Matrix Games Forums

ORIGINAL: hartwig.modrow

GreyJoy,

ORIGINAL: GreyJoy
And no Hw...i'm not meta-gaming now. As Nemo pointed out there's no need anymore to do that... also because the "show" has already been given...no need to replicate[:D]

Here's a quote for you from Col. Glantz: "On this intense and fluid battlefield, advantage will go to the force that can shift and concentrate resources rapidly and secretly. Deception and surprise will condition success, which can only be achieved by an opportunistic and swift advance."

Just one more question before I revert back to read only mode: What could make you start meta-gaming again?

Hartwig

ORIGINAL: tkbomber7285

Having read this entire thread, I have to say that I feel that Rader is still ahead in this game. That sounds crazy given GreyJoy's offensive in northern Japan, but the thing is that Rader has way more experience in the game then GreyJoy does. Not sure how often he has faced a player who made the move that GreyJoy did, probably never admittedly, but from what I've read of Rader's games if anyone has the strategy to take back Hokkaido it is him. This war is about to swing again into Rader's favor, and there is no way a second offensive like this will be allowed to happen.

ORIGINAL: Nemo121

As re: sweep....

LRCAP number is proportional to the distance of the base AND the distance the fighter can fly to. That is why it is SOOOOO important to have your long-range fighters equipped with drop tanks and use them exclusively for these LRCAP missions. In those circumstances you can get very good results out to 10 hexes. YOu don't have anough of those fighters concentrated in the decisive theatre though. You should fix this.

Sweep remains the best solution for distant targets.

Perhaps. You don't have to waste your P-47s on sweeping Hakodate etc though. Also there's another argument to be had about whether or not you'll even need to sweep when you can mass 600 bombers.

With 600 4-engineds hitting a single target in a single day they'll damage and destroy so many fighters in the air and present so many targets that sheer weight of numbers will prevent the cumulative damage model from accumulating. I've written about how this interaction between fighter and bomber numbers affects 4-engined loss rates significantly before so I won't go into it again. You can read it in one of my late-war AARs if you want the background.

As re: the Rabaul example: Witpqs is right. The correct answer is those P-38s shouldn't be near Rabaul, they should be on Hokkaido.


Here's a suggestion:
Wait until you have your 600 4-engineds ( it shouldn't take you more than a week to gather them. They should be able to reach Hokkaido in 3 transits from anywhere on the map ) and a mass of P47s and P38s then pick ONE BASE to target. SWEEP the base with ALL of your P47s and P38s on the same day as you send in ALL the 4-engineds. If there are 200 fighter airframe factory points there split the bombers proportionally ( 3 bombers per fighter airframe factory point ).

Then watch what happens. When you look at your losses before you go "Oh my god I lost so many, I can't continue this" remember to factor in that this game may well go on for an additional 6 months ( it shouldn't but I think you are going to have difficulty figuring out how to finish Rader off quickly ). So, if you lose 60 bombers destroyed and 40 fighters in return for downing 20 enemy fighters you might think, "I've lost 100 planes vs 20, that's a disaster". Instead you should think.... "I've lost 100 vs 20 today BUT over the next 6 months he has lost the ability to produce ( for example ) 100 fighters per month ( if you damage 100 aircraft assembly points ). So, in total for 100 fighters and bombers I've removed 620 enemy fighters from the war over the next 6 months. WIN !!!! "

Eventually if you hit enough factories so that his total fighter production comes down from what must be about 3,000 fighters per month to something more like 1,000 fighters per month you'll begin seeing fewer fighters in the air and more scope for adding 2-engineds etc to the medium-range missions.

I think for what concerns the 4Es safety the third option is the best one...

No, the best option is to achieve concentration of force. You should read what I've written elsewhere about the interaction between bomber vs fighter ratios and the cumulative damage model of A2A warfare as it relates to high durability planes like 4-engineds. That would help you understand how to keep your 4-engineds safe.



Hakodate:
Fine, its your mistake to make. Not giving Rader an opportunity to waste ground forces and ships is a major mistake though. If you take Hokaido entirely ALL he can do with reinforcements is garrison the coast of Honshu ( whereas instead he shows every willigness to rush reinforcements north to Hokaido where you can butcher them easily ) - which you'll have to invade sooner or later. Your rush to take a meaningless base ASAP means you will be making your job in 2 to 3 months time much, much tougher. I've said it 3 times though so that's as far as I go.

I cannot strip every single recon squadron i have around the map and send it to Okkaido...i'd like my forces to remain balanced...

AN interesting quote. It starts off with "I cannot" and then ends with "I'd like". What that says is that you CAN but CHOOSE not to. Well, I suppose if you think those reconaissance planes are doing mroe important work over Calcutta than they could be doing in ending the war in 2 months over Honshu then you should keep them in over Calcutta. Obviously though if you believe the war will end quicker with them over Honshu than Calcutta then they shouldn't be in Calcutta.

Balance is something feng shui masters and scale makers need to worry about. In terms of strategy balance is just a good way to disperse your forces. Succesful forces eschew balance in favour of effectiveness.

ORIGINAL: desicat


ORIGINAL: GreyJoy

But the crucial part is that my CVs and CVEs started to moved back to US coast...escorting 730 ships....and Rader immediately spotted me and react violently...several subs are already spotted around my TFs...and i bet that tomorrow we'll have to fight against those damned pesky bastards again....as we did when our CVEs were transfered to SOPAC back in early 43....do you remember? 5 CVEs sunk in few days....[:@]

Now i've done my best to counter his pack wolves strategy...

