Allies Set-up Spreadsheet for AE

[Kull]

ORIGINAL: LGKMAS

Just finally got to enter the Continental USA and a few questions. You mention in both San Diego and Seattle units called Det C and Det B of USN Port Services. They don't show up on my list of LCUs in either port and I can't locate them when I look at the total list of LCUs. I note you have Det A and Det D appearing later in Dec actually out on the islands Has there been an upgrade to get rid of these or did they get a name change?
I have found some items that I need to go back and read the manual, especially regarding adding pilots and airframes to units.
This is a great learning tool and I need to go back and mark follow-on activities you have indicated to make sure I remember to do them. Hopefully, once all the small items are lumped into big ones, (ie 6 ships make up a convoy so you only have to worry about one entry rather than six from now on,) the orders phase will shorten.

Good catch - that's an issue from the earliest version of the spreadsheet, when I had units set to arrive at random times. I fixed most of that in later revs, but obviously missed a couple. Both units will appear in 2 days (12/9) in the indicated locations. The comments are still correct, but you'll have to wait a few days before taking those actions.

And yes, consulting the manual should be a FREQUENT exercise at the beginning! That's where the true knowledge lies, I'm just giving advice on what to do with it.

Lastly, this first turn is the longest, by far. From this point forward there is less to do, plus you know how things work so there's less time spent on figuring out the mechanics.

ORIGINAL: GetAssista

I'm here just to commend Kull on creating this extremely useful instrument. Kudos! [&o]

I mean, look how this thread gets bumped up almost continuously with the recent influx of new players.

Thanks man! There's all sorts of learning styles - some guys figure it out from youtube or reading PBEMs, but quite a few (me absolutely included) need that initial "hand holding" to see how everything interconnects. It's a great feeling to see new folks come on board and become lovers of the game, and know you've played some small part in that. Huge kudos to all the other folks who do their part in answering questions and helping in countless other ways!

[NigelKentarus]

Love your SS. I play DBB & I use it as a general guideline. Little by little I've been changing the unit ID's, stats, and what not to match DBB. Additionally, for my use, I've added a couple of columns at the end for Leaders. I've only added the Leaders that are present at Day 1 in the editor, if it's random, it's blank. I liked the Leaders only because I can see the "hard-wired" ones & prioritize which to change. The random Leaders are a case by case.

[LGKMAS]

Kull
I am working through the results of turn one. So far so good. And I am inserting the new arrivals. Thanks again for the excellent Spreadsheet! Then I had a sudden thought. (Yes, it does happen!)
What is your strategy behind all these first moves?
Are you intending to defend Singapore to the death knell? Or pull out as much as you can before it falls?
Are you pulling back to Port Moresby and establishing a fortress there?
What is your aim in the Philippines?
Similarly Burma?
Are you intending to push the carriers forward to help defend Wake or are you pulling them out of harm's way? I think this is called the Sir Robin strategy?
What do you intend for Darwin? There seem to be a lot of forces headed that way?
What about the Aleutians? Are they intended to form a northern striking force? I note you want a sub base up there.
While I have my own thoughts on an Allied strategy, they may not necessarily align with yours. I would just like to know what you had intended so I can look at it and decide which way to go.

[Alfred]

ORIGINAL: LGKMAS

Kull
I am working through the results of turn one. So far so good. And I am inserting the new arrivals. Thanks again for the excellent Spreadsheet! Then I had a sudden thought. (Yes, it does happen!)
What is your strategy behind all these first moves?
Are you intending to defend Singapore to the death knell? Or pull out as much as you can before it falls?
Are you pulling back to Port Moresby and establishing a fortress there?
What is your aim in the Philippines?
Similarly Burma?
Are you intending to push the carriers forward to help defend Wake or are you pulling them out of harm's way? I think this is called the Sir Robin strategy?
What do you intend for Darwin? There seem to be a lot of forces headed that way?
What about the Aleutians? Are they intended to form a northern striking force? I note you want a sub base up there.
While I have my own thoughts on an Allied strategy, they may not necessarily align with yours. I would just like to know what you had intended so I can look at it and decide which way to go.

Seek and ye shall find the answers in posts

#1
#5
#53

Alfred

[LGKMAS]

I think this seriously qualifies as a "DOH!" moment. I blame my advancing years! Thanks Alfred!

