How can you people stand this game?

[Jeremy Pritchard]

It might be a difficult thing to put into a tutorial, as it requires your opponent to actually send a TF into your Reacion range under favourable conditions.

However, the tutorial can give instructions how to set up a successful Reaction TF, and possibly use a separate example of playing a HOTSEAT game against yourself (i.e., you send a TF to a destination as one player, then as the other set up a reaction TF to intercept this).

Can anyone else give me info about what makes a successful Reaction TF? So far I have...

#1. High Preparation Points
#2. Close Headquarters
#3. Good TF leader (high Aggressive and Air rating for CV TF)
#4. Lots of patrol aircraft
#5. Check friendly and enemy AIR ZONES
#6. Speed of your TF (30 kt TF's intercpet better then 25 kt TF's I believe)
#7. Reasonable reaction range (8 hexes)
#8. Allies use SIGNIT

[Bernard]

Jeremy, the number of CV's in your TF has an impact on air strike too.
Should you hae more thant the limit (something like 3 Allied Cv's and 4 Japs if memory still ok) has an trmendous impact on passing the check for the strike. should it fail (check against effectiveness of leader), strike is halved, or quartered or nothing happens (?).

[Nomad]

Jeremy, I beleive that having your HQs target set for the for where you expect the enemy to attack will also help.

[pasternakski]

Obviously, your reaction TF must start the turn in the hex from which you intend it to react.

Reaction range has always been a question for me, Jeremy. You mention "reasonable" reaction range as "8" in your above post. When your TF is sitting there, and you are deciding what reaction range to assign, what is the difference between "1" and "15," anyway? If you set your RR as 15, does that make it less likely that the TF will react to an enemy TF that approaches within a range of 8 hexes (for example) than if you had set the RR at "8?"

If you set your RR at "1," does that mean your TF will not react to an enemy TF that does not get that close?

My idea has always been that, if you want your TF to react to enemy forces, you are better off setting it to a RR of 15. You might react further out than you intended, but at least you won't miss those enemy forces you wanted to intercept.

Another problem I have never been able to resolve is this: if you set your RR to 15, does that REDUCE the chance that your TF will react to enemy TFs that approach to LESS than that range? In other words, is your reaction ability dissipated to some degree if you choose too large a value for your reaction range?

The big problem, as I see it, is that you are playing a dangerous guessing game if you have to set your RR to exactly the right value. I wish I knew more about how this works in order to deliver a more intelligent opinion on the subject, but it just isn't understandable from the manual or from how the game works when you are playing it what standards you should apply when assigning a reaction range to your TF.

[Jeremy Pritchard]

Reaction Ranges are very tricky to determine.

It really does depend what you want to do with your TF as to the range of the TF.

I chose the range of 8 primarily because further ranges can draw out your TF into regions that are...

#1 Dangerous

#2 Irrelevant

You don't necessarily want your TF's guarding the South Pacific to react to enemy TF's in the Central Pacific. The negative aspect of this is when your TF reacts to an enemy TF further north, it moves your TF away from the zone that you want to defend (i.e., Guadalcanal). Should a later enemy TF that turn end up attacking Guadalcanal, you will be left in the cold as your reaction TF moved up North to deal with enemy actions up there (when your Central Pacific TF's were created to deal with this treat).

It becomes further dangerous when your TF with a range of 15 is drawn into battles at the FRINGE AIR ZONES. The FRINGE AIR ZONES are the places where either both the Japanese and the Allies have air power (so they both can react at these Hexes) or when neither have significant air power to beat the opponent (so they can both react at these Hexes). Sometimes there may be a friendly AIR ZONE within a hex that you do not have air superiority, and your opponent might even be stronger (as air zones are based on aircraft numbers and range, not experience or quality). So you might have aircraft that are weaker, extending an Air Zone into a region of actual enemy air superiority.

Taking the Soloman Islands, for example. Having a TF start at Espirtu Santo, whose mission is to guard Guadalcanal, it is better to set the reaction range to slightly overlap Guadalcanal (by 2-4 hexes) then it is to max out your reaction. Your air power at Guadalcanal (and New Guinea) might be enough to give you significant AIR ZONES actually extending almost to Rabul. However, Allied Air Superiority is only local, with Japan realistically controlling Rabul, North Eastern New Guinea, and North Western Solomans, almost up to Guadalcanal with long range A6M and G4M.

