Old Gamer New to WITP AE - Questions

[krakowca]

As the title says, I am an old gamer (mostly biard but early GG games as well), but new to WITP:AE.

I have watched the tutorial videos from StrategyGameingDOJO and going through his Let's Play videos. Also watching The Combined Fleet Tutorials as well.

In preparation for my first campaign game vs the AI I have been playing the smaller scenarios to get a feel for stuff. I have also downloaded Kull's setup spreadsheets and (mostly) followed them as well. I will be playing the Allies for now.

Some questions I have so far:

1) Is it necessary and/or helpful to set up TFs to move supplies and fuel from Eastern US, Eastern Canada, and the UK to Capetown or will they 'magically make it there on their own?

2) Do I need to worry about moving resources and oil around the map or is moving fuel and supplies sufficient? I heard that getting oil and resources to Perth is necessary since Australia has a lot of industry that can convert it into more supplies and fuel than just transporting it there. Oil and resources to Karachi is another one I heard. Are there other areas for the Allies?

3) It certainly seems like getting supplies / fuel to one area of the country is sufficient and they will magically make their way around the rest of the country. For example, I heard that getting cargo to Perth is important, but does that cargo need to be moved to the East Coast of Australia where the bigger centers are? Is there any explanation on how this overland movement of cargo works?

4) I have played the Coral Sea scenario a half dozen times trying different strategies. I seem to do well against the landing force, but once I get anywhere near the IJN CV task force, my carriers become fish food without causing them much damage. I know the IJN pilots are better trained at this point, but in the campaign, what are some tips or tricks to level the playing field a little more. Or is it just train my guys and hit the Japanese where the main IJN CVs aren't?

5) It seems to me that I should evac as much as possible from the Phillipines, Singapore, DEI, and Borneo. Should I concentrate on moving everything out or is it better to just concentrate on fuel / oil / resources / supply? It seems I can send a lot of transport ships up there to get some troops out.

6) The manual says I can get 500 Supply a day in Tsuyung if I keep a road / rail / trail open (free of IJA troops) from Ledo or Rangoon to Tsuyung. I do not see any road or rail from either of the Allied bases to the Chinese one, and most of the area between is mountain. What is the minimum I need to get those extra supplies?

7) Does the AI follow historical objectives or will it throw in a surprise or two every now and then? For example, on Dec 8th will the KB always head back to Japan or will it decide to visit other places like the West Coast or Australia instead? Will there be a Solomons campaign or will itbe ignored completely?

Thanks in advance. I am sure I will have more questions as my training moves along.

[RangerJoe]

As the title says, I am an old gamer (mostly biard but early GG games as well), but new to WITP:AE.

I have watched the tutorial videos from StrategyGameingDOJO and going through his Let's Play videos. Also watching The Combined Fleet Tutorials as well.

In preparation for my first campaign game vs the AI I have been playing the smaller scenarios to get a feel for stuff. I have also downloaded Kull's setup spreadsheets and (mostly) followed them as well. I will be playing the Allies for now.

Some questions I have so far:

1) Is it necessary and/or helpful to set up TFs to move supplies and fuel from Eastern US, Eastern Canada, and the UK to Capetown or will they 'magically make it there on their own?

Yes, set up convoys, the supplies won't move there on their own. The same for Panama. I suggest using the APs and AKs that can convert to APAs and AKAs to keep them safe until they can convert. You will be short of escorts anyway.

2) Do I need to worry about moving resources and oil around the map or is moving fuel and supplies sufficient? Yes, move them to where they are needed I heard that getting oil and resources to Perth is necessary since Australia has a lot of industry that can convert it into more supplies and fuel than just transporting it there. Haul oil and fuel from the DEI to Perth. Later, you can redirect your tankers to CONUS and haul fuel from there to Australia and New Zealand. Oil and resources to Karachi is another one I heard. Are there other areas for the Allies? Oahu needs resources. Hilo has some but not enough so when ships come back from the South Pacific, some of them can haul resources to Oahu. Juneau and Alaska has excess resources as well. Prince Rupert in British Columbia is a nice port to build up and protect for the Northern Pacific area.

