Bottlenecks occur in surprising places

[SierraJuliet]

Welcome all to the Imperial Japanese reports for my 4th campaign.

I'm honoured to be matching it up with LST in the current version, 1.4.12-25, of his Bottlenecks Mod. LST graciously allowed me the choice of combatants and it is the rising sun for me. This will be my second attempt at Bottlenecks after Munday and I made it to January '45 before various life matters intruded upon taking that game any further.

I'll not be elaborating on my game plans for now just in case LST drops on by.

Suffice it to say that Japan literally runs on the smell of an oily rag and a small crate of rice. Merchant shipping, as it was in RL, is even more valuable here and I'll be unhappily reporting every lost merchant ship and wildly cheering each one that makes it to a port for repair and further vital resource and supply runs.

[LargeSlowTarget]

Hi Steve, just dropping by for the first and last time to wish you good luck and much fun with our upcoming game. Should my defenses fail, may bottlenecks strangle the Empire's expansion!

[MBF]

This is gonna be great woo hoo !

[zebrazwo]

Can't only follow LSTs side of things now can we ?

Looking forward to this clash.

[SierraJuliet]

Well, MBF, I do indeed hope you get a blast out of this match.

Thanks, Zebrazwo. If we get this going well, you should have regular updates on our progress. LST is looking at around 3 to 4 turns a week, on average, so we should have regular updates happening.

Firstly, I’d like to discuss my expectations of where I shall be come a conclusion. Obviously an IJ victory would be great but I’m more inclined to still be in the game during 1945 to the point where LST has trepidation about the IJ ability to create nasty problems for the Allied cause. I’d still like to have something of a fleet which has some potency as well as an air force which can also cause havoc. My overarching goal will be to, somehow, overcome the bottelnecks and have enough industrial base, i.e. heavy industry and supply, left to continue pumping out the aircraft needed to defend the Home Islands. I do watch the VP situation so if I can keep LST to less than a 2:1 margin I will take that as a good result. If I can avoid a Home Islands invasion, brilliant. If nuclear weapons enter the equation, well let’s see then what that does to the final victory condition result. There are so many games within the game going on here and even though finally crushed I might still find little gems of late war surprise to cherish.

Second, is my game style. We all have our own take on how to run this show. I’m particularly drawn to the ship v ship aspect of this game. My intention is to successfully engage the Allied Fleets for the entire war. In some respects, I think of it as a drawn-out version of the actual Japanese plan to lure the USN across the Pacific and attrit them all the way until the ultimate decisive battle. The ultimate decisive and war-winning battle, however, is a rarity. My plan is to conduct numerous battles that continually whittle away at the strength of the enemy whilst minimizing as best I can my own lost ships. Naturally the initial Japanese expansion will see many naval battles, but it is the transition period when the USN starts offensive operations where I see this ploy coming into effect.

I see three things having an effect here. First, is how LST plans on employing the Allied counter offensive. He has many options and I must stay alert for the main thrust and prepare to be in the strongest position to counter. Second is the way in which I played my last opponent. Whilst I gained good experience against Mundy it was experience at countering his style of play. I profited from Mundy rarely using the awesome power of battleship bombardments when assaulting Japanese islands, severely under escorting invasion TFs and support TFs such as oilers and overextending by launching invasions before fully suppressing Japanese bastions which lay adjacent to his supply lines. I do not expect LST to this and therefore I expect his counter offensives will be far more difficult to counter. What I must guard against is playing the way I did in my last game and instead quickly comprehend the LST style of Allied game play and then tweak my game play to suit. Thirdly, is of course, this mod itself. The bottlenecks never go away and simply keeping the economy from faltering will dictate how well I can counter the Allied counter offensive.

One aspect of my game play I strive to achieve and actively look to pull off is mid ocean intercepts for surface clashes. If I can hunt Allied shipping with the advantage of surprise and numbers, I shall do so. If the opportunity arises, I’ll be hunting the Allied carriers if they stray into a position for interception. It is so hard to pull off given the Essex carriers propensity to immediately flee but if they can be cornered… To this end I don’t employ the historical tactic of saving the Japanese battleships for the one big battle. That did not work at all. The battleships are going to be lost so use them I will in the hope that when I do lose them, they will have acquitted themselves well.

[PaxMondo]

Subscribed. I will have to ban myself from LST's. Look forward to this.

[zebrazwo]

Subscribed. I will have to ban myself from LST's. Look forward to this.