Should you set your TF at Espirtu Santo to 15, you could possibly react to enemy TF's that are landing troops at Bougainville, as your AIR ZONES extend into this area, but realistically your air superiority does not (this means you have air influence there, but not domination). A range of 15 from Espirtu Santo actually overlaps Rabul by 2 hexes. This can mean that not only are you putting yourself at risk of enemy LBA, but enemy TF's based at Rabul on reaction (as you are venturing further into their AIR ZONE)

However, a range of 8-9 will have the reaction range cover Guadalcanal, and extend out slightly past it (so as to catch enemy CV TF's sitting offshore bombarding Guadalcanal, however, this wil not get your TF to react into strong enemy LBA. Since this region will probably not be contested (unless the Japanese build air bases nearby) the chance of being intercepted yourself will not be high.

Sometimes long ranges are important. For example, if a TF has to guard a large area, and/or is based will inside of friendly Air Zones (i.e., Pearl Habour, US West Coast, Marianas in 1942-43, etc...), it will probably not matter much if it reaches its maximum, as this maximum may be well inside of their own AIR ZONES.

A range of 8-10 is usually good when you are defending a region like Guadalcanal, Midway, Indian Ocean, etc., as the battles are relatively confined to certain bases. Longer ranges are good when you want to catch enemy TF's that MAY attack (i.e., having a TF sit at Pearl Harbour, or Tokyo, etc. that are out to destroy enemy raids or risky attacks). It does not matter what the target is, or wether or not there is a high chance of an enemy target, but that it is a Reaction TF in case the enemy should do something.

Shorter ranges are good when you have reaction TF's based close to the front line, whose duty is to defend a particular area of frontline (possibly even a single base). Since these TF's will be based close to the front line, you don't want them to react at the maximum range of your air zones, as this can put them at risk to enemy forces counterattacking.

CONCLUSION

So, when I say that it is best to have a Reaction Range of 8, I mean for TF's guarding specific bases/regions. you should keep your TF based at a base around 5-6 hexes from the base you are protecting. You want an overlap of about 2-4 hexes beyond. Should you have higher ratings, you will intercept TF's that are not threatening this particular base, or will engage TF's attacking this base close to their own base of operations (increasing the chance of them intercepting you).

[MainiacJoe]

The more I read this board the more it seems that there really are two layers to the game: knowing what to do, and knowing how to do it. I must say I am much more interested in wrestling through trial and error with the former than the latter, but if they go together. . .well the latter is definitely worth putting up with to be able to model the former.

[pasternakski]

Originally posted by MainiacJoe
The more I read this board the more it seems that there really are two layers to the game: knowing what to do, and knowing how to do it. I must say I am much more interested in wrestling through trial and error with the former than the latter, but if they go together. . .well the latter is definitely worth putting up with to be able to model the former.

Great post, Joe. Jeremy's comments in recent months ought to be pulled together into a reference work. I have learned so much from what he has had to say, and I have been playing this game for so long, I can't remember anymore when I wasn't playing it.

"Wrestling" is a great metaphor. I see this game as being a lot like wrestling. You grab the other guy by the a$$ and he kicks you in the n*ts. Anything else is "strategy."

[moore4807]

Hmm,

Thanks Pasternaki
just as I was trying to figure out why I'm having such a hard time getting back into this game - I'm getting tired of grabbing at Jap TF's and getting kicked in the N*ts for it !!!

Jeremy has made this game too **** hard now... used SigInt to determine IJN was steaming towards Guadalcanal... Set my lonely two CV's left (Lady Lex and Hornet) along with another surface TF to bait them and maybe get the troopships... well along comes 3 (spotted by planes from Espirito Santo) IJN CV TF's, gets surprise and DECIMATES my CV TF - leaving only a battered CL left. Then not finished - it proceeds to find my Surface TF and sinks EVERY single ship in it over two turns... after I got over being pissed I could only marvel at the efficiency of the IJN.

Guadalcanal fell two turns later and I seriously doubt the outcome of the war with NO CV's available... (the only prize is I sunk a CV or CVL by sub in the area - still isnt confirmed) Well back to the war, at least I know I'm not the only one whose N*ts need ice - not salted as mine were!

[Jeremy Pritchard]

I have been thinking about spotting by recon aircraft, and what it actually means.

