Thread 400... & Where to defend as US ?

[Warpup]

Couldn't resist being the one to start thread 400. This number of threads is fair testament to what is arguably the best strategy game of all time.

However, I might as well include a legitimate topic:

I've played long games of the old PacWar against the computer with both sides. The AI isn't a very impressive opponent. Humans, or at least the human I'm trying to play, is a whole different ball game.

A few years ago, I started a game as the allies against one of the most fearsome human opponents one could dare face. He sank all my BBs in Pearl with a combination of non-historical move and subs positioned to sink the cripples as they fled. He then proceeded to storm east with his whole fleet and whole divisions of elite troops. I lost whole divisions on atolls (OK, I know that's a mistake because of the low terrain and low entrenchment # early) and most of my cruisers (had to fight with something). The game was over quick because I was frustrated with my total inability to defend the supply path to Australia.

Now I've downloaded the new PacWar and I'm starting another game with my fearsome game buddy. I'm a glutton for punishment, I guess, but we need something to do while waiting for the new WitP. I'm playing the allies again. Thankfully, I don't have to worry about my BBs anymore because 7 of 8 sank with his first historical move. I'm slightly smarter now and realize that putting whole infantry divisions on atolls with no time to entrench is probably not a good idea.

The problem remains, however, of how to defend the route to Australia, and of what to defend. Meaning: defend against a hyper aggressive human Japanese who isn't really concerned about overextension of Japan's perimeter. He gets 6 to 12 months to have fun, and boy is he going to do it !!!

Can somebody give a few hints or views on the topic ??? It's tough looking at 10 BBs on the way backed up by 6 elite CVs and 2 CVLs when all you have to stop them is cruisers without great torpedoes and 3 CVs with 18 to 24 Wildcats and Baffaloes each to defend them. HELP !!!!

Warpup

[Drex]

sounds like you might be playing William larry. his style is super aggressive,but usually he goes for the hawaiian Is. Start building up those islands fast.

[sulup]

Yes, tha haiwaiian islands are a good starting point. There are plenty of islands close together that can have big airfields operating from them. Make sure they are well garrisoned to start with and get those engineers working fast. Place all your wildcats and dauntlesses on all the islands and subs around so if IJN come with CV's, they'll kill off a lot of the wildcats but they won't kill them all and that's when some of the SBD's will get a chance to knock at them.

If this guy always uses the same strategy you will soon find out where he likes to go after. Unfortunately u just can't do much in 1942 or even 1943 if against a good human japanese player.

[Rover1gp]

Also remember this, that the longer he has combat surface and air combat groups out, he is using up his PP's at a high rate. Since all his surface and air "COMBAT" groups are connected to his Combine Fleet HQ. Combine Fleet HQ is more than likely paying out 10 pp for each Combat TF. It does not take long for Combine Fleet HQ to run out of PP. And this will have an ripple effect to all his combat and Air TF. TF without PP's are more easier to surprise and put up less air aircraft in an air strike. And in 1942 you have Radar and that helps you.

Low PP's also effect his invasion transport fleets as well. Invansion tranport fleets with less than 9pp's have a high change of aborting their mission in the face of even light air attacks on it. also every air attack no matter how small on an invansion TF redudes it's pp's down. thus making it more likely for it to abort it's mission.

You need to wait until around the 1st week of 1942 when his Combine Fleet HQ pp's are stating to become low and yours are getting high. Until than keep you remaining surface fleets and air combat fleets out of harms way. than when you are sure that his Combine HQ pp's are low, that is when you strike him. By than if you have your Air combat TF starting off at a reasonably large port and you don't have to travel more than 30 hexes from you home base, and you have Halsey as you leader you can kick his but. next get a good surface group of your own together and if the "Harbour" Is still your. set it up(the combat surface group) for reaction movement, from "P. Harbour". Set reaction movement no more than what the lowest range is for you fighters. Put patrol planes on all three islands and put air on those other two islands as well. SDB's at close range can use 1000lb bombs and it will take a BB out quick. Each one of your bases can have three AZOC. One for patrol craft, one for bombers, and one for fighter bombers. The more AZOCs that his TF enters, inreases your chance of a reaction move. And since His PP's in his TF will more than likely be low you have a high chance of gaining surprise in surface combat. which means first shots on him for free. If your Carriers can gain surprise on his carriers, than consider it and early Midway.

Consider taking your Carrier TF to Toyko and doing an Air strike. If he has any of his other HQ's on full computer control, than it drives the Jap AI nuts. This can upset what is going on in other places.

