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RE: IRONMAN - SPOILER THREAD
Posted: Mon Oct 17, 2011 4:31 am
by CaptBeefheart
I'm playing the latest Ironman with latest beta patch at Hard, and it's currently early April 1942. I let the two sides duke it out until mid-Fed (I let it go longer twice, but both times in March, as I recall, the USN lost three or four flattops off Saipan--I didn't want that much of a handicap so I started at an earlier save).
Sing and Bataan were still IJA-free in mid-February, but only just. They each fell within a month. It took longer for Sing as there were a lot of piecemeal shock attacks. At that time, Moulmein also held for quite a while. Also, I inherited a good chunk of the Aussie army, much of it restricted, floundering on PNG at Milne Bay and near Moresby. I lost both stacks eventually. Not so good for the Aussie pools. In compensation, I have 3 Inf Div at Suva, 41 Inf Div at Brisbane and even 7 Mot Div at Noumea. All of those are permantly restricted. There are a few other smaller restricted units posted overseas. Obviously the AI did that before I took over. Most of the DEI has been taken except Sumatra less Sabang. Only minor mop up for the empire in the PI as well.
In terms of raids and such, I just got raided at Perth by a mid-sized KB formation and sigint now says an IJA div is on boats heading for Geraldton. I hope to have a decent reception committee waiting there. Something called the "Timber Wolf," an ACM or CM (i.e. the commerce raider type) sank a few merchies between Pearl and Frisco. Bad raider, bad! I assume it's German with a name like that. Looks like I'll have to escort my merchies a bit better. That's the only non-Japanese sounding ship I've noticed so far. I have noticed a few dud torpedos launched at CVEs Kizen and/or Hizen or somesuch. Also, I've noticed a few CAs and CLs I don't recognize from my history books. I assume I'll be meeting a lot of those.
A couple of things the AI could possibly do better (not a complaint, just observation):
1) Not sure how uberman the IJN CV pilots are, but maybe those smallish roving bands of IJN CVs should have more flattops included. Anyway, I'll be spoiling for a fight off OZ if possible in the next month or so.
2) I took out numerous xAKs with a CA group at Milne Bay that went there to bombard (just after I lost the base there). Maybe 20-30 totally unescorted xAKs went down. Such a waste of fine infantry, I mean merchies (well, about 10,000 troops did go down too).
3) Akyab is also getting trickles of merchies and my CA group in region is taking out 4-8 a week. They could probably use more escorts, or else an SCTF should be based in the area.
4) I found the Guards Mixed Brigade and an air flotilla camping on Midway with my Mar Def Bn and USAAF base force (that must be some crowded real estate). They've been there since before February and I assume they are supply-free as I've shore bombarded them a few times and they don't bombard themselves. Probably Midway needs more resources devoted to the initial invasion. I plan to land an RCT there soon and be done with them.
I'll try to post more as time progresses.
Cheers,
CC
RE: IRONMAN - SPOILER THREAD
Posted: Mon Oct 17, 2011 7:53 pm
by Andy Mac
please do its interesrting
RE: IRONMAN - SPOILER THREAD
Posted: Mon Oct 17, 2011 10:45 pm
by JeffroK
Similar to Cdr Cody,
I read above about an invasion of West Aust and given the number of IJN CV spinning around Java thought it a possibility or just a chance to snipe a few CV.
Sent my 4 USN CV to a point about 300 miles south of Soerbaja and succesfully fought off about 200 sorties for only 2 bomb hits, 4-5 sys damage, I then hit a CVL TF and put 4-5 bombs into 3 CVL, 2 day turns makes this a nail biting exercise, and ran for home. Next day found a TF heading towards Pt Hedland area and sank a PB & AK, I wonder if tomorrows turn brings out an Invasion??
I have the Gds Mixed Bde on Midway as well, the Vibrators are hitting them now and scaring away the Gooney Birds so they must be hungry, in about 4 days my Marine Raider & Parachuters will land and hopefully send them to a POW camp.
In Burma the IJA has taken an empty Rangoon, I'm still holding Magwe against 17k with a Burma Rifle Bn, I think the IJA is using a Thai Division here.
Temuloh in Malaya is still holding, intel says 50k IJA attacking
I now have Bde+ sized forces at Noumea, Nadi, Suva, PagoPago and Christmas Is and will start filling back towards Japan.