I think that when a TF is spotted, it is spotted only at the moment in time/space that it actually was spotted. Ever notice that you keep on seeing all sorts of recon groups spot the same TF? Ever thing "that was redundant! They already spotted this TF!".

I think that each time the TF moves, it has to be re-spotted again. When a TF is originally spotted, it may be days until it is actually engaged. You may lose track of it from when you spot it to when you engage it.

However, the more patrol groups (and bomber-patrol, Dive/Torpedo/G4M/B17/etc) you have in the region (not on NI/T/N) the better chance that enemy TF's are spotted constantly, and actually shadowed so you know where they are going (not just what they are composed of in a moment in time).

It is almost impossible to not spot an enemy TF at least once with all of the patrol aircraft out there. The key is to concentrate patrol aircraft in hotzone regions so you are doing more then just occasionally spotting TF's.

For example, I was noticed that after having 2x Patrol Wings of PBY, 1x SBD squadron, and 1x B17 group to Pearl Harbour that the IJN constantly lost their suprise strike on Pearl Harbour. The only thing that I changed from the original PacWar scenarios was to add an extra PBY group (and take away a SB2U group). So it seems that PBY/H6K/H8K are the most powerful of recon aircraft (as they are meant for it, and have extremely long range), so the use of these groups is vital for spotting enemy forces. I guess it is a tossup to wether or not you use them for TF spotting, or ASW work...

Setting your Long Range Recon to forward bases is very important. It is important to have massive overlap of recon ranges as well, so you can be guaranteed of not only spotting, but tracking enemy TF's.

[pasternakski]

Originally posted by moore4807
Jeremy has made this game too **** hard now...

It IS tough these days, isn't it? I remember playing the early versions and applying my standard strategies almost without thinking, and winning every time.

3.1 is a kick, and I'm thinking that 3.2 will be tremedous, judging from what tricks Jeremy is putting up the AI's sleeve.

The AI is still predictable in one significant way, though. It clumps all its CVs and CVLs together in a cluster of TFs that are like one big, happy family: they like to go everywhere together. Early on, this group is impossible to deal with. What still seems to work fairly well as the Allies is the following (with adjustments to fit the situation as it develops, of course):

1. Do what you can to slow or stop the Japanese advance toward (and through) Rangoon. It's a lot dicier now than it used to be, but I am still fairly successful at holding Rangoon. It takes everything you can muster, though, including bombardment TFs hitting the Japanese troops that enter the Rangoon space, marshaling of all air assets in the area for the same purpose, and wholesale commitment of ground forces to the defense. You have to get there "fustest with the mostest."

2. Don't worry about the PI, Indonesia, and the rest of that area. You'll be back later. Let the AI scr*w around for as long as possible wrapping up this campaign and use your time wisely elsewhere. Use your subs to make the Japanese merchant marine pay the price of conquest.

3. Shore up the Midway and Johnston defenses with a division each out of Hawaii. I have frequent success in hanging onto Wake by running reinforcements in at the very beginning. The AI is reticent about invading an atoll defended by a division plus. The goal is to create stalemate in the Central Pacific.

4. Make a total commitment to reinforcement and development of the South Pacific theater. Move your Australian ANZAC units into defensive positions at all bases around the Australian perimeter (particularly Broome and Townsville). Build Port Moresby up as fast as possible. Bring in reinforcements and hold/develop Buna/Gona (and Lae if you can get there, but GO EARLY). Move SWPAC to Brisbane (after moving ANZAC to Sydney to get them out of the way). Use New Caledonia as your depot for incoming forces. Try to get troops and engineers up to Shortland and hold/develop it (you can't keep him out of Rabaul). Keep at least two surface TFs busy interdicting Japanese landings in the area.

Above all, get all the B-25s, SBDs, and F4Fs you can to your growing bases in the South Pacific, particularly Port Moresby. Sooner or later, the 400-pound gorilla that is the cluster of IJN carrier TFs will come around that Milne Bay corner. You need to be ready. Lump your own carriers together and have them in the best possible condition for reaction. You might even get in a surprise attack. But use them in conjunction with your LBA. It will be a h*ll of a fight and you won't do much better than break even usually, but you can usually crack that core of IJN carriers by beating up a couple and sinking one or two. Just like a new car, once it gets the first dent in it, it's never the same again.

In my experience, this has been the strategy that works best in slowly trying to turn the momentum in mid-1942. This is just a general plan, of course, and you have to be flexible. But it works pretty well for me.

