Forlorn Hopes: The Japanese Respond

[ny59giants]

Philippines/Borneo/Celebes/etc.

Manila - Oil is 20 with HI at 76
Cebu - Oil is 0 with HI at 16
Davao - Oil is 0 with HI at 16
Luzon has "huge" stockpiles of Resources that can be moved. Just pull up your AKs and say, "Fill her up." [:D]

Brunei - 105,624 Oil
Miri - 38,676 Oil; you have 3 damaged Oil left to repair, but you need 14k in supply to do so (you have less than 500 supply there)
Kuching - 18,001 Oil (I don't know how it got there since there is no Oil center there) [8|][8|]
Balikpapan - 55,729 Oil; 28,998 Resources; and 9834 Supply. Oil center is (208) x 92 & Resource Center is (299) x 301
Tarakan - 31,798 Supply; 60,050 Oil All Centers repaired [&o][&o]

Kendari - Resource center is (132) x 468 and Supply is at 9646
Ambonia - 22,362 Oil; Oil center (13) x 37; supply is 3149

Recommendations: Your large TF loading Resources needs to be broken up at Tarakan. Unload some of those AKs and load up with 20k supply to move to Balikpapan as it is now below 10k in supplies and thus no further repairs. [X(][:(][X(] At Balikpapan, turn off the repair of Resources as you are swimming in Resouces, but need Oil ASAP. Stop repair of Resources at Kendari and start shipping supplies generated there to Balikpapan.

Union break time. [:D]

[ny59giants]

Java/Sumatra/Malaya/Indochina

Soerbaja - Oil is 60,585 and Resources are 75,651
Batavia - Oil is 60,651 and Resources are 12,346

Palembang - Oil is 18,312 and Resources are 39,668
Oil center (317) x 383 & Resource center (229) x 671
Supply at 8705 All repairs have stopped!![X(]
Bankha - Oil is 29,586
Medan - Oil is 30,228

Kuala Lumpur - Resources are 72,564
Singapore - Oil is 3 with HI at 150

Bangkok - Oil is 2 with HI at 120 Resources at 185,024
Saigon - Oil is 42 with HI at 120 Resources at 205,720
Hanoi - Oil is 100 with HI at 240 Resources at 321,770

Recommendations: Ship in Oil from Sumatra to Singapore and beyond. With your control of the Rail Roads all the way to Hanoi, the Oil should be moved. However, if this doesn't happen, ship it into Saigon. Use your AKs to transport Resources in Indochina out before his airpower prevents it. [;)]
Consider accelerating some TKs to move Oil. I see that you have 15 TK that are due in less than 200 days. You may need to get more built/accelerate as the Home Islands has no surplus of Oil and the war is coming to you soon. [X(]
You need to stop repair on Resource centers as your swimming in it, but it needs to be moved to the Home Islands.
Monitor Balikpapan and Palembang daily as both are below 10k supply and thus no repairs are being made.

Sincerely,
Mr. Benoit,
Amateur Production Foreman

[Mike Solli]

ORIGINAL: ny59giants

According to the Manual (which we all take with a grain of salt), you need 2x the Oil than HI for HI to work each turn. Is this correct??

It used to be correct until a patch a while ago. Now you need x oil and x resources in a hex with x HI factories in order for x HI to be produced that day. It must be in the hex though.

[Mike Solli]

ORIGINAL: ny59giants

Nagaski - Oil is 527 with HI at 600 - not enough
Fukuka - Oil is 1513 with HI at 1020
Hiroshima - Oil is 593 with HI at 720 - not enough
Takamatsu - Oil is 896 with HI at 600
Okayama - Oil is 552 with HI at 360
Kyoto - Oil is 61 with HI at 300 - not enough
Nagoya - Oil is 1126 with HI at 1140 - not enough
Tsu - Oil is 34 with HI at 60 - not enough
Kanazawa - Oil is 154 with HI at 120
Hamamatsu - Oil is 100 with HI at 600 - not enough
Gumma - Oil is 197 with HI at 120
Tokyo - Oil is 700 with HI at 1380 - not enough
Sendai - Oil is 96 with HI at 120 - not enough
Aomori - Oil is 71 with HI at 120 - not enough

There's your problem.

[Mike Solli]

ORIGINAL: ny59giants

The Oil at HK will not be moved due to his control of rail lines to the other parts of China by AI.

