Centuur and rkr1958: a production masterclass

[Centuur]

One has to check all resources and the overseas routes which are used by individual resources, so giving only the idle resources is not enough information.

Therefore: saved game, please. I will give a detailed information how to get things done and why I take those actions.

[Joseignacio]

ORIGINAL: warspite1

ORIGINAL: rkr1958

ORIGINAL: Centuur

Can we have a saved game, please? That will make it easier for me to document how to get maximum production.

Tomorrow after the "office hours at home" your on...

what he said. [:D]

warspite1

Gents, we have different versions so I'm not sure that would work. What I was hoping for was that you could provide the mechanics of removing defaults and overrides etc. I would then do the heavy lifting in terms of implementing what needs to be done and can post whatever screenshots are required along the way.

The mechanics are different depending on the routes, the Artificial Dubness may have no problems with one route and however may not like some others and not let you do them.

It is not a matter of procedure, but of disconecting the friggin AD.

[warspite1]

What version do you have installed rkr1958?

[rkr1958]

ORIGINAL: Centuur

One has to check all resources and the overseas routes which are used by individual resources, so giving only the idle resources is not enough information.

Therefore: saved game, please. I will give a detailed information how to get things done and why I take those actions.

Me too.

ORIGINAL: warspite1
Gents, we have different versions so I'm not sure that would work. What I was hoping for was that you could provide the mechanics of removing defaults and overrides etc. I would then do the heavy lifting in terms of implementing what needs to be done and can post whatever screenshots are required along the way.

don't worry about different versions. I just need a "copy" of your game file to work through the production. From that I will post the details with screen CAPs of what I did to get the production I got. Hopefully, you and others will be able to follow that "cookbook" and get the same results.

[rkr1958]

ORIGINAL: warspite1

What version do you have installed rkr1958?

4.2.1.1 (debug). But I'm capable of running any or all earlier versions back to 3.2.0.

However, if you just post (i.e., attach) your current game file I can deal with any version differences even if it's a higher version than the one I'm using.

[warspite1]

Right, so here is the game at Preliminary Production. Resources to China has been selected and the CW would like to assist with the Burmese oil

Lets send 4 resources (1 oil) to France from the CW

[Centuur]

ORIGINAL: warspite1

Right, so here is the game at Preliminary Production. Resources to China has been selected and the CW would like to assist with the Burmese oil

Lets send 4 resources (1 oil) to France from the CW

Resource have to be lend to another major power in the lending resources stage.

RAW:

3.1 Sequence of play
The sequence of play in a turn is:
A. REINFORCEMENT STAGE
B. LENDING RESOURCES STAGE
C. INITIATIVE STAGE
D. ACTION STAGE
Repeat D1 through D3 until the action stage ends.
D1 Determine weather
D2 First side’s impulse
Every major power on the first side performs these steps:
D2.1 Declare war
D2.2 Choose action
Choose either a pass, a naval, an air, a land or a
combined action.
D2.3 Perform actions
The major powers that didn’t pass perform these
steps in this order (their action choice will limit
what they can do ~ see action limits table):
(a) Port attacks
(b) Naval air missions
(c) Naval movement
(d) Your naval combat
(e) Opponent’s naval combat
(f) Strategic bombardment
(g) Carpet bombing (option 32)
(h) Ground strike missions
(i) Rail movement
(j) Land movement
(k) Air transport
(l) Debark land units at sea
(m) Invasions
(n) Paradrops
(o) Land combat
(p) Air rebases
(q) Reorganisation
D2.4 End of action
Roll to end the action stage. If it doesn’t end,
advance the impulse marker the number of spaces
shown on the weather chart for the current weather
roll. If it ends, move on to stage E - the end of
turn.
D3 Second side’s impulse
If the action stage didn’t end, repeat the steps in D2 for
the second side. If the action stage doesn’t end after the
second side’s impulse, go back to D1.
E. END OF TURN STAGE
Both sides perform these steps in this order:
E1 Partisans
E2 US entry
E3 Return to base
E4 Final reorganisation
E5 Production
E6 Intelligence (option 63)
E7 Peace
E7.1 Conquest
E7.2 Allied minor support
E7.3 Mutual peace
E7.4 Vichy declaration
E7.5 Liberation
E7.6 Surrender
E8 Victory check (& option 30: factory destruction)

The game start in SO 1939 at point D1. That's after the lending stage. What you want to do is not allowed according to the rules...