Quiet in the North, I've got RCT equiv at Dutch Harbor & Unmak and sending a RCT equiv to Adak soon.
(I peeked, only at the ships available listing, about 25 CA for the IJN, some which carry a useful airgroup as well!!)
RE: IRONMAN - SPOILER THREAD
Posted: Tue Oct 18, 2011 12:19 am
by CaptBeefheart
Holy perpetual cruise, Batman! That CV group got bigger and did a a complete west-east run under Oz in mid-late April in two distinct groups (one about 300 a/c, the other about 150). I managed to get some ships out and some survived in port, but it was certainly ugly (3 cruisers upgrading in Sydney managed to survive). Unfortunately, my USN CVs were still parked in Pearl and San Dog awaiting upgrading escorting cruisers.
Depending on what IJ forces are parked at Geraldton, which I have no recon on, I expect to roll up the IJN's West Australia invasion shortly. I only had a two-day warning (2-day turns) and thus no time to reinforce Geraldton before it fell. Perth is awash in AVs by now, however.
Also, the Orion commerce raider is doing a bit of mischief in the waters between Sydney, Noumea and Wellington.
Sigint: An interesting tidbit says a JAAF engineering unit is prepping for Pago Pago--no ship carrying intel, though. I have a nice reception committee there.
JeffK: What's the timeframe in your game?
Cheers,
CC
RE: IRONMAN - SPOILER THREAD
Posted: Tue Oct 18, 2011 2:12 am
by JeffroK
Mid march 42
Looks like I've got an interesting April to come. (I tripped over the Orion with the Dutch fleet, it s gone to join Kormoran.)
I have 2 Bns at Geraldton, 6 Bdes at Perth, 6th Aussie just made it in from Aden. 7th Aussie is at Aden waiting for shipping.
6th might hang on a bit, maybe at Kalgoorlie ready to move.
My airpower is a bit low in the west, a Hudson Sqn and a Wirraway Sqn and a Kittyhawk Sqn due in 2-3 days.
RE: IRONMAN - SPOILER THREAD
Posted: Tue Oct 18, 2011 8:45 pm
by JeffroK
Up to 19 March, the IJA is still clearing the DEI and back filling in PNG & Solomons.
It was 2KOYLI holding back 6 Thai Div at Magwe, 55 Cav Rgt and a Tank Rgt came and pushed them out.
Temuloh is still holding, plus a very weak Bde across the N-S Rail. 2 Divs and 7 Rgts or 40-50k IJA trying to clear them out.
The quiet time, loins being girded for next phase.
RE: IRONMAN - SPOILER THREAD
Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2011 3:24 pm
by HansBolter
Sorry it's taken me so long to respond but work has been hectic lately.
I'm in my 6th or 7th or 8th Ironman game (can't really remember how many times I have restarted it).
I'm using the most current beta patches and update fairly promptly as they are released.
So far, I have refused to play on any setting other than historical since the idea of a surrounded force having unlimited supply sticks in my craw. I now realize that it may be necesary to accept that "cheat" in order to make the AI viable. My nex game will likely be on 'hard'.
My current game is at February 27th, 1943. Until recently I had thought the AI ws still resilient enogh to make the extended game viable but I am beginning to have my doubts as there seems to be no opposition whatsoever to my advances in New Guinea and the Solomons. The AI has almost no air cover in the region.
To back up a little. Having trashed the AI too early in previous games I took a conservative approach in '42. Unlike prior games where I trashed the AI at Canton, I let the AI have it without a fight this game. However, I still can't bring myself to the point of not fighting over Midway. Midway was an interesting battle. When the AI came to Midway I had only two CVs at Pearl and another two at Palmyra. I did have a battleship force under Norm Scott stationed at Midway since the previous weeks had seen some tit-for-tat surface actions there. The AI started raiding my supply convoys at Midway with DDs, so I upped the ante with a CL/DD force. The AI responded with a CA force so I upped the ante again.
