Invading North America

[Lonewolf]

It will be interesting if there are some regular scenarios (not PBEM) that cover the invasion of North America.
 
Even in a regular scenario that the human player plays Japanese, he will have to reset the initial destinations of the invasion task forces if he wants to test the alternate scenarios. Alternate Japanese war plans can be invading Karachi and India, or invading Australia.
 
 

[engineer]

Easier said than done. In a modded scenario once task forces are at sea, the AI can take over the task force and reset the orders.  I modded things so an invasion task force would sortie from Tokyo to land on Guam, but after steaming south for a couple turns the AI would send it back to Tokyo to wait for Wake to fall so it could be thrown towards Hawaii.  I tried tweaking the AI in the scenario files to elevate Guam as an objective, but eventually I had to move the invasion forces to stage out of the Marianas so they would hit Guam before the AI could issue new orders. 
 
Invading India, North America, or Australia with a computer Japanese opponent would entail a big change in the AI.  The computer would have to leave it's hands off of the task force for weeks in order to make it to the target.  Generally, I've seen the Japanese AI bungle taking the Philippines, fortify Wake, and make a thrust toward Pearl that is usually blunted somewhere short of Oahu. 

[Lonewolf]

Capturing Philippines for Japan is a big waste of resources as far as I concern. To capture the majority of Luzon and contain the remaining Allies troops in Bataan needs only a few infantry division. No real point to capture Midway, Guam, or Wake either since Japanese have not invented G4M Betty or Mavis flying boats yet. My biggest focus (of late) is invading Ceylon, India, Thailand, Malaya, etc. Being able to knock the British is a big attraction.

[engineer]

In game terms you've got a good argument.  The central Pacific doesn't have a lot of victory points in it.  Java solves the Japanese fuel issues.  I picked up WiTP at Christmas and have dabbled a little with it.  Certainly the range and lethality of aircraft make reasonable calculated risks in WPO terms suicidal given the genuine revolution in military affairs that airpower worked during the generation between WW1 and WW2.  Of course, the historical Japanese strategy in WW2 resulted in the conclusion that advancing into the central Pacific was a necessary step to protect the SLOC to the real prize in China and the Indies. 
 
I think the trick is human versus AI.  A human Allied player will take advantage of neglect in the Pacific to build pirate nests in the Marianas and Bonin's to blockade Japan and cut off the Asian empire. I doubt that the AI is nearly as dangerous with that strategy. 
 
The stock WPO also underestimates the Allied response to war.  The combined US and UK have an order of magnitude advantages over Japan in manpower and industrial might.  The reinforcement queue's don't reflect that disparity that will only grow greater portions of the Anglo economies get focussed on war construction.    

[Lonewolf]

Your Allies 'pirate nests' suggestion is interesting but it is difficult to carry out effectively. To capture and defend some of these outposts is simple when you compare it to the supply issue. If you are going to base a reasonable TF (BBs, BCs, CA/CL, DD) there and conduct blockages, you will need to have a well supply base. The auto-convoy system will keep the base alive but insufficient for TF operation. You'll need to run your own convoy of tankers out there to keep the fuel level above 50,000 if possible; turn the auto-refuel off as well for the convoys.
 
I have a WPO early war scenario where I captured Tori Shima and use it as a base to invade Japan. In order to blockade Tokyo Bay you'll need to park a TF beside it every turn. Therefore you need to have 2 TF at least. There is a constant stream of fuel convoy running from the US to keep that place operational. Don't forget that you don't have any repair facility on that little piece of rock either. Capturing the island of Hokkaido or city Sendai will solve that problem. The island of Hokkaido is better since you can use auto convoy.