[moore4807]

Your absolutely right, Pasternaki...
Which is why my other favorite gambit is to immediately start pushing to the Aleutans - setting the table to go after Paramushiro and the island next to it.

It really gives the AI fits now when it wants to push southward and piecemeals attacks northward and all of a sudden its 1942 and I'm set up in thier backyard and they are now taking me seriously. I use all the engineer units I can get (split em up in the beginning) and build up Paramushiro and Dutch Harbor, then its a Navy killing field for the next year. builds up units experience fast and really puts a crimp in the Jap expansion plans. I usually get to mid-44 before I can really start pushing them back everywhere else, but then its a cakewalk and I'm starting to pound Tokyo and have gotten the oil producing islands in the north of Japan. Works well every time -this time I dont do it and follow the usual trek to Australia -bingo say goodbye flattops and TF's and waiting for the crushing blows to come. Hence your analysis is dead on.

Jeremy - I could only fit 1 patrol sqdrn onto Espirito Santo - why wouldnt other units (like Guadalcanal which had a PBY sqdrn) take up the slack? I only got warning one turn before the slaughter and 3 sqdrns of PBY AND 1 B-17 sqdrn on the surrounding islands didnt follow them??? **It happens I guess. lol.

[Cmdrcain]

Originally posted by moore4807
Your absolutely right, Pasternaki...
Which is why my other favorite gambit is to immediately start pushing to the Aleutans - setting the table to go after Paramushiro and the island next to it.

It really gives the AI fits now when it wants to push southward and piecemeals attacks northward and all of a sudden its 1942 and I'm set up in thier backyard and they are now taking me seriously. I use all the engineer units I can get (split em up in the beginning) and build up Paramushiro and Dutch Harbor, then its a Navy killing field for the next year. builds up units experience fast and really puts a crimp in the Jap expansion plans. I usually get to mid-44 before I can really start pushing them back everywhere else, but then its a cakewalk and I'm starting to pound Tokyo and have gotten the oil producing islands in the north of Japan. Works well every time -this time I dont do it and follow the usual trek to Australia -bingo say goodbye flattops and TF's and waiting for the crushing blows to come. Hence your analysis is dead on.

Works other way too if playing Japann, beyond the needed invasions to take out British and Get Oil, If Run from Japan to Aleuts and take Dutch Harbor then Jump to juneau and walk into Seattle if able to take Seattle you basically destroy the US Hvy bomber production and can bomb Sanf/LA

Even if forced back out of seattle, long as capture it and kill the factories you do damage crippling US Hvy bomber prod and lower US factory /shipyard points..

I'd not do it vs a human opponent as it sucks up alot of Japanese LCU's etc to do it, leaving japan vulnerable, but the AI is too stupid to really take advantage of weakly defended japanese areas..

I doubt the AI was ever programmed much in way either side of using the aleut route yto USa or to Japan..

[swatter555]

Originally posted by Jeremy Pritchard
Here is a checklist for increasing your chances of having sucessful REACTION MOVES.

#1. Have your base of operations (TF home base) close to the Hotzone.

#2. Have your TF HQ based at the base of operations (possibly move HQ to your main CV TF)

#3. Put a lot of patrol groups (and patrol bomber groups, SBD, B17, etc..) in and around the hotzone.

#4. Make your zone as small as possible (overlapping the target base(s) but if it extends too far, you will have your TF engaging well into enemy territory)

#5. Get a highly aggressive TF leader (a high air rating is required as well)

#6. Keep your base of operations in high supply.

#7. Save up Preparation Points.

Here are the reasons...

#1. The closer you are, the shorter you have to react. I notice that shorter reaction ranges (around 8) usually pay off more then longer ones.

#2. The closer your HQ is to battle, the better chances are for your TF to lanuch a full strike when engaged, as well as increasing the chance of a sucessful REACTION.

#3. Spotting an enemy TF once, with one Patrol group usually won't cut it for PacWar. Inundate the area with patrol groups (your best planes are the PBY/H6K/H8K, but dive and torpedo bombers, plus the B-17, and possibly the Hudson, act as recon bombers)

#4. Answered in #1. Shorter the zone, higher chance of a favourable REACTION

#5. Aggressive leaders may become dangerous (start engaging into enemy territory!) but they give you a higher chance in engaging enemy TF's. This is what aggressiveness does.