I got an early warning of the AIs approach to Midway when a Japan bound sub ran into them about 20 hexes NE of Midway and put a fish into the Akagi. Forwarned I started racing to Midway with the two carrier groups. A couple of turns later Midway's PBYs spotted up the KB and a smaller advance screen force inbound. While the KB was still about 11-12 hexes out the first of my two carrier groups arrived on station 6 hexes SW of Midway to cover Norm Scott's SAG which positioned itself for a night run on Midway hoping to catch the advance screen force and get away before teh KB could pounce. The KB was reported as having 144 fighters (don't know if this still included the Akagi). This was far too strong a force for my four carriers with 27 fighters each to stand up to. I had two Marine fighter squads on Midway (F3F and Buffalo) with green pilots.
I was only looking to strike with the surface force if I could and planning to stand off with the carriers and await developments expecting to lose Midway. This is the first IM game that I had seen the AI bring such a formidable force to Midway. Norm made his run the next night and lo and behold the advance screen force consisted of 3 CVLs with only CL escort. Norm sunk two CVLs in the night encounter and the third one on the way out the next morning while getting away Scott free (hehe). Fully expecting to lose Midway when the KB arrived with the invasion force, I pulled the carriers and SAG back and staged out the operational fighters.
Even though there was no way I could have prevented the invasion, I guess the heavy losses suffered by the screen force caused the AI to turn tail and sail for home. A KB has returned to Midway several times since and with me heavily engaged in the south I made no effort to respond, but all subsequent visits have been by the KB alone with no invasion force. Presumably intended to draw my carriers out for a fight.
Playing conservatively for the most part I avoided any CV vs CV fights for most of '42. The only carrier air battle I have had was at Guadalcanal. There the AI waited too long to respond to my invasion. It took 5 days to arrive and by that time I had strong LB fighter cover for my carriers and sunk 2 CVs and 2 CVLs. To date the AI has lost 2 CVs, 9 CVLs and 2 CVEs. I have not lost a carrier.
The AI seems to get a real hard on for certain objectives. My last 3 IM games have hit the script for Geraldton. Recall feedback some time ago about the full KB coming to Geraldton, chasing my fleeing ships eastward and then losing focus and meandering into a sheltered, mined and coastal gun coveerd bay on the southern coast and getting itself decimated.
This game it has come to Geraldton many, many times with no air cover at all. I defend western Australia. The 6th Aussie Div (the first to arrive from the Mideast) goes to Darwin while teh 7th goes to Perth/Geraldton with the rest of I Aussie Corps assets. I also almost always end up keeping the India bound American Army Fighter Group in Oz to defend the NW and SW areas. I also use teh Army dive bombers there since they don't have the legs to reach NG. I have sunk at least 6 different invasion forces that arrived with no air cover and no heavy escort. I also station the Dutch navy at Perth and they have had a field day on the invasion forces escorted by Es and PBs.
I have to get back to work now, but will try to follow up with more when I get home from work tonght.
RE: IRONMAN - SPOILER THREAD
Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2011 8:51 pm
by HansBolter
Follow up:
This is the first IM game that I let the AI take Burma. It is very easy to keep the AI from ever taking Burma and I larned that it skews the game too heavily if a player does it. Last game the brits were two hexes from Bangkok in Nov '42 when I decided to restart because the AI had gone down the toilet. To prevent the AI from taking Burma all one has to do is evac the III Indian Corps from Singapore and transport it to Rangoon. Pegu is the key to Burma. Plcing a 1200-1400 AV stack in Pegu will cause the 2500 AV Japanese stack that arrives there to bog down. Then it's a simple matter of surrounding it and bombing it for 6 months while you increase your 1400 AV stack to 2500 AV and can start reducing the stack. After killing off 27 Japanese LCUs the flood gates are wide open.
This game I let Burma fall while eventually fighting a protracted battle over Akyab. I typically combine the AVG with the British to give a good air fight to the Japs. Whne the AVG withdraws I transfer the experienced pilots to the 51st Fighter Group that arrives in India through Aden. Pappy Boyington led the charge and is my leading ace with 37 kills. His squadron (former since he has been retired to TRACOM now) is my leading squadron with over 500 kills. The presence of teh Brithis navy in Chittagong and Diamond Harbor during the Burma fight guaranteed many attempts by the Japanes to get to them only to be slaughtered by my air concentration. The AI never came with Zeros and almost always came with Oscars. Many time unescorted bombers flew into heavy CAP becasue juicy naval targets were present. I didn't intentionally set out to bait the AI with naval targets, I needed the navy there to counter invasion attempts. I sunk many invasion runs on Akyab and eventually the AI overwhemed it by land route. The Brits took heavy naval losses but inflicted heavy losses as well. Thing went quiet on this front after Akyab fell as the AI has made no move on India.