3) It certainly seems like getting supplies / fuel to one area of the country is sufficient and they will magically make their way around the rest of the country. For example, I heard that getting cargo to Perth is important, but does that cargo need to be moved to the East Coast of Australia where the bigger centers are? It will move on its own. It is usually done automatically. Is there any explanation on how this overland movement of cargo works? It is involved and there are threads on it, just don't worry about it right now.

4) I have played the Coral Sea scenario a half dozen times trying different strategies. I seem to do well against the landing force, but once I get anywhere near the IJN CV task force, my carriers become fish food without causing them much damage. I know the IJN pilots are better trained at this point, but in the campaign, what are some tips or tricks to level the playing field a little more. Or is it just train my guys and hit the Japanese where the main IJN CVs aren't?Just stay away from the IJN CVs this early. They have much better pilots.

5) It seems to me that I should evac as much as possible from the Phillipines, Singapore, DEI, and Borneo. Should I concentrate on moving everything out or is it better to just concentrate on fuel / oil / resources / supply? From the DEI, evacuate what you can. You can't evacuate much from the Phillipines but you can fly some units out. You can also fly parts of units out from Hong Kong and Guam. It seems I can send a lot of transport ships up there to get some troops out. From the Phillipines? They will most likely be sunk.

6) The manual says I can get 500 Supply a day in Tsuyung if I keep a road / rail / trail open (free of IJA troops) from Ledo or Rangoon to Tsuyung. I do not see any road or rail from either of the Allied bases to the Chinese one, and most of the area between is mountain. What is the minimum I need to get those extra supplies? There is a yellow road. The Burma Road is from Rangoon to China.

7) Does the AI follow historical objectives or will it throw in a surprise or two every now and then? There are different scripts. There are ways to pick and choose them but you may not know which one does what unless you look at them in a different program. For example, on Dec 8th will the KB always head back to Japan or will it decide to visit other places like the West Coast or Australia instead? Maybe . . . Will there be a Solomons campaign or will itbe ignored completely? Look at the Guadalcanal campaign.

Thanks in advance. I am sure I will have more questions as my training moves along.

Play both sides of each scenario, both Coral Sea and Guadalcanal. That way you know the strengths and weaknesses of both sides.

[pbiggar]

Welcome aboard! Others will chime in as well but here are my thoughts:

1) Is it necessary and/or helpful to set up TFs to move supplies and fuel from Eastern US, Eastern Canada, and the UK to Capetown or will they 'magically make it there on their own?
You will see in ship arrivals convoys scheduled to arrive in Cape Town laden with supplies, AFV and other goodies for you. These are not enough for me and I set up supply convoys from UK and Eastern USA

2) Do I need to worry about moving resources and oil around the map or is moving fuel and supplies sufficient? I heard that getting oil and resources to Perth is necessary since Australia has a lot of industry that can convert it into more supplies and fuel than just transporting it there. Oil and resources to Karachi is another one I heard. Are there other areas for the Allies?
No is the short answer mostly for Allies. Many players turn off HI in Australia and just bring in supplies instead of tying
up tankers to bring in oil.

3) It certainly seems like getting supplies / fuel to one area of the country is sufficient and they will magically make their way around the rest of the country. For example, I heard that getting cargo to Perth is important, but does that cargo need to be moved to the East Coast of Australia where the bigger centers are? Is there any explanation on how this overland movement of cargo works?
Yes is short answer for allies mostly. China is another story. Not enough supplies for all the troops there so you can spend more time micromanaging supplies, but against the AI in a non-Ironman scenario I would not worry to much

4) I have played the Coral Sea scenario a half dozen times trying different strategies. I seem to do well against the landing force, but once I get anywhere near the IJN CV task force, my carriers become fish food without causing them much damage. I know the IJN pilots are better trained at this point, but in the campaign, what are some tips or tricks to level the playing field a little more. Or is it just train my guys and hit the Japanese where the main IJN CVs aren't?
Your solution to avoid KB in 1942 is a good one while you train up and level the odds in carrier numbers. There is a high degree of randomness in carrier battles. A small thing can make a big difference (Think Midway) This is modeled in the game. If you want to play like Halsey, go for it. It is your game so do what you think is fun!

