Matrix Games Forums

ORIGINAL: crsutton

ORIGINAL: obvert

ORIGINAL: crsutton




Well, it is a trade off. You are eating B24s now but remember that for most of 1942 and 43 the Allies just get no sort of bomber production. The Allies could never afford to put together a massive bombardment attack but it is not problem for Japan to stitch together a couple of hundred bombers to support an attack in the early years. Now is it different and it is time to pay the piper...

As Japan we also get planes that do things they didn't in the war, so it's a balance. A fun balance, too. I'd say getting Georges on CVs is a pretty good trade-off, considering 4Es did actually bomb ground forces in the war and Georges were incapable of flying from CVs. [:D]

Agreed plus the George while good was never as good as it now is in game. I would be happy to have them if I were playing Japan. I am losing a lot more heavy bombers this campaign with the enhanced AA, George, and Jack. (I know the Jack is not in this game). We do have a HR preventing 4E from bombing troops in the open. That was a bit out of whack so I agreed to it. Not to much of a problem as any Allied attack bomber will tear up troops in the open. My opponent knows his stuff and used massed Japanese bombers to drive his sword home in the early years. I got no sympathy for him now...[;)]

Exactly. We don't scrimp on our use of IJAAF 2E early against the hapless Chinese, Indians and Philippine troops, so it all comes around. Playing the Allies I asked for an HR self-imposing a restriction on 4E bombing ground troops only because I felt it was too easy in the clear hexes to mass them, but that was me choosing to restrict myself.

The HR I find more of a necessity is massed night bombing against fields/ports. The capacity of the time simply didn't allow accurate night bombing without extreme planning and training, and even then wasn't what happens in game. So best not to get either side frustrated and limit it to say 50 bombers set per target, or something similar.

I have played on the Allied side and I always limit my usage of 4EB due to my experiences on the other side. This is why I am ALWAYS looking for Allied players who tackle the Mods. It is so important to get their views.

While this is a fairly early version of Reluctant Admiral, Dan and I are now deep into the game and I looking for good and bad things. I KNOW that the war is lost with this unstoppable thrust into the DEI. C'est la vie. We fight on team and while doing that I can spend time working on updates of all three Mods to better reflect issues learned here for both sides.

Agree about the power of the George. This is why I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOO excited to be getting the second model within days. The improved SR will make a ton of difference.

Thanks Obvert about the Brigades coming in comment. I need them and need them BADLY!

I'm an AFB (HUGE grain of salt here [:'(] ). And I don't post in AAR's much for various reasons. I will point out that B-24's were in fact used against troops in the PI, Iwo Jima, the Marianas, and Okinawa that I am familiar with. The reasons were usually range, and eminent attack. Also, there were smaller numbers of heavy bomber squadrons available, and different platforms were being used for Strategic missions. It didn't happen a lot, but it did happen.

Play on [;)]

As far as night missions is concerned, I self impose a limit of one bomber group per mission. While the Brits did run 1000 plane missions out of ole blighty over Germany, in the Pacific theater it seems to me that coordination of such huge attacks is problematic. Typically, I only use the RAF bombers on night missions, though once in a while I will use USAAF bombers.

I was looking around in the database and I see some pretty AMAZING late-war fighter planes. Queries regarding IJA/IJN:

1. Since I already have Frank and am moving up the Frank-b, I figure that is pretty good for end game IJA. Am I missing a better, more obvious choice?

2. Looks like I should invest EVERYTHING into A7 line. I get M2 in June 1944 (will certainly move up to May and--hopefully--April. The next two models of Sam look pretty spectacular and with the amount of research already going, I am certain to bring them forward. Anything here that has escaped my perusal?

Never really been this deep to reasonably be looking at 1945 aircraft I might be able to bring forward...

The Ki-83 is amazing. I think in your mod there is a naval version too. The IJAAF one is more important because there are many more late game army fighter groups, though.

