Into The Unknown Taxcutter vs. Ironman

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: Taxcutter

I have Lexington II limping to Sydney (FLT=30, ENG=28) at eight knots with nine strong escorts. She caught a fish inbound to Suva from a IJN sub. The sub got sunk but now she be in the yards for some time.

Sydney SY is 30,000 tons capacity (unless expanded in a mod), Lex is 36,000 tons. You can fix only the System and maybe the Engineering damage.

EDIT: disregard - just noticed it was Lex II not the original. An Essex carrier will fit in Sydney's repair SY.

[jwolf]

Heh, I made the same mistake about the Lex as opposed to Lex II, but caught myself just before posting. [8D]

[Taxcutter]

Yeah, I checked. Lex II is 27,000 tons.

Still, the Sydney yard will be full up for some time.


Anybody know just how far north I have to hold islands to trigger kamikazes?

Since neutralizing Truk is gonna be a tall order, I won't drag across the north shore of New Guinea, but rather kick in the door in the eastern DEI and the Vogelkopf peninsula.

There are lots of places I can build air fields and use land-based air and I'm only dependent of carrier ir for a short time. Also, after I nab Timor I'll move my Dutch and S-boat submarine assets to take over the Java Sea. When I get Kendari I'll probably move my Darwin sub tenders there to maximize time on patrol in the South China Sea.

Always in my previous AI games kamikazes triggered when I took bases in the PI.

[BBfanboy]

It used to be 15 hexes from Tokyo, or some such but I think that was increased and a few other locations thrown in so I don't remember all the ifs, ands or buts.
Best to search the forum for kamikaze trigger.

[jmalter]

wrt kamikaze, see the manual 7.4.2.3.

There are 3 criteria listed:
1) Must be after 01 Jan 44.
2) Allies must have captured a base within 15 hexes (by sea route, not air range) of Saigers, Takao or Tokyo. But some have noted that this refers to 'old' WitP & its 40-mile hexes. WitP:AE's 46-mile hexes reduces the 15-hex route to 13.
3) Any air-group except Transport types can convert to kamis. I think this is incorrect, I've been getting whangit by
Topsies staging out of Kavieng.

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: jmalter

wrt kamikaze, see the manual 7.4.2.3.

There are 3 criteria listed:
1) Must be after 01 Jan 44.
2) Allies must have captured a base within 15 hexes (by sea route, not air range) of Saigers, Takao or Tokyo. But some have noted that this refers to 'old' WitP & its 40-mile hexes. WitP:AE's 46-mile hexes reduces the 15-hex route to 13.
3) Any air-group except Transport types can convert to kamis. I think this is incorrect, I've been getting whangit by
Topsies staging out of Kavieng.

I don't think the conversion applies - the WITP-AE hexes are 40NM wide but land movement is calculated on statute miles so the hex is considered 46 statute miles wide for ground movement only. That is just using a different scale on the same sized hex - 15 hexes is still 15 hexes.
As for the manual, it may not still be current for even the last official patch. I believe Michael M increased the 15 hex range (but I am not sure of the new range) and it may be "Range X from anywhere in the Main islands of Japan" (country code 101) or cities like Shanghai or anywhere on Luzon. I just cannot recall all the parameters because it was not as simple as previously.

[Taxcutter]

Quick and dirty update: August 21, 1943

Torokina fell to the augmented First Marine last night. Ironman sacrificed the base REMFs and got his brigade away with only 35% casualties.

As soon as the supply (>100,000 tons) is offloaded the transports will bug out to Noumean to pick up the Army divisions for Shortlands.

Nothing else big to report.

[Taxcutter]

Update: August 23, 1943

Biggest news. An IJN sub put a torpedo into USS Hornet while replenishing. Escorts hit the sub eight times but no news of sinking the sub. The Hornet is not all that badly damaged (FLT=18). With Lex II hogging the dock at Sydney, Hornet has to go to Pearl for repair. She’s headed east under heavy ASW escort. I replaced her in Spruance’s TF with an Essex and a CVL.

More an annoyance than a threat. Ironman’s KB remains torpid. The Essex’ air crew is nowhere near as experienced as that of the Hornet, but some coral-crunching in the Solomon Sea area will help.

For the most part I have Ironman’s subs beaten down. He hasn’t sunk a merchant in months. Now two CV in the space of two weeks. Next tanker convoy out of LA will include a gaggle of SC, YMS, and modern DE units (ASW=11). As I do around my logistic hubs, I’ll flood the zone in the Pago Pago to Noumea corridor and in the Solomon Sea with patrol boats. I’ve already run one ‘bait’ convoy (1xAK with supply and three modern DE) looking to lure his SS into attack where I can depth charge his brains out.

