Grab bag of noob questions

[boldrobot]

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

1. - Get Australia Command HQ or SWPac if it has arrived to Townsville.
- Get some ARs to Townsville. If no ship is assigned to them they donate their repair points to the port.
- Build Townsville port as rapidly as possible.

Don't move Enterprise until system damage is below 30. At that point you can move her in short hops to at least Brisbane (bigger port but the SY is still too small). Keep close to shore in case flooding starts to increase and you need to port and pump.
PS - if a lot of the flood damage is minor and can be pumped out at Townsville, I would consider moving Big E when Sys was below 40.

2. You get a lot of photo recon aircraft - check the Lysanders in India and the Buffalos in Malaya/Burma/India - but they won't help much around the Solomons!
Depending on game date you might have some F-4 Lightning photo recons. Half decent range on those. There are some Beaufort recons too but range may not be enough, even from Port Moresby.

The B-25s you have will be your longest-ranged PR aircraft until the Liberator photo recons arrive (F-5?).

Note that one of the carrier F4F-3 models has photo recon capability but it sucks as a fighter.

For my money, just train some Cats to over 30 in Recon skill and send multiple passes on the same turn (several squadrons or split a big one in four). IRL they had a hand-held large format camera which (if modeled) should help with getting recon numbers up.

Thanks! A bit of follow up:

1. I've got one AR at Townsville and might be able to scrounge another up. Would it be better to assign Enterprise to the AR in the ship repair screen, or just let the AR be there and give its points to the port, leaving Enterprise on pierside?

2. What would be a good altitude to fly the PBYs at for recon? Altitude in general is pretty mystifying to me - I understand that you can use it to coordinate strikes and have been doing that, but I have zero sense of what altitudes are effective for different missions (other than dive bombing which I get). Like, what's a good altitude to fly B17s for airfield strike missions? What's a good altitude for naval search? Etc. etc.

[BBfanboy]

1. ARs only really help with engineering damage repair if you assign the ship to them. They are intended to fix the 1-5 points of major engineering damage that every ship can suffer just from operating at sea. So do not assign Enterprise nor any other ship to the AR and the points can help with system and float damage.
Note that the game engine prioritizes damage repair where (after fires are out and for the same damage band) Flotation damage is handled first, Engineering damage second and System damage third.

What's a damage band? The potential damage of 99 points per type is divided into bands of mostly 15 points so the damage is worked on by highest number of points as first consideration, but when other types of damage fall within the same band of 15 the above priorities are applied to decide which type of repair gets worked on. So in your case Enterprise has 83 Sys damage and if Flotation damage was within the same band (70 - 84) then Flot would be repaired first until it reached 69. then the Sys damage would be worked down to 69. You cannot influence which type of repair gets handled except by assigning the ship to an AR that only does Eng damage or an ARD which only does Flot damage.

2. Use the "Database" button at the top left of the game screen to look up Japanese AA weapons and note their max range in height. My general sense of it is that their light 7.7 mm AAMG (which is ubiquitous) can only reach 2000 feet, their medium AA reaches as high as 8000 feet (but few units have it, usually dedicated AA units) and their heavy AA of 75-120 mm can reach 25K feet, maybe more. I don't worry too much about the heavy AA because of its inaccuracy, poor rate of fire and lack of radar fire control.

Also be aware that larger bases have more barrage balloons to snag your aircraft. Balloons can go up to 6000 feet and the more engines your aircraft has the greater its chances of hitting a balloon. Balloons might only damage the aircraft but they can also destroy it.

So, it comes down to how much risk you are comfortable with considering:
- the importance of the mission
- the skills of your pilots and squadron commander (especially Defensive skill)
- the depths of your aircraft and pilot pools
- how much AA the enemy has and whether he has supply to fire it

Throw in consideration of enemy CAP - what type of aircraft, what altitudes does it usually fly at, how good are his pilots and does he have radar to vector CAP onto your aircraft.

And then there is weather. Higher altitude means more likelihood clouds will obscure the target. I often fly bombers at 5000 feet to try get under Overcast or Heavy Cloud conditions.

Bombing accuracy and Recon detail are no doubt affected by Altitude. A good example is in Canoerebel's AAR in which he had to work out what altitudes to use for Strategic bombing of industry/cities. He went as low as 2000 feet which got great bombing results but was prohibitively expensive in bombers (and pilots). He had to go higher to get above medium AA and balloons.

