Hanging in for a full campaign...

[Jaus1]

It's Dec 23rd 1941 in my first attempt at the grand campaign and it has taken me nearly two weeks to get there. At this rate I see the full campaign taking me 4yrs +- (real time) to complete (and that's playing a couple hours almost every day). I don't see how I will ever have the time to stick with a single game that long.

Is there something I'm missing? The only help I see is changing the turn cycle to its maximum and running the game that way, although is sounds like a way to invite disaster if, for example, you don't react to your carriers falling into a trap or something and it would still take a year or more to play.

Is that just the way it is?

[Yaab]

Are you playing Allies?

Dec 1941 is brutal for Allies, as you have to move lots of LCUs and ships. Somewhere around 4-7 January, 1942, my time-per-turn time gets shorter and the game gets even enjoyable from then on.

[RangerJoe]

The first few days are the longest. Soon, you will get used to it, know what to do, and you can crank out a few turns during that time until the Allied offensives get moving.

[Sardaukar]

Well, I play with 2-day turns as Allies and after first turns, giving orders takes 15-20 mins, so I can usually play a week of game time in one hour of real time.

This of course changes when later in war there are some more complex amphibious operations. Playing Japan is bit different, since you have whole economy to be taken care of.

[Huskalator]

I never understood why they made setting up convoys so laborious.

[Platoonist]

I never understood why they made setting up convoys so laborious.

I've never found setting up convoys laborious. It's mentally keeping track of them once they've been at sea a few days that's hard. Once they're out in the big blue it's kinda outta sight outta mind when more dramatic things are going on. I know some people use spreadsheets and notebooks and such but I still try and juggle it all in my head.

[BBfanboy]

Putting a description of the convoy in the TF naming area helps with remembering what you have them doing.

[btd64]

I never understood why they made setting up convoys so laborious.

I've never found setting up convoys laborious. It's mentally keeping track of them once they've been at sea a few days that's hard. Once they're out in the big blue it's kinda outta sight outta mind when more dramatic things are going on. I know some people use spreadsheets and notebooks and such but I still try and juggle it all in my head.

Juggle it in your head???? You must be a young man.

I find setting up convoys a lot of fun. Logistics, FUN FUN FUN. ....GP

[Sardaukar]

Well..WitP-AE is a game of logistics...

[Ambassador]

Indeed, you lose the game if you don’t pay attention to logistics.

Regarding convoys, it helps to keep notes, like « convoy XYZ, San Diego-Sydney, departed 42/02/12, ETA 42/03/20, next check on 42/02/20 » with sometimes details on content. When issuing my orders for a turn, I’ll check my convoy list to see which ones I have to check.

Keeping notes helps a lot, in many different parts of the game.

Also, you might find it easier to master the game by starting with smaller scenarios (Coral Sea, Guadalcanal, 1000-mile war) than with Scenario 1. And even with Scenario 1, it helps to just run it a few times without paying too much attention to each small part, just to see how it unfolds in the first few months of the game.

[Sardaukar]

This, my old (and partially outdated) AAR, might help some:

Sardaukar's Newbie Tutorial AAR for Newbies (vs. IJ AI)

https://www.matrixgames.com/forums/view ... 3#p2422753

[GuyTipton]

Hum... For the allies 1941 and early 1942 can be time consuming. But as the battle lines become clearer the required time per turn decreases. Then in '43 the allied forces start building up and you go on the offensive everywhere with corresponding planning time commitment. Then in '44 and '45 the sheer quantity of allied forces drives turn time into the two hour range.
The Japanese time investment is huge in 1941 and early 1942 until you have achieved the your desired defensive line. Then it decreases as the allied time increases since many of your decisions have been made. In the late game turns can be down in the half hour range.
The kicker in all of this is: what is the KB doing? Raids by the KB can upset allied schedules across the hemisphere and the allied responses can require Japan to go outside the planning box. Darn those pesky Allies!