It might be a little difficult to not give any spoilers when following both of them

[PaxMondo]

I haven't played this mod, and have only "skimmed" the mod thread itself, so take these comments as is ...

I don't see the cargo limitation as a big deal, I never do. The fact is that between Sakhalin, Hokkaido, and Fusan, you can easily get all the required resources to the HI and all of those are short hops. You just need to build up the appropriate ports and get your ASW in place ASAP. Yes, it will be more $$$ in this mod depending how many of your key ports the mod has "dinged", but unless the mod has lowered the actual RES in those areas, you're still fine.

LI being lowered to 500 means that LI expansion is your friend. You'll want to invest in that in '42 so that by '44 you are reaping your investment. HI expansion, beyond conquest, I would be careful of ... mainly because of the next point ....

Engines. The engine costs are crippling to the IJ. 2 - 3 times the cost means in the end game you are going to have a serious deficit in what you can build vs what the allies are getting. Meaning, you will be both lacking numbers AND quality. So, first this means that your endgame HI needs will be a LOT lower than normal. Next, you aren't going to be able to build many different engines, really maybe only 3. Ha-35 is a must obviously. I would suggest that you only research 2 planes period, and allow all the rest to arrive as they did historically. My choices would be Ki-84 and A7M, but you might choose the N1K instead. The A7M/N1K choice would be largely driven by how many RnD centers you can get on the A7M ... if you can't get it by mid-44, then you may just want to go with the N1K. Ki-84/N1K means Ha-45 for your second engine ... nice as you only need to build 2 engines really big. Going with the A7M means you will have to also build up the Ha-43, but that also allows you to build the last N1K, Ki-83, and J7W when they arrive.

This means no Tojo ... you can't afford the Ha-34. Also no Helen. No early Judy. You'll probably end up seriously limiting your Ha-33 production because you will need your Ha-32 production end game: Emily, Jill, Norm, Betty, Frances, and most importantly Sally.


Good Luck!!!

[SierraJuliet]

I haven't played this mod, and have only "skimmed" the mod thread itself, so take these comments as is ...

I don't see the cargo limitation as a big deal, I never do. The fact is that between Sakhalin, Hokkaido, and Fusan, you can easily get all the required resources to the HI and all of those are short hops. You just need to build up the appropriate ports and get your ASW in place ASAP. Yes, it will be more $$$ in this mod depending how many of your key ports the mod has "dinged", but unless the mod has lowered the actual RES in those areas, you're still fine.

LI being lowered to 500 means that LI expansion is your friend. You'll want to invest in that in '42 so that by '44 you are reaping your investment. HI expansion, beyond conquest, I would be careful of ... mainly because of the next point ....

Engines. The engine costs are crippling to the IJ. 2 - 3 times the cost means in the end game you are going to have a serious deficit in what you can build vs what the allies are getting. Meaning, you will be both lacking numbers AND quality. So, first this means that your endgame HI needs will be a LOT lower than normal. Next, you aren't going to be able to build many different engines, really maybe only 3. Ha-35 is a must obviously. I would suggest that you only research 2 planes period, and allow all the rest to arrive as they did historically. My choices would be Ki-84 and A7M, but you might choose the N1K instead. The A7M/N1K choice would be largely driven by how many RnD centers you can get on the A7M ... if you can't get it by mid-44, then you may just want to go with the N1K. Ki-84/N1K means Ha-45 for your second engine ... nice as you only need to build 2 engines really big. Going with the A7M means you will have to also build up the Ha-43, but that also allows you to build the last N1K, Ki-83, and J7W when they arrive.

This means no Tojo ... you can't afford the Ha-34. Also no Helen. No early Judy. You'll probably end up seriously limiting your Ha-33 production because you will need your Ha-32 production end game: Emily, Jill, Norm, Betty, Frances, and most importantly Sally.


Good Luck!!!

Hi Pax

I forgot to mention that I went for Scenario 59 out of the 3 different Bottlenecks versions. It is the one with Standard R&D. This one has engine factory repair costs of 1000 supplies/point. Scenario 61 has the costs doubled to 2000 supplies/point. Point taken, though, about making decisions over which aircraft to research. Ki-84 is right up there as the one to get as soon as possible. I enjoyed teaming it up with the N1K in the last game and do expect that I will head in that direction once again. I never quite made it to produce Ki-83 or J7W but almost got there so they will be in the mix for my late war fighters.

