The Good The Bad & The Indifferent

[Canoerebel]

By the way, I've never had much luck bombarding non-base hexes either. In my game vs. PzH, BB North Carolina flagged an effort against Sumatra's south coast. The bombardment did no damage sto speak of and the NC took several torpedoes from Netties out of Singers.

I do hope the mission succeeds in roughing up 21st IJA divison, but that would just be the icing on the cake. What I'm really working here is to show my BBs to draw John's attention (for reasons spelled out ad nauseum already).

[witpqs]

How about posting a map of where you are trying to bombard, with hex side detail on (IIRC that's the F5 key, make sure some far away hex is the one selected so the white from the selection doesn't overwhelm the hex side detail colors)?

[Canoerebel]

See post 1597 on the previous page for a particularly informative and expertly presented map. (A map with hexside detail will have to wait until late tomorrow, but this one may suffice in the meantime.) But hexside detail shows the three hexesides in the water as "blue" (as you'd expect).

[Bullwinkle58]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

No waypoints (it's only two hexes).

Maybe turn on hexside detail and see if it's a non-accessable-to-the-sea hex? Don't know otherwise.

Any ships in the TF have damage?

[Bullwinkle58]

ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

No waypoints (it's only two hexes).

Maybe turn on hexside detail and see if it's a non-accessable-to-the-sea hex? Don't know otherwise.

Any ships in the TF have damage?

Edit: see witps already thought of that.

[Canoerebel]

8/4/42

Bay of Bengal: A four-DD IJN TF comes to Viz and tangles with Tennant's TF flagged by Resolution (or one of the other R-Class BBs). Two IJN DDs take damage; one Allied DD is sunk. Ramree airfield goes to level three tomorrow. Marine 'Chutes Bn should reach Akyab tomorrow. 41st USA Div. is enroute to Chittagong (I decided not to hold her back as a reserve). New Orleans TF departs Diego tonight to sprint to Colombo. Devonshire TF, that pulled out of Colombo briefly, is on the way back. Ingress and egress to B of B will always be risky now - subject to interdiction by fast moving CV TFs. But that's what I asked for!

No, we don't want to so we refuse! Revenge TF refused to bombard again. I'm swapping out her captain, replacing 50 aggression with 70. I don't think that's it. If this doesn't work, I'll try a TF without a BB. If that doesn't work, I'll see if I can find any RN BBs that come equipped with floatplanes (Revenge doesn't have them).

NoPac: Kodiak airfield and port go to level six. Cold Bay still holding (though not for long).

CenPac: 6th IJA Div. takes Abemama (14th IJA Div. was at Tarawa a few days back). I think John will want to go offensive with these puppies, rather than pulling them back for defensive use. So the idea of garrisoning Pago Pago and Fiji is increasing, though I think I need to attend to Anchorage first.

[Bullwinkle58]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel


No, we don't want to so we refuse! Revenge TF refused to bombard again. I'm swapping out her captain, replacing 50 aggression with 70. I don't think that's it. If this doesn't work, I'll try a TF without a BB. If that doesn't work, I'll see if I can find any RN BBs that come equipped with floatplanes (Revenge doesn't have them).

Dumb Q: does she have ammo?

[pws1225]

ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel


No, we don't want to so we refuse! Revenge TF refused to bombard again. I'm swapping out her captain, replacing 50 aggression with 70. I don't think that's it. If this doesn't work, I'll try a TF without a BB. If that doesn't work, I'll see if I can find any RN BBs that come equipped with floatplanes (Revenge doesn't have them).

Dumb Q: does she have ammo?

Or have all the rum rations found themselves steered to the gun turrets?

[Canoerebel]

This is a fresh TF with 100% ammo.
 
Here's what going to happen any time now.  Alfred is going to post the following:
 
Rule 37.333(A)(1)(c)(iii) was included in the Patch 4.0367(i).  In a fit of pique, the developers made the notes available, but after 319 seconds deleted the list.  Fortunately, I was just then scouring that particular section of the notes in hopes of clarying whether malarial effects as modified by the monsoon can effect a naval leader's naval skill level on night turns with less the 33% moonlight.  The rule (as modified) provides that Royal Navy task forces comprised of any battleship accompanied by any cruiser that is not captained by a leader who has a combined naval/land/air skill score of 160 or more will not bombard in any hex in or bordering the Bay of Bengal.

[Bullwinkle58]

Grasping at straws. It's been five days since the map. Is the unit still there?

[Canoerebel]

Yeah, 21st IJA Div. is in the hex (and has now been joined by another unit).  And I have multiple recon squadrons flying there every day.

[Alfred]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

This is a fresh TF with 100% ammo.