My engineers have the airfield (5) and port (1) at Torokina repaired nd I’m offloading two regiments and two battalions of engineers as well as assorted REMFs to develop Torokina. I intend to station a FG of USAAF fighters (50 P-40 and 25 P-39) there for cover. I have a USAAF BF (aviation support =90) en route. Should be operational by time the Shortlands amphib force shows up. Hate to fight it out with 22,000 cornered rats but I need those two bases.

Speaking of aircraft carriers I sent a force of five CVE loaded with mostly fighters to the Indian Ocean to escort convoys into (for now) Akyab and (later) Rangoon. So far this is working out despite the low experience of the fighter air crew. I have one FG of P-40K at 60% strength augmenting the CVE CAP at Akyab. At Calcutta, I’m upgrading one FG to P-47B as my P-40K pool is at zero. They’ll be at Akyab in a couple days to let me flesh them back up with the -40Ks taken from the other group.

The 80th FG is at Karachi and assembling planes. The 80th is equipped with P-40N1 but the pool is already empty. I’ll have to rotate them in and out with P-40N5 (pool =45 currently) as the -40N1s attrit away. You have to get good at pool management when you play against Ironman. He still seems to have lots of Oscars but his aircrew is very inexperienced and my multi-aces are killing them at a 6:1 clip.

I made a tour of the IV AAF units in the CONUS that I’ll never get my hands on and “harvested” all the experienced aircrew (EXP>70) into my reserve. Thanks to the bloodbath at the Burma border my USAAF fighter reserves and TRACOM are very strong. USN and USMC – not so much.

[jwolf]

I’ve already run one ‘bait’ convoy (1xAK with supply and three modern DE) looking to lure his SS into attack where I can depth charge his brains out.

I'm curious about this tactic. Have you (or anyone else) had success with it?

[Timotheus]

Hullo. I have played Andy's improved AI with stock Japanese AI forces (scenario 33) and..... it is too easy. It is September 1942, and Japanese air power (especially naval air) is decimated, their pilots now are terrible compared to mine, I am attacking Rangoon, I hold (and always did, never lost that base) Port Moresby (although that was touch and go for a while), and worse, I am still defending Palembang with Dutch forces (Java fell though). I would say Japan AI already lost the war.
I sank fleet CV's: Akagi, Kaga, Junyo, and light CV's: Ryuho, Shoho, Hosho.
And worse for Japan, I murderized their naval air to the point that my 4-5 All-American CV task force, now with CLAA ships (poor Japanese air!) have ZERO fear of Japanese air power, both naval and land, at least where I am fighting, North Oz, NE Oz, Port Moresby (all Allied). My P40's (some are P40K now) murderize poor Japanese Tojos and Oscars, not to mention Bettys and Nellys raids which are like all you can eat buffets!

The AI for land war is atrocious. In Burma, 30,000 Japanese blitzed my bases, capturing Prome, Magwe and going on to attack Shwebo.
Trouble was, they did not garrison Prome and Magwe.... with anything! So I moved my UK'ers into those bases, and the 30,000 stack in Shwebo continously bombed (no AI Japanese LRCAP) and assaulted by much smaller force, and since no supply was getting to those Japanese (no LOC, and I also got a message that the Japanese in Shwebo were surrounded!) the huge 30,000 stack melted away.

Similarly, Japanese uber stack in Burma #2, roughly 30,000 troopers also (playing with FOW), got to the hex to the right of Akyab - and stopped there, as I had more than enough forces in Akyab to resist. I moved in a single puny Burmese unit - the Mandalay Battalion with AV of....13..... into Arakan Yoma and cut off supply to the Japanese uber stack #2. And..... once I moved UK'ers into that hex, with again continous bombing and artillery, they melted away.

I am now 2 hexes away from Rangoon in 2 directions, and will soon (2-4 weeks I think) capture Rangoon.

In China, there are some 100,000 troops uber stacks which have no trouble taking a base from me but... they move way too slow and the AI is not aggressive enough. Yes, I lost the outer layer of bases - Chengchow, Kaoping, Tatung..... but last push was into Kweisui and Paotaw (which are now Japanese). But Changsha with its factories is extremely safe.

And... I do not feel in danger in China at all. Never felt in danger.

I am running convoys from Perth into Darwin, UNESCORTED, because I have B17's in Darwin, which obliterate any attempt to base warplanes in closest enemy airbases - Lautem, Dili, Koepang (Timor Island). I basically do not need fighters in Darwin - B17's guarantee air superiority in that whole region N Oz. And so I sent 1-2 AK's and AKL's from Perth into Darwin which is such a fortress now even a human player would not be able to take it. No Japanese AI action near Perth, nor are they intercepting convoys Perth > Darwin.

