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Not enough engineers to allow ports, AFs, and forts to be built all at once. Focus on just one at time, IMO.

ORIGINAL: ny59giants

Not enough engineers to allow ports, AFs, and forts to be built all at once. Focus on just one at time, IMO.

+1 You get the benefit sooner of whichever one you do first. That's includes VP if that is an issue for autovic.

I agree on specialization where you need it. In these cases, only maximizing Christmas airfield might be to my benefit. The others are just growing because I dont want to micro-manage them.

My growing bases are places like Tahiti, and soon Aitutake.

One of the biggest problems I had between mid 42 and late 43 was leaving engineers on the east coast and not properly utilizing them. Going to try to deploy as many as possible. Have port maintenance engineers working on Nuka Hiva... Never even sailed there before...

Bought out some of the construction engineers and some are already almost to Tahiti. Lots of base force(s) bought out and moving from the EC. Going to overwhelm him with infrastructure ;]

Wow, the Japanese disposition in the CentPac looks dangerous. To leave Tabiteau still under Allied control is a real head scratcher to me; all he needs is 1 AV to take the base. I would be interested to see if you could occupy Funafati in strength; it can be supplied from Pago Pago so it's not untenable. But I think that with Tabiteau under Allied control here you HAVE to try something there; you can't pass up the opportunity. SSTs and SS could reinforce the dot hex without being noticed possibly. I'm sure eventually the Japanese will notice but you can get enough units there to force the Japanese to actually prep to take the base which could give you time to mount a proper relief mission eventually. If it fails, oh well, VP losses will be relatively small. If it succeeds you have a base capable of dominating the Gilberts in your hands.

ORIGINAL: Sangeli

Wow, the Japanese disposition in the CentPac looks dangerous. To leave Tabiteau still under Allied control is a real head scratcher to me; all he needs is 1 AV to take the base. I would be interested to see if you could occupy Funafati in strength; it can be supplied from Pago Pago so it's not untenable. But I think that with Tabiteau under Allied control here you HAVE to try something there; you can't pass up the opportunity. SSTs and SS could reinforce the dot hex without being noticed possibly. I'm sure eventually the Japanese will notice but you can get enough units there to force the Japanese to actually prep to take the base which could give you time to mount a proper relief mission eventually. If it fails, oh well, VP losses will be relatively small. If it succeeds you have a base capable of dominating the Gilberts in your hands.

Even more puzzling is that he took pago pago and the 3 nearby islands and they have been left level 1 airfields. So he cannot retaliate if my ships show up.

I KNOW!!!! *head scratcher*

That seems like he does not intend to build up those bases for you. If/when you capture them, they will require more time to build up to whatever size you need them at.

ORIGINAL: Wargmr

June 4, 1942

Singapore falls.

Because of certain game rules Japanese players can benefit from delaying the capture of Singapore and the Philippines, and use their forces more profitably taking the oil centers on Borneo, Java and Sumatra while they have the amphibious bonus. The Japanese can take Singapore and the Philippines whenever they like in 1942 just because of qualitative superiority of their LCUs and superior logistics. The Allies have very limited ability to make the Japanese pay a high cost for delaying the capture of Singapore or the Philippines. In fact delaying may actually result in more victory points since evacuating units is pretty difficult and any reinforcement/replenishment efforts tend to result in more lost ships/aircraft/LCUs.

ORIGINAL: poodlebrain

ORIGINAL: Wargmr

June 4, 1942

Singapore falls.

Because of certain game rules Japanese players can benefit from delaying the capture of Singapore and the Philippines, and use their forces more profitably taking the oil centers on Borneo, Java and Sumatra while they have the amphibious bonus. The Japanese can take Singapore and the Philippines whenever they like in 1942 just because of qualitative superiority of their LCUs and superior logistics. The Allies have very limited ability to make the Japanese pay a high cost for delaying the capture of Singapore or the Philippines. In fact delaying may actually result in more victory points since evacuating units is pretty difficult and any reinforcement/replenishment efforts tend to result in more lost ships/aircraft/LCUs.

You would have a point if the Japanese player had not taken all of those bases within the first month of the war.

It is what he is doing with the bulk of his troops that worries me. Australia is one of the few places worth the VP.

ORIGINAL: witpqs

That seems like he does not intend to build up those bases for you. If/when you capture them, they will require more time to build up to whatever size you need them at.

NJP does not build bases as a rule. He has not increased Brisbane nor Adelaide even though it would help a prolonged siege of Australia.

ORIGINAL: ny59giants

Not enough engineers to allow ports, AFs, and forts to be built all at once. Focus on just one at time, IMO.

+1
I typically take the base to level 3 forts before building any port or airbase infrastructure.
Then I take the port to level 2 before taking the airfield to level 4 and staring back on the port.

Unless it is a far forward base that needs air cover immediately, then the airbase goes to 1 to be able to fly in aviation support and fighters, then the port goes to 2 before the airfield goes higher.

ORIGINAL: HansBolter

ORIGINAL: ny59giants

Not enough engineers to allow ports, AFs, and forts to be built all at once. Focus on just one at time, IMO.

+1
I typically take the base to level 3 forts before building any port or airbase infrastructure.
Then I take the port to level 2 before taking the airfield to level 4 and staring back on the port.

Unless it is a far forward base that needs air cover immediately, then the airbase goes to 1 to be able to fly in aviation support and fighters, then the port goes to 2 before the airfield goes higher.

Is there any speed advantage to doing this? In my reading I have found the ability for a base to grow is based upon it's maximum size(s) and terrain, not based upon any level of infrastructure currently at the base.