5) It seems to me that I should evac as much as possible from the Philippines, Singapore, DEI, and Borneo. Should I concentrate on moving everything out or is it better to just concentrate on fuel / oil / resources / supply? It seems I can send a lot of transport ships up there to get some troops out.
Your call on the type of defense you want to play. Both are valid approaches. Personally, I like to make a last stand on DEI, but be warned that the AI will keep trying to take the bases it is programmed to take. You can break the script by not letting it capture the bases it told to take. Some just let the AI have the historical perimeter knowing the AI will be able to play a better second half of the game

6) The manual says I can get 500 Supply a day in Tsuyung if I keep a road / rail / trail open (free of IJA troops) from Ledo or Rangoon to Tsuyung. I do not see any road or rail from either of the Allied bases to the Chinese one, and most of the area between is mountain. What is the minimum I need to get those extra supplies?
Yes, 500 supplies a day will flow down the Burma road. You will see a message when you click on Rangoon indicating if the Burma road is open. I am not looking at the map right now, but the route traces north from Rangoon, then east down a rail line near Mandalay to Tsuyung

7) Does the AI follow historical objectives or will it throw in a surprise or two every now and then? For example, on Dec 8th will the KB always head back to Japan or will it decide to visit other places like the West Coast or Australia instead? Will there be a Solomons campaign or will it be ignored completely?
The fun is not knowing what the AI will do. Multiple scripts exist with different objectives for the AI. There are improved scripts done by AndyMac you should ensure you have to improve the experience. Not sure which version you are playing if they come included in latest release. Be prepared for anything. At the end of the day you are playing against a script, so hopefully you can play a human in the future in experience a richer experience.

[Yaab]

re 6)

You can click Tsuyung and check on the base screen if Burma Road is open.

AFAIK, the "Burma Road is open" message is not dispalyed on the Allied first turn.

[Yaab]

re 6

I believe you have to control the sbase on rail between Rangoon and Lashio, plus Paoshan and Tsuyung.

That is why it always sucks when Japanese drop some paratroopers on one of the smaller bases between Rangoon and Mandalay, and defeat your garrison.

[PaxMondo]

Welcome aboard! Others will chime in as well but here are my thoughts:

1) Is it necessary and/or helpful to set up TFs to move supplies and fuel from Eastern US, Eastern Canada, and the UK to Capetown or will they 'magically make it there on their own?
You will see in ship arrivals convoys scheduled to arrive in Cape Town laden with supplies, AFV and other goodies for you. These are not enough for me and I set up supply convoys from UK and Eastern USA

2) Do I need to worry about moving resources and oil around the map or is moving fuel and supplies sufficient? I heard that getting oil and resources to Perth is necessary since Australia has a lot of industry that can convert it into more supplies and fuel than just transporting it there. Oil and resources to Karachi is another one I heard. Are there other areas for the Allies?
No is the short answer mostly for Allies. Many players turn off HI in Australia and just bring in supplies instead of tying
up tankers to bring in oil.

3) It certainly seems like getting supplies / fuel to one area of the country is sufficient and they will magically make their way around the rest of the country. For example, I heard that getting cargo to Perth is important, but does that cargo need to be moved to the East Coast of Australia where the bigger centers are? Is there any explanation on how this overland movement of cargo works?
Yes is short answer for allies mostly. China is another story. Not enough supplies for all the troops there so you can spend more time micromanaging supplies, but against the AI in a non-Ironman scenario I would not worry to much

4) I have played the Coral Sea scenario a half dozen times trying different strategies. I seem to do well against the landing force, but once I get anywhere near the IJN CV task force, my carriers become fish food without causing them much damage. I know the IJN pilots are better trained at this point, but in the campaign, what are some tips or tricks to level the playing field a little more. Or is it just train my guys and hit the Japanese where the main IJN CVs aren't?
Your solution to avoid KB in 1942 is a good one while you train up and level the odds in carrier numbers. There is a high degree of randomness in carrier battles. A small thing can make a big difference (Think Midway) This is modeled in the game. If you want to play like Halsey, go for it. It is your game so do what you think is fun!