Here's what going to happen any time now.  Alfred is going to post the following:

Rule 37.333(A)(1)(c)(iii) was included in the Patch 4.0367(i).  In a fit of pique, the developers made the notes available, but after 319 seconds deleted the list.  Fortunately, I was just then scouring that particular section of the notes in hopes of clarying whether malarial effects as modified by the monsoon can effect a naval leader's naval skill level on night turns with less the 33% moonlight.  The rule (as modified) provides that Royal Navy task forces comprised of any battleship accompanied by any cruiser that is not captained by a leader who has a combined naval/land/air skill score of 160 or more will not bombard in any hex in or bordering the Bay of Bengal.

[:)]

Might be an undocumented feature but here is a thought.

Is the LCU on a swamp hex? One cannot disembark a LCU on a swamp hex and maybe there is a crossed code line which says a naval bombardment of a LCU on a swamp hex is similarly not possible because it is a no go zone for ships?

Or you're not trying to get there via a river hex which prevents >15k tonnage ships traversing.

Alfred

[Bullwinkle58]

My best guess would have been like Alfred's, that there's a jinx in the mod between what the map looks like and what the pwhex data underneath says is there terain-wise.

Other thing I thought of overnight, sometimes, rarely, in a non-base hex the interface is sensitive to where in the hex you click in order for it to "take." If you are getting feedback that the code knows a bombarment mission was ordered this is probably not it, but you might click around and see.

If not that, then gremlins.

[Canoerebel]

8/5/42

Bombardment Mission: No go, again. It's a jungle hex, not swamp. I've removed Revenge from the TF and will try with CA Cornwall leading.

Bay of Bengal: Big sweep by 42 Tojos gets a lopsided victory over Allied fighters at Ramree. The Japanese down 22 fighters (mostly P-39) and lose four. Ramree airfield goes to level three.

India: John is deploying subs and TFs to sniff around Ceylon and southern India. I wouldn't be shocked if he came for the island or otherwise makes a play to take some bases to control ingress and egress in and out of the Bay of Bengal. Most of my army is in Assam and Burma, but I have small "anchor" garrisons at Karachi, Madrid, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad. An Indian division each at Viz and Cuttack serve as my "emergency reserve." Quite a few of my interior LOC bases have small garrisons to prevent para-assault attacks. A decent number of reinforcements are due in the next 60 days. Ceylon is vulnerable, but John can't do anything to threaten more than a toehold in India proper.

NoPac: More SigInt of Japanese work in the Aluetians. 5th Naval CB unit at Amchitka; 23nd Ind. Eng. Reg't on a maru bound for Attu; 93rd B.F. at Adak. I'm very, very close now to canceling the planned invasion. Should I do so, I plan to use an Aluetians feint in hopes of clearing the way for an invasion somewhere far away. I'm so close to scrubbing this that I spent 400 PP to buy a restricted US RCT at Seattle prepping for Adak to send to Anchorage as reinforcements. I want to beef up Anchorage quite a bit before I "abandon" NoPac to stand on its own for the next very long while.

CenPac: More evidence I'm close to scrubbing the Aluetians invasion - a tank destroyer unit at Pearl begins loading for Pago Pago. I've also halted the four USN carriers well the SE of Christmas Island. They'll hold temporarily while I see if there is any possibility they might be needed to cover the NoPac reinforcement operation. If not, they are likely to pull back to SoPac to surreptitiously cover any effort to reinforce Pago Pago and Fiji and for possible future offensive action.

Future Offensive Action: New Caledonia might be the safest choice if the KB is far away, but another option I'm exploring is a move into the Torres Straight and the Gulf of Carpentaria.

[Canoerebel]

The Bay of Bengal is the focal point of the war right now. This is the configuration of the chain of Allied bases defending the rim:

Diego Garcia: 4/5/4.6/485 (port/airfield/forts/AV) - 6 PBY on patrol.
Addu: 3/1/3.9/76 - I shift patrols here when coverage is needed
Colombo: 9/8/4/312 - 24 Dutch Hurricanes and P-40E; 48 P-39
Kogala: 1/1/3.2/39 - 9 PBY on patrol
Trincomalee: 6/3/3.7/54 - 6 PBY on patrol
Madras: 5/4/3.9/107 - 4 Dutch P-40E, 18 P39
Vizagapatnam: 3/5/4.1/441 - 8 Dutch P-40E and Hurricane; 32 RAF Hurri; 72 P-40E; 24 P-39
Calcutta: 5/8.9/3/462 - 16 Mohawk; 16 Hurricane
Chittagong: 5/8/3/494 - 48 Hurricane; 50 P-39
Cox's Bazaar: 1/4/2/161 - 8 Hurricane; 25 P-39
Akyab: 2/4/3/500 - 48 Hurricane; 11 Kiwi Kittyhawk; 72 P-40E; 24 P-400
Ramree Island: 0/3/3/392 - 6 PBY on patrol, 10 Hurricane, 13 P-40E, 11 P-39E (squadrons just roughed up by Tojo sweep)