So choosing the altitude is a crap shoot at which you can improve your odds by applying what you know about enemy capabilities and your own. After that, it is a crap shoot whether you chose right vs. what the enemy and the weather are doing that particular place and turn. [:D]

Good luck!

[CaptBeefheart]

Drop tanks: They won't show up if the base has a yellow or red exclamation mark (i.e. it's low on supply). Also, in some airplanes like F4Fs, they come later.

PBY altitude: As far as I know, 6,000 feet is the accepted norm for Nav Search, 1,000 or 2,000 for ASW. For Recon, 20,000 or a bit higher seems to work fine.

EDIT: For recon aircraft, it seems to really help if it has a camera. You can check in the database whether a particular aircraft has a camera. Some interesting ones are F4F-3P, other USN "P" models, and my favorite, the F4F-7.

Cheers,
CC

[boldrobot]

Thanks once again for all of the responses, you guys are seriously great. I've got a few more questions in connection with my planned invasion of Guadalcanal and Tulagi, specifically regarding HQs. I've read some other threads about HQs but still find it a little confusing.

First, Air HQs. I want to smash the airbase at Lunga before I send in the Marines. I've built Luganville up to size 6 and will have 80-100 B17Es on hand when the operation kicks off. I've got II Fighter Command at Luganville, which is assigned to Fifth USAAF. Luganville itself is owned by the restricted Australian command. The B17s are mostly assigned to Seventh USAAF, with some assigned to V Bomber Command. Seventh USAAF itself is at Moresby, where I'm planning on massing bombers to hit Rabaul. Will the Luganville bombers get bonuses to coordination just because there is an HQ at the base? Or do I need to have the bombers and the HQ unit assigned to the same command? What if I were to assign the HQ unit to Pacific Ocean Areas, of which Seventh USAAF is a part? Does it matter at all that Luganville is not in the same command structure? I don't mind moving these squadrons around as I have plenty of PP, just want to make sure it would actually be a good use of points. Finally, am I correct in thinking that the name of the HQ unit doesn't matter, i.e., that it's fine for II Fighter Command to be at a base where I'm mainly flying bombers?

Second, Land HQs. I've got a bunch of LCUs staging at Noumea and Luganville. US land HQs in theater are Southwest Pacific at Townsville and South Pacific at Noumea. Both are planning for Lunga. The LCUs for the invasion force are honestly a bit of a mess OOB-wise, they're in various commands within Pacific Ocean Areas, South Pacific, and South Pacific. Pacific Ocean Areas is back at Pearl and hasn't been planning for anything. How should I organize my OOB to get the most out of my units? Am I correct to assume it would be best to pick a command (e.g. South Pacific or I Amphibious Corps) and put the invasion forces under it? I've also read that it helps when a unit is in range of a land HQ unit - is this only true when a unit is assigned to that land HQ, or when any land HQ is nearby? And how can I tell when the unit is in range?

Third, a smell test on the operation. It's mid-July '42 and I'd like to kick things off within the month. I've got Yorktown, Saratoga, Wasp, and Hornet operational - Lexington got sunk and Enterprise is badly damaged, I don't expect it back in operation until 1943. Japan has lost Shokaku, Akagi, Kaga, and either Shoho or Ryujo (conflicting reports but definitely one of them). I think it makes sense to go forward with the operation with all of my carriers present, as even if all of the remainder of KB shows up, I have a slight upper hand. Is this a crazy risk?

I know this is a ton of questions - any insight would be very much appreciated.

[Blackhorse]

ORIGINAL: boldrobot

Second, Land HQs. I've got a bunch of LCUs staging at Noumea and Luganville. US land HQs in theater are Southwest Pacific at Townsville and South Pacific at Noumea. Both are planning for Lunga. The LCUs for the invasion force are honestly a bit of a mess OOB-wise, they're in various commands within Pacific Ocean Areas, South Pacific, and South Pacific. Pacific Ocean Areas is back at Pearl and hasn't been planning for anything. How should I organize my OOB to get the most out of my units? Am I correct to assume it would be best to pick a command (e.g. South Pacific or I Amphibious Corps) and put the invasion forces under it? I've also read that it helps when a unit is in range of a land HQ unit - is this only true when a unit is assigned to that land HQ, or when any land HQ is nearby? And how can I tell when the unit is in range?