Other than that, the Frank, George and Sam are what you want. The Frank 'r' is game changing.

Since I already have Frank and am moving up the Frank-b, I figure that is pretty good for end game IJA. Am I missing a better, more obvious choice?

In this mod do the Frank factories all upgrade directly? In Babes, the Frank-a goes to Frank-r while Frank-b is a separate line. For me, switching from Frank-a to Frank-b caused the factory to rebuild. I did not build the Frank-b for this reason. I did not want to spend supplies rebuilding the factories.

Wa

ORIGINAL: obvert

ORIGINAL: crsutton

ORIGINAL: obvert




As Japan we also get planes that do things they didn't in the war, so it's a balance. A fun balance, too. I'd say getting Georges on CVs is a pretty good trade-off, considering 4Es did actually bomb ground forces in the war and Georges were incapable of flying from CVs. [:D]

Agreed plus the George while good was never as good as it now is in game. I would be happy to have them if I were playing Japan. I am losing a lot more heavy bombers this campaign with the enhanced AA, George, and Jack. (I know the Jack is not in this game). We do have a HR preventing 4E from bombing troops in the open. That was a bit out of whack so I agreed to it. Not to much of a problem as any Allied attack bomber will tear up troops in the open. My opponent knows his stuff and used massed Japanese bombers to drive his sword home in the early years. I got no sympathy for him now...[;)]

Exactly. We don't scrimp on our use of IJAAF 2E early against the hapless Chinese, Indians and Philippine troops, so it all comes around. Playing the Allies I asked for an HR self-imposing a restriction on 4E bombing ground troops only because I felt it was too easy in the clear hexes to mass them, but that was me choosing to restrict myself.

The HR I find more of a necessity is massed night bombing against fields/ports. The capacity of the time simply didn't allow accurate night bombing without extreme planning and training, and even then wasn't what happens in game. So best not to get either side frustrated and limit it to say 50 bombers set per target, or something similar.

A must. Our HR is only one unit per theater on a night bombing mission. It is just too whacked to allow any more.

ORIGINAL: John 3rd

I have played on the Allied side and I always limit my usage of 4EB due to my experiences on the other side. This is why I am ALWAYS looking for Allied players who tackle the Mods. It is so important to get their views.

While this is a fairly early version of Reluctant Admiral, Dan and I are now deep into the game and I looking for good and bad things. I KNOW that the war is lost with this unstoppable thrust into the DEI. C'est la vie. We fight on team and while doing that I can spend time working on updates of all three Mods to better reflect issues learned here for both sides.

Agree about the power of the George. This is why I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOO excited to be getting the second model within days. The improved SR will make a ton of difference.

Thanks Obvert about the Brigades coming in comment. I need them and need them BADLY!

I was worried about the impact of the stronger Japanese fighters but found it only a nuisance. The real Allied advantage is not just in quality of aircraft but in the ability to build airfields much faster than the Japanese player. (and to build level 8 and 9 airfields anywhere) So, at the point of attack the Allies can generally control the theater as it is almost impossible for Japan to counter build airfields in response. It does not make any difference what type of fighters you have it you have not got the fields to fly them from.

There is great truth in that statement Mr. Sutton.

I know that Dan must open up a second axis of attack.

He can effectively stop his DEI attack at this point since Makassar puts Palembang at risk by 4EB. Logically he might want to move a little closer so he can have fighter bases nearer to the oilfields. I THINK I will have all that covered within the next 2-3 weeks of game time so I figure there isn't much more to gain my staying the DEI with everything. He MUST threaten the Home Islands. So...where will he come from?

The Kuriles and Hokkaido are a favorite of his.

Anyone got a 'gut feeling' here?

Which is why interconnected base building needs to start in '41

John I think you should carry this game through to the very end - and I'll bet a whole One Dollar Bill (my maximum bet) that in the next game after this one, you'll be playing with the '45 end-game at the forefront of your '41-'42 strategy, and not play with as much of a "can I conquer more than I did last time before it all falls apart" mindset

ORIGINAL: John 3rd

I know that Dan must open up a second axis of attack.