I have a feeling that I will be needing all the HI I can get as I intend to complete Shinano this time around. It is a big ask though, as the scenario requires acceleration of the build with an arrival date of the incomplete hull in late ’42. This is, of course, a ridiculous quantity of shipbuilding points devoted to one ship, but I have decided to go for it. Once the hull arrives, I then have an option to complete as BB or CV. I’m not sure about either option and feel that the course of the war will determine the form of the final fit out.

I haven't put the time in to review the changes LST has made to resource allocation compared to the Big Babes scenario. I am quite certain, though, that the allocation of resources in and nearby to the Home Islands has been substantially reduced with many more resources now being located in the SRA. I don't think I will be able to get away with living off of resources in and around the Home Islands without also putting in a big effort to haul the southern resources to the HI.

For starters, though, the expenditure of supply to create more LI and hence more supply will be the priority.

[RangerJoe]

Well then, as soon as is possible, get your "Magic Highway" working as much as is possible. Which means don't let the resources, oil, and fuel build up in Singapore!

[PaxMondo]

I forgot to mention that I went for Scenario 59 out of the 3 different Bottlenecks versions. It is the one with Standard R&D. This one has engine factory repair costs of 1000 supplies/point. Scenario 61 has the costs doubled to 2000 supplies/point. Point taken, though, about making decisions over which aircraft to research. Ki-84 is right up there as the one to get as soon as possible. I enjoyed teaming it up with the N1K in the last game and do expect that I will head in that direction once again. I never quite made it to produce Ki-83 or J7W but almost got there so they will be in the mix for my late war fighters.

Phew! This is a big deal, GOOD NEWS.
Frank/George Combo makes '43 very JFB friendly. For your CV's to survive, you need A7M in '44 ... which takes a LOT of focus to achieve.

J7W makes for a very nice interceptor in the late war, especially given that you finally have a LOT of IJN fighter groups which you need to use this model due to the high SR. It has the speed and firepower to deny 4E daylight bombing.

I have a feeling that I will be needing all the HI I can get as I intend to complete Shinano this time around. It is a big ask though, as the scenario requires acceleration of the build with an arrival date of the incomplete hull in late ’42. This is, of course, a ridiculous quantity of shipbuilding points devoted to one ship, but I have decided to go for it. Once the hull arrives, I then have an option to complete as BB or CV. I’m not sure about either option and feel that the course of the war will determine the form of the final fit out.

I always struggle with both the Musashi and Shinano. I love them when they are built (as BB's), but getting them ... extra Unryu's + VEH pts almost always win out ... I tend to be pretty aggressive with my ARM units, which means lot'sa VEH pts needed. Until the SOV activate, IJA can pretty much always win with ARM units.

I haven't put the time in to review the changes LST has made to resource allocation compared to the Big Babes scenario. I am quite certain, though, that the allocation of resources in and nearby to the Home Islands has been substantially reduced with many more resources now being located in the SRA. I don't think I will be able to get away with living off of resources in and around the Home Islands without also putting in a big effort to haul the southern resources to the HI.

That's a BIG ouch there. If that's the case, then Burma+CHI are even more important, and Fusan is always a critical port.

I try to never ship resources more than Shikuka->Wakkanai (8 hex). More than that, the fuel and supply (for the ASW umbrella) cost is too high. In the PI, you can build the LI up to minimize shipping. There is some ability in the DEI for this as well, and shipping to Singers is ok. But that still leaves a fair amount "beyond recovery" for me ...

For starters, though, the expenditure of supply to create more LI and hence more supply will be the priority.

Yep, spend and wait 500 days ... but with luck you will get all this extra supply when you REALLY need it late war ....

[SierraJuliet]

Well then, as soon as is possible, get your "Magic Highway" working as much as is possible. Which means don't let the resources, oil, and fuel build up in Singapore!

Getting that China Highway up and running is no easy task. Apart from clearing the hexes I would also have to find sufficient units to undertake garrison duties and most importantly rebuild lots of rail lines. Haiphong to Liuchow needs a rebuild as well as Pingsing to Lungyu and this one includes a river crossing which starts out as non operational. As LST has intimate knowledge of how China works I expect he will be doing his level best to forstall my advances and create as much havoc with any free units which are free to roam as they will untill I deal with them.

Magic Highway China.png (480.33 KiB) Viewed 175 times

[SierraJuliet]

Great comments Pax.