Having played almost always Jap. I can tell you that if you wait a few weeks ,and get your air on those three Islands to counter his invansion TFs, he will run out of PP's from His Combine Fleet HQ. If you don't understand How PP's work you need to reread it in the rules Again. PP's in this game are what give the advanges you need and also the disadvanges you get. Next time you get mad about your invasion TF being turned back by a couple of fighters and bombers, it's because it didn't have enough PP's to start with {no matter how aggessive the leader is commanding it). If you find yourself being surpried all the time by enemy TF's it is more than likely due to low pp's on your part.

Finally get those MTB's out there around those islands. if all else fails they can turn back an invansion TF. They are hard to kill. Put as aggessive a naval leader with them as you can find. this keeps them from running off after taking losses. make sure you set their base to the base you want them to patrol around and set their move reaction to 0. I have lost more cruisers to those damn things than I care to remember. They Do get surprise on you. Because the farther an Enemy TF is away from his patrol craft the less likely they are to see them.

Well I did not mean to make this so long. I hope this gives some Ideas.
Good Luck
Gary



[This message has been edited by Rover1gp (edited January 25, 2001).]

[Rover1gp]

I have an Idea for you, that I think will help you deal better with your Friend.

This not an original Idea of mine but it will work in your situation.

Here's what you do. Start a new game 1941 and set both players to human. than when the Jap orders phase starts. leave all their HQ's on full computer control except for Combine fleet. Put it under operational control and set it's base for midway or which ever base your friend tends to attack first. Now when it becomes your orders phase again. start looking at what you need to do based on the ideas I gave you earlier. when the Jap player takes that base than, set it against Johnson I. and so on and so forth. All the while you work with the rescoures at your command. your goal is to defend Pearl Harbor, and defeat {or your feet) his forces as best you can. every few turn go look at Combines Fleet HQ. and see how many PP's it has remaining. This should give some Idea when It HQ's pp start to become low.

Doing this should help you get some understanding of what you can do.

Gary

[wflarry]

Warpup is not playing against me...

But all Japanese players need to be aggressive early on. You only have so much time before the allied player can build up his key bases, and stack them up with troops and land based air.

In version 2.2, japanese fighters just do not have the firepower to dominate allied air power for the first 18 months of the war - as was possible in earlier versions.

So the Japanese player has to hit hard, and hit hard quickly.

And yes, PPs for the combined fleet are the key. I don't pretend to fully understand them, but I know that when PPs run low for the combined fleet, it is best the japanese player to wait a turn or two before attacking.

Bill Larry

[Warpup]

Thanks for the great advice, guys.

The gist seems to be that holding Hawaii is critical and doable. However, is it possible for the Jap player to land a couple of divisions on a West Coast city and wreck some factories as a gamble response???

Also, what if the Jap player doesn't make the effort to take Hawaii or Alaska or a West Coast city or India, but instead concentrates on spreading accross the islands that would block cargo TFs from reaching Australia. Without bases within reach of the shorter range allied tac bombers, it seems that an allied advance would be delayed untill huge carrier superiority was acheived. Since Samoa and Christmas island are such large airfields, and since all those islands in the South Pacific are so hard to defend, the Jap player can grab them and inflict huge losses on transport and cargo TFs on their way to Australia. Is this not a concern???

Warpup

[Rover1gp]

There are many undocumented changes that ocurred before the Game was published. Apparently hundreds of them. If you are having problems understanding how PP's work in this game. There is a document which goes into great detail about it, as well as many of the other undocumented changes that were made before the game was published and after it was published, before it's release. I highly recommend it. It is call PWhint1.1. you can get it at www.hometown.aol.com/pacwar
Dan's Pacific War web page. scroll down to orgpacwar and click. You can find it there.

There is a concern about supply lines being cut to the Aussies. But you have to balance that concern by what you are capable of Defending and How much Offensive strenght you have to go into other areas with it.

Here is the Rule.

If you try to hold on to all of it, you will not be able to defend any of it. You can only hold on to things for good, after you have defeated the forces of the enemy.
If you have to give up space for time (time being in this case gathering more forces to attack areas that you deem should be attacked} than that is what you must do. Pearl Harbor and the West Coast are more important to you than a supply line to the Aussies. Defeating the enemy forces are more important than holding on to everything. Once you have destroyed his ability to make war i.e. Destroying his naval forces, oil plants, and rescoure centers and taking out Japeness factories. than you can begin the process of mopping up. Because just like his historical counterparts, the more he over extents himself, the harder it becomes to defend it all. So certain places on the map become very easy targets for you. I.e. Japan.

Gary


[This message has been edited by Rover1gp (edited January 26, 2001).]