5) It seems to me that I should evac as much as possible from the Philippines, Singapore, DEI, and Borneo. Should I concentrate on moving everything out or is it better to just concentrate on fuel / oil / resources / supply? It seems I can send a lot of transport ships up there to get some troops out.
Your call on the type of defense you want to play. Both are valid approaches. Personally, I like to make a last stand on DEI, but be warned that the AI will keep trying to take the bases it is programmed to take. You can break the script by not letting it capture the bases it told to take. Some just let the AI have the historical perimeter knowing the AI will be able to play a better second half of the game

6) The manual says I can get 500 Supply a day in Tsuyung if I keep a road / rail / trail open (free of IJA troops) from Ledo or Rangoon to Tsuyung. I do not see any road or rail from either of the Allied bases to the Chinese one, and most of the area between is mountain. What is the minimum I need to get those extra supplies?
Yes, 500 supplies a day will flow down the Burma road. You will see a message when you click on Rangoon indicating if the Burma road is open. I am not looking at the map right now, but the route traces north from Rangoon, then east down a rail line near Mandalay to Tsuyung

7) Does the AI follow historical objectives or will it throw in a surprise or two every now and then? For example, on Dec 8th will the KB always head back to Japan or will it decide to visit other places like the West Coast or Australia instead? Will there be a Solomons campaign or will it be ignored completely?
The fun is not knowing what the AI will do. Multiple scripts exist with different objectives for the AI. There are improved scripts done by AndyMac you should ensure you have to improve the experience. Not sure which version you are playing if they come included in latest release. Be prepared for anything. At the end of the day you are playing against a script, so hopefully you can play a human in the future in experience a richer experience.

Good thoughts here ...

+1

[krakowca]

First off, Major Thanks for all here who replied. It helped me a lot. I started a game and have now run across a few issues I do not see how to solve despite reading up on it. I am playing the full campaign starting Dec 8th.

1) I am having a hard time trying to pick up troops from outlying islands by air or sea. Major ports don't seem to be an issue, but once I get into the small places, it seems difficult/impossible. Several examples:
- Port Moresby - Those guys at Rabaul have grown roots and don't want to get on the planes. I was able to get the company at Kavieng out, but the 3 formations in Rabaul will not load onto planes. All are in Strategic mode, and all under the same command. I have sent planes every day for a week and I see the game send the planes out to Rabaul, but the troops are still there.
- Mataram - Tried to pick up the 2 formations there by ship. Sent 3 small APs that can dock, but when I order it to load troops, nothing pops up. All units involved are Dutch, under KNIL command.
- Island next to Soerabaja - Again, the troops refuse to get on the planes from Soerabaja from like 2 hexes away.
- Those outpost troops in Alaska. Trying to get the troops from Annette Island and Skagway to the island chain around DH. When the ship comes to pick them up, they don't appear on the list to select.
What am I missing?

2) It is really difficult to get ships out of ports like Singapore or Hong Kong.
- Hong Kong - First I tried loading them up with fuel and scramble out - they all got sunk in port. I then tried a bunch of small TFs and leaving on the first day. The DDs made it out, but every AK and AKL got sunk halfway to safety. At this point, I think it's just best to scuttle all the cargo ships there.
- Singapore - I first tried sending ships out on day 1, but the IJN subs and mines were brutal. I then put out ASW and MineSweep for a day and that helped a lot. However, there was still not enough time to load anything on the cargo ships to get them out due to IJN Subs running rampant between Singapore and say Billiton Island after a few days. I can get the ships out if they just set out on the 9th after a day of ASW and Sweeping.
- Manila - I can get everything out, but I was using a few small cargo TF to get some supply to Bataan - one trip seems to be all I can get.
- Naga - The 4 ships here are doomed. An IJN CVL comes from the East and just sinks all 4 ships the turn after they leave port. Looking at the IJN lineup, it must be the Ryujo. The Oilers are the first to go, but the other are not long for the world either. Thinking these ships should be scuttled as well.