[Kull]

ORIGINAL: Kull

Strategically, all unit movements and/or adjustments were made to support a fairly conservative Allied approach. The top level objectives are as follows:

1) Hold Burma
2) Build up bases in Eastern India
3) Holding action in China (limited offensives, but mostly moving troops into defensible positions)
4) US Carriers positioned to assault either Wake or the Marshalls
5) Limited "Sir Robin" in DEI and Phillipines combined with aggressive SCTF activity
6) Detailed network of Search & ASW planes at key locations (interlocking verified and tweaked)
7) Almost all subs sent on patrol (with patrol zones detailed)
8) Get convoys moving between the US and Pearl Harbor/Australia & Abadan/Aden/Capetown and India
9) Begin to establish a line of bases between the US and Australia
10) Preparations for building out the Aleutians

In the 10+ years since writing up that 10 point strategy, I've learned that playing smashmouth with the Japanese AI is not conducive to a long game. So, for example, "holding Burma" is certainly doable, but not helpful if your REAL goal is to have an interesting campaign. Accordingly, for the first six months I do fight back, but usually only with the historical forces at hand. That is not boring, btw - you learn a lot and can still give the AI a few small black eyes in the process (as the Allies did historically). The AI should be able to take most of the NEI, Malaya, Burma, New Guinea, a few odd islands here and there and the Solomons. Once that is done, it has fewer things to focus on (primarily building up rear defenses) and you'll find it just as hard as the Allies did to take back what was lost, especially in 1942.

That said, these opening moves will let you follow either path, and the most important thing is that you are learning how the game works and how everything fits together. As the Allies, time is totally on your side, and even when you make mistakes, they won't be fatal. Historically, in late 1942 the Allies had ONE semi-functioning carrier and it was being repaired. Yet they still recovered, and then some!

[Professor Chaos]

One of the frustrating things for a newbie is not being able to figure out what you're 'allowed' to do vs. the AI for a decent game. I'm at March 1, 1942 in updated Scenario 2 with about a hundred hours into a game so far, and am wondering if it's all pointless in the long term because I've staked a lot on reinforcing Burma. (The AI has taken Singapore and is about to crush Bataan).

Am I allowed to hold Port Moresby? Am I allowed to attack the unescorted shipping unloading at Buna? Am I allowed to expend the Dutch navy against landings in the DEI? Am I allowed to counter when the AI lands a regiment on Rossel Island? Etc., etc.

Of course none of this is a rant against you Kull... it's just depressing thinking I've wasted all this time by fighting back a little too hard.

[Kull]

ORIGINAL: Professor Chaos

One of the frustrating things for a newbie is not being able to figure out what you're 'allowed' to do vs. the AI for a decent game. I'm at March 1, 1942 in updated Scenario 2 with about a hundred hours into a game so far, and am wondering if it's all pointless in the long term because I've staked a lot on reinforcing Burma. (The AI has taken Singapore and is about to crush Bataan).

Am I allowed to hold Port Moresby? Am I allowed to attack the unescorted shipping unloading at Buna? Am I allowed to expend the Dutch navy against landings in the DEI? Am I allowed to counter when the AI lands a regiment on Rossel Island? Etc., etc.

Of course none of this is a rant against you Kull... it's just depressing thinking I've wasted all this time by fighting back a little too hard.

There isn't a hard and fast rule, really. Holding Singapore, Java/Sumatra, Rabaul, or the Phillipines will "break" the AI for sure. Burma is less of an issue because the AI can get there overland, and it should be able to make it very painful for you to hold onto it. PM is dicey because it's too easy to atrit the incoming shipping. The AI can survive if you fight hard there, but it may keep it from doing other interesting things once PM is taken. The easiest thing is losing islands. Once the AI takes one, that closes off the script and you can look to take it back. That may interfere with a reinforcement subscript (base forces, etc), but too bad, AI (in general I try not to stop any initial invasions, but reinforcements are fair game).

But there isn't any such thing as "wasting your time". I've restarted countless campaigns several months in, for various reasons. All were fun, but usually there was some new approach I wanted to try. I'm pretty happy with the Scen 102 Tier 1 Ironman, and Andy's latest update to that is probably even better. The AI has a lot more stuff, but nothing crazy, so it's been a real battle. Huge air attrition battles over Burma and the Solomons, and lot of tough naval engagements, too.