I've found that oil doesn't move from Hong Kong/Canton to the rest of China even when the rail line is Japanese owned. I think it has something to do with Hong Kong being a part of the Southern Area Army and not China (at least in my games).

[Mike Solli]

ORIGINAL: Big B

ORIGINAL: Mike Solli

ORIGINAL: Q-Ball
In stock you are correct, however John and I are on Big B, and the TABBY is an ARMY Transport. Not sure why, but it is.

That being the case, I'd stop production on the Topsy altogether and build only the Tabby. That's if their stats are the same as stock, of course.

EDIT: figured out why the Tabby is showing up as IJ Army.

In stock scenario 15 the Tabby is IJ Navy
In stock scenario 16 the Tabby is IJ Army.

Weird, but it depends on which scenario you are playing.

B

Sounds like a typo to me. Big B, you out there?

[ny59giants]

It used to be correct until a patch a while ago. Now you need x oil and x resources in a hex with x HI factories in order for x HI to be produced that day. It must be in the hex though.

Going by this vs the 2x needed, then next turn 5317 HI will not produce due to lack of Oil. [:(]

[Mike Solli]

Generally, here is the scoop on oil and resource excess or shortage by region:
 
Region/Oil/Resource
 
Japan/shortage/shortage
Hokkaido/shortage/surplus
Sakhalin/shortage/shortage
China & Manchuria/shortage/surplus
Hong Kong/shortage/shortage
French Indochina/shortage/surplus
Formosa/shortage/surplus
Siam and Malaya/shortage/surplus
Burma/surplus/surplus

[Mike Solli]

ORIGINAL: ny59giants

It used to be correct until a patch a while ago. Now you need x oil and x resources in a hex with x HI factories in order for x HI to be produced that day. It must be in the hex though.

Going by this vs the 2x needed, then next turn 5317 HI will not produce due to lack of Oil. [:(]

Note that it is all or nothing with HI factories. Say you have 100 oil and resources and a 200 point factory in the hex. It produces nothing. You need 200 of each for the factory to function that day.

[John 3rd]

THANKS guys!
 
It might take me a week to figure this all out.  The question that concerns  me with the HOme Islands is that it appears that simply dropping everything off in Osaka doesn't work.  Is this--in fact--correct?  I need to know.  If it doesn't then which Home Island ports SHOULD I drop oil off at?
 
Never got a turn in from dan late this afternoon so I have to wait until tomorrow morning.  Might spend time taking notes from this massive flurry of postings and try to figure out what is most important...
 

[John 3rd]

and...
 
So does this mean that I have done so well and have only a SOMEWHAT functioning economy??!!  Wow.  That sort of staggers the imagination...
 

[Mike Solli]

Yeah you're doing great.  If you don't get oil and/or resources to the proper places though, it'll all come crashing down.
 
In my longest PBEM (Apr 43) I have a six month of oil and resource reserve at each industrial region working on seven months.

[ny59giants]

The 5317 not producing was the number of all his HI that had inadequate Oil from my going through all his bases. I didn't do the whole map, just the core area.
 
I suggested the dropping off of Oil at multiple bases as you cannot afford any waste in the Oil being moved by the AI and to get some directly to your largest HI centers.
 
I see your economy needing to get Oil back to the Home Islands as priority #1 and you not having any surplus there. If you had not expanded your empire as far as you did, I would think that it could harm you in 1944. From my "very limited" knowledge of the Japanese economy, I see this as your weakness that will need some effort to correct. 
 
Since I really don't know about accelerating ships, the fact that you can with your TKs should help soon (if I know you, they will be almost all of them put on the fast track to completion). [:D]

[John 3rd]

OK.  Initial Gameplan:
 
1.  I will spread the oil around throughout the Home Islands.  This should help get things started.
2.  I will move my AK around to get resources/supply to the right places.
3.  Accelerate my TK coming down the pipeline.
4.  Will create a battle plan to get TK into Hong Kong to lift out as much Oil as possible without high losses.
5.  Get Supply to my bases that need to finish repairs.
 
How is that for a beginning?
 

[ny59giants]

1. I will spread the oil around throughout the Home Islands. This should help get things started.
2. I will move my AK around to get resources/supply to the right places.
3. Accelerate my TK coming down the pipeline.
4. Will create a battle plan to get TK into Hong Kong to lift out as much Oil as possible without high losses.
5. Get Supply to my bases that need to finish repairs.

