Notes from a Small Island

[RangerJoe]

I think that there might be a tax police unit at Shanghai, please overkill it!

If he tries to contest your units in the open ground in NE China, your 1E and 2E bombers should be able to severely hamper them if his fighters are busy elsewhere. It is also nice ground for your cavalry and tanks.

A very nice target area and invasion. I think that the move to Iriomote may have led him to think that you were going to Formosa and/or northern Luzon.

[CaptBeefheart]

I always liked the Electrical Engineer Regiment. I envision a mass of troops in white shirt-sleeves with pocket protectors, slide rules and thick glasses.

Cheers,
CB

[Canoerebel]

Erik sent vague (very vague) word that he'd encountered some major glitch when trying to run the turn. He didn't say what the glitch was or hint in any way about it's nature. He only said it wasn't user error.

May I just say right here that it seems that we men are, as our women tell us, atrocious at communicating?

I suspect this is the issue- I bet Erik set his air force to strike and it hasn't, either day. If that's the case, it might be weather. He's already flown one mega-strike and lots of smaller strikes against Death Star. So I don't know of there being any organic issues.

Of course, that's sheer speculation. But that's all I can do - speculate - given lack of information.

[RangerJoe]

. . . May I just say right here that it seems that we men are, as our women tell us, atrocious at communicating?

Wife to husband: "Do you love me?"

Husband: "Of course I do."

Wife: "You don't say so!"

Husband: "Yes, I did!"

Wife: "Once, twenty years ago!"

Husband: "If something had changed, I would have told you!"

[Lecivius]

Wife to husband: "Do you love me?"

Husband: "huh?" <nods blankly while watching the game>

[adarbrauner]

ORIGINAL: Lecivius

Wife to husband: "Do you love me?"

Husband: "huh?" <nods blankly while watching the game>

I have far worst anecdots, real life first hand, to refer onthe subject...



Blessed the day the main PC broke out (thus putting a momentarily end to game addiction). this saved my life, and wedding - meanwhile.

[Canoerebel]

Erik has requested a partial do-over due to an Allied landing really messing up some units he had in Strat mode. It kicked them into Move mode, far from the nearest base, so that it'll take him a long time to get them to someplace relevant.

I don't think a do-over is warranted, but I've agreed to it because Erik is a good man and wouldn't ask if he didn't feel strongly. Fortunately, I had an end-of-turn save, so all I had to do was stand down the APD TF that landed troops on his rail line across the Yangtze. I've already sent him the revised turn.

I sent him this email with my thoughts on the matter:

Erik,

I plan to re-issue the order to the APD TF and nothing else. I’ll do so when I get the file. That should be in less than an hour, so you’ll have the turn shortly thereafter.

Consider this and discuss in your AAR:

I am assuming that you have all kinds of troops strategically positioned in Strat Mode to respond at a moment’s notice to emergencies in distant places. You triggered those emergency movements, planning to move those units to the point of invasion rapidly. You could have set transport to closer, less vulnerable bases but aimed instead for maximum speed and efficiency (or just got lazy and set them for Shanghai). You knew this feature of the game, having recently (on Hokkaido) experienced it on a smaller scale. Your plan got messed up by an (apparently) unexpected but nevertheless predictable Allied landing. So instead of you being able to rail divisions (maybe many) to the scene quickly, now you’re caught in a bind with units auto-switched to Move mode far away from the closest base. It’s gonna slow you down rather than speeding things up. Your plan was a good one but blew up on you.

If you set up an elaborate, crafty defense and had that spoiled by a known feature of the game because you didn’t anticipate an Allied move….is it fair to re-do the move?

That’s a tough question but one worth discussion amongst you and your readers. Is this really a do-over situation or a tough lesson?

In any event, let’s do it over. I’ll send the modified turn in a little while (I’ll have to check to make sure that end-of-turn save truly was end of turn, that I didn’t add a few clicks just before sending that I might otherwise overlook now, though I can’t remember exactly what I did).

Dan

[JohnDillworth]

Your email was exactly on point. You are being way more than fair. Up to your opponent as to letting the turn stand as is or accept , what is essentially, a do over because of bad choices. Most sporting of you.

[adarbrauner]

Well I don't know sincerely where the units were starting from, but I guess not from Manchuria or Korea, and even if they were in Peking area they would not have done it to Shangai in one day only.

Besides,

the train transportation mechanic in WITPAE is a bit crude and not that developed, I suspect. Where in the heavens would Japan have found all of that train availability (huge actually, we are talking moving an entire army on a less than a day notice, and where? China 1945, hundred rof miles (?) far on not that friendly territory, prone to sabotage?)

And what about enemy interdiction and air superiority, not represented almost at all in game?

[JohnDillworth]

Yup. This will devolve into "well in real life....." vs. "This is a game/simulation and that is the way the game works" debate. Dan's solution is best. Explain, accept, and for goodness sakes just keep the game moving.

[RangerJoe]

It is a game. In real life, we would probably have to ship the individual torpedoes (from a limited production), the bullets for the big naval guns, the individual spare planes, and all other such things to the actual place where we want them, instead of just using a generic supply.

As far as using rail movement, hook 5 or more trailers, wrecked trucks that still have all usable tires, and other assorted vehicles to one usable truck then partially deflate the tires and drive on the rails . . .

[JeffroK]

Ask Obvert if he would allow a re-run if someone accidentally entered Manchuria.

[Canoerebel]

Erik offered a do-over to Jeff (Lowpe), if I remember correctly. Lowpe, to my surprise, elected to forge ahead and deal with the consequences. [:)]

[USSAmerica]

ORIGINAL: JohnDillworth

Your email was exactly on point. You are being way more than fair. Up to your opponent as to letting the turn stand as is or accept , what is essentially, a do over because of bad choices. Most sporting of you.

Hear, hear!

[Canoerebel]

Reply from Erik not what I expected:

"This is not a known feature to me. I had never encountered this in a strategic move previously.

"Let me ask you something. Do you want an advantage from something that is broken in game?"

[Canoerebel]

My further reply to Erik (this is gonna get us sideways and slow the game down unimaginably, darn it):

I sent the turn with the APDs stood down, so we’ll proceed from here.

Lots of things seem broken in the game: reaction is wonky; the way escorting fighters get chewed alive is nuts; etc. We faced this exact situation on Hokkaido some months back with the same results, though it only involved three or four hexes as opposed to whatever you’re dealing with now. So it’s wonky too but it is a known part of the game and is a drawback to relying to heavily on rail transit. Like many other features it may need careful thought and micromanagement to avoid getting smacked.

But let’s move on.

[Canoerebel]

Now Erik says I'm being condescending and doing all kinds of rascally things. [:(]

[JohnDillworth]

Not broken. It is just the way the game works. It works like this all the time.

[RangerJoe]

We are still beta testing. If they ever get it right to everybody's satisfaction, there will be so few people playing that it would not be worth it.

[CaptBeefheart]

Well done on your offer. He probably should have known about this, but it's generous of you to do the do-over. I suggested to him that he change the movement destinations of the affected units to bases close to his current positions.

I hope you gentlemen settle this amicably.

Cheers,
CB