3) Moving damaged ships from one port to a bigger port with a better shipyard. I think I have the answer, but want to have it verified. Using PH, I can see why heavily damaged BBs can't be moved yet, but I had some smaller ships (CA and DDs) that were in the shipyard with some damage (smaller over all damage numbers, some minor, some with major damage). I tried moving them to readiness mode and they left the repair screen. When I listed ships and tried to form a new TF with them, they were not selectable (grayed out). I read it takes 1-3 days for them to get moved out of the shipyard (depending on size), but the DD was stilled grayed out after 1 day. Am I just too impatient?

4) Is there any way to find out how long it takes to go between off map bases (like the 5 in the Atlantic and also between the offmap bases and the on map ocean? For example, I sent the CL Trenton from Balboa to San Diego, and after 6 days, the ship hasn't hit the on map yet. I have sent the British CV to Capetown and it hasn't made it there yet either (I know that is a LONG trip), but an estimate would be nice to have.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Since I am still learning the game, I am trying out different things just to see what happens. I have restarted a few times to try different strategies as well.

[Yaab]

Ship off-map movement

You can hover with the mouse pointer over TFs placed in the off-map arrival boxes. It will give you the on-map ETA. Then you just add on-map hexes distance divided by TF speed and you get a pretty close estimate.

[Yaab]

ad 2)

Remember, Luzon is an island and its interior is connected by road and rail. Thus, if you have small cargo TF with supplies you can unloada them in other Luzon ports like Lucena and Batangas. The code will distribute supplies automatically once you dump them on Luzon.

Since Japanese AI likes to patrol PI waters with hordes of Nells/Betties bombers with torpedoes, your best bet is to run your xAKL ships at max speed in non-clear weather. Once they arrive in a port, and you see their DL (Detection level) is 10/10, disband your TFs immediatley and reform them on following turn to have highest chance of successful unloading. Ideally, unloading also should take place in bad weather or under friendly LRCAP from your fighters.

[krakowca]

Yaab,
Thanks for the reply. That is a good tip regarding the detection levels of task forces.

Remember, Luzon is an island and its interior is connected by road and rail. Thus, if you have small cargo TF with supplies you can unloada them in other Luzon ports like Lucena and Batangas. The code will distribute supplies automatically once you dump them on Luzon.

I am not sure what you are saying about the above. I am just trying to get cargo from Manila to Bataan - in hopes of having the troops there put up a good fight as they did historically. This would be in addition to any other supply that the code would move around on it's own.

The ships in Naga are just stuck. The port exit faces East, and they have to go around a small peninsula before escaping West. The IJN CVL is coming from the East, so they have to move right towards them at the start.

[Yaab]

Sorry, tired eyes. Missed the bit about your ships going FROM Manila to Bataan.

Manila-Bataan route is so reconned by Japanese air units, that you probably would have more luck moving supplies by subs or AVDs with DDs escorts in Fast Transports missions approaching from the south of Bataan, from a supply source other than Manila.

[krakowca]

I went into this game thinking I could avoid just handing over a mountain of Supplies and Fuel to the Japanese from Manila, Honk Kong, and Singapore, but it looks like I have to just turn over the keys to the warehouses to them. I don't want to play the Sir Robin strategy, but I want to save all the ships and planes I can and let the troops hold off as best they can.

The questions I originally posted are what is really puzzling me and preventing me from going much deeper into the game as I can't move a lot of troops around islands, damaged ships from bases, and units under different commands and being restricted in movement not mixing well together.

[Yaab]

When you start a campaign, you can move supplies from Manila to Bataan my manpulating the supply spinners on Bataan's base screen.
I mostly try to have 20k supplies in both Bataan and Manila. Just up your "Supplies Required" at Bataan to 8000 supplies, and the base will try to gather x 3 more, around 24,000 supplies.

[RangerJoe]

For some smaller bases, it would be best to use amphibious task forces to load and/or unload more quickly if at all. Milne Bay for instance can NOT dock a ship until it has port level 1. The units in Rabaul may have devices that are too large to fly out but all of the squads and some smaller devices will load onto your aircraft.