#6. High supply leads to high Preparation Points

#7. High Preparation Points increase your TF's readiness, wich increases its chance of interception as well as increases the size of the strike groups.

THINGS TO FIGHT AGAINST REACION.

The primary thing that an opponent can do to fend off enemy reaction moves is to do with AIR ZONES. You can see enemy and friendly air zones by pressing ZONE in the main menu (gives you friendly Air Zones) and by pressing UTIL in the main menu then AIR ZONES (gives you enemy Air Zones). You will see where they overlap, where you are strong and where you are weak. You will not have a TF react in a weak or non-existent friendly air zone. Strong enemy air zones will directly fight against your friendly air zones. Bringing in patrol groups and bomber groups into the region will help sway zones into your favour.

Usually REACTION moves take place on the borders of zones. So be aware that if you may react to an emeny TF, they may be able to react to yours. Watch friendly and enemy AIR ZONES to see BOTH your possible areas of reaction, as well as your opponents.

Also, your TF may NOT react, even if your opponent is in patrol range (i.e., has been spotted), and is within the zone of your reaction TF (even if it meets all of the above requirements from #1-6), primarily because they are operating under THEIR zone of control. Your zone may be so weak that your TF will not leave port, even though it appears that you have met all of the 1-6 requirements. WATCH THE ZONES! Knowing the extent of your and enemy zones is important to knowing the limitations of your REACTION attacks.

Wow, this thread exploded. Thanks for all the help Jeremy! I have applied a great deal of the advice everyone has given me. Now I believe I am doing things a great deal more correct. I am careful about how many TFs are under Combined Fleet and have moved the HQ onto my main TF. Im not sure if thats a no-no or not, but its alot closer now. I think Ive got everything pretty well under control. As far as that checklist above, done. I havent engaged in a carrier vs carrier battle yet, but thats because the USN carriers seem to get away from trouble quite easily. The AI seems very touchy and is easily lured into a trap. I have my carrier TFs based out of Rabaul with a RR of 10, which covers half of the solomons, but my land-based air seems to scare away even the most powerful USN TFs. So, no luck as of yet. Im sure my heavy umbrella of land- based air is preventing my long sought after carrier battle, oh well.

Minus my complaints about carrier confrontations, I really enjoy all the other aspects of the game. Im playing the 41 scenario and its well into 43 at this point. There is heavy figthing in the Solomons and its just impressive to see the game mirroring history. The weight of Allied airpower is growing week to week. Now, its a race against time to seize New Guenie(bad spelling) and the Solomons before Allied airpower stops offensive operations. It is certainly impressive in depth.

I hope that WiTP improves upon the concepts in PW, but also simplifies things so that game rules and concepts are out in the open. Sound would be nice, too.

One last thing, I have always had trouble with AC changing/upgrading/replacing/retooling. Its nice to have all those nice AC types available, but I always try to have my factories produce just a hand full of types. Its easier, IMO, to have just a few fighter types and few bomber types just for the sake of simplicity. Yet, in newer versions of PW, it seems trying to achieve this is impossible. It forces you to utilize 7 different fighters, 6 different bombers, 3 different patrol types. Sure, its realistic, but its a pain.

Anyway, thanks for the help all.

[moore4807]

Swatter,

We are glad to offer help - what you have unwittingly done is opened the door for all of us frustrated armchair Admirals/Generals to expound on our favorite tactics...all in the name of "helping"...

sarcasm aside, welcome aboard -glad to see you are getting the hang of the game, wait until you see the carrier battles? they will be sure to enrage you or delight you -very little middle of the road here We all owe a debt of gratitude to Jeremy, Mikka and all the staff at Matrix for resurrecting the finest strategy game ever made to date. some day soon you will see a post saying something similar to your initial views... reflect back for a moment... Then type furiously how much this game means and what help and advice you offer will seem just as normal today to you as it is to us.
Enjoy

[MainiacJoe]

Since this thread has turned into a general "how do I do this?" thread, let me ask these questions raised by Pasternakski's strategy:

1. Do what you can to slow or stop the Japanese advance toward (and through) Rangoon. It's a lot dicier now than it used to be, but I am still fairly successful at holding Rangoon. It takes everything you can muster, though, including bombardment TFs hitting the Japanese troops that enter the Rangoon space, marshaling of all air assets in the area for the same purpose, and wholesale commitment of ground forces to the defense. You have to get there "fustest with the mostest."

