full campaign as Japan on 8/26 at 3:47 PM

2) Reports back at 4:48 PM and opines that there might be time for "reading the manual"

3) Last post is at 6:38 PM. "Can't move ships". Ragequit.

I don't know about you guys, but I'm shocked...SHOCKED...that somebody who hadn't even read the manual was unable to master WitP AE in less than 3 hours.

[AcePylut]

Well since it seems to me that the only way to get a game past 42 is to play the IJA myself, and having only done so for a few months against the AI, maybe I'll start an "Economic AAR" of sorts to battle the AI, and then when I have that campaign wrapped up, I'll join the dark side. It would be nice to be able to kick arse across the board for a year or so, before the inevitable defeat.

So far, here's what I know about running the Japanese economy (since that one battle I did was long long long ago and I forgot everything)....ok.... ready... here is it:





And that's about it.

So maybe we can build off of this thread.

I'm fine with "running the military" aspect of the Nipponese, no clue on economy.

My goal for the economy is this: Have B29 Killer airplanes in sufficient quantity by the time the B29's arrive.

My military goal is this: Develop a strategery that will prevent the Allies from having B29 bases in range of the HI before those B29 Killers arrive.

As far as how many planes I need to produce a month and of what type I need to produce in the interim, against a "real" opponent (I know I'm against AI, but I want to plan as if it were a real opponent).... I have no clue.

Is producing 200 Zeros a month in July '42 enough? Beats the heck out of me.

Do I want to end up with 1000 engines that I can't use? no. Do I know how to do prevent that? Oh heck no.

Do I want to run out of tanks in '43? Nope. How do I do that? Beats me.
Do I want 10,000,000 men in the pool for infantry units in June, '46? Yeah, um, no. How do I do that - I don't know... flip a coin and pray it lands on its edge?

One thing I figure I would do is stop all naval and merchant production for any ships arriving after October '44. Or so. I don't really know.

Discuss!

[Trugrit]

ORIGINAL: Kull

My favorite part is the timeline:

1) Total noob (fact, not insult) starts first game: full campaign as Japan on 8/26 at 3:47 PM

2) Reports back at 4:48 PM and opines that there might be time for "reading the manual"

3) Last post is at 6:38 PM. "Can't move ships". Ragequit.

I don't know about you guys, but I'm shocked...SHOCKED...that somebody who hadn't even read the manual was unable to master WitP AE in less than 3 hours.

Yep,

This has got to be a record. Pick up a hot potato and drop it in record time.

I think he has earned lasting fame on this forum. I wish him well.

[AcePylut]

Sink or Swim... I guess that's a "sink".

[BillBrown]

I find it sad and strange to spend that much money on a game and hardly even try to play it.

[Xargun]

ORIGINAL: Kull

My favorite part is the timeline:

1) Total noob (fact, not insult) starts first game: full campaign as Japan on 8/26 at 3:47 PM

2) Reports back at 4:48 PM and opines that there might be time for "reading the manual"

3) Last post is at 6:38 PM. "Can't move ships". Ragequit.

I don't know about you guys, but I'm shocked...SHOCKED...that somebody who hadn't even read the manual was unable to master WitP AE in less than 3 hours.

Hey now.. that sounds like me when I bought WitP a few moons ago.. brought it home and fired up the Grand Campaign as the Japanese... A day later I pried myself away from turn 1 and looked in the manual.... All I can say is I skipped step 3... and found a wonderful crew of people on the forums to bitch and whine to... and together we figured it out. OK - someone else figured it out and told me Same thing right?