The Honey Pot Effect

[aoffen]

I am playing my first campaign game as the Allies against the AI - the one that starts in May '42, whatever scenario number that is. There seems to be an odd tactic the AI uses throwing itself time and time again against well defended objectives with weak attacks and taking horrific casualties in the process.

Two cases in point.

In the first few days of play, Japanese LBA from Mandalay raided Imphal twice and so I set up 3 squadrons of Hurricanes to defend the place. The Jp AI then just threw itself time and time again at the base losing 20 planes and more each time. Its been going on for almost two months now (I am now in early August) and my squadrons in Imphal have a combined total of over 300 kills. One squadron alone has 130. It like an irresistable attraction the AI just can't let go.

Second case. In mid May the entire 6 carrier IJN force rounded the tip of PNG and ambushed the Lexington and Yorktown in the Coral Sea. Scratch 2 flatops. Gili gili was captured and had to scramble like mad to defend Port Moresby. I built Townsville up as a major base and tried to support PM from there. A swarm (and I mean a swarm) of IJN subs decended on the Australian NE coast. I set up two ASW groups and a bunch of LBA on ASW missions to defend the entrances to the barrier reef. The subs just swarmed into the shallow water inside the reef. I sank some and more kept coming. I sank some more and even more kept coming. Almost 2 months on and the bloodbath is dying down, but I have lost 10 DD's and 4 or 5 auxillaries (MSW's, SC's etc) and have sunk over 30 SS's. Thats half the IJN SS fleet. Again it was like the AI had an irresistable suicidal urge to throw its assets away at the best defended location I have.

Has anyone else seen this?

Regards
Andrew

[byron13]

Yes. Once the AI sets an objective, it seems to go after regardless of losses. I think everyone has the Japanese AI subs shift from PH to Australia a couple of weeks into the war. Not sure if that's hard-coded or what parameter makes them all go there, but they do. Maybe it has to do with the destination of TFs. Once I started working my way up New Guinea, they moved to better intercept shipping there. On the other hand, they never interdicted Sydney - only the ports farther north.

[pad152]

I've seen the same thing in Scen #15 in Rangoon, the Japanese bombers keep comming from Taivo? reguardless of losses. I have mulitple allied pilots with 50+ kills each, airgroups with over 300 kills and it's only 6/5/42.[:(]

It looks like you can break the back of Japanese airpower (losses out pace production) by early June in 1942.

Let's hope the patch does something about this.

[rkr]

Same here, horrendous AC, AK/AP and SS losses for AI due to reasons mentioned. I really do hope these issues will be corrected in the patch, otherwise I'll have to start playing Japanese side.

[viking42]

same here [:D]

[Massattack]

Definitely seems one of the major weak points of the AI. In my first WITP game, human Jap v Allied AI, I captured Gili-Gili. Shortly after a large bombardment TF attacked GG. I rushed a large BB equiped TF and stationed it there. It and airpower sank or damaged many of the enemy capital ships. Thereafter a progressively weaker bombardment TF attacked GG every other night, until eventually only 4 DD's turned up to bombard, and were slaughtered. I really hope the tunnel vision of the AI in these circumstances is addressed in the patch.

Regards