Our Finest Hour 2x2 PBEM (Japan)

[GaryChildress]

ORIGINAL: Feurer Krieg

I like the newspaper format, it makes for an interesting visual read. If you do edits later on will you change it to 2nd edition?

Hi Bob, thanks for the compliment! I had planned on changing it to 2nd Edition when 1942 arrives and then 3rd Edition for 1943. I suppose I could call it 1st Edition, 2nd Revision or something like that when I make edits.

I like your idea of declassifying pages of our 3x3 AARs. We may be able to declassify the first page or so of ours in the coming months. However, it does contain some future plans that still remain somewhat in effect at the moment. I can't wait to take a look at The Emporer's Champions!

What about the game you and Marc are playing against each other? No AAR for it?

[GaryChildress]

ORIGINAL: Tom Hunter

Don't worry about the bad Pearl Harbor attack. Pretty much the same thing happened to the Japanese in Fear and Loathing, and two months later look at them; their merchant marine is a squeaky toy for the Royal Navy Bulldog, they are losing planes faster than they build them, and their armies are stalled everywhere but other than that it's not so bad.

Yeah, I have to say I'm not looking forward to the coming months either. But I have some ideas on minimizing losses a little. I'm trying to marshall as many convoy escorts as I can and at the same time incorporating my invasion units and follow up units in large TFs in order to minimize the number of targets out there for Allied subs to hit. S-36 which was sunk during the night had stumbled upon just such a TF. I'm trying to make as much use out of Japanese APDs as well, since they rate a 10 each in ASW capability.

As for air losses, I'm up for any suggestions regarding them from anyone out there who has any. I've been taking a beating and not getting much in return for it. I may scale things down just a little. Airfield attacks don't seem to be very profitable at the moment so I may just set all my bombers to anti-ship duty and leave it at that.

[FeurerKrieg]

No AAR for Marc's game. Just don't have the time to do it. It is a very interesting game. We have some house rules and such, but we didn't do historical first turn, so I'm further ahead (IMO) of where we are in the 3x3.

Probably won't be able to open up our thread for a while yet either, but eventually I'm sure. I'll see if I can PM my 'narrative' of the Battle of Wake Island' (censored of course). I of course made up plenty of stuff (like times that soldiers surrendered, etc...) but that is the fun of writing the AAR. You may well have an account of the battle in yours that is entirely different, but such is history right?

[Tom Hunter]

Sending in warships and bombers ahead of your invasion convoys will make all the difference in the world. The Japanese in fear and loathing tend to lead with troop convoys, and follow with warships, or sometimes follow with additional troop convoys.

[GaryChildress]

ORIGINAL: Tom Hunter

snip....

Woops, FYI, you might want to edit this last post. I should warn you that Scott1964, one of the Japanese players in Fear and Loathing is my partner in this game. I don't share any information with him regarding Fear and Loathing out of respect for game etiquette, however he does view this thread so you might want to be careful. [:)] On the other hand, we Japanese do need all the help we can get when the game starts to go down hill for us, even from our own opponents--gives us a more sporting chance at least. [:D]

Gary

[Tom Hunter]

Thanks for the warning, but don't worry, the Japanese know what they are doing, or know what they have already done.

For example they decided to charge the CD guns at Singapore, and its no secret that 19 ships were sunk by 15" CD gunfire, its right there in the loss report. I would be suprised if the Japanese were planning to do it again. And if they are, and have chanced their mind as a result of this post, shame on me [:'(].

[scott64]

[X(][X(][X(][X(]

[GaryChildress]

Today's news posted below.

I couldn't fit everything so I will start off by saying that I am building up forces in China for assaults on Changsa, Wuchow and Yenen. My goal is to completely take China out of the picture. I don't know how realistic that is but I'll give it a try. That way I will be able to free up divisions for duty elsewhere later on.

Invasion forces are also on their way to Kuching and Brunei, backed up by supporting naval suface combat units. I intend upon taking things somewhat cautiously. I don't want to loose a lot of equipment to enemy submarines or air forces. Therefore transports will not leave port unless they have escorts.

In a potentially controversial move I downgraded two Daitais of Zeros on Tainan to Claudes. This filled the reserve pool with enough Zeros to upgrade all my carrier fighter groups opperating with baby KB to Zeros. I intend upon setting all fighters to CAP, all torpedo bombers to Naval attack only, and then going on a hunting spree around DEI and PI with baby KB. It will then rendevous with transports carrying 2nd Div. and escort them to Tarakan.

[Alikchi2]

I do like the format, but you might consider saving as a jpeg - or at least a gif with a lower compression level! Colors are a bit washed out methinks. [:)]

[GaryChildress]

ORIGINAL: Alikchi

I do like the format, but you might consider saving as a jpeg - or at least a gif with a lower compression level! Colors are a bit washed out methinks. [:)]

Hi Alikchi, thanks for the critique. I've uploaded the file in the next lowest compression. Let me know what you think. I think it may have come out a little too large, however, this time. I'm using AOL and I have to scroll sideways to read everything, something which I didn't want others to have to do. I think one of the drawbacks of this format is that pictures are going to have to be relatively lackluster. Not much chance I'll be able to compete with your photos. [:)]

I'll have to play around with things a little more and try to hone in on a happy medium somewhere.

[FeurerKrieg]

Are you pasting your pictures into a low color mode? I resize my pics all the time and it never seems to cause any color issues. Even my large 'scoreboard' screenshots I put up are ony around 80-110k and they have full 32bit color in JPEG format.

And yes - that last one is a bit big, I have to scroll just a touch to get it all.