The AI also has a penchant for sending unescorted Bettys to Chengtu apparently trying to bomb the supply I'm flying in over the hump. For a time I had three Chinese pilots in the top ten with 12, 11 and 10 kills in I-15s and I-16s!!!!!
The AI does a grat job of coming early into the Solomons and NG. In the historical campaigns it is very easy to screw with the AI at Rabaul. It brings a force just strong enough to overwhelm the at start garrison. All one has to do is fly in reinforcements starting on day two and the fall of Rabaul can be seriously delayed. In IM the AI drops a small unit there by fast transport on Dec. 7th. This prevents units from being airlifted in or out. The AI also comes to Port Morseby very early, way too early for the Allies to be able to put up a fight because they have nothing to fight with.
However, I've discovered now that the AI did almost nothing to build up a defesne of what it took. Lunga and PM were cakewalks. I'm now moving on Buna and very strong in Shortlands. SoPac is obliterating Rabaul which has almost no fighter defense. There are 21 LCUs in Rabaul but no airforce to speak of.
While there is almost no air cover in the south seas the AI pounds China day in and day out with heavily escorted raids, sometimes up to 70 Oscars escorting unopposed bombing raids. The Chinese air force is hiding in the hinterland training and waiting patiently for decent planes.
A big failure on the part of the AI was not taking Tabiteuea. I only discovered this game what a real gem it is. One of the biggest challenges in running out to take a dot hex under enemy air cover is getting the supply in you need to build bases up. It is easy to FT a small fighting force in to take an enemy cot hex and just as easy to FT a seabee battalion in without it's bulldozers. Supply runs are what leave your APDs sitting exposed under enemy air cover. Unlike other dot hexes Tabiteuea has a ready stockpile of supply for base building.
With the lack of any real opposition in the south seas I am not so sure teh AI is still viable enough to play on. Ive implemented a two stand down on operations to see if the AI can get some air in to put up a fight before I completely obliterate the bases in the region. I'm only a few days away from expanding my Tabiteuea kingdom to Tarawa. The AI has lost over 5000 planes to air combat and 1100 destroyed on bases. I've lost 2600 to air combat and 400 on bases. I'm concerned the air losses may have overwhelmed the AI. Ihave resisted loading it up as the Japs to see how much resilience they have.
The place where the AI has shined is in sub ops. No matter how smug I become over one surface or air trouncing after another the AI always humbles me with the subs. They have hit a multitude of ports with midget subs. Just recently putting a fish in a Brit BB and a fat AP in Colombo. A fresh wolfpack of German subs just arrived off Colombo in Jan '43 and a fresh German SAG has been spotted roaming the Indian Ocean.
Was going to attach a save for your perusal but received a message that it's too large (3.32mb).
RE: IRONMAN - SPOILER THREAD
Posted: Mon Oct 24, 2011 6:35 am
by CaptBeefheart
I'll add a few more tidbits up to about mid-June 1942:
Geraldton/Perth: There have been several single rgt or single bde invasions of Perth since Geraldton, which have naturally been crushed. That seems a bit of a waste. I also had no trouble defeating the about 2 1/2 divs of the Geraldton force.
KB: Also, the KB, or parts thereof, did some more cicumnavigation of Oz. I managed to get my 5 CVs down to Melbourne in time to catch the counterclockwise component (the larger clockwise component got too much of a head start). I got the Skokaku, 1 CVL and the Haruna, plus three TBs. No losses to me except maybe 10-15% of my aircraft.
Commerce Raiders: The Timber Wolf is still active in EastPac, with the Sea Wolf confirmed residing in Davey Jones' locker. The Orion was damaged but probably still floating toward Rabaul. Indian Ocean quiet for now except the numerous visits to West Oz (touch wood).