Thing is, a new player shouldn't start with a scenario like this, but only go there when you have a good feeling for how everything works. Which is really what Scen 1 & 2 are all about. Of course you can also try the May '42 or May '43 campaigns, and those *should* work without having to pull any punches right from the start

Ultimately though, if it's too frustrating to impose limits on your actions (because that is needed for all December 41 campaigns, unless you go with the Tier 3 versions), PBEM might be your only choice.

[LGKMAS]

Hi Kull
Now a few days into it. my ships have arrived at Cochin to load a Base det to North male. The Det is India Command (R) or something like that. North male is Southeast Asia. I could not load the det so I thought it needed to have the command changed. Yet when I look at the commands available, it tells me that Southeast Asia is not due to form for some months yet. I know the ships will be better moving things around until then but is there any way the det can be sent to North male before then?
I have the same problem in the South pacific. I am trying to get a unit off an island and it is suggested I wait to get South pacific Command operating. But when I look at the game reinforcement schedule, it states the South pacific Command will not be available until about June 1942!
Am I missing something?
regards

[BBfanboy]

First: some units are permanently restricted and cannot be bought out with PP. It sounds like your unit is not permanently restricted so it can be bought out.

It does not matter if the HQ you want to assign it to has not arrived yet. There is no possibility of getting the bonus from same HQ prepped for same target until it does arrive, but for backwater islands it is very unlikely there will be combat there when the HQ arrives anyway.

Nothing requires you to pick SEA HQ as the new assignment. ABDA Command should still be available, and a few Indian Corps HQs are unrestricted. I use III Corps HQ a lot. For Indian units the cost of using III Corps is a quarter the cost of using another HQ outside India Command.

If you don't want to use precious PP at all and the unit is small/lightly equipped, you can airlift the unit there using transport aircraft or patrol aircraft. Don't forget to send a small ship loaded with cargo there too.

[LGKMAS]

Okay, I'll give that a go. Thanks for the info.

[Kull]

As usual, BBfanboy nails the answer! The game rules allow you to assign units to HQs that haven't arrived yet, and this is one of several instances where I suggest the player do that. From the perspective of "is it historical?", it is kind of a grey area. A number of players think it's gamey, but the rules allow it, and in the majority of cases I'm actually looking ahead toward the logical "future HQ" of this particular unit, and selecting it on that basis.

[PaxMondo]

ORIGINAL: Professor Chaos

One of the frustrating things for a newbie is not being able to figure out what you're 'allowed' to do vs. the AI for a decent game. I'm at March 1, 1942 in updated Scenario 2 with about a hundred hours into a game so far, and am wondering if it's all pointless in the long term because I've staked a lot on reinforcing Burma. (The AI has taken Singapore and is about to crush Bataan).

Am I allowed to hold Port Moresby? Am I allowed to attack the unescorted shipping unloading at Buna? Am I allowed to expend the Dutch navy against landings in the DEI? Am I allowed to counter when the AI lands a regiment on Rossel Island? Etc., etc.

Of course none of this is a rant against you Kull... it's just depressing thinking I've wasted all this time by fighting back a little too hard.

IT isn't too hard to know what you can and cannot do. short list really:

1. You MUST play original scenarios on at least the HARD setting. VERY HARD is actually break even for the AI.
2. Ironman scenarios can be played at HARD, but even with these going to VERY HARD for at least 8 days/month is really much better for the AI.
3. No Deep dives. Meaning, you can't skip PI and go for Okinawa. AI can't handle this at all.
4. The AI can get stuck in a script (you are holding PM and it will just continually attempt to take it). You can 'fix' this by running ~5 days head2head. Use the day to upgrade some aircraft groups, upgrade factories, upgrade ships, and re-direct assets to a different theatre. With some practice you kinda figure out what works. Then have a few shots of "Jack" to forget all of your unauthorized spying, and get back to playing.

These 4 things get me deep into '44 several times. '45 a few times. '46 once.

[LGKMAS]

I wouldn't think it "gamey"! Obviously some areas need to be garrisoned and engineers moved from here to there. Heron force on Ocean or is it Christmas Is (Pacific) need to be extracted as they are far too close to Japanese areas and have a snowballs chance of surviving a Japanese assault. So they do need to have HQ changed so they can be extracted. And if the Powers that be have not yet set up the appropriate HQ, then someone has to be in charge.

Similarly with some of the Indian Ocean bases. They need engineers/base forces to make them viable. Having them sit there for over 6 months without being able to move anything to them is the real "gamey" thing. Any commander worth his rank would have shipped something there to prevent a Japanese unopposed landing.