3. Shore up the Midway and Johnston defenses with a division each out of Hawaii. I have frequent success in hanging onto Wake by running reinforcements in at the very beginning. The AI is reticent about invading an atoll defended by a division plus. The goal is to create stalemate in the Central Pacific.

4. Make a total commitment to reinforcement and development of the South Pacific theater. Move your Australian ANZAC units into defensive positions at all bases around the Australian perimeter (particularly Broome and Townsville). Build Port Moresby up as fast as possible. Bring in reinforcements and hold/develop Buna/Gona (and Lae if you can get there, but GO EARLY). Move SWPAC to Brisbane (after moving ANZAC to Sydney to get them out of the way). Use New Caledonia as your depot for incoming forces. Try to get troops and engineers up to Shortland and hold/develop it (you can't keep him out of Rabaul). Keep at least two surface TFs busy interdicting Japanese landings in the area.

It sure seems to me like you are moving around a LOT more LCUs than I've figured out how to do. I only know how to put them on APs, and there aren't nearly enough APs to do even one third of what you are suggesting. I can move one division to SWPac at a time, with it taking 3-4 weeks each time, because of the number of APs available. Now it makes sense to me that you could load an LCU on a plain vanilla cargo ship if you didn't expect it to be able to storm a beach at its destination but unload at a dock (and Liberty ships sure did this IRL). Somebody here posted somewhere that there is enough transport for the Allies to move 4 divisions off the West coast in the first turn. The only way you could do that is to load LCUs on a cargo ship, how do you do that? Believe me, I've tried! Without it, the strategies here are essentially impossible.

Also, concerning SEAC and ANZAC troops moving to Rangoon and Broome etc., how in the world are you doing this? I try to move LCUs from the west coast of India to eastern India and Rangoon and it wipes out my PPs just to activate one of them, and then it can't even march bcs the HQ is out of PPs !

[pasternakski]

Originally posted by MainiacJoe
Since this thread has turned into a general "how do I do this?" thread, let me ask these questions raised by Pasternakski's strategy:

It sure seems to me like you are moving around a LOT more LCUs than I've figured out how to do. I only know how to put them on APs, and there aren't nearly enough APs to do even one third of what you are suggesting. I can move one division to SWPac at a time, with it taking 3-4 weeks each time, because of the number of APs available. Now it makes sense to me that you could load an LCU on a plain vanilla cargo ship if you didn't expect it to be able to storm a beach at its destination but unload at a dock (and Liberty ships sure did this IRL). Somebody here posted somewhere that there is enough transport for the Allies to move 4 divisions off the West coast in the first turn. The only way you could do that is to load LCUs on a cargo ship, how do you do that? Believe me, I've tried! Without it, the strategies here are essentially impossible.

Also, concerning SEAC and ANZAC troops moving to Rangoon and Broome etc., how in the world are you doing this? I try to move LCUs from the west coast of India to eastern India and Rangoon and it wipes out my PPs just to activate one of them, and then it can't even march bcs the HQ is out of PPs !

Of course, in PW, you can't load LCUs onto cargo ships - just troop transport types.

Do you know how to pull ships from the pool into existing groups? You begin the 1941 scenario with 23 troop transports (mostly 100 capacity, but some 250 capacity) and 35 in the pool. The numbers build up fairly quickly for the Americans (not for the Commonwealth, however - British transports are very precious commodities). When your transport TF has reached its destination (assuming that it is not interdicted by enemy air ZOC or out of supply), you can disband it and put all the transports but the last one in each group back into the pool to be added to transport groups back at the origination point. Yes, I know, this amounts to teleportation of 15,000-ton objects, but, c'est la vie. Then you can send the one-ship transport groups back and keep the rotation going. You can move some SERIOUS ground troops this way. The only catch is that you have to have a ship group with at least one ship of the desired type in order to add ships to it from the pool.

The Commonwealth transports need to get to work moving the more combat capable LCUs to Rangoon from the ports where they are located at the beginning of the game. Only move by land the LCUs closest to Rangoon and leave the rest alone for the time being.

You have ample transport to move CentPac divisions to Wake, Midway, and Johnston over the course of a month or so.