Cheers,
CC
RE: IRONMAN - SPOILER THREAD
Posted: Fri Oct 28, 2011 3:51 am
by CaptBeefheart
Now up to August. Gearing up for counteroffensives. Stumbled on the CB Lutzow and its Arado floaties, which was hanging with the Yamato up around Chittagong. My Albacores put a couple of fish in it. Shows up as sunk but I doubt it.
Cheers,
CC
RE: IRONMAN - SPOILER THREAD
Posted: Fri Oct 28, 2011 7:06 pm
by JeffroK
I'm at the end of May 42.
I succesfully held off the IJN anti clockwise offensive in battles off Cape Leeuwin between Perth and Albany. I took out CVL Ryujo and CB Lutzow, I suffered medium damage to the Lexington BUT didnt have enough fuel left to stay. My CV had to retreat to Sydney.
The driblets continued to land at Geraldton (Why does the AI struggle with Invasions, it managed to lift a full Div and a Rgt into Akyab, why not to other loacations??)
Late April saw Diego Garcia invaded, and evacuated? Its now got a British Bde building an airfield for B52's.
Next came the clockwise CV trip around Australia, this is where you see how weak OZ was as I have few modern aircraft (maybe I was a bit defensive in other areas which kept USAAF sqns busy) after an attempt by my Cruiser force to intercept a CVTF, which succeded only to find the IJN steam away at 30kts and then pound my CA's. I had 3 usable CV in Sydney Harbour, hardly any useable aircraft as the battles off WA used up the reserves (I landed some Sqns and upgraded them to SBC & SBU's). Thankfully the IJN was on Naval attack and stemed past, after smashing my TK TF (I still screw up with 2 day turns)
Next was a trip by the IJN into Port Phillip Bay, past the batteries at Queenscliff and Portsea and trough The Rip in winter!!! I'm trying to scrape up some minelayers but will probably be too little, too late. My next move is to flood aircraft into Perth and see if I can get them going around the corner. I alsofind the RN Destroyers have pitiful bunkerage and cant do the hop from Colombo to Perth!
Early May saw an invasion of Attu, I got a Sigint warning and started to fly in a Bn and got 1 days worth before the landings. Just enough to hold off the attacks and I have a Regiment on ships heading that way.
As mentioned, a Div and Rgt landed at Akyab, but has sat there and done nothing! Which is about the same for all of Burma, I'm now sitting in solid positions on the Indian side of the border waiting for the next moves.
THOUGHTS.
The IJN attacks on OZ would have been better supported by landings at bases from Canarvon around to Cooktown, here the driplet aproach would have sufficed and had the Allied player runinning his LCU around everywhere. I had 2 Bdes at Port Augusta waiting to react to an invasion of the east coast or a continued west coast attack.
RE: IRONMAN - SPOILER THREAD
Posted: Fri Oct 28, 2011 10:50 pm
by Andy Mac
It is very hard to get the AI to conduct properly supported invasions - pretty much the hardest thing to get it to do.
Send me a save please jeff and I will take a look at which script its following
a.mcphie@btinternet.com
RE: IRONMAN - SPOILER THREAD
Posted: Fri Oct 28, 2011 10:51 pm
by Andy Mac
Yup west australia invasions dont seem to be working well at mo
RE: IRONMAN - SPOILER THREAD
Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2011 11:08 am
by HansBolter
Follow up to my previous posts.
The main reason why I am coming to the conclusion that I need to relent on my stand against allowing the AI to be supplied while surrounded (ie...playing on Hard instead of Historical) is the penchant the AI has for getting huge stacks surrounded.
As I mentioned above, the AI is pounding China with air and seems to be concentrating a huge air effort there. On the ground, on the other hand, it has been a pure disaster. The Chinese have reconquered most of Japanese held China.
The AI forms up huge stacks and heads off down the road to conquer one city after another. Only problem is it never bothers to garrison anything it takes. Once a city falls the entire huge stack moves on down the road to the next city. The Chinese units displaced from the first city simply move back in and reoccupy it. The AI succeeds in taking several cities bfore the Chinese can muster a strong enough stack to cause the AI's advance to bog down. Once they succeed in bogging down the huge stack into a protracted siege, it's only a matter of time until the AIs huge stack is starved into submission.
The AI pays no attention whatsoever to the need to garrison what it has taken and allows the Chinese army to close in around it like an amoeba and simply swallow it up.