Shipping available (in or approaching theater):
BB: Revenge, Royal Sovereign, Ramilles, Resolution, Valiant
CA: Vincennes, Pensacola, New Orleans, Dorsetshire, Canberra, Australia, Devonshire
CL: 17 (including CLAA) - a wide variety ranging from good (Boise) to, well, not-so-good (Van Heemskerck)
DD: 22
Support: At least 9 APD, a handful of CM and DM, an AE (I'm trying to sneak the critter in, but I have cold feet)

I'm way short on DD, but it seems like I'm short on DD everywhere.

[Lomri]

To add to what BW said, I also think the game is sensitive to where you click when there is no base present in the hex. It is possible that if you clicked the LCU icon for bombardment that it stores the actual database ID of that unit. And if that unit moved, it might have issues. But it also might be a better idea to click the LCU icon than the center of the hex. I think I've noted this behavior when bombing units in non-base hexes. The unit will move and my bombers will follow it if I clicked the LCU icon. This could be a fluke and I didn't record the event (for instance, did the coordinates change in the bomber screen? I don't remember but I think it did).


I know you want to show your BBs, and this isn't sufficient, but you could fly your float planes on recon (during the day) so they get spotted.

[Crackaces]

ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58

My best guess would have been like Alfred's, that there's a jinx in the mod between what the map looks like and what the pwhex data underneath says is there terain-wise.

Other thing I thought of overnight, sometimes, rarely, in a non-base hex the interface is sensitive to where in the hex you click in order for it to "take." If you are getting feedback that the code knows a bombarment mission was ordered this is probably not it, but you might click around and see.

If not that, then gremlins.

This is probably one of the more frustraing things about this game. I realize that too much information inhibits the whole fog of war thing, but this is software and software is inherently prone to untoward behaviors. A little message like "BB mission aborted -- Captn failed sobreity test" would be certainly more helpful than no messages at all. Aircraft strike packages promote the same level of frustration with the same level of speculation why platforms did not fly.

I hope CR figures this out and teaches the whole forum a very good lesson ...

[Canoerebel]

I've given up. The latest mission - without the BB - didn't go in. I've tried pretty much everything: mission settings (direct/absolute, etc.); different range of fire; escorts bombard or not; with and without BB; and different aggression of commanding officer. I also had plenty of good recon units flying the hex and reporting the presence of 21st IJA Div. I'm just out of ideas. The bad thing is that I sat here for 10 days and kept trying, which could've made Revenge a serious target. The good thing is the whole point was to make my BB obvious. I'm sure IJ patrols got plenty of sightings.

[Crackaces]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

I've given up. The latest mission - without the BB - didn't go in. I've tried pretty much everything: mission settings (direct/absolute, etc.); different range of fire; escorts bombard or not; with and without BB; and different aggression of commanding officer. I also had plenty of good recon units flying the hex and reporting the presence of 21st IJA Div. I'm just out of ideas. The bad thing is that I sat here for 10 days and kept trying, which could've made Revenge a serious target. The good thing is the whole point was to make my BB obvious. I'm sure IJ patrols got plenty of sightings.

CR could you post this in the Tech section and have Michealm look at it? I am very curious why the algorithum failed to enable a Bombardment mission ..

[Canoerebel]

8/6/42

Bay of Bengal: No major IJN fleet activity. Tojos sweep Ramree, but my fighters were stood down. Illustrious and Hermes make a break tonight for Madras, where I've moved a good bit of my fighters. Pensacola will be ready at Colombo yards tomorrow. So in a couple of days I'll probably have a meeting in the middle - a combat TF from Colombo and the carriers from Madras will meet at Trincomalee, where I'll transfer squadrons to provide CAP. I'm trying to clear Illustrious from the Bay, but it's going to be challenging.

NoPac: Cold Bay falls on a shock attack. The garrison - a USA RCT, and EAB and a USN base force retreat into a swamp. A USA RCT is enroute to Anchorage from Seattle, part by fast transport and part by amphibious TF.

CenPac: The tank destroyer unit from Pearl is enroute to Pago Pago.

SoPac and SwPac: I'm going to spend alot of time this afternoon evaluating potential targets in this region. If I come up with a plan I like, I'll begin the laborious process of switching prep and preparing to redistribute shipping (I've got a host arriving at Balboa over the next few days - the contingent originally slated for the Aluetians campaign).

DEI: Dutch patrols are still flying from Manado, providing coverage of the Sulu Sea, Makassar Strait, etc.