[Centuur]

To get maximum production for France and the CW at start in an oil game, I always start with the major power on a side which has the fewest resources to send overseas. Also, I would want to save as many oil as possible.

So China is first.
China at start of the game is automatically correct. All resources are send over land (no resource lending is possible in the first turn, even if one has chosen the US option). In the gamesave all 7 resources are send to factories. I than press the button "Switch major power", and the USSR is next.

The USSR produces 6 BP, using all resources. However, saving one oil resource is possible (this is also the maximum for neutral major powers), without reducing the number of build points produced. Therefore, I select the line of one oil resource, press the button "Save" stated under "Rail/Ship" and select a city to save that oil point in. After that, I press the button recompute. I check the resource chosen if it gets saved in that city. I than press the "Switch major power" and the United States is the next major power.

The United States has full production. One oil resource (usually the one in Alaska) is idle. Again, I want to save that resource and put it in the city of Albuquerque (there is a US convoy available to do this). After pressing the "Recompute" button, I select France.

France and the CW are at start usually a mess. MWIF does a really poor job for the calculations here.

To get maximum production, 15 CW resources needs to be send overseas to the UK and as much other French resources need to go arrive in France. The choice is whether or not to burn the Iraqi oil in a French factory. In the first turn, that means a difference of a build point. I'm going to presume that the goal is maximum production. So the Iraqi oil gets send of to France and will get burned in a factory. Also: the Indo Chinese resource will be send to a factory in France.

[Centuur]

However, the Indo China resource is shown to be "idle". I select that line, press the button "Produce" under "Rail Ship" and select the idle factory of Vichy. I press recompute.

Yes, I got maximum production with 10 Production Points now, but hey: that's silly, isn't it. I'm burning an oil point in a factory and the production multiplier is 0,5. So I again go back to the oil resource in France, and decide to save that one in Toulouse.

So I select the line with the oil resource, go again under "Rail/Ship", press the Save button and select the city of Toulouse. Again I press recompute. After I've done this the French production planning looks as in the picture. After checking if everything is OK, I'll press "switch major power".

[Centuur]

So, that leaves the Commonwealth. 3 Idle factories. That's not maximum production at all. Let's see how to change that.

[rkr1958]

Turn 1. Sep/Oct 1939. Japan. Preliminary Production.

If I'm wrong please correct me; but I view our mission is maximize production production given convoys at sea and your (i.e., Warspite's) direction(s) with respect to lending agreements.

So working through the major powers, axis first this turn, preliminary productions screens: (1) Germany has no CPs at sea so not applicable, (2) Italy has 1 in the Italian Coast with 1 RP flowing to a factory so nothing more can be there and (3) lastly, Japan.

The top screen CAP is the preliminary production that was given and the bottom is my recommendation to maximize production given CPs at sea, trade agreements, etc. I freed up a CP in the China Sea by moving the save of the Balikpapan, NEI oil from Mukden, Manchuria to Canton. This freed up a CP in the China Sea which allowed the previous idle RP at Hainan to reach a factory in Japan; thus increasing production by 1 BP.

[Centuur]

Of course, Mr. Warspite has done a good job in positioning his convoys. That means that it should be possible to give the CW maximum production (and save oil also). Oil resources are the key to proceed. Where non-oil resources are always going to a factory, oil resource can be saved. Also: any resource coming out of trade agreements are lost, if they are not used in a factory or saved.
The way the convoys are positioned in the game, gives me notice to do the following:

1. Save the Dutch East Indies oil in places around the Bay of Bengal.
2. Save the Birmese Oil in Birma.

The 3 convoy points in the Bay of Bengal are than totally used, and the 3 convoy points in the Arabian Sea need to be used for two non oil resources out of India. Remember, our garlic eating friends from Paris are using one convoy point to get the Indo China resource back to France...

So I check where those oil resource are going now, and change them (again: select the row, press the save button under Rail Ship and send those resources to Rangoon, Calcutta and Bombay).

[Centuur]

Only one factory still idle. It starts to look better and better. However, there are still 6 idle non oil resources. So I stick at looking at the oil resources and the unused convoy screen.

Next: the Persian oil. That is using a precious convoy point which I would want to use to send a non oil resource out of the east to the UK instead. So I save that one in Amman (Transjordan).

After this, there are no more oil resources from the east going to the UK any more. So, it's time to check the idle non oil resources and the unused allied convoys again.

