RE: Oh Bugger......
Posted: Sun Jan 01, 2012 12:08 pm
wow, that was the one out of 100 chance [X(][X(][X(]
ORIGINAL: Miller
Well s'pose the lesson is always have a seperate SCTF following your CV fleets.....I assume the enemy SCTF would have to fight through them first? Or is it random?
ORIGINAL: castor troy
ORIGINAL: Miller
Well s'pose the lesson is always have a seperate SCTF following your CV fleets.....I assume the enemy SCTF would have to fight through them first? Or is it random?
the other way around, have the CV fleet following your SC TF because otherwise you will find out your carriers move into a hex, are butchered by the enemy (usually only a sub) and then the rest of the fleet arrives. So, surface combat TF in the lead, followed by ASW TF (against the pesky subs) and last not least the carrier TFs.
ORIGINAL: Justus2
ORIGINAL: castor troy
ORIGINAL: Miller
Well s'pose the lesson is always have a seperate SCTF following your CV fleets.....I assume the enemy SCTF would have to fight through them first? Or is it random?
the other way around, have the CV fleet following your SC TF because otherwise you will find out your carriers move into a hex, are butchered by the enemy (usually only a sub) and then the rest of the fleet arrives. So, surface combat TF in the lead, followed by ASW TF (against the pesky subs) and last not least the carrier TFs.
So does the game process the following TF with that delay? I wasnt sure, but I have been using ASW teams on follow (zero hex) for some of my convoys, just to track the ships better. But if the subs will get an attack in on the merchants, before the ASW arrives, that would be BAD....
ORIGINAL: castor troy
ORIGINAL: Miller
Well s'pose the lesson is always have a seperate SCTF following your CV fleets.....I assume the enemy SCTF would have to fight through them first? Or is it random?
the other way around, have the CV fleet following your SC TF because otherwise you will find out your carriers move into a hex, are butchered by the enemy (usually only a sub) and then the rest of the fleet arrives. So, surface combat TF in the lead, followed by ASW TF (against the pesky subs) and last not least the carrier TFs.
ORIGINAL: dr.hal
What happened to all those Jap DD's long lance torpedoes???

ORIGINAL: obvert
Well, I'm certainly not fond of the escorts of Japanese CVs and their (in)ability to fire back or screen the CVs, which I discovered on turn two of my game with Historiker. When a TF with a 22 knot BB managed to somehow get in range of the KB moving at 28 knots, and stay there, (then catch them again!) raining big shells on the CVs, the two BBs did relatively little to respond. Certainly not a plausible situation in reality, where those BBs and CAs would have ducked in front and blasted away recklessly while the CVs would have run to a safe distance behind them. Not firing and not moving to screen has nothing to do with radar if the enemy is visible in daylight.
So even in good visibility the Air combat TF BB/CA are ineffectual against surface combatants, even those that are slower than the CV TF. There is nothing we can do but not get caught, I guess, or always travel with a SCTF in the same hex as the CVs. The game is not reality. That's what I learned (the hard way).
ORIGINAL: Miller
Looking back and having viewed a few turns since, it looks like surface radar is the key. I don't think any IJN warships can upgrade to get this yet in my game.........
ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58
ORIGINAL: obvert
Well, I'm certainly not fond of the escorts of Japanese CVs and their (in)ability to fire back or screen the CVs, which I discovered on turn two of my game with Historiker. When a TF with a 22 knot BB managed to somehow get in range of the KB moving at 28 knots, and stay there, (then catch them again!) raining big shells on the CVs, the two BBs did relatively little to respond. Certainly not a plausible situation in reality, where those BBs and CAs would have ducked in front and blasted away recklessly while the CVs would have run to a safe distance behind them. Not firing and not moving to screen has nothing to do with radar if the enemy is visible in daylight.
So even in good visibility the Air combat TF BB/CA are ineffectual against surface combatants, even those that are slower than the CV TF. There is nothing we can do but not get caught, I guess, or always travel with a SCTF in the same hex as the CVs. The game is not reality. That's what I learned (the hard way).
Right. The game is hexes. Inside the hex there is no tactical geometry, only random numbers. So expecting screens to precede carriers in their historic posture is always going to diappoint. But what takes away also gives back. Imagine the complexity if big guns, or subs, could fire between hexes.
Really?ORIGINAL: crsutton
ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58
ORIGINAL: obvert
Well, I'm certainly not fond of the escorts of Japanese CVs and their (in)ability to fire back or screen the CVs, which I discovered on turn two of my game with Historiker. When a TF with a 22 knot BB managed to somehow get in range of the KB moving at 28 knots, and stay there, (then catch them again!) raining big shells on the CVs, the two BBs did relatively little to respond. Certainly not a plausible situation in reality, where those BBs and CAs would have ducked in front and blasted away recklessly while the CVs would have run to a safe distance behind them. Not firing and not moving to screen has nothing to do with radar if the enemy is visible in daylight.
So even in good visibility the Air combat TF BB/CA are ineffectual against surface combatants, even those that are slower than the CV TF. There is nothing we can do but not get caught, I guess, or always travel with a SCTF in the same hex as the CVs. The game is not reality. That's what I learned (the hard way).