You also can move both CentPac and SWPac LCUs from the West Coast (including the ones that start showing up very early on) to the South Pacific in TFs that also carry aircraft units. Note that LCUs show up in "cadre" strength and are not very big in terms of transport capacity. Move them and let them fill out to full strength after they reach their destination (there is a PP cost for this, but, hey, you're the Allies and you are going to have PPs coming out the wazoo before very long).

As with the LCUs in the Indian theater, you have to pick your spots when moving ANZAC divisions, but move them you must. Broome and Darwin are very vulnerable to Japanese invasion after the Indonesia campaign is over, and you need to defend them. A division apiece is good to start, but bring more when you have the PPs saved up to march them with. ANZAC PPs aren't good for anything else, anyway (except moving the HQ to Sydney to make room for MacArthur). SWPac will handle the east coast of Australia, and slowly, more ANZAC units are released to SWPac control.

It isn't easy, and you don't always accomplish everything you want, but efficient use of your merchant shipping is just about as vital as anything else in this game. You can't afford to waste time and you can't afford to lose them in large numbers (this applies to the Japanese side, as well).

[stretch]

"Then you can send the one-ship transport groups back and keep the rotation going. You can move some SERIOUS ground troops this way"

Isn't this risky? If this one ship group is found by a sub and sunk you lose the group completely. Does it re-appear somewhere as another ship group or is it lost for the game?

[pasternakski]

If you do a little creative convoy routing, you can avoid almost all risk of AI Japanese submarine attacks on your transport convoys returning to the West Coast from the South Pacific. Whatever you do, don't just put them on a "transport" mission, specify the destination, and let the computer move them! Invariably, they will go through the "hornet's nest" of Japanese submarines that the AI puts all around Hawaii along the primary convoy routes. Sometimes, they will even stray into range of Japanese LBA from some such place as Eniwetok or Kwajalein.

The best bet is to set their home base as San Francisco (which is where you almost always want to go) and set their intermediate destination as one of the minor bases far to the southeast of the primary theater of operations. This way, they use the less frequented convoy routes that are never patrolled by IJN subs. They take a little longer getting home, but they're safe. I also apply this principle to a degree for outward bound convoys, usually using Palmyra as the intermediate routing point. You have to watch closely, though, because when a loaded convoy gets to a destination point, it unloads. You have to reload what you are carrying. A very annoying thing is when one of the LCUs or air units you are carrying starts to grow at the intermediate base and becomes too large to put back on the ships in the convoy. If there is a danger of this happening, be sure to include a few extra ships of the correct type in the convoy to compensate.

[MainiacJoe]

You have to watch closely, though, because when a loaded convoy gets to a destination point, it unloads. You have to reload what you are carrying. A very annoying thing is when one of the LCUs or air units you are carrying starts to grow at the intermediate base and becomes too large to put back on the ships in the convoy. If there is a danger of this happening, be sure to include a few extra ships of the correct type in the convoy to compensate.

Would a standoff range for the transport convoy accomplish the same thing, or can you only apply that to a combat TF?

You begin the 1941 scenario with 23 troop transports (mostly 100 capacity, but some 250 capacity) and 35 in the pool.

I've been trying to get my hands on the 3.1 update, and the download link is always busted. In 3.0 you have 5 Dutch APs in the pool, and that's it, to go with 21 APs. Maybe I wouldn't have felt so bad if I'd had 3.1 and seen all the APs in the pool.

Hey, can you load any nationality on an AP? Specifically, are you stuck loading those Dutch ones with lousy Dutch troops?

Yes, I know, this amounts to teleportation of 15,000-ton objects, but, c'est la vie.

Normally, I'd feel bad doing it this way, since I want to model the actual events as close as possible, but I won't feel bad in this case because in real life they put troops in regular cargo ships as well. I remember reading a quopte somewhere from a veteran to the effect of how the Liberty ships were great for fighting morale, after a month in one of them you would invade anywhere just to get off them.

[Capt. Harlock]

Yes -- there are more Dutch and British Commonwealth troop transports in Version 3.1. So many, in fact, that I find it useful to sail a group of them down to the North and East coasts of Australia, where they can carry the Australian troops that are released to the SW Pacific HQ. (I've never had any trouble loading different nationalities--all they have to be is Allied troops on Allied ships.)

One other thing: it may be possible to use MCS ships to carry troops by using an Evacuation TF. This means you can't form the TF in the same port as the troops. If it works, and I'm not sure it reliably does, you would set the port where the troops are as the Destination, and the port where you want them to be as the TF Home port.