I would cancel the plan to get your Oil out of HK for now. Focus on getting some of the other build up oil to the Home Islands. You need a surplus here before you take any losses in TKs.

Some observations/suggestions as I looked around:

I saw too many AK/TK TF heading back to the Home Islands not fully loaded. I would plan to use some of your shorter legged and lower capacity AKs to move it from a few points to a collection base before shipping it out. Either that or have them start at someplace like Kendari, then stop at Balikpapan, and maybe Manila (for resources as an example). At each stop have them load all that base has to offer.

You have 11 x Tk at Palembang with a capacity of 6k each. Send them up to the two northen bases in Sumatra and move the Oil to Singapore and Siagon. Use the other 11 x TK with a capacity of 11k each to fill what they can from Palembang, Batavia, and then across the northern bases of Borneo before heading to Japan (divert 1 x TK and an escort to Davao, Cebu, and then Manila with them unloading only for one day at each base before you stop it and have it move to the next base, this way those small HI will have enough Oil for some time). Once they come back, have your TKs stop at Singapore to get their sys damage down as you have some nearing 10 and thus their detection level goes up.

Use some AKs at Palembang to suck the supply at Toboali dry and move it back to Palembang.

Many of your AK/TK TF have them set to go from Palembang to a port in Japan. You are setting them up to get hit by a string of subs as they are taking the direct route by the AI. You need to change the target hex before they get back to Japan to something else so if his Intel shows things he doesn't move in sub wolfpacks.

Am I being OCD enough for ya?? [:D]

[John 3rd]

OCD Michael??!!  You are being GREAT!  I am hereby doubling you and Mike Solli's pay AND providing bonus's for BOTH of you.  The Emporer has agreed to personally write a Letter of Thanks from the Throne.
 
We are on the July 7th turn right now.  I will play it, go and see my Father, and then have time to work on what you guys have outlined for me to do. 
 
Have to see the attorneys as well and make a final decision as to 'go/no go' with things too...  It is a big day for me and the family.  Think I will probably detail that within the AAR tomorrow as well as so readers understand a bit more as well.
 
Think that the work turn I do in the afternoon will take a few hours...it should be fun to do and get this economic mess (which I was totally unaware of) straightened out.
 
 
 

[Mike Solli]

Isn't Japanese production fun? [:D]

[John 3rd]

Joy!  [:@][:@]
 
Mike--You weren't kidding about being up early!  Wow--the time stamp on this is '0 Dark Hundred Hours!'  I am headed back to bed and TRY to get some sleep.
 
 

[Mike Solli]

John,
 
If you're going to be up a bit more, I'm sending my spreadsheet for you to peruse.

[ny59giants]

TK convoys

I would have two main routes and mainly use your large 11k capacity TKs.
Northern route would be from Singapore to Miri to Brunei and then to Home Islands. Fill up at each spot on the way. I would use your smaller 6k capacity TKs to move Oil from Batavia, Palembang, Bankha, and Medan to Singapore (I'll let you figure out how many you need [;)]). The return trip from Japan would bring back fuel to Singapore (which is bone dry [:(]).

Southern route would be from Soerabaja to Balikpapan to Tarakan and then to Home Islands using some more 11k capacity TKs.

I would have two convoys for each route. I would assign some of your seaplane tenders to these convoys (set the float planes to ASW/Naval search at 1000' at 80%) and add some of your best ASW ships to them. If he comes after them, he will pay a major price. [;)]

Australia

You have just over 500 HI here (Adelaide - 149; Whyalla - 100; Newcastle - 93; Brisbane - 50; Rockhampton - 16; Perth - 100), but no Oil. I would send 20k worth of supply to Ambonia to repair the final 13 damaged Oil centers. That will bring up Ambonia to 50 Oil. Multiple that by 6 and that is 300 per day. Use some of your 6k TK here and decide which HI will be used here (you will still be short 200 Oil per day in Oz).

Palembang/Balikpapan

Set up a convoy to bring supply from Japan to each of these bases and then return with Resources. Rinse. Repeat. [:D]

Hong Kong

I would send over some barges to evac the oil to Formosa. Make up some small TF and hope that Dan gets used of them running back and forth. Later you can add in the same size TF with TKs and escorts to try to get it out. Sneaky, I hope. [;)]

OK, back to my game against the AI to learn about this stuff first hand. [:D]