I couldn’t quite bring myself to take on LSTs streamlined air build scenario 61. LST recently commented to me that he expects to see Franks and A7M in ’43 so I guess he thinks that the Bottlenecks should not preclude me from achieving this. I recall having the Ki-84 around mid ’43 in my previous Bottlenecks foray so let’s hope I can pull that off again.

Getting Shinano is going to put all sorts of strain on my shipbuilding industry. I can live with the PP drain from Musashi but coupling that with the triple points expenditure for Shinano leaves exceptionally little for the rest of the naval builds. It will be nigh on impossible to accelerate any ships until Musashi is complete and the Shinano hull is complete. My preference is to complete Shinano as a BB. I loved having Yamato and Musashi in the thick the action last time around. Having Shinano in the mix would suit my gameplay if I can create conditions for classic ship versus ship action to take place.

Yes, that redistribution of resource centres does make the transportation from far afield back to the Home Islands an imperative. Speaking of transporting resources. Getting resources from Sakhalin to Hokkaido by ship is a given. Am I correct in surmising that resources/oil etc. from Hokkaido to Honshu must also go by ship? I know there is a mechanism for 2 adjoining ports to automatically move things between themselves, but I don’t even think that the ports on Honshu are connected to Hakodate in this way. I’d be keen to know your thoughts on this way to see if I am thinking this aspect through in the correct way.

I’m calculating 300 days before I break even on the supply expenditure to build new Light Industries. It costs 100 supply to build a new Light Industry and then another 500 for the repair. So, all up a supply spend of 600. Each light industry produces 2 supplies (to make up for Heavy Industry no longer producing supplies in this mod) so each new Light Industry is going to take 300 days (2 supply x 300 days = 600 supply) to pay for the supply spent to build it. All that Light Industry built at the commencement of hostilities should come online sometime around mid to late October ’42. That is, of course, if I have worked this out correctly.

[RangerJoe]

Hokkaido to Honshu is not connected.

When the map was updated for the beta (I am not sure if this is the same map or not) the broken rail lines and missing bridges did not change the flow of resources, just the movement of units.

If Jahore Bahru is stockpiling fuel, oil, and resources, then those such items from the Malay Peninsula will travel to Indochina. So Saigon may receive them but Cam Rahn Bay is more likely to store them. That shortens the trip for hauling items past the non-occupied parts of the Chinese coast and the short interior distance. Haiphong produces resources, those can be stockpiled, and CS convoys can haul them even to the Hong Kong/Canton area.

Expanding the Light Industry in Fusan will help to draw more Resources there so they can be shipped two hexes to a Japanese port. You can even dump a load of oil there to start some small CS Oil Tanker convoys from there to Japan, Fusan has to stockpile the oil then. Fuel could also be shipped as well. The same system for oil that I described here may also work for Haiphong, fuel as well.

In order to get oil/fuel from Urumchi flowing, you need to draw down the reserves in Northern China to create the demand. I have done this and it works fairly well.

[BBfanboy]

RangerJoe: Hokkaido to Honshu is not connected.

Did you mean Kyushu or Shikoku to Honshu? There is no bridge nor adjoining port on the northeast end of Honshu to Hokkaido.

You can get more resources to flow to Fukuoka from Fusan if you build up the port on Tsushima Island. The reverse is true for supply going to Fusan from Japan. Adjoining ports automatically exchange resources and supply based on size of the smallest port. I think the figure is 50 per day per port level. Stockpiling in the sending port can interrupt this automatic flow, so if you don't want supply to flow out of Japan you can stop it.
This movement of materials is free of fuel use so building the ports is worthwhile in the long run.
Note that ports are not adjoining if there is an unnavigable hex side between them. The ports must share a navigable hex side.

[SierraJuliet]

Hokkaido to Honshu is not connected.

When the map was updated for the beta (I am not sure if this is the same map or not) the broken rail lines and missing bridges did not change the flow of resources, just the movement of units.

If Jahore Bahru is stockpiling fuel, oil, and resources, then those such items from the Malay Peninsula will travel to Indochina. So Saigon may receive them but Cam Rahn Bay is more likely to store them. That shortens the trip for hauling items past the non-occupied parts of the Chinese coast and the short interior distance. Haiphong produces resources, those can be stockpiled, and CS convoys can haul them even to the Hong Kong/Canton area.

Expanding the Light Industry in Fusan will help to draw more Resources there so they can be shipped two hexes to a Japanese port. You can even dump a load of oil there to start some small CS Oil Tanker convoys from there to Japan, Fusan has to stockpile the oil then. Fuel could also be shipped as well. The same system for oil that I described here may also work for Haiphong, fuel as well.