Perhaps playing on hard will at least make it take a whole lot longer to reduce the huge stacks that like to get themselves surrounded.
RE: IRONMAN - SPOILER THREAD
Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2011 12:05 pm
by Andy Mac
I can only tell the AI to attack base by base so it isnt good at out of base defences
Also it doesnt garriosn quickly enough sometimes
RE: IRONMAN - SPOILER THREAD
Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2011 12:07 pm
by HansBolter
ORIGINAL: Andy Mac
I can only tell the AI to attack base by base so it isnt good at out of base defences
Also it doesnt garriosn quickly enough sometimes
Sounds like this confirms the need to play on hard instead of historical.
Next game will be on hard setting.
RE: IRONMAN - SPOILER THREAD
Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2011 12:46 am
by JeffroK
Hans, Play it on hard and dont go out to bash the AI silly.
End of July 42 approaching.
Small bits.
A bit of AMC action between SF & PH, solved with a hunter/killer group with 2 CL & 4 DD patrolling.
Attu fell, a day before my reos arrived, being a 2 day game, they landed on day 2 and got smashed.
Kiska fell as well, though undefended. I am building Adak? and its got the best part of a Division, retreat ends there.
Burma seems to have fallen asleep, Akyab was taken but they havent moved any further. I'm building up my fighters for an onslaught with a lot of USAAF arriving now.
Nothing happening between Midway and Sydney, Ndeni was taken but thats all.
My intel is saying I sank 2 CV and 4 CVL off West Oz, I'll count up a full tally soon.
Beaufighters at 100ft kill IJN merchies.
Meanwhile,
Midway was attacked again, my patrols didnt spot them until the Gooney Birds got scared away. Reportedly Yamato and another BB, smashed the islands but only the rump of a Naval Force landed. I reacted and sent 2 CV into the area and on not getting any reports of CV moved to 3 hexes east of Midway. Somehow my Marines missed the 2 IJN CV circling the island and I lost Hornet while only landed 2-3 bomb hits, Wasp struggled home. Luckily, the aircraft wich diverted to Midway were instumental in pushing back a further invasion attempt by sinking some AK. Landing pushed back again. (I had a Marine Para Bn on the islands)
The battle for Geraldton had been simmering, stupid AI kept sending in penny packets. I decided that my strategic reserve needed to be in Sydney to react in case movement happened in the South Pacific. Another fleet sailed to Geraldton, got attacked by my last 3 DD out of Perth and dropped its load of 6th Guards Division on a non base hex, 1 hex south of Geraldton!!!!!
I moved a Bde and 2 Bns out to block it and a Bde from Perth, when settled they were ordered to move to the hex and then I found that an Inf Bde, 10 LH and an Inf Bn moved directly west but the 4th Cav Bde moved via Geraldton???? Didnt matter in the end as 6th Guards was unsupplied.
Moved my units back into Geraldton.
Then the AI totally screwed up by landing 3 full IJA Infantry Divisions at Geraldton, if this happened 2 mths back it might have been succesful. Now I have to move 16th (Duke of York) Bde back across country plus anything else (a few Armd Rgts with Lee/Grant) I can find, the shop at Ooldea will be busy.
Finally got an airforce into OZ. 1 CV still in the docks in Sydney, 3 others just passing Kiribati headed to PH.
Apart from OZ plus the occasional outbreak in the Aleutians or Midway the AI isnt doing much, or is it??? Seen some more BB with funny names!
RE: IRONMAN - SPOILER THREAD
Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2011 3:30 pm
by HansBolter
ORIGINAL: JeffK
Hans, Play it on hard and dont go out to bash the AI silly.
End of July 42 approaching.
Small bits.
A bit of AMC action between SF & PH, solved with a hunter/killer group with 2 CL & 4 DD patrolling.
Attu fell, a day before my reos arrived, being a 2 day game, they landed on day 2 and got smashed.
Kiska fell as well, though undefended. I am building Adak? and its got the best part of a Division, retreat ends there.
Burma seems to have fallen asleep, Akyab was taken but they havent moved any further. I'm building up my fighters for an onslaught with a lot of USAAF arriving now.
Nothing happening between Midway and Sydney, Ndeni was taken but thats all.