You just have to be in range of any appropriate Allied Land HQ . . . regardless of which HQ the LCU is attached to. For the 'Corps' combat bonus you want to be within 1 hex of a Corps HQ, or five hexes of an Army HQ. There is no additional bonus for being within range of multiple Corps and/or Army HQs. For the maximum bonus, the LCU should be within range of either a Corps/Army HQ, and also a Command HQ (range 9 hexes). For combat on bases it also helps if the HQs are prepped for that base.

If you are doing an amphibious invasion against an enemy-occupied base, then you really want your LCU prepped for the invasion hex, and near 100%. And it helps to have an AGC in the invasion task force (once they arrive). It helps more to have an AGC with an Amphibious Force HQ loaded, but the first one doesn't arrive until 7/43.

[BBfanboy]

To add to what Blackhorse said:

- I think the LCU HQ bonus is a die roll thing, sometimes you get it, sometimes not. Getting the bonus for both a Corps/Army HQ and Command HQ in range is a rarity. Note that HQs provide other benefits - speeding up upgrades and replacements, drawing supply to the location, and perhaps helping speed recovery of fatigue and moral or increase rate of prep for new target (if the HQ is already prepping for the same one).

- Air HQs are somewhat similar - the Squadron does not have to belong to the HQ to get some help, but if it does the help seems to be more effective. E.G., any Air HQ in range will help with strike coordination but having all the squadrons assigned to the same target in range of their own Air HQ is more likely to keep the coordination.

- like land HQs, Air HQs help with administration like repairs, upgrades and replacements and, once they draw torpedoes from supply, can provide torpedoes to Squadrons within their command radius.

About the B-17s: they are rugged in battle but they do wear out during ops, as do their pilots. Range to Lunga from Luganville is 12 hexes. After a couple of strikes you will have to rest your squadrons for days while the aircraft are repaired. They will also us a lot of supply - stock your bases well!

[boldrobot]

So based on both of your responses, fair to say that OOB doesn't matter that much as long as there is an HQ present within the relative radius?

I've got 100k+ supply stockpiled in Luganville, Noumea has like 350-400k and Sydney has over a million. Well north of half a million units of fuel between the same 3 bases. LCUs have been prepping for months. Hope all that will be enough to maintain operational tempo.

[rms1pa]

So based on both of your responses, fair to say that OOB doesn't matter that much as long as there is an HQ present within the relative radius?

Yes, much of the planned HQ effects were not implemented.
air HQs help with base capacity , coordination and supplying torpedoes.

allies start with 2 unrestricted lcu corp HQs as i remember

1 amphib corp and 3 indian corp. . i tend to have 1 amphib start planning for lunga dec 8 .

rms/pa

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: boldrobot

So based on both of your responses, fair to say that OOB doesn't matter that much as long as there is an HQ present within the relative radius?

I've got 100k+ supply stockpiled in Luganville, Noumea has like 350-400k and Sydney has over a million. Well north of half a million units of fuel between the same 3 bases. LCUs have been prepping for months. Hope all that will be enough to maintain operational tempo.

Sounds like you are a lot farther along in your game than I thought. Please post the game date to help frame the answers to your questions. Much depends on what you have to play with (like AGCs and Amphib Force HQs).

[boldrobot]

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

ORIGINAL: boldrobot

So based on both of your responses, fair to say that OOB doesn't matter that much as long as there is an HQ present within the relative radius?

I've got 100k+ supply stockpiled in Luganville, Noumea has like 350-400k and Sydney has over a million. Well north of half a million units of fuel between the same 3 bases. LCUs have been prepping for months. Hope all that will be enough to maintain operational tempo.

Sounds like you are a lot farther along in your game than I thought. Please post the game date to help frame the answers to your questions. Much depends on what you have to play with (like AGCs and Amphib Force HQs).

I mentioned it but it was kinda buried at the end of the post - it's July 1942. I don't have AGCs or Amphib Force HQs yet. Aiming for a roughly historical date for the invasion of Guadalcanal/Tulagi.

Photo recon of Lunga reports about 38,000 troops there. Yikes!

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: boldrobot

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

ORIGINAL: boldrobot

So based on both of your responses, fair to say that OOB doesn't matter that much as long as there is an HQ present within the relative radius?

I've got 100k+ supply stockpiled in Luganville, Noumea has like 350-400k and Sydney has over a million. Well north of half a million units of fuel between the same 3 bases. LCUs have been prepping for months. Hope all that will be enough to maintain operational tempo.