ORIGINAL: Wargmr
NJP does not build bases as a rule. He has not increased Brisbane nor Adelaide even though it would help a prolonged siege of Australia.

Given the fact NJP seems to be everywhere and overextended, this makes sense to me. He can't afford to allocate shipping space to engineers and supply to build up these bases. But unless the Allies are defeated on the battlefields, it means the empire is going to be in trouble come late 42. Somewhere NJP will need to build up some defenses.

ORIGINAL: poodlebrain
Because of certain game rules Japanese players can benefit from delaying the capture of Singapore and the Philippines, and use their forces more profitably taking the oil centers on Borneo, Java and Sumatra while they have the amphibious bonus. The Japanese can take Singapore and the Philippines whenever they like in 1942 just because of qualitative superiority of their LCUs and superior logistics. The Allies have very limited ability to make the Japanese pay a high cost for delaying the capture of Singapore or the Philippines. In fact delaying may actually result in more victory points since evacuating units is pretty difficult and any reinforcement/replenishment efforts tend to result in more lost ships/aircraft/LCUs.

Slightly OT but I believe that delaying Singapore like NJP has done is always a mistake. It took 6 full divisions to take the way he has done. Singapore can be taken quickly on the cheap with a Mersing invasion; it can be taken with just 3 divisions before Xmas 41 in my experience. Not to mention the base itself is valuable for any adventure in the Indian Ocean. If you bypass Luzon and take Java quickly that means you can nearly every unrestricted division ready by mid January 42 to land anywhere BEFORE the amphibious bonus runs out. That's what I'm doing against Captain Mandrake and Sprior right now in our 2 vs 2 game (it has an AAR as well if you're curious).

ORIGINAL: Wargmr

ORIGINAL: HansBolter

ORIGINAL: ny59giants

Not enough engineers to allow ports, AFs, and forts to be built all at once. Focus on just one at time, IMO.

+1
I typically take the base to level 3 forts before building any port or airbase infrastructure.
Then I take the port to level 2 before taking the airfield to level 4 and staring back on the port.

Unless it is a far forward base that needs air cover immediately, then the airbase goes to 1 to be able to fly in aviation support and fighters, then the port goes to 2 before the airfield goes higher.

Is there any speed advantage to doing this? In my reading I have found the ability for a base to grow is based upon it's maximum size(s) and terrain, not based upon any level of infrastructure currently at the base.

Don't know as speed isn't my priority.

My priorities for building are strictly tactical and logistical.

I want a minimum level 3 fort to protect whatever infrastructure I am going to start building before I invest effort in building.
I want a level 2 port to be able to unload radar without having to figure out how much naval support I would have to add without a level 2 port.
Only if an immediate airfield is a tactical priority do I build it first.
Once my port is level 2 I can take the airfield to 4 to facilitate 4Es (minimally) before switching back to the port to take it higher.
I go back and forth on each item bringing each one to a tactical/logistical milestone before switching.

ORIGINAL: HansBolter

ORIGINAL: Wargmr

ORIGINAL: HansBolter




+1
I typically take the base to level 3 forts before building any port or airbase infrastructure.
Then I take the port to level 2 before taking the airfield to level 4 and staring back on the port.

Unless it is a far forward base that needs air cover immediately, then the airbase goes to 1 to be able to fly in aviation support and fighters, then the port goes to 2 before the airfield goes higher.

Is there any speed advantage to doing this? In my reading I have found the ability for a base to grow is based upon it's maximum size(s) and terrain, not based upon any level of infrastructure currently at the base.

Don't know as speed isn't my priority.

My priorities for building are strictly tactical and logistical.

I want a minimum level 3 fort to protect whatever infrastructure I am going to start building before I invest effort in building.
I want a level 2 port to be able to unload radar without having to figure out how much naval support I would have to add without a level 2 port.
Only if an immediate airfield is a tactical priority do I build it first.
Once my port is level 2 I can take the airfield to 4 to facilitate 4Es (minimally) before switching back to the port to take it higher.
I go back and forth on each item bringing each one to a tactical/logistical milestone before switching.

Right - the point is that you do not get the benefit of construction until a complete level is achieved. Concentrating on one thing at a time (Fort, Port or Airfield) means you get to use the next level sooner than if you try to develop them all concurrently. As HansB says, just decide what facility you want to get to the next level the most, and put everyone to work on that.

BTW, if the airfield runway is damaged, put any resting/training troops without engineers in combat mode and they will help fill the holes. They do not help with airfield services or ports.

Each to their own. I am just building infrastructure at those locations because I can.

Rangpur will fall next turn in India. Lets see if it causes him to move forward.

June 18, 1942

NJP attacked the isolated dutch forces at Bandoeng last turn and got a 1-4 result. He decided to try it again this turn and really took a beating.

I think that time is slipping past him and he is starting to get worried about his time table. Some of the troops at Bandoeng were at Singapore.

I still have 443AV at Bandoeng and 18K supplies so these troops are probably not going anywhere for a while. I also chose Bandoeng because it cannot be bombarded by sea. Last game he just beat me to death gaining experience for his navy.

It seems NJP is not the only one who learned from his last game ... [:)]

So quiet, So peaceful....

Hopefully, your Indian divisions can gain much needed experience without being destroyed. What American troops do you have in theater??

ORIGINAL: ny59giants

Hopefully, your Indian divisions can gain much needed experience without being destroyed. What American troops do you have in theater??

I dont have any American troops in theatre with the exception of the fighters supplied from Aden by natural reinforcement.

I do however have the advantage of having the 9th Australian division as part of the emergency troops provided by NJP's attack south of Brisbane.