[AdmNelson]

ORIGINAL: Tom Hunter

Sending in warships and bombers ahead of your invasion convoys will make all the difference in the world. The Japanese in fear and loathing tend to lead with troop convoys, and follow with warships, or sometimes follow with additional troop convoys.

Sending in warships and bombers ahead of your invasion convoys will make all the difference in the world. The Japanese in fear and loathing tend to lead with troop convoys, and follow with warships, or sometimes follow with additional troop convoys.

Tom is completelty right on this issue. Two TFs one of bombardment and one that is a surface force can make a big difference. Air support is probably the biggest item to be included. Outside of the first few turns the Allies can bring together quite a bit of bombers and fighters in an area. Range 8 for your land base air is always a good number. It is the range of max range for zeros on LRcap and Sallies can bombard airfields. Nells and Betties don't do good in this role. If you can secure an airfield and bring along an Avation reg with other engineers. you can build for the next step(base).

[Alikchi2]

Yep it looks like Gary's saving them in 256-color mode, as GIFs. [:)] Which isn't too bad but that's what's causing the washed-outness.

I would save them as a jpeg with the save size/resolution as your earlier papers - that seemed perfect to me.

Either way, it's a very, very cool format!

[GaryChildress]

ORIGINAL: Feurer Krieg

Are you pasting your pictures into a low color mode? I resize my pics all the time and it never seems to cause any color issues. Even my large 'scoreboard' screenshots I put up are ony around 80-110k and they have full 32bit color in JPEG format.

And yes - that last one is a bit big, I have to scroll just a touch to get it all.

How was the clarity of the pictures for you on the last one?

I'm using MS Publisher and when I take a screen shot and paste it straight onto the page it takes up a whole page almost, so I usually end up reducing it to 50% or less normal size, sometimes as low as 10%. Probably a lot of color and clarity are lost there.

I'll have to do some more experimenting with the format to get things ironed out. The dpi I've been using is 96. that last post is 150dpi. I tried 300dpi but the file comes out too big to upload into forums. One thing I could do is narrow the frame again so that it will fit the browser screen.

[GaryChildress]

ORIGINAL: Alikchi

Yep it looks like Gary's saving them in 256-color mode, as GIFs. [:)] Which isn't too bad but that's what's causing the washed-outness.

I would save them as a jpeg with the save size/resolution as your earlier papers - that seemed perfect to me.

Either way, it's a very, very cool format!

Thanks for the tip Alikchi, I'll give JPEG a try from now on. It'll require some resizing but it'll be well worth it. I just have to be careful with file size. Unfortunately I'm the last person on Earth who still has dial up and the GIFs only take a few seconds to upload. I plan on getting high speed in the near future, however. [:)]

[FeurerKrieg]

ORIGINAL: Gary Childress
Unfortunately I'm the last person on Earth who still has dial up and the GIFs only take a few seconds to upload. I plan on getting high speed in the near future, however. [:)]

Yikes, dial-up... it must be hell waiting for your turns to come in the email. [X(][>:][X(]

[GaryChildress]

ORIGINAL: Feurer Krieg

ORIGINAL: Gary Childress
Unfortunately I'm the last person on Earth who still has dial up and the GIFs only take a few seconds to upload. I plan on getting high speed in the near future, however. [:)]

Yikes, dial-up... it must be hell waiting for your turns to come in the email. [X(][>:][X(]

Alas, it's true. It takes about 5 minutes or so to download or upload a turn. (i.e. forever and a day in modern computer terminology) However I am happy to report that I do own a microwave and the latest in 8 track stereo decks (j/k about the 8 track stereo). [:D]

As for waiting for turns to download, where do you think I get all the time to spend writing AARs? [:D]

[:)]

[GaryChildress]

ORIGINAL: AdmNelson


Tom is completelty right on this issue. Two TFs one of bombardment and one that is a surface force can make a big difference. Air support is probably the biggest item to be included. Outside of the first few turns the Allies can bring together quite a bit of bombers and fighters in an area. Range 8 for your land base air is always a good number. It is the range of max range for zeros on LRcap and Sallies can bombard airfields. Nells and Betties don't do good in this role. If you can secure an airfield and bring along an Avation reg with other engineers. you can build for the next step(base).

I try to include one bombardment TF which will double as a surface force when attacked. Otherwise I find myself in desperate need of combat ships to escort all the transports I have. And it's sort of agrivating that a lot of Japanese DDs don't have any ASW capability. So I end up trying to locate ships with ASW capability to throw into the melieu as well. Right now those Dutch subs are giving me imperial ulcers. And my own ASW ships don't seem to have much effect against them.

I wonder if it's too late to sue for peace? [:D]

Gary

[AdmNelson]

I try to include one bombardment TF which will double as a surface force when attacked. Otherwise I find myself in desperate need of combat ships to escort all the transports I have. And it's sort of agrivating that a lot of Japanese DDs don't have any ASW capability. So I end up trying to locate ships with ASW capability to throw into the melieu as well. Right now those Dutch subs are giving me imperial ulcers. And my own ASW ships don't seem to have much effect against them.

I wonder if it's too late to sue for peace?

Gary

One problem I have is that the bombardment group generally can't stay too long. It runs low on ammo. Cruisers can stay longer than Battleships. That is why I try to put two groups together, one to bombard and one a surface force. The bombardment froce can retire and reload and come back.

Your Japanese you never sue for peace.

[GaryChildress]

Hey guys, have a look at this edition and tell me what you think and how it comes out on your browsers. I think I have the problem solved. I saved it as a 96dpi JPEG. It should:

a) fit the browser window.

b) the writing should be legible.

c) pictures should be a little crisper.

d) not take forever to open.

let me know if any of these present a problem and I'll try something different. [:)]

Gary