My main convoy route to Oz is continous fuel (and some resource) HUGE convoys CONUS > Pearl, then well protected tankers with DD's Pearl > Suva, and smaller tanker convoys Suva > Sydney. Zero enemy action against Suva (or Noumea) other than subs which are kept suppressed by ASW DD's and air sqadrons flying ASW (almost zero hits on enemy subs, but am keeping them down, and that's what counts). But no surface raids.

Gotta say an enemy CV or even surface raid into Suva.... or worse yet an invasion into Suva.... would make this game REALLY interesting.
But, nope, nothing.

Japan got Tulagi - whoop dee doo, couldn't care less. They DID get Tanna (it is between Noumea and Suva) which got my blood pumping, but they did not support it with naval/CV, nor did they base airpower there, and they have landed minimal land forces there.... So I landed a division there (overkill but just to make sure) and took it.

I can see what Andy's AI script was doing - there was tremendous pressure on Port Moresby (still is) with 30,000 troops there, a lot of troops are in Buna and Lae, and I believe Japan's plan was to go for Tanna, base air there, and at least try to raid my LOC Suva-Noumea from there...
I think I killed off so much Japanese stuff that they simply don't have the assets to do this and so.... it's a cakewalk for me.


Sorry for giving a mini AAR and writing so much..... one of my worse traits...... Anyway.....
I am writing all this to get answers to these questions, since I think I will go now vs Japan AI Ironman and try my skill there:

1) Did Palembang fall to Japan in your game and when?
2) Is AI in China giving you some trouble or is it a cakewalk?
3) Did Burma fall - are you defending Kohima/Imphal and struggling a bit or are you fighting in Burma?
4) Was India or Oz in any danger? Either by amphib or raids?
5) Suva, New Zealand, Noumea, Sydney (?LOL?) - were they invaded, or at least threatened or raided by the Japanese AI?
6) At end of 1942, are you winning the air war decisively, or is Japan AI putting up a fight in the air (in my game Japanese airpower is pretty much bye bye at end of 1942)?



I am not asking whether there were invasions into Darwin, Port Moresby, India, Ceylon because I would like to be (un)pleasantly surprised by the AI. If you could just answer with YES/NO (that way I won't know whether it was a small raid, a Kido Butai sweep or a full amphib) that would be awesome.

I do not want to play Japan Ironman AI and have another cakewalk, basically. Thanks for answers, if any.

Cheers!

[Taxcutter]

Answers:
1) Re: Palembang. The Japanese took it in Jan. 1942
2) Re: Mostly a stalemate. Poor Chinese supply holds me back more than Ironman AI. Like earlier versions, the Ironman AI is too careless about flanks. Even my sad-sack Chinese can surround and kill 15,000-40,000 man IJA pockets.
3) Re: Burma: Yeah, Ironman chased me out of Burma but the Imphal Ridge (triple defensive terrain) and the distance fro supply allowed me to hold the ridge comfortably.
4) Re: Danger to India or Oz. Not really. Ironman did invade Perth area (bout not Perth city) but the Ausses have plenty of ground pounders to defeat that attack. Perth is too far from bases for supply or land-based air power. Once Ironman got beyond historic conquests they have to be supported by KB or they go nowhere.
5): Re: Fijis, Samoa, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Sydney, or Brisbane. No threat at all. Helluva fight at Canton Island.
6): Re: Status 12/31/42. I had him stopped although Ironman's air numbers are so augmented he burns through my airframe pools. I use RANGE=0 to maintain strong pilot quality. As of 8/43, I'm still struggling to get supply into Akyab. Ironman seems to have unlimited Betties.

AI assessment:
Land - terrible. Oriented to penny-packet warfare and oblivious to flanks
Sea - aggressive til Midway then torpid
Air - committed to a war of attrition. Limited by weak bombers
Guerre de course - Lots of raiders early on, even in 8/42 an AMC keeps showing up on the SF-Pearl route Lack of radar makes his subs more of a nuisance than a threat. I mix up routes and he can't find me despite float planes on subs. Defensively, he is as weak as historical.

Pne of these days I'll retire and have time to commit to a PBEM campaign.

[Andy Mac]

Having just completed 700 turns v the AI myself in my last game I have figured out some more issues and am dealing with them.

I cannot do much about China the AI simply cannot cope with a Human player there but I am improving the Burma scripts (especially for Ironman where the AI has more resources)

The AI will always struggle with ahistoric defensive lines in a scen 1 game it simply does not have the resources to compete.