Sounds like you are a lot farther along in your game than I thought. Please post the game date to help frame the answers to your questions. Much depends on what you have to play with (like AGCs and Amphib Force HQs).

I mentioned it but it was kinda buried at the end of the post - it's July 1942. I don't have AGCs or Amphib Force HQs yet. Aiming for a roughly historical date for the invasion of Guadalcanal/Tulagi.

Photo recon of Lunga reports about 38,000 troops there. Yikes!

Well you can go there and grind away to see who wears out first, but most players use the "Hit-em where they ain't" strategy.

[rustysi]

Photo recon of Lunga reports about 38,000 troops there. Yikes!

Well you can go there and grind away to see who wears out first, but most players use the "Hit-em where they ain't" strategy.

Yeah, go somewhere else. As a Japanese player I can tell you if he's that strong, that early, in that location, he's weak somewhere else.

[boldrobot]

Against the advice of the thread, I went for it at Guadalcanal and Tulagi and managed to pull it off, securing both islands after about a month of fighting. Dropping 1800AV at Lunga across 2-3 waves did the trick. There was a super intense series of carrier battles in the Solomons that saw 5 Japanese carriers confirmed sunk and 1 presumed sunk. The only Allied losses from the operation were CV Saratoga heavily damaged (it'll survive but won't be back in action until next year), a couple of BBs moderately damaged, and a couple of APs sunk. Major credit for this stunning victory goes to all of the help you guys have given me.

One more question for now: How exactly does replenishment of carriers from an AE or AKE work? The manual is pretty thin on this. I know that you can't replenish from an AE at sea until very late in the war. Can you replenish from an AE/AKE if that vessel is in a task force in port, or does it need to be disbanded? Will a carrier replenish sorties from an AE/AKE? Torpedoes? Both/neither?

[BBfanboy]

If the AE/AKE is in a TF it is considered "at sea" even if it is in the port hex (unless the TF is docked). These ships are normally disbanded in port and will automatically replenish ships that the Port itself cannot handle. That includes carrier torpedoes.

Note that there are operations limits for both the receiving ship and the AE/AKE. Once they reach 1000 points, they are done for the day. It can take several days to replenish a big TF with carriers and BBs. The more AEs/AKEs, the fewer days it will take.

Also keep an eye on the level of cargo in the AE/AKEs. They must be replenished from the port from time to time and this will use ops points. The amount of cargo ammo that can be loaded on the AE/AKE in one turn is dependant on port size and Naval Support.

IIRC, the AEs/AKEs must have no damage at all before they will do their work.

[rustysi]

IIRC, the AEs/AKEs must have no damage at all before they will do their work.

Also, they must be of adequate size in order to replenish ammo. Its all dependent on their 'cargo' capacity. AE/AKE capacity must be => rearm cost. See manual p284.

Against the advice of the thread, I went for it at Guadalcanal and Tulagi and managed to pull it off, securing both islands after about a month of fighting.

I suspect you're playing the AI? When and if you PBEM use caution as 'bad habits' developed against the AI can result in disaster.[:D]

[GetAssista]

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy
IIRC, the AEs/AKEs must have no damage at all before they will do their work.

You are thinking about ARs here. AE/AKE can replenish when damaged (not severely, there is some threshold) while disbanded. Dunno about in route for AEs but no damage rule also would be illogical here since damage would accumulate in high seas, exactly where you would want to use AEs

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: GetAssista

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy
IIRC, the AEs/AKEs must have no damage at all before they will do their work.

You are thinking about ARs here. AE/AKE can replenish when damaged (not severely, there is some threshold) while disbanded. Dunno about in route for AEs but no damage rule also would be illogical here since damage would accumulate in high seas, exactly where you would want to use AEs

Ah, thanks GA - I was having trouble remembering which type it was with the "no damage" rule and never thought of ARs.[:)]

[boldrobot]

Gravedigging my thread to ask a quick question about the end game: Is it possible to keep playing after autovictory or does the game end no matter what? It’s late August 1943 in my game and the score is already about 2:1 in my favor. Unless the AI pulls off a major reversal, it therefore seems likely that I will get autovictory as soon as 1945 hits, even if I don’t carry out any more offensives. I’d kind of like to play around with some of the endgame stuff, like invading Japan or dropping the bomb. Not a big deal either way, but I’m curious.

[BillBrown]

You have the option to continue playing.

[boldrobot]

Thanks.