Right. The game is hexes. Inside the hex there is no tactical geometry, only random numbers. So expecting screens to precede carriers in their historic posture is always going to diappoint. But what takes away also gives back. Imagine the complexity if big guns, or subs, could fire between hexes.
But I seem to remember that in UV screens did work and frequently the escort was sacrificed and the escorted saved. Never happens in AE.
ORIGINAL: crsutton
ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58
ORIGINAL: obvert
Well, I'm certainly not fond of the escorts of Japanese CVs and their (in)ability to fire back or screen the CVs, which I discovered on turn two of my game with Historiker. When a TF with a 22 knot BB managed to somehow get in range of the KB moving at 28 knots, and stay there, (then catch them again!) raining big shells on the CVs, the two BBs did relatively little to respond. Certainly not a plausible situation in reality, where those BBs and CAs would have ducked in front and blasted away recklessly while the CVs would have run to a safe distance behind them. Not firing and not moving to screen has nothing to do with radar if the enemy is visible in daylight.
So even in good visibility the Air combat TF BB/CA are ineffectual against surface combatants, even those that are slower than the CV TF. There is nothing we can do but not get caught, I guess, or always travel with a SCTF in the same hex as the CVs. The game is not reality. That's what I learned (the hard way).
Right. The game is hexes. Inside the hex there is no tactical geometry, only random numbers. So expecting screens to precede carriers in their historic posture is always going to diappoint. But what takes away also gives back. Imagine the complexity if big guns, or subs, could fire between hexes.
But I seem to remember that in UV screens did work and frequently the escort was sacrificed and the escorted saved. Never happens in AE.
ORIGINAL: Cannonfodder
ORIGINAL: crsutton
ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58
Right. The game is hexes. Inside the hex there is no tactical geometry, only random numbers. So expecting screens to precede carriers in their historic posture is always going to diappoint. But what takes away also gives back. Imagine the complexity if big guns, or subs, could fire between hexes.
But I seem to remember that in UV screens did work and frequently the escort was sacrificed and the escorted saved. Never happens in AE.
Screening happens (troop/cargo convoys). The only surface combat I had with CVs was in my game vs Arnhem. My ships managed to sink Wasp and I think its escorts were ineffective. Need to check the date Wasp sank to be sure on my losses..
Edit: found the combat report... 3 lonely destroyers
AFTER ACTION REPORTS FOR Jun 28, 43
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Night Time Surface Combat, near Aoba Island at 125,150, Range 2,000 Yards
Allied aircraft
no flights
Allied aircraft losses
F6F-3 Hellcat: 20 destroyed
SBD-3 Dauntless: 8 destroyed
TBF-1 Avenger: 10 destroyed
Japanese Ships
DD Hatsukaze
DD Natsushio, Shell hits 14, heavy fires, heavy damage
DD Kisaragi, Shell hits 2
Allied Ships
CV Wasp, Shell hits 10, Torpedo hits 3, and is sunk
CA Minneapolis
CLAA San Juan, Shell hits 1
CLAA Oakland, Torpedo hits 1, heavy damage
CL Helena, Shell hits 2
DD Taylor
DD Waller
DD Laffey, Shell hits 3, heavy fires
DD Duncan
DD Woodworth, Shell hits 1
DD Bailey
DD Caldwell
DD Frazier
Reduced sighting due to 17% moonlight
Maximum visibility in Partly Cloudy Conditions and 17% moonlight: 3,000 yards
Range closes to 24,000 yards...
Range closes to 19,000 yards...
Range closes to 14,000 yards...
Range closes to 9,000 yards...
CONTACT: Allies radar detects Japanese task force at 9,000 yards
Range closes to 6,000 yards...
Range closes to 4,000 yards...
Range closes to 2,000 yards...
CONTACT: Japanese lookouts spot Allied task force at 2,000 yards
CONTACT: Allied lookouts spot Japanese task force at 2,000 yards
DD Natsushio engages CV Wasp at 2,000 yards
Fuel storage explosion on CV Wasp
DD Natsushio engages CV Wasp at 2,000 yards
DD Natsushio engages CLAA Oakland at 2,000 yards
DD Laffey engages DD Natsushio at 2,000 yards
DD Waller engages DD Natsushio at 2,000 yards
DD Kisaragi engages DD Laffey at 2,000 yards
DD Natsushio engages DD Laffey at 2,000 yards
CL Helena engages DD Natsushio at 2,000 yards
DD Laffey engages DD Kisaragi at 2,000 yards
CA Minneapolis engages DD Natsushio at 2,000 yards
CL Helena engages DD Natsushio at 2,000 yards
DD Natsushio engages DD Woodworth at 2,000 yards
DD Natsushio engages CV Wasp at 2,000 yards
DD Natsushio engages DD Laffey at 2,000 yards
CL Helena engages DD Natsushio at 2,000 yards
CLAA San Juan engages DD Natsushio at 2,000 yards
Range increases to 3,000 yards
DD Kisaragi engages DD Laffey at 3,000 yards
Ammo storage explosion on CV Wasp
CV Wasp sunk by DD Hatsukaze at 3,000 yards
Range increases to 5,000 yards
DD Kisaragi engages DD Woodworth at 5,000 yards
DD Laffey engages DD Natsushio at 5,000 yards
Allied Task Force Manages to Escape
Task forces break off...