In order to get oil/fuel from Urumchi flowing, you need to draw down the reserves in Northern China to create the demand. I have done this and it works fairly well.

Thanks, RangerJoe. This is my understanding that Hokkaido to Honshu is not connected. Sometimes I start second guessing myself and this time I started thinking, am I sending resources by ships when perhaps they might be doing a magic transfer? The map doesn’t support that theory and to be sure I thought why not put it out there and see what advice comes back to me. Thanks also for the tips on land movement for resources and oil.

[SierraJuliet]

RangerJoe: Hokkaido to Honshu is not connected.

Did you mean Kyushu or Shikoku to Honshu? There is no bridge nor adjoining port on the northeast end of Honshu to Hokkaido.

You can get more resources to flow to Fukuoka from Fusan if you build up the port on Tsushima Island. The reverse is true for supply going to Fusan from Japan. Adjoining ports automatically exchange resources and supply based on size of the smallest port. I think the figure is 50 per day per port level. Stockpiling in the sending port can interrupt this automatic flow, so if you don't want supply to flow out of Japan you can stop it.
This movement of materials is free of fuel use so building the ports is worthwhile in the long run.
Note that ports are not adjoining if there is an unnavigable hex side between them. The ports must share a navigable hex side.

Hi BB fanboy. RangerJoe was responding to my question about Honshu to Hokkaido. I wanted to make sure that I was on the right track that placement of ports in that area does not support the automatic exchange of resources and supply. I like your tips on Fukuoka to Fusan via Tsushima Island. I’d not considered them fitting the required port placement for the automatic exchange to kick in. I’ll be exploring this further.

[SierraJuliet]

Here is my phase 1 plan for the China theatre of operations. It certainly doesn’t assist the “magic highway” but my goal here is to gain certain bases and in doing so also gain the least number of bases requiring a garrison. That is no easy task to accomplish in the Bottlenecks world. So, my first goal is taking possession of Chengchow and Loyang. Getting those two bases will net me 70 resource centres, 50 light industry centres and allow for the repair of the bridge over the river at Chengchow. Clearing the line to Chengchow and repairing the bridge will give me an uninterrupted rail route from Peiping to Hankow. Once these bases have been secured the conclusion of this operation will be the acquisition of Sian and Lanchow and their stocks of oil.

[SierraJuliet]

Turn 1 is away. LST is going through the Allied first turn. For Japan the usual routine of giving out orders has taken place although as we are starting in the afternoon phase of 7/8 December all offensive operations from KB, Cambodia, Formosa and Roi Namur are restricted. The bomber fleet based at Saigon has no such restriction and if opportunity presents are ready to hunt Allied naval targets. We are using the house rules designed for Bottlenecks. No fuel transportation in AK types (except small craft to supply forward PT or barge bases), picket ships must be navy types, only 1 army 4 engine bomber unit is allowed to employ low naval attack, night bombing of ports and airfields is limited to number of squadrons = year minus 40 (no limit on night city bombing) and limitation on tank movement; when 2 or more tank units are involved, they must be accompanied by infantry of equivalent size.

KB is moving northwest with the intention of meeting the fleet oilers to top up tanks and be ready to move southwest towards Kwajalein the following day. The decision has been made; there will not be any further follow-up strikes at Pearl Harbour.

Awazisan Maru becomes the first of the valuable Japanese merchant ships to be lost. After being successfully bombed by a RAAF Hudson bomber, fires became uncontrolled. Reluctantly the order was given for the ship to be scuttled.

Of my starting 500 PP I have 272 left. Mostly spent on ship commander changes. I spent 74 to change HQ of 26ID 26th Recon so that I can recombine 26th Division. Tanaka Raizo has been entrusted command of the cruiser SAG tasked with the protection of the Davao Invasion.

The process of expanding Light Industry factories has commenced. 74 new factories have been created. 44 000 supply already spent but the payoff will be an extra 148 supply for each turn. It will take some time to recoup that initial 44 000 supply but once I do 148 extra supply each turn will come my way. I do expect that I will be looking to expand even more in the Light Industry as we continue so that I will have realistic change of increasing Heavy Industry and Shipyards without wiping out my supply stores.

[M Peaston]

Good luck with the war, and have fun!

I’ve been trying to decide on whether to follow your AAR or LST’s. I couldn’t decide, so I am going to follow both and just keep shtum.