The new more methodical AI will do somewhat better is Scen 1 and 2 but most of the improvements are probably to the Allied AI in these scenarios

Where the new AI is doing substantially better is in the Ironman tier 1 2 nd 3 scenarios where it does a bit better

[Andy Mac]

Especially on counterattacking unexpected lines of attack - its not perfect far from it but it should react slightly better

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: Andy Mac

Having just completed 700 turns v the AI myself in my last game I have figured out some more issues and am dealing with them.

I cannot do much about China the AI simply cannot cope with a Human player there but I am improving the Burma scripts (especially for Ironman where the AI has more resources)

The AI will always struggle with ahistoric defensive lines in a scen 1 game it simply does not have the resources to compete.

The new more methodical AI will do somewhat better is Scen 1 and 2 but most of the improvements are probably to the Allied AI in these scenarios

Where the new AI is doing substantially better is in the Ironman tier 1 2 nd 3 scenarios where it does a bit better

You are a God, among men! So many thanks!!![&o]

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

ORIGINAL: Andy Mac

Having just completed 700 turns v the AI myself in my last game I have figured out some more issues and am dealing with them.

I cannot do much about China the AI simply cannot cope with a Human player there but I am improving the Burma scripts (especially for Ironman where the AI has more resources)

The AI will always struggle with ahistoric defensive lines in a scen 1 game it simply does not have the resources to compete.

The new more methodical AI will do somewhat better is Scen 1 and 2 but most of the improvements are probably to the Allied AI in these scenarios

Where the new AI is doing substantially better is in the Ironman tier 1 2 nd 3 scenarios where it does a bit better

You are a God, among men! So many thanks!!![&o]

Amen and +1

[Timotheus]

Thank You for answering.

As to Andy being a deity..... I would say that isn't so, however, he has already made my life much more fun by allowing me to play a more challenging AI even when playing scenario 33 where Japanese AI does not get any extra toys to balance the AI game engine.

As we all know, there are only two perfect things in this universe:
1) God
2) My Mom

... not necessarily in this order of importance.

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: Timotheus

Thank You for answering.

As to Andy being a deity..... I would say that isn't so, however, he has already made my life much more fun by allowing me to play a more challenging AI even when playing scenario 33 where Japanese AI does not get any extra toys to balance the AI game engine.

As we all know, there are only two perfect things in this universe:
1) God
2) My Mom

... not necessarily in this order of importance.

Are you saying your Mom plays WITP-AE? Awesome!

[Taxcutter]

Update: Sept. 1, 1943

A cruiser sweep through the Bismarck Sea helps me firm up mid-range plans. Manaus, Madang, and Hansa Bay are only lightly held. Some LB traffic. Can't yet tell if he is reinforcing or pulling out. this sweep did provoke some air attack. At Manaus fifteen Betties came in from direction of Truk. The furious flak of six Clevelands made this a bad idea. Five dead Betties - no damage to ships. At Madang Ironman sent twelve Jills and got one torpedo hit of a cruiser. (FLT=37) Long trip to Pearl is in order. As I sweep mines prior to invsions at Buka and Green islands, Ironman has been sending Betties to torment them, but I have up LRCAP (P-39D and P-40E) out of Torokina. P-39s for some reason seem to be excellent Betty-killers.

The 1st Marine Division is oozing toward Shortlands. I have two fully prepped Army divisions plus tanks and combat engineers siting at Noumea. Anticipate a metal storm at shorts by third week of the month. SBDs and B-25s pound Shortlands.

Building up supply and fuel at Darwin. Convoys are well-escorted.

Finally got P-47Bs on CAP at Akyab. P-47s don't seem to get damaged as badly as P-40s, so even after five solid days against big raids, my P-47 squadrons are over 80% available. P-40N1 FG just arrived and I'll see how well they bear up. Mandalay is almost neutralized. Supply is cut off and everything Ironman has in central and upper Burma is in trouble. I took Pegu and found Moulmein ungarrisoned. There are 70,000+ men in Rangoon.

I'm prepped and ready to attack Attu in a couple weeks.

[jwolf]

...got one torpedo hit of a cruiser. (FLT=37) Long trip to Pearl is in order.

From there, wouldn't it make more sense to go to Sydney?

[anarchyintheuk]

ORIGINAL: jwolf

...got one torpedo hit of a cruiser. (FLT=37) Long trip to Pearl is in order.

From there, wouldn't it make more sense to go to Sydney?

Lex II is already there. Brisbane, Melbourne and NZ should work tho.