My intel is saying I sank 2 CV and 4 CVL off West Oz, I'll count up a full tally soon.
Beaufighters at 100ft kill IJN merchies.
Meanwhile,
Midway was attacked again, my patrols didnt spot them until the Gooney Birds got scared away. Reportedly Yamato and another BB, smashed the islands but only the rump of a Naval Force landed. I reacted and sent 2 CV into the area and on not getting any reports of CV moved to 3 hexes east of Midway. Somehow my Marines missed the 2 IJN CV circling the island and I lost Hornet while only landed 2-3 bomb hits, Wasp struggled home. Luckily, the aircraft wich diverted to Midway were instumental in pushing back a further invasion attempt by sinking some AK. Landing pushed back again. (I had a Marine Para Bn on the islands)
The battle for Geraldton had been simmering, stupid AI kept sending in penny packets. I decided that my strategic reserve needed to be in Sydney to react in case movement happened in the South Pacific. Another fleet sailed to Geraldton, got attacked by my last 3 DD out of Perth and dropped its load of 6th Guards Division on a non base hex, 1 hex south of Geraldton!!!!!
I moved a Bde and 2 Bns out to block it and a Bde from Perth, when settled they were ordered to move to the hex and then I found that an Inf Bde, 10 LH and an Inf Bn moved directly west but the 4th Cav Bde moved via Geraldton???? Didnt matter in the end as 6th Guards was unsupplied.
Moved my units back into Geraldton.
Then the AI totally screwed up by landing 3 full IJA Infantry Divisions at Geraldton, if this happened 2 mths back it might have been succesful. Now I have to move 16th (Duke of York) Bde back across country plus anything else (a few Armd Rgts with Lee/Grant) I can find, the shop at Ooldea will be busy.
Finally got an airforce into OZ. 1 CV still in the docks in Sydney, 3 others just passing Kiribati headed to PH.
Apart from OZ plus the occasional outbreak in the Aleutians or Midway the AI isnt doing much, or is it??? Seen some more BB with funny names!
I alrady don't go out to bash the AI silly.
I let it have Canton without a fight.
I don't detach the CA's escorting transport TFs on day two to intercept the AI at Tarawa.
I don't air transport the battalion at PM to Rabaul to delay the conquest.
I don't mine the straits between Java and Sumatra.
I don't evac the III Indian Corps from Singapore and station it in level 5 forts at Pegu to deny the AI the conquest of Burma.
As I discover actions on the Allied part that send the game down the tubes by trashing the AI too early I add them to my list of things not to do next game.
Playing on hard and relinquishing my stand against allowing the AI the "cheat" of never being unsupplied just got added to the list.
RE: IRONMAN - SPOILER THREAD
Posted: Wed Nov 02, 2011 10:19 pm
by wpurdom
Playing Ironman on regular setting as Allies, latest Beta in general up to 5/10/42. Going all out to take advantages of AI weaknesses, got most Sinapore forces into DEI.
Biggest problem for AI is numerous small CV groups. As a result, have held S. Sumatra and Java and killed 2 CV's, 8 CVL's and 5 CVE's. Lexington nearly lost it, but wound up 50 major flot, 20 major flot to Enterprise, minor damage to 2 other cV's. Stranded and destroyed divisional invasions + at Palembang, Merak, and Kalidjati. Now trying to retake the two lost bases on Timor before trying to reopen supply through DEI to Phillipines.
AI presses me much harder than I'm used to in the air and in China.
AI causes problems for me with AMC raiders in South Pacifac. Germans only annoying with recon. Severe shortage of aircraft, but losing very few pilots.
Easy to avoid subs - send ships on straight diagonal SE from San Diego.
Near-run on Luzon, but held and managed slowly to slip through counterattack and isolate superior invasion forces in Manila and Clark. Also slipped individual supply ships with some losses through Central Pacifac.
After fall of Rabaul, no follow-up in the Solomons, stopped offensive in NG and retook Buna and Lae, now going after Finschafen. Also AI never bothered to take Gasmata. No offensive activity in Central Pacifac after Wake, AI currently invading Canton Island in South.
RE: IRONMAN - SPOILER THREAD
Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2011 11:31 am
by Andy Mac
hmmm sounds like it fell apart in your game wpurdom please let me have a save I need to see which script caused it