Matrix Games Forums

Jan 22

Thanks to Dean for whipping our way through PBEM now in Feb 42 , Its the best way to balance and find glitches...

V1.6c Minor update - Corrected Error base at Ternate( caused by unhelpful editor slots) and corrected range stats of RAAF Spitfire MK II

New update/ play balance tweaks - coming soon

Awaiting 1942 PBEM feedback from allied side

reviewing some suggestions

Play testing some hypothetical situations

V1.7b now out -please use the same link. A few more play balances and enhancements a a few minor fixes - mY current PBEM game now in May 42. Its becoming a good challenge for both sides.

All feedback is welcome...

Cav

Password for download Empire 1941

https://gingerdragonltd-my.sharepoint.c ... A?e=BHCtQC

v 1.7C Out now

Same link as previous

Password for download Empire 1941

https://gingerdragonltd-my.sharepoint.c ... A?e=BHCtQC

Also a new zip with some additional art.

Most of the changes are tweaking play balance after nactual game play and nightly research and Dean has an interesting AAR running I hear!

• V1.7c
• Revisit of modern French BB/BC data, art.
• Revisit general CA/CL data.
• Changed French Le Fier class DD and Japanese Minekaze, Wakatake, and Momi from DD to TB. Tweaked data.
• Added Mogador class Large DD. X 2 – New art.
• Added Courbet Dreadnought class x 2 – New art.
• Added some more upgrades for French ships, mainly better ASW.
• Improved French OOB slightly assuming more ships handed over to the allies and not destroyed/ scuttled (Mid 42
onwards arrivals), 6 X DD, 3 X TB, 1 X CM, 1 X CA,1 X AO,1 x AKE,1 X ARD, 2 X PG, 2 X SS and 2 V Old BB).
• Changed French Bourganville “Colonial Patrol” to PG, has some small ML capacity. Added two more.
• Tweaks to Japanese Junyo and Shokaku class late war AA, also Junyo starting AA, more in line with mod.
• Amended and improved Emergency Convoys equipment to better fit the mod.
• All allied Submarines now require min RS 1 for upgrades ( there are already more of these small yard on map).
Japanese already had this restriction.
• Japanese Subs have upgrade dates better suited to the spirit of the mod and Kaiten availability dates/ tactical
deployment. Tweaked cargo capacity slightly up on SST.
• General minor amendments on small J.Navy ships.
• A few minor device changes, mainly very old gun ranges/ Kaiten

V1.7d coming soon - small update with tweaks and balances. Play testing now.

Cav

V1.7d
Now uploaded, minor tweaks ongoing but they are getting pretty small now. Not planning to do more until the AAR reaches toward the end of 42 - when we will consider play balance again.

Thanks for following and updating !

Any ideas for features are welcome.

Cav

Friends of Empire...

A small update coming soon - mainly play balances for both scn.

Some minor corrections and refinements...

V 1.7e out - mainly play balance issues and minor correction and omissions - thanks to Dean for so much intensive playtesting!

Just re loaded scn on my server as small fault found

Mod looks very interesting - many thanks.

A couple of things:

1) Jap AO Tsurumi starts in Saigon but gets moved directly to Tokyo on turn 2 - i assume because its too big for the port.

2) A general question about ship production. I see an awful lot needs to be stopped/halted to break even. If i leave ship production in deficit how does the game allocate the ship points? I assume what points it does have just go to the next ships in the queue and that those ships further down just don't progress their build, though are left as "in production"?

Cheers

Sanderz,

Thanks very much for your interest.

1 AO this is an issue from the original mod mine used as a skeleton - needs fixing for next patch. How did you spot this??
I will look into it.

2 The idea of ship production is that japan can pretty much build a bespoke navy BUT you cannot build even half of it without significant expansion which has to be managed carefully.
The way the game prioratizes points if there are not enough seems to be an enigma to me but it seems generally the largest ships get delayed first. The way I work it is to stop/ halt enough ships to bring a small positive balance each turn. I converted one of the Merchant yards as well but I am not sure if its worth it.

As Japan and from my current PBEM experience

You should build all DD but not accelerate as you will not have enough points for other stuff
You should maybe build just two of the Niitaka class CA mainly to replace expected losses.
Build the two Long Range CL I found them very good as surface raiders in the early war. But they are quite fragile.
Consider if you need the modern CB/BC that are really intended replacements for the Kongo class . I did build one CB as its pretty fast and can get in and out of trouble quickly.
CV well thats up to you but the Junyo class should be shelved if you expect no losses before 43 but they could be helpful if you have early losses (as I did).
Some of the stuff I put in is pure temptation to build and thats why its there it could be a mistake to build some of the ships:)

The game is with two day turns in mind but its up to you - are you in tending PBEM?

I am still tinkering a little bit here and there and Dean has suggested a couple of new tweaks which look quite sensible. You can read his AAR. I of coarse have not looked - anything else just ask.

Michael

Hi Michael

Just noticed you are also a resident of glorious Devon

Thanks for all your comments, the info about ship builds was very helpful. I just love the game (but still very much a noob) and come back to it every so often, don't have the dedication to play PBEM. If i play a mod i play both sides, madness i know, and looses all the uncertainty but it keeps me occupied. At the moment am just digging around and looking at where this mod differs.