The Dutch units may be able to be moved by ship if they are restricted. They may be flown to another base under the same command.

Naga, move the ships northeast and then east. One ship convoys as they flee.

Hong Kong, move the ships WEST to another port and disband except that the MTBs may make it to Luzon on Absolute routing while the DDs can make it there as well but may not survive, it depends upon the port that they are moving towards and the enemy's reaction. Fastest speed possible is the key if they can get there without refueling. Single ship TFs are safer the way that the computer detects and reacts to them, I would only use those 1 ship TFs for the civilian ships fleeing.

Bataan: move your minesweepers there first to clear out any mines laid by enemy submarines. After that, the next turn move your ships from port to port, disbanding as much as is possible.

SingaporeL load things and ship them to Palembang. Some ships with escorts can make it in a day. Move the units from Palembang to another port by railroad where they can be loaded onto other ships. That other port is where you will also want to load fuel for Australia once Palembang is withing enemy bomber range. It is safer than Palembang but you need to use smaller tankers.

You will lose supplies and fuel, that is part of the game.

[krakowca]

I tried using amphibious and regular transport missions, but neither worked. This led me a question. Does changing a TF mission mid stream matter at all? In the case of Mataram, I had both units set to strategic move and had a tf marked as transport come along. All were under the control of Dutch command KNIL. Neither unit showed up to be able to load. The 3 AP were all big enough to carry the load. So I switched the TF to Amphibious while it was at that base. Again, neither unit showed up. Then I switched the units to Combat mode and neither showed up again. If a base has any size port (1 or higher), do I have to use Transport mode? Amphibious is only for bases without ports?

I will try moving the ships in Hong Kong West first. I believe the only port available to the West is that Free French one. Then I will disband them and try to get them out down to Borneo. Should these be marked safest route avaiiable? I coupled the MTBs with the DDs and got them all out.

I will also try moving the ships out of Naga to the Northeast first, then East. I do believe that CVL is a little Southeast of their position and moving straight West, so they might get avoided. It will still be a dicey trip to safe waters from there going past all of those Japanese controlled islands.

As for Singapore, I will try to load some fuel to get out. I will use the land and air as a roadblock to keep Palembang open as long as possible.

Thanks.

[Bo Rearguard]

In the case of Mataram, I had both units set to strategic move and had a tf marked as transport come along. All were under the control of Dutch command KNIL. Neither unit showed up to be able to load. The 3 AP were all big enough to carry the load. So I switched the TF to Amphibious while it was at that base. Again, neither unit showed up. Then I switched the units to Combat mode and neither showed up again. If a base has any size port (1 or higher), do I have to use Transport mode? Amphibious is only for bases without ports?

The Dutch units at Mataram are under KNIL Army Command[R]. The [R] stands for "restricted". To move them by sea you would have to pay a price in Political Points (PP)s to switch them to an unrestricted command like ABDA. This is true of a majority of Dutch land units. In cases where the unit higher command name is in a white rather than yellow font they can't be bought out at all. They're considered permanently restricted. You can fly restricted Dutch units from one base to another but the Allies don't have a great deal of transport planes in theater at the beginning of the game and they can't fly out heavier items like artillery and AFVs.

[Sardaukar]

This is among most helpful wargaming forums there are.

As about moving units, you cannot transport bracketed units with R as their HQ as said.

If it's white, you cannot change the HQ, they are permanently restricted. And if unit screen says Static, well, that tells it all.

[RangerJoe]

Flying boats can also move units.

The CVL starts at Babelboab or however that is supposed to be spelled.

[Sardaukar]

Using flying boats to move troops between same restricted HQ bases is nifty trick.

Just remember that they cannot move some heavy equipment.

[Bo Rearguard]

7) Does the AI follow historical objectives or will it throw in a surprise or two every now and then? For example, on Dec 8th will the KB always head back to Japan or will it decide to visit other places like the West Coast or Australia instead? Will there be a Solomons campaign or will itbe ignored completely?

I've never seen the AI Kido Butai range as far as the US West Coast. The Japanese AI does like to post submarines there. Sometimes the AI KB will make raiding forays into the Coral Sea or North Pacific.