He can effectively stop his DEI attack at this point since Makassar puts Palembang at risk by 4EB. Logically he might want to move a little closer so he can have fighter bases nearer to the oilfields. I THINK I will have all that covered within the next 2-3 weeks of game time so I figure there isn't much more to gain my staying the DEI with everything. He MUST threaten the Home Islands. So...where will he come from?

The Kuriles and Hokkaido are a favorite of his.

Anyone got a 'gut feeling' here?

What does your (weak) SigInt tell you? Anything?


Also - Verse 28: Do not repeat the tactics which have gained you one victory, but let your methods be regulated by the infinite variety of circumstances.


Where has he attacked before, where has he not attacked before? I know that if I were to play you, the first thing I would do is look at all your AAR's, see what you haven't done before, and defend "there". I.e I think you've done India, Oz, PH, and the Alaskan frontier. SO I'd defend New Zealand against you.


Also....

Chapter 6, Verse 1-2: “Whoever is first in the field and awaits the coming of the enemy, will be fresh for the fight; whoever is second in the field and has to hasten to battle will arrive exhausted. Therefore the clever combatant imposes his will on the enemy, but does not allow the enemy's will to be imposed on him”
Verse 3: “By holding out advantages to him, he can cause the enemy to approach of his own accord; or, by inflicting damage, he can make it impossible for the enemy to draw near.”

Can you present an apparently “Easy” looking route for him to come so that you drive him in the direction you want him to approach? But it’s not really an easy route, it’s just your deception? I.e. what about building forts in locations but not really stocking them with troops so it appears empty… but then when you see him coming to those places, you rush in troops to bases with already prepared forts? It might be too late for this game to do that, but something to think about in the future.

I would love to 'set-up' an 'easy path' for him and spring an ambush but with Allied Intel I doubt if that is really possible. Any AFB willing to comment on that?

Burma
February 20, 1944

The Japanese pulled their depleted Frank Sentai out about 10 days ago and have rebuilt and rested them. Sprang a successful CAP Trap today on the Allies:

Here are the totals for a nice one day result. Will move the Sentai and stage another ambush in a couple of days.

I know that Dan must open up a second axis of attack.

He can effectively stop his DEI attack at this point since Makassar puts Palembang at risk by 4EB. Logically he might want to move a little closer so he can have fighter bases nearer to the oilfields. I THINK I will have all that covered within the next 2-3 weeks of game time so I figure there isn't much more to gain my staying the DEI with everything. He MUST threaten the Home Islands. So...where will he come from?

He would need B-29's to reach Palemburg. Need about a size 7 airfield, an HQ and lots of supply. He gets about 120 of these and each time you move them to a new base 50% need service. with a service rating of 4 he can put a moderate dent in your oil production. Between AA and fighters he will have to go at 25,000 feet. I guess he will try, because there is nothing better to use these hanger queens on right now. Get some high altitude fighters with canons. Now by this time he should have hundreds of B-24's. Those can hit your other production centers. he has lots of them and they have a low service rating. His fighters will not reach Miri yet but everything closer has problems

Naive question about the air losses for each side posted above. Those seem like serious losses to both sides, granted the Allies took more of a beating though. Suppose those losses continued, at those levels, for some time. Which side would have to pull out or withdraw? Which side can make up the losses more effectively?

No such thing as a naive question. ALWAYS ask.

The answer is simple. I will have to withdraw. Don't have the ability to fight a sustained battle at the moment over Burma. Can only sting and move. The Frank has such a high SR it means the the surviving fighters are 50-50 as to how many are operational.

It does make him a bit more honest in keeping fighters on the prowl looking for mine...

Am REALLY looking forward to today. Shall be home alone for five hours with no turns or anything to do. Plan on AAR work and serious Mod time.