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Truk doesn't really lose much by being downgraded to a level 1 ( max level 4 ? ).

Repair speed - though this can be enhanced 2 levels by AR ( and AS, AD etc. for the appropriate types ) and Naval HQ up to a maximum effective level of 6-7

Loading / unloading speed - though slowing this down everywhere would be a good thing - so slowing it down at Truk is ok too.

Mines laying replenishment - though addition of MLE will add this capability.

But for those of us who use the "can't refuel - rearm BB at less than level 6" this would rule out basing the BB/BC out of Truk which would probably be wrong. Hence we might have to add house rule that says AE + level 4 can refuel/rearm BB/BC ...

Maybe Truk should start as 3(1) to allow disbanding ...

Of course this type of change would impact the entire map ... but I'd see the primary effect being slowing down loading and unloading which would be good.

The problem with trying to use smaller port sizes to reduce loading times is that it can be got around by just using more ships. Especially with troops.

This is what I do anyway. I just keep loading up APs at 15-30% each until the whole LCU is loaded.

Even with supplies, if you have a surplus of AKs (as both sides do) then you can just load up a 50 ship convoy to 33% (or whatever 1000 ops points buys you) in a single turn and send them off straight away. Which gets the same amount of supplies shipped out as waiting for a 17 ship convoy to load up completely ...

ORIGINAL: Captain Cruft

The problem with trying to use smaller port sizes to reduce loading times is that it can be got around by just using more ships. Especially with troops.

This is what I do anyway. I just keep loading up APs at 15-30% each until the whole LCU is loaded.

Even with supplies, if you have a surplus of AKs (as both sides do) then you can just load up a 50 ship convoy to 33% (or whatever 1000 ops points buys you) in a single turn and send them off straight away. Which gets the same amount of supplies shipped out as waiting for a 17 ship convoy to load up completely ...

But more ships in the convoys will make them easier to detect and thus more vulnerable to attack by subs or other bad guys ... and if you don't have all the spare ships in the right place at the right time .. your ops will be delayed waiting for them to arrive.

We can't change the code so all we can do is try to nudge things in the general direction of rightness - with what we do have control over.

Here's my idea.

Using a house rule that prevents the Japs from enlarging ports beyond their normal size, and only allowing the Allies to use one sps in 1942, two in '43, and three in post '43

So any ports starting at 0/0 can not be improved by the Japs.
A port 0/4 port could be increased to 4/4 by the Japs. Allies could make in '42 it can be made to a 5/4, 6/4 in '43 and 7/4 in'44. This will give the Allies a few extra choices for landing on and developing sites. And make the Allied latter war engineering ablities improve sites that the Japs had no chance of working on. Obviously all the port values would have to be changed. But by limiting the sys improvements then it could stop the blow out in port sizes across the map and give historically important centres a bit more importance.

So Ulithi could start at say 0/3. Japan could improve it to a 3/3- which is still helpful. But in 1944- the Allies could make it up to a 6/3- which could allow for your ammo rules.

I'm sure it is an easy house rule to remember.

This all seems rather confusing. It was the US Naval logistics afloat that enabled the use of large protected anchorages for fleet resupply, not the construction of shore facilities. What is missing in the game are all the auxilliaries that msde this possible, like the floating drydocks, specilized battle damage and heavy hull repair ships, destroyer tenders, specialized refregerated fresh foods ships, fresh water distillers, ocean going tugs, etc. Except for an airfield, there really was no shore facilities at Ulithi, or any of the other atolls for that matter, for ship maintenance, repair, or resupply. You wanted ammo, then you anchored and the ammo ship, or ammo lighters, came to you... ditto for food, fuel, fresh water, etc., all afloat. So my solution would to allow any "port" to expand to level 3, then only ones that had established shore facilities, or the land to which ones could be built, to grow larger ( those hospitals, wharehouses, fuel depots, living quarters, repair amd mantenance areas all take land). This process should take time, lots of time. Even then there should be a limit on the NUMBERS of ships per turn that can be loaded/unloaded/resupplied, not just total tonnage. The presence of naval base units, seabees, etc would allow additional ships to be serviced. Heck, if there are some HQ's slots available create HQ's for the US Navy's 10th and 6th Naval Support Squadrons which would greatly aid in the afloat logisiticsand repair.

This brings another limitation that was not enacted, but should have been there in the beginning. Ships should also expend supplies like all other units do, as well as fuel and ammo. The Pacific War should have the potential to be a logistics nightmare, which its almost was several times.

Oh well in a perfect world....

RM