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RE: Fun and Games in the Solomons
Posted: Thu Mar 02, 2017 8:28 pm
by Lowpe
This sub was savaged way south of Noumea. Her flotation at one point was 97%![X(]
I have managed to get her back to Rabaul, and now a little north of Kavieng where she will meet up with an AS for emergency systems repair. I have high hopes she will be able to make it all the way back and rejoin the war effort.
For her, I immediately dispatched another sub to join her, and cruise speed back stopping at the closest dot base I owned. Flew some Naval Squads in and prayed.
Often times she was only a few days ahead of invading Allied troops...Shortland and Buin were close run things.
So far so good!
RE: Fun and Games in the Solomons
Posted: Fri Mar 03, 2017 1:24 am
by Lokasenna
ORIGINAL: Lowpe
Sorry Lok, misread you
Here is a picture illustrating the point you bring up, and of course you are quite correct.
I'm not sure what Alfred means by IRP, I imagine it's a label he's applied to a concept. And the AR's, if a repair points number has been specified for how much they add, then it's added in the part you highlighted here. Which is not Alfred's IRP.
RE: Fun and Games in the Solomons
Posted: Fri Mar 03, 2017 9:17 am
by Lowpe
Lok,
I was looking at more examples last night in the hotel room, and I can't get Alfred's math to work right, so I am definitely doing something wrong.
RE: Fun and Games in the Solomons
Posted: Fri Mar 03, 2017 9:19 am
by Lowpe
June 26, 1943
Two big cruiser task forces in the Bay of Bengal...plus lots of ships ready to run down the coast to Ramree.
I dispatched two more tank regiments to Sumatra, the 21st Div started loading on fast AP for Singers.
Merauke invaded...perhaps have a chance to sting him, my bad, as I saw this coming and since I forgot to start the necessary ships in the right direction last turn, so I am not it a position to put a lot against him for another turn.
Off to Gettysburg all day...[:)]
RE: And now for something completely different
Posted: Fri Mar 03, 2017 9:26 am
by adarbrauner
ORIGINAL: Lowpe
This is a screenshot of my other current MP game, EU4. I am playing Very Hard, against my eldest son (the Army Officer). He is a much better player than me, but I started as the Ottomans who are the strongest nation in the game.
Currently I am in first place in most categories and my troops are starship troopers. My War Galleys reign supreme in the Med; and my War Galleons aren't too shabby in the Spice Islands either.
Russia and Ottomans were involved in a huge war, with Spain and France as leaders of the coalitions (I was allied to France at the time). It saw huge battles between Russia and Ottomans, Ottomans and Austria, Great Britain and Spain. After about 10 years of extremely costly fighting France and Spain settled for 7 ducats and a minor province somewhere plus annulling France and the Ottomans from any alliance.
So I picked up Denmark/Norway/Sweeden and am simply waiting for an opportunity to war with Russia when Spain won't join the cause.
A fun game, we have played it since EU2.
The day I saw, for first time, in a youtube gameplay video, EU IV, and realized that Hearts of Iron IV is no more and no less than a transposition of EUIV in world war II, based and scavanging on the mythical and up until now unsurpassed HOI3, I stopped playing that game. And sincerely cannot start it again. I know that scores of "hard core" afisonados share the very same thoughts, but as long as Paradox keeps cashing good on their current version, no close hope for a change of direction in the game's design. A pity.
I also tried to lobby a little in Paradox forum in favor of a simultaneous turn based game, WITP likewise, to no success .
RE: Fun and Games in the Solomons
Posted: Fri Mar 03, 2017 9:20 pm
by Lowpe
Cranked out a turn first thing this morning before leaving the hotel room. All day, while standing at Devil's Den looking up at Little Round Top thinking..."Did I leave my precious battleships hanging out to dry?" How about that convoy over by Christmas Island...I meant to move it.
And then there is the pervading sense of doom I have about a major invasion of Sumatra or Java. Some of my Carriers were spotted at Truk...I did move them out; but now I have come to the conclusion to send everything to DEI pronto.
I get the feeling the Allies have pulled back a little in Burma...and it worries me. Little things, like his troops having movement arrows but never actually moving.
Paranoid I am. But I am right to be paranoid.
RE: Fun and Games in the Solomons
Posted: Fri Mar 03, 2017 9:39 pm
by Lowpe
June 26, 1943
I let the Allies get Merauke very easily. But nothing super bad happened other than that. I think the Allies are starting to cotton on to just how weak Japan is currently.
Over in Burma the Tojo IIc and Frank A sweep Silchar together to find no CAP. Argh, blew my surprise with the Frank, to the degree there was any.
An American sub catches an un-escorted cargo ship and sinks her. Empty and no fuel so no real loss.
RE: Fun and Games in the Solomons
Posted: Fri Mar 03, 2017 9:48 pm
by Lowpe
Allies feel so confident here...
What I am going to do is narrowly focus naval search up north, where there is no fighters. Sweep, LRCAP, Escort and attack those task forces hopefully. I am going to hope I can...not sure that I will be able to actually pull it off.
This time no Iboats in the area gathering intelligence to confuse my strike planes.
If it doesn't work, I will lose a lot of planes, or if he relocates his fighter coverage.
But, it is war!
RE: Fun and Games in the Solomons
Posted: Fri Mar 03, 2017 9:52 pm
by Lowpe
I have pushed the panic button here...very vulnerable.
RE: Fun and Games in the Solomons
Posted: Fri Mar 03, 2017 9:54 pm
by Lowpe
See the above comments.