[Centuur]

Now, for the big final. It's somewhat strange, but the button "unused convoys" is a somewhat strange thing. It gives the number of unused convoys according to the computer program. However, the program now shows that the Cape of St. Vincent hasn't got any unused convoys. Thats "Humbug", as mr. Scrooge would say. Didn't we conclude that Mr. Warspite did a good job by setting up the convoys for maximum production? At the same time, the Yellandu resource sits in our screen as being: "idle". However, it should be able to go to the UK.

So I select that resource, press the "produce" button under "rail/ship" and "recompute". This gives me full production!

[rkr1958]

Turn 1. Sep/Oct 1939. CW. Preliminary Production.

In the file I got I saw you were saving 2 oil (NEI) to Glasgow. I took this as a minimum constraint with the objective to maximize production and/or oil saved given the CP distribution.

I was unable to increase production but I was able to keep it at the same level (i.e., 10 BPs) and significantly increase the number of oil saved by 6 points. Also I was able to increase the number of oil saved to the UK from 2 to 3. Here's what I did in the order I did it.

1. Changed NEI Oil saved from Glasgow to Singapore. Note: Since NEI Oil is a trade resource (i.e., TR) is can't be used in the same turn for reorg. It can either be used for production or save. What I like to do with these 2 oil initial is save them locally (e.g., Singapore) and use these saved oil next turn for reorg.
2. Changed Persia oil from production to being save at Suez (which freed up a CPs for the idle Cyprus non-oil to be used for production).
3. Changed Estevan & 1 Venezuela oil being used for production to being saved at Glasglow.
4. Saved the Port of Spain oil in place (Note: This oil can be used for reorg without being saved as long a CP route exist. Significantly, this CP route can be fully in use. That is, no spare CPs. As long as it exist whether or not in use, the oil can be used for reorg).
5. Saved the Burma oil to Rangoon. Like the Port of Spain Oil this oil can be used without having to be saved for reorg as long as a CP route exist).
6. So, saving these oils as I did freed up CPs to route idle non-oil RPs to factories. I then noticed that CW production was 20 RPs x 0.5 = 10 BPs. Since production is rounded up (i.e., 19 RPs x 0.5 = 9.5 BPs rounded up to 10 BPs), this meant an additional oil being used for production could be saved to the UK. So I saved 1 of the 2 Venezuela oil for production to London.

[Centuur]

I can save the Port of Spain oil (for the same reason as I did with the French oil). I'll send it to Canada.

After this, one should think you are finished now. But no, you are not. Everytime you press the recompute button, one of the other major powers on you side may be effected by the changes you have made. So again, I press the "switch major power" button and go back to the first major power (i.e.: China) to check if everything is OK. And if China is OK. I press again the "Switch major power" button to check on the USSR and on and on and on...

[Centuur]

And look: the program did make a mess out of France. No maximum production anymore. Why isn't the Senegalese resource not going to France anymore? Again: that should not be possible. "Humbug"...

[rkr1958]

Turn 1. Sep/Oct 1939. France. Preliminary Production.

Like the CW, I couldn't increase production given your convoy lines however I was able to save the Iraq oil and maintain your current production. I saved it to Syria but as you see in the AFTER cap I could have saved it to metropolitan France and still maintained 4 BPs. The reason I left it in Syria was to show the unused CPs.

1. An additional CP in the Arabian Sea and in Cape St Vincent would allow the French to get the Hanio and Kayes RP to French factories.
2. An additional CP in either the Faeroes Gap or Bay of Biscay would allow the CW to get the Port of Spain oil to the UK for production or save. Note that at 19 x 0.5 = 9.5 = 10 BPs that to get the next BP would require 2 more PPs (i.e., 2 oil). That's a calculation each player must make. Is an additional BP for the CW at this stage worth more than 2 (more) oil saved to the UK?

[rkr1958]

So now's the time for critical feedback. Is this of value and what was expected? And have I missed the mark and you want something else?

[Centuur]

It looks like there are no unused convoys in the Med. Could it be that the Iraqi oil resource can't be saved in France? It looks like it. So let's save it in the "Paris of the Middle-east": Beirut.

To do so, I press the arrow button (next to Compute) to go to the default settings. Than I press the button "clear defaults", press the "save" button under Rail/Ship, select Beirut and press "compute".

Now, everything looks OK for France again? No. But now the solution is simple. Suddenly the Med has unused convoys. But the resource out of Indo China doesn't use them. So I clear the default of this resource and press "recompute". Et voilà!