Production numbers - help required

[BlackDog_slith]

Hi all,

first let me say that even if it is my first post here, I am a regular reader from this forum since several months...

Being an "old" UV player and a WitP relative newbie, I only played small scenarios against AI until now, last one being the hypothetical 1942 South Pac against Jap AI (quite easy victory at "historical" diff level, I guess I must try an human player that will wipe me out or increase the difficulty level).

I am now trying to understand the production rules... and I have a dumb question, being unable to find the answer in rules or any other doc I already have :

When I display Intelligence Report (I) window and choose either Industry/Resource Availability or Industry/Troops/Resource Pools, I have a question about the data numbers on the RIGHT side of those windows :

Each line displays two numbers, for example :

Heavy Industry : 13230 (20000)

what is the () number ? I think 13230 should be the actual Heavy Industry points produced by my system, but what about 20000 ?


Thanks for your help,

Chris

[wild_Willie2]

Hi there, first I want to welcome you to "our little forum".

The numbers you discribe are the "items in stock" numbers. Your reserve of that specific item.
Most things in WITP can be stocked when not used immediatly, so this specific number are your HI points "on the shelf".....

[BlackDog_slith]

thanks for your reply [:)]

So if I understand well, I am generating 13230 HIP and I have a pool of 20000 HIP... So I just need to check a few days of production to see if my pool is increasing or decreasing and see if I need to adjust some production numbers.. Right ?

Regards,

Chris

[wild_Willie2]

So I just need to check a few days of production to see if my pool is increasing or decreasing and see if I need to adjust some production numbers.. Right ?

You got it. The game SHOULD have had a graph function, or something else in order to follow your production etz, but......[:(]

Enjoy the game.

P.s

Play the AI on VERY hard a few times before going PBEM [;)]

[BlackDog_slith]

Ok thanks [:)]I think I more or less got it...

I will test production rules with scenario #9 (Turning Point) playing Japanese against AI... Maybe I need to put US AI on 'Hard' settings now... (if I am right, 'Very Hard' setting means that enemy TF directly home in your own TF, right ? not my taste [:D]

I hope to be able to ask for an human opponent in a few weeks [8D]

[sadja]

Also on Spooky's site there is a strategy guid that you can down load that help with production although it is a little dated with the new upgrade system for AC

Sadja

[BlackDog_slith]

Hi Sadja,

yes, I already have read this Strategy Guide...

About the "new upgrade system for AC" : can you give me a link to an explanation about it ? Or is it something described inside the patches explanations ?

I mostly know the official manual + docs on Spooky website...

Regards,

Chris

[FeurerKrieg]

I couldn't find the old thread, so I've pasted here the basic production strategy if you have player defined upgrades turned on.
As far as explaining what PDU is - it just lets you change air units to any other unit of either the same type, or a unit that it previously would upgrade to.

Production notes for 1.5
In 1.5, assuming you select player upgrades, your job as Japan is much simpler. Basically, you want to decide on one aircraft of each type/service and produce only that aircraft.

Dive Bombers
IJA
If there is no house rule preventing it, and it doesn't strike you as gamey, convert all of your IJA dive bombers to Ki-21 Sally's. Dive bombers, because they dive down to 2000 feet to deliver their bombs, end up killing too many aircrews. The game system exposes dive bombers to too much flak and letting them get down to 2000 feet only improves the flak's effectiveness against them. On an engine for engine, pilot for pilot basis, dive bombers are a joke. Their primary advantage is basing - you can fly them from level 2 airfields. Still, I would convert all dive bombers to Ki-32's, then Ki-48 Lily's, then Ki-21 Sally's. When the time comes, you can convert them to Ki-67's and carry torps.
IJN
There aren't very many squadrons of these to start, and I largely use them for replacement pilots. You don't get any options here, so you pretty much produce the Val, then the Judy...

Bombers
IJA
Decide on one aircraft type. Because I view the Ki-21 as virtually identical to the Ki-49 Helen, and because you start with a pool of 400 Ki-21's, I just use the Ki-21 after I have enough Ki-49's produced to bring airgroups into play.
IJN
I halt Nells and use the pool I have until it runs out, then convert to Betty's. The difference between Nells and Betty's is not significant enough for me to justify the lost HI on Nells that get scrapped. Once the Frances becomes available, I convert to that.

Fighters
IJA
In the first 8 months, the Nate and the Oscar are all you get. During the first months, I would convert to Oscars as you can, and use the Mogami method to use the converted squadrons as replacements. Keep the Nates in rear areas and in China as CAP to keep unescorted bombers out of your hair. In August 42, I would produce enough Ki-44 Tojo's to bring new squadrons into play and then immediately convert them to Tony's. Once the Ki-84 comes into play, I would go with it all the way. I would also produce enough Ki-43IIa's to bring new squadrons into play, but then halt production.
IJN
All you got is Zeros until the Jack and the George come into play, then you can possibly take some of your carrier groups and move them to land based groups if you have no carriers to put em on. I prefer the George, but that is up to you. One thing you definately want to do is to up production of Zeros from the start. My preferred way of doing this is to convert about 6 other plants to produce roughly 16 zeros apiece. Doing that, you can raise your Zero production to 200 by Christmas and get most of your Claudes into Zeros early. That is critical because it allows you to make the most of the Zero bonus early in the war.

Recon
IJA
I like the Ki-46 II and I convert everything to that plane as soon as my pools allow.
IJN
I forgot when each type appears, but I keep the C5M until the C6N Myrt appears.

Float Planes
IJN
You have a pool of 140 Alfs to start. Use em. I cancel production of all but the Alf and the Glen. While the game allows conversion from the Glen to the Alf, that take the system a little too far imo. I convert everything else to Alf's as pools and situations allow.

Transports
IJA
It is a tossup between the Ki-57II and the MC-21 imo. The MC-21 wins in all performance categories but range, where it is one less. For my money, I would prefer to have the MC-21, but the large numbers of Ki-57II's already in play argue for the it. Pick one and use it.
IJN
You have 3 major contenders here, the L2D2 Tabby (3x the payload, which is after all the reason for the plane to begin with), the L3Y (massive range which makes delivering supplies to far away bases and making paradrops deep into enemy territory possible), and the H6K2-L Mavis (long range and decent payload, plus the ability to deliver supplies without an airfield). The only sure thing here is that the L1N1 is a PoS and needs to be replaced by one of the others. I operate all 3 for the reasons specified, but I tend to prefer the L2D2 because of the amount of supply it can deliver

[doktorblood]

In August 42, I would produce enough Ki-44 Tojo's to bring new squadrons into play and then immediately convert them to Tony's. Once the Ki-84 comes into play, I would go with it all the way. I would also produce enough Ki-43IIa's to bring new squadrons into play, but then halt production.

I don't like your plan to convert everything to Ki-61 Tony. I like Ki-44 Tojo for a few reasons. Yes, Ki-61 has a bit better range (4/6 vs. 4/5) and firepower (GV 14 vs GV 12) but Ki-44 is a bit faster (376 vs 368) and far superior climb (3832 vs 2970). PLUS Ki-44 factories FREE upgrade to Ki-84 Frank ... Ki-61 do not. Ki-61 also requires a special engine.

I would limit Tony production to match the Kawasaki engine production (120 per month). Keep the Ki43 II factory in Tokyo (119/month) and turn it on and off enough to keep 3 or 4 Sentai for long range work and escort (8/10 range). Leave the Kwantung groups in Nates and put the rest of the IJAAF into Ki-44.

[Mike Solli]

Am I mistaken, or does the Tony have 2 engines? I can't keep them straight.

Edit: My mistake, it has only 1 engine.