RE: Fun and Games in the Solomons
Posted: Fri Mar 03, 2017 9:57 pm
by Lowpe
Hopefully the Allies will take six months pushing up in a low risk manor thru New Guinea, take Pearl and Alaska back.
I am so woefully short troops and so overextended.
The poor Emperor see's a sword hanging by a thread over his head every night! Not good!
On the good side, the economy is strong now (barring an invasion); the air force is strong; plane research strong; the navy a mess with upgrades. China pretty much taken.
But the Emperor wants his legions back from Hollywood![:D]
RE: Fun and Games in the Solomons
Posted: Fri Mar 03, 2017 10:23 pm
by Lowpe
Plane builds:
looks like I will get the Oscar IV Aug 1, 1943. That will free up six size 30 factories.
I am planning of creating:
1. Frances NF
2. Dinah NF
3. Peggy NF
These are more to get ready to make them than of course to accelerate them. That leaves three to fiddle with. I definitely don't need the Oscar production.
The Judy or Zero NF? Doesn't feel right to me.
I could put one on the Randy FB. The others I could put on the Frank B, which could be a fairly important plane if memory serves there are a lot of squadrons that upgrade to it.
I hate all these twin engine planes, but what are you going to do. PDU off really puts Japan behind in NF and I feel given the Allied past life that NF will become very important.
Or of course I could just save the supply!
RE: Fun and Games in the Solomons
Posted: Fri Mar 03, 2017 11:48 pm
by Lowpe
I have never really pulled this off, but it doesn't stop me from trying. I go whole hog...last time a goofy Iboat reported back sigint, and the local commanders launched into a protected port. This time...will we prove the theory?
A very narrow selected search.
2 Lilly IIb sentai
1.3 Betty sentai
1 Jill sentai
3 Nick Sentai on low level attack (just expecting they can deplete the AA on the ships)
8 Fighter Squadrons providing sweeps (Tojo and Frank), LRCAP (Oscars), Escort (Zekes and Oscars).
4 Dinah Sentai providing recon and naval search
Your mission: avoid the 130 fighters and strike at the soft underbelly of the Allied dog's naval shipping. If you should carry the day the goal: tankers, cargo ships, military troop transports. In short, Glory!
RE: Fun and Games in the Solomons
Posted: Sat Mar 04, 2017 10:03 am
by Lowpe
June 28, 1943
Here, I can see and forecast the Allied response for the rest of the game. The sweep by Franks yesterday of Silchar is responded with a huge fighter presence. The Allies have two concurrent tactics in play...and one is overwhelming force. The other is the low risk invasions in the New Guinea area.
Very solid tactics, and my job will be to get him to spread out...and pick him off at the edges. Japan cannot afford to simply go hammer and tongs at Allied strong points and still be able to keep a credible force in being that causes the Allies to slow down, prep, and move ahead slowly.
RE: Fun and Games in the Solomons
Posted: Sat Mar 04, 2017 10:20 am
by Lowpe
I usually spend a lot of time looking at Allied detection levels. I wish there was an overlay map, like for the weather, which reported on it rather than a mouseover.
I really wonder at what goes thru the Allied mind when they see Japanese shipping in such numbers. Two days ago, he spotted CVs, BB, CAs, DD which are all now gone. Does he say:
1. The Japanese are reinforcing, I need to hurry my dot base invasions up.
2. The Japanese are reinforcing, I need to be more cautious and slow down.
3. The Japanese are giving me a great opportunity, lets move in subs and is there anyway I can hit that port with bombers, destroyers, or the kitchen sink?[X(] And, in addition to this great opportunity, I am going to attack in Canada where Japan isn't, or the DEI where he isn't and even if I don't achieve all my goals I get him to burn up all that fuel chasing me like a ping pong ball across his enormously bloated Empire.[8|]
Or does he think all of them.
RE: Fun and Games in the Solomons
Posted: Sat Mar 04, 2017 10:28 am
by Lowpe
Mark 6 mines don't scare me too much...we sweep a few and hit one. I don't know what it is, but Allied dropped mines like this are incredibly effective against Japan. Allied forces seem really adept at missing mine.[:(]
My last game, my losses to mines was astronomical.
RE: Fun and Games in the Solomons
Posted: Sat Mar 04, 2017 10:34 am
by Lowpe
Buin is a pretty neat place to fight. I can run supplies by fast transport in -- at Torokina. The supply swiftly moves the one hex to Buin and keep the soldiers in rice and bullets.
I don't risk my fast transport to accidentally blundering into an Allied bombardment force. I guess at some point they will cotton on to it, and drop mines, or run a destroyer squadron in at night.
But for now it is working![:)] Just in time supply.
RE: Fun and Games in the Solomons
Posted: Sat Mar 04, 2017 10:39 am
by Lowpe
Moving towards Darwin by sea...
RE: Fun and Games in the Solomons
Posted: Sat Mar 04, 2017 10:42 am
by MakeeLearn
I've only played the Allies so far, and your above posts are interesting and informative perspectives.
RE: Fun and Games in the Solomons
Posted: Sat Mar 04, 2017 12:58 pm
by Lowpe
June 29, 1943
The A/B and C thirds of the 3rd Australian are landing now at Buin. I am sure originally only one of the splinters was tasked with taking Buin, while the others were targeted at different bases.
But the arrival of the 17th IndepMxdBde ruined those plans. I guess the Allies really want Buin.
I am debating about sending in a strong SAG here, but if the past holds true the Allies won't be there tomorrow morning...so I would just tip my hand, expose my ships to subs, and spend fuel.
CR calls this kind of warfare friction.
