TM, RA, and BTS Re-Write

[John 3rd]

ORIGINAL: Mijast727

John,

Don't know if you've already addressed this in your fixes, but the devices for the three Hvy AA units in Malaya are a bit wonky. The devices don't match the ToE slots which can lead to some weird replacements. I'm running the current release version of BtS and the following changes in the scenario editor seemed to fix the issue:

Unit# 6626 - 2nd HK&S Heavy
Wpn1 - 1063 Num - 18
Wpn2 - 1049 Num - 01
Wpn3 - 253 Num - 16
Wpn4 - 00 Num - 00 (empty slot for AEC Matador in the ToE)
Wpn5 - 1062 Num - 04
Wpn6 - 252 Num - 02

Unit# 6629 - 1st Indian Heavy
Wpn1 - 1062 Num - 16
Wpn2 - 1049 Num - 01
Wpn3 - 253 Num - 16
Wpn4 - 00 Num - 00
Wpn5 - 1061 Num - 16
Wpn6 - 252 Num - 02

Unit# 6640 - 1st HK&S Heavy
Wpn1 - 1063 Num - 16
Wpn2 - 1049 Num - 02
Wpn3 - 253 Num - 22
Wpn4 - 00 Num - 00
Wpn5 - 1062 Num - 02
Wpn6 - 1060 Num - 08

Looking forward to the new update. Thanks for all your hard work!

Mike

Fixed. Thanks.

[John 3rd]

Decided to add the Conch Class (was Seahorse but this makes the naming easier. Argonaut minus a 6" gun but adding a hangar for 1 Gadfly plane) as Conch, Mollusk, and Abalone. They begin at PH. Slow fairly useless as a sub BUT they have a seaplane. All Allied FB now have FIVE FP carrying subs!

[John 3rd]

The fully completed 'V Program' is detailed below:

Argonaut Class: Argonaut, Manatee, and Seahorse
Narwhal Class: Narwhal, Nautilus, and Dungeness
Conch Class: Conch, Mollusk, and Abalone

Reflecting the increased number of platforms I have also bumped the number of starting mines for these ships as well as their production. Makes sense right?

[cardas]

ORIGINAL: John 3rd

Between the Storms is close to release. RA will take a while. I have standardized the databases of TM, RA, and BTS to be located to just ONE set of files. It is only a matter a changing which ships or air groups come in when and the POOF I have a new variant...

That's definitely the way you want to go about it. Best to keep it that way as well for the fixes that you'll have to fix. Almost unavoidable that no error will creep in with such a large mod. Hopefully you will try to keep a proper changelog around as well.

One thing I've always found a bit amusing though is how blasé the British seems in your mods. In your BTS allied additions for example you've got a good chunk of new ships for the US navy, among those 2 large Lexington capital ships. The British response? Nothing.

This isn't a call to add more ships for the Commonwealth though! You can easily handwave away it as an example with British ships being occupied by stronger Axis navies in Europe than what was the case in real life. It's just a bit humorous, that's all.

Looking forward to the imminent release!

[John 3rd]

Treaties go BOTH ways. The USN completes the V Program and adds 12,970 Ton to her SS Fleet.

Japan then adds 4 J1 and 2 J2 I-Boats for a total of 11,500 Ton.

[John 3rd]

ORIGINAL: cardas

ORIGINAL: John 3rd

Between the Storms is close to release. RA will take a while. I have standardized the databases of TM, RA, and BTS to be located to just ONE set of files. It is only a matter a changing which ships or air groups come in when and the POOF I have a new variant...

That's definitely the way you want to go about it. Best to keep it that way as well for the fixes that you'll have to fix. Almost unavoidable that no error will creep in with such a large mod. Hopefully you will try to keep a proper changelog around as well.

One thing I've always found a bit amusing though is how blasé the British seems in your mods. In your BTS allied additions for example you've got a good chunk of new ships for the US navy, among those 2 large Lexington capital ships. The British response? Nothing.

This isn't a call to add more ships for the Commonwealth though! You can easily handwave away it as an example with British ships being occupied by stronger Axis navies in Europe than what was the case in real life. It's just a bit humorous, that's all.