I have moved to 15 Dec without catastrophic loss so , so far, I am happy. My POW TF blundered into a Japanese convoy headed for Borneo and sank everything in sight! And the Japanese are losing heaps of Bettys, Nells, Sallys etc. Is this normal? I know the Betty unescorted was a deathtrap if there was even a reasonable CAP.

Once I get a few more turns under my belt, I might go back and turn up the difficulty. Just trying to get used to the mechanics. Perhaps I played UV too much as some things I think I know but then something comes out of left field and I go head down in the manual.
Anyway, definitely hooked.

[PaxMondo]

You need to turn up the difficulty because otherwise the AI side will run out of supply. Don't play too many turns at Normal, or you will start to have unrealistic results (AI attacks fail as they attack when out of supply, etc).

VERY HARD is what will get supply to islands, which is why you need to run at that level for at least a few days a month. I typically run 10 turns @ HARD, 5 turns @ VERY HARD if I am not playing at VERY HARD always. Yes, the AI does get some combat modifiers at VH, so watch out.

[LGKMAS]

Once I get used to what is happening, I will probably restart with difficulty levels pushed up.

Don't forget I have come straight from UV to WitP-AE. There is a big learning curve here. I am up to 15 Dec in one-day turns starting with 8 Dec. So just over a week of game turns. I am starting to understand ship repairs and the matter of HQ restricting what a unit can do is new. I am starting to get a handle on PP, I think. Then I need to have a serious look at Production and what that means. Aircraft are more complicated than UV. Then there are Detection levels, the various types of TFs, strategic Move, the new aircraft missions such as LRCAP as well as being able to insert search arcs. And the value of Training!

I suppose by the time I get to Mid March in the game, some of what I have overlooked will become glaringly obvious. That will be the time to take a break, try and find out what I have done wrong and re-start.

Then learn some new lessons and re-start yet again. I am not going to make it hard from the start and find myself blown out of the water simply because I have little idea what I am doing and then give up in disgust.

[Kull]

Exactly, figure things out. However Pax is right about difficulty settings. At "Hard", all that happens is the AI gets supply bonuses. Nothing else is affected. "Very Hard" will give more supply AND affect combat odds, so that's one to be careful with.

But the most important thing is you can alter difficulty settings EVERY TURN (if desired). Unlike most computer games, difficulty levels aren't locked in for the duration of the campaign.

[LGKMAS]

Okay. I'll set it on Hard and see what happens. But if the KB suddenly appear in San Francisco Harbor, I know who to blame.

[PaxMondo]

If it does, it's not the difficulty setting, that's a blown script. [:D]

[LGKMAS]

I was playing Historical as I know that and I was interested in seeing what the AI does with this. If HARD only means the AI has more supplies for island garrisons, then I will do HARD. Just need to get an understanding of what the AI is prepared to do. AIUI, Port Moresby is like a candle to a moth. The AI will continually try to take it, regardless of losses. Is that true?

At the moment, Kota Bahru fell and I have numerous landings on Luzon. Wake has an invasion force ashore but they have contented themselves with bombardment attacks. I have sent Lex and E on raids around Wake to try and inflict casualties on the landing force and sunk a few DDs in doing so. I expect Wake to fall as their supplies start to run out. I am contemplating trying to air supply using PBYs? Would the little that could be supplied be sufficient to keep them going and bleeding the Japanese?

Japanese Forces heading for Borneo were accidentally intercepted by the POW TF headed for Jesselton and sunk in their entirety.

Nothing going to Burma yet from the AI. Hong Kong fell as expected but I managed to get most of the ships and A/C out before that happened. Guam has gone.

Otherwise, I am moving forces around to various ports and facilities, training air units and assembling convoys for various parts of the globe. I need to get my head around the time taken for convoys and TFs to get anywhere. UV was a small area compared to WitP-AE and even then, I was impatient at how long it took to get anywhere. I need to get used to the long lead times to get anything somewhere.

I have re-read PP a couple of times now and think that part is, perhaps not second nature but at least something that lurks in the back of the mind.
I intend to start looking at Production etc over the next week.

Meanwhile, I am in tidy up mode. All those little hints that Kull had in the initial spreadsheet need to be checked to see if they are happening. Has TF 123 arrived at point X? If so, have I released unit 999 to move to Point Y? That sort of thing.