Regarding the AO there was a message in the ops log and the dos box: A few more comments/questions on the Amphibious TFs.
a) There are 3 with destinations of Patani, but only 1 is labeled as such. The other 2 are labeled Manado and Ternate. Which is correct?
b) There doesn't seem to be a Guam invasion force?
c) TF20 has no load or destination. Intentional? For Guam? Or just free use?
d) TF11/TF14 are loaded but no destination set - labeled for Kavieng and Shortlands
e) TF89 has no load or destination. Intentional? For Phillipines? Or just free use?

Do you have a rough eta for next patch, on the off chance i do actually start a game.

Cheers

Oh where in Devon are you we are Sampford Spiney near Yelverton...

On the oiler - I cannot see anything wrong in the editor BUT I have moved it to Tokyo.

On the TF name issue I did not change the names - if you read the rules you will see what you can do on turn one. You may move them where you wish the names are only there for Chrome.

Maybe I should rename them for good orders sake - ok I will.

Please await the patch today or maybe allow me tomorrow.

I will be very interested to have your ongoing feedback....

Michael

Seems we are fairly close - i live in sunny Exmouth

Regarding the AO - i think that its just ships tonnage that the game looks at, so theres nothing wrong with the ship

Another question - regarding the off map airfields on the right of the map - are these used for anything - i have a dim memory of some mods having a system to purchase extra planes..........

Cheers

OK - the AO is fixed . I noticed if there is a problem with some items they revert to Tokyo as a default...
The side bases are a legacy from RA and other mods decided to leave them in you can swap out planes of buy in with PP the air groups in case of need.

I am discussing with Dean even now so small changes to allied aircraft production so tomorrow it should be done.

Have corrected TF names I think and corrected a couple of paths to better suite the mod.

Not been to Exmouth as yet.

M

1.7f will be out LATER today - mainly small tweaks for play balance with sincere thanks to Dean for his work during our PBEM. I am just awaiting replies on a couple of questions to Dean before uploading- our aim is perfection in play balance now.

• V1.7f – With thanks to Dean for the thoughtful input.
• Corrected starting location of AO Tsurumi to Tokyo after bug reported.
• Increased F4F and F6F production slightly. Tweaked F4U series production.
• Changed a number of allied aircraft to Commonwealth Nationality.
• Reduced most other allied aircraft production levels pre-July 1942 and some after.
• Aircraft Tweaks on both sides.
• Added some more Chinese pilots and increased availability but decreased experience.
• Added a handful more Dutch Pilots.

New update is uploaded - if its your thing please download - almost everything now is refining play balance to make both scn challenging for both sides. Although scn 42 has 3 carriers at PH the Japanese are no where as well prepared as in scn 43.

• V1.7f – With thanks to Dean for the thoughtful input.
• Corrected starting location of AO Tsurumi to Tokyo after bug reported.
• Increased F4F and F6F production slightly. Tweaked F4U series production.
• Changed a number of allied aircraft to Commonwealth Nationality.
• Reduced most other allied aircraft production levels pre-July 1942 and some after.
• Aircraft Tweaks on both sides.
• Added some more Chinese pilots and increased availability but decreased experience.
• Added a handful more Dutch Pilots.
• Minor Delays to some early 42 Allied Division arrivals.
• Minor tweaks to starting supply and industry.


M

New enhancing / balancing update coming soon - under test just now...

More balance and more interesting additional choices on the economy/ ship build.

• V1.7g – almost everything play balance.
• Radar and AA ammo omitted on one German ship - fixed.
• Japanese late war SS upgrades – tweaked.
• Reduced casement guns on (mainly Japanese) BB/BC for late war upgrades to reflect added weight of more AA than
historical. Same with some TT reloads on CL/CA.
• Added 5 or 10mm armour to all protected/shielded TT devices on Japanese modern DD/CA ships.
• Slightly improved the “ Modern” Aso Class Japanese CVL.
• Amendments to some mid war arriving CV air groups to better match arrival dates - mainly scn 42.
• Tweaked and corrected a few ships armour.
• Rationalised CVE air missions to be more cohesive.
• Aircraft tweaks. Including general raising of Transport types durability a little to reduce ops losses but increased
the SR to 2 on all but the most simple, smaller/modern types. Some more Allied aircraft to Commonwealth Status.
• Added option to get the Ki 61 Tony / D4Y1 Judy into play 2/3 months earlier but have to R+D the engine Kawasaki
Ha 60 harder - which has been put back 2 months.
• Rationalised/ tweaked a few other upgrade paths for Japan.
• Slightly reduced Japans starting HI factories and starting Engine R+D.
• Delayed the Japanese three most advanced Engines (Rocket, Jet and Piston) by c 2 to 3 months in scn 42 and 3 to 4
months in Scn 43. These are all under potential R+D at the start.
• Reduced slightly some allied starting TOE and some arrivals more so in scn 42.
• Slightly reduced Japanese Garrison requirements ( PI/ China) – Scn 42 mainly.
• Corrections to Bomb/TT and some other devices back to stock original. Legacy from earlier mod.
• Added a slightly improved 24 inch LL only for heavy modern Japanese DD types upgrades early 44 onwards.
• Added another round of Akitzuki DDAA late war option to try and build.
• Added Hiryu - kai (Unryu) late war "economy" CV build option. Very light armour but cheap to build – no air groups
as standard.

cav

Ok guys and Gals - 1.7g is out please update and enjoy we have a PBEM now in Dec 42 and its a riot - tough for both sides you can follow the AAR with Dean on that page...

Cav