Looking forward to the imminent release!

Hey Cardas. You make excellent points!

The Brits do get their new shiny toys but they do stay in the Atlantic. Guess we could have some fun and have more ships arrive with the Fleet in late-1944. That would be sort of cool. With the tonnage increase in Capital Ships we could add two more Rodney-Class BB but wouldn't a pair of 'Super-Hoods' ROCK!!??

Some of the treaty allowances are, in fact, added to the OOB by way of the CAVs being 'given' to New Zealand and Australia as well as a few DDs and SSs.

Have often thought it would be exciting to add Renown to Force Z. This addition could reflect those additional new warships sitting in Scapa Flow and PM Churchill figuring a slightly 'stronger' message could be sent to the Japanese. Thoughts regarding that idea?

[John 3rd]

Really LIKE adding Renown...anyone want to have six more 15" rifles to cause chaos against the Japanese in Dec 1941?

[ny59giants]

NOPE!! Really would like 6 to 8 more Brit DDs to cause havoc. You have the British CLs and a few larger warships (R Class BBs later), but they are very short of DDs. If not British, then maybe a Canadian Class of DDs.

[btd64]

Yes Plus ONE....GP

[ny59giants]

Is that yes to the BB or to the DDs?

[John 3rd]

ORIGINAL: General Patton

Yes Plus ONE....GP

I think he says YES to everything that adds to his OOB.

[btd64]

OK......The DD's....GP

[btd64]

ORIGINAL: John 3rd

ORIGINAL: General Patton

Yes Plus ONE....GP

I think he says YES to everything that adds to his OOB.

Yes, That too....GP

[John 3rd]

Just did a look around for Brit DDs. There are not many at Singers (3 in Force Z and 2 in Port) to begin but I find 4 at Ceylon (Exeter TF), and 4 more at Bombay (Indomitable TF). That isn't bad once concentrated.

Looks like, as in real life, the Brits have to rely upon the American DDs. Good news here, the Asiatic Fleet is reinforced with a CA, CL, and 4 modern DDs. Add those to the standard US deployment and it helps.

[John 3rd]

Not comfortable with 100 PP/Day for each side so I've decided to lower it to 75. Originally we we at 60/Day. This will add some to the total.

[John 3rd]

Just need to go through Juan's off-map aircraft purchase system and I think we are done.

[John 3rd]

Got everything handled and think we're ready for release. Will Post when that is done.

[btd64]

Excellent John....GP

[John 3rd]

Had to deduct supply and fuel from the Home Islands to reflect changes.

[cardas]

There might be something appealing with getting a fast capital ship like Renown and it is logical. Still, if I were allowed to choose I'd take a few more commonwealth DDs instead. The ratio of DDs to CLs and above is horrendously bad in the early game.

Let's use BTS with the assumption that all of your additions are present at the start. Hopefully I'm not overlooking some ships in my calculations here, but even if I do the overall picture should be reasonably accurate. I'm ignoring withdrawals and considering the entire Commonwealth. Also I'm looking at the early game here.

You have 18 (12 stock + 6 BTS) destroyers and one DE to screen for 15 CLs, 3 CAs, 2 CAVs (BTS), 1 BC, 2 BBs and 1 CVL -> 19:24. Disregarding the single Black Swan DE you only get 0,75 of a destroyer for every larger warship. 17 more destroyers join as reinforcement during 1942 while you get 18 larger warships. So the reinforcement ratio improves to almost 1:1, but the total is still not great.

In comparison USN ratio is (78 + 8 BTS):(34 + 10 BTS) -> roughly 2 destroyers for every larger warship at the start. 30 large warships are added in 1942 (8 of them slow CVEs). On the destroyer side you get an additional 45 destroyers. The reinforcements gives you a ratio that is worse than what you start with, but still much better than the Commonwealth ratio.

Granted if you play with withdrawals and assuming no losses, then 6 cruisers and 2 CVs are withdrawn during 1942 on the Commonwealth side. On the other hand so does something like 5 DDs (I haven't checked the exact number). That means even if you account for withdrawals you still can't provide one destroyer for every large warship.

Of course in the game you can, as you point out, use USN (or French or Dutch) destroyers instead.