My transports TFs have all PFs, SCs, DDs and some YMS with them. Every TF is following a ASW TF which is following a SCTF

Same for the CVEs and the CVs. They are organized following an ASW TFs that follows a SCTF...so that the latters should enter the hex for first and attack/get attacked earlier than the CV/CVEs....

my subs are creating a long range safety belt south and west of my ships...he cannot arrive with the KB unseen! (i hope so at least...)


....and when the KB arrives is there a plan? Only you know your force disposition but have you thought about hunting and trapping the KB, preventing it from getting in a first strike your convoy?

ORIGINAL: GreyJoy

ORIGINAL: desicat


ORIGINAL: GreyJoy

But the crucial part is that my CVs and CVEs started to moved back to US coast...escorting 730 ships....and Rader immediately spotted me and react violently...several subs are already spotted around my TFs...and i bet that tomorrow we'll have to fight against those damned pesky bastards again....as we did when our CVEs were transfered to SOPAC back in early 43....do you remember? 5 CVEs sunk in few days....[:@]

Now i've done my best to counter his pack wolves strategy...

My transports TFs have all PFs, SCs, DDs and some YMS with them. Every TF is following a ASW TF which is following a SCTF

Same for the CVEs and the CVs. They are organized following an ASW TFs that follows a SCTF...so that the latters should enter the hex for first and attack/get attacked earlier than the CV/CVEs....

my subs are creating a long range safety belt south and west of my ships...he cannot arrive with the KB unseen! (i hope so at least...)


....and when the KB arrives is there a plan? Only you know your force disposition but have you thought about hunting and trapping the KB, preventing it from getting in a first strike your convoy?

The KB has just been spotted. She is moving near Midway Island....while my CVs and CVE+convoys are passing south of Onnekotan Jiima.
His subs, as always, sprung up from the empty space...while my subs weren't able to locate the KB who penetrated their screen unseen....
Thank God i had several naval search planes at Midway.

The plan is simple...my convoys will move towards Addak on the most northern route, while my CV and CVEs will wait in an inner route the arrival of the KB, moving to cover the transports.
My Death Star is composed by 10 CVs, 6 CVLs and 25 CVEs....more than 2000 planes...not exactly a confortable enemy to face for the KB...and soon we'll be under the umbrella of the Aleutinas Island....with their ports (i have an ARD at Addak) and their air bases

The KB has just been spotted. She is moving near Midway Island

ORIGINAL: desicat

ORIGINAL: GreyJoy

ORIGINAL: desicat


ORIGINAL: GreyJoy

But the crucial part is that my CVs and CVEs started to moved back to US coast...escorting 730 ships....and Rader immediately spotted me and react violently...several subs are already spotted around my TFs...and i bet that tomorrow we'll have to fight against those damned pesky bastards again....as we did when our CVEs were transfered to SOPAC back in early 43....do you remember? 5 CVEs sunk in few days....[:@]

Now i've done my best to counter his pack wolves strategy...

My transports TFs have all PFs, SCs, DDs and some YMS with them. Every TF is following a ASW TF which is following a SCTF

Same for the CVEs and the CVs. They are organized following an ASW TFs that follows a SCTF...so that the latters should enter the hex for first and attack/get attacked earlier than the CV/CVEs....

my subs are creating a long range safety belt south and west of my ships...he cannot arrive with the KB unseen! (i hope so at least...)


....and when the KB arrives is there a plan? Only you know your force disposition but have you thought about hunting and trapping the KB, preventing it from getting in a first strike your convoy?

The KB has just been spotted. She is moving near Midway Island....while my CVs and CVE+convoys are passing south of Onnekotan Jiima.
His subs, as always, sprung up from the empty space...while my subs weren't able to locate the KB who penetrated their screen unseen....
Thank God i had several naval search planes at Midway.

The plan is simple...my convoys will move towards Addak on the most northern route, while my CV and CVEs will wait in an inner route the arrival of the KB, moving to cover the transports.
My Death Star is composed by 10 CVs, 6 CVLs and 25 CVEs....more than 2000 planes...not exactly a confortable enemy to face for the KB...and soon we'll be under the umbrella of the Aleutinas Island....with their ports (i have an ARD at Addak) and their air bases

I don't think you are getting my point. I suspect he knows what your Death Star may be composed of at this point of the war and he knows you are more than likely to be escorting the convoy. How much of your Death Star is overkill and do you have anything to spare for hunting or trapping?

ORIGINAL: JohnDillworth

The KB has just been spotted. She is moving near Midway Island

I'm cranky tonight. How about shattering one of the task forces with just xAK's into 200 individual ship task forces and use them as a screen for your death star? Let him waste sorties on single ship task forces while he remains concentrated? Your close to home, he is not and your damage control is better. Have a go and give him lots of bad targets to shoot out. Your torpedoes work now. Trade him one for one.

No, at the moment i'm just playing safely. My goal isn't to trap or kill his KB (for sure this would be welcome)...my goal is to get my 800 ships safely to WC and from there to Okkaido with all the troops/supplies i need. I could use my CVEs as a bait...i understand this...but this would surely put at risk my convoys...and, at the moment, i feel that they have the priority above all

ORIGINAL: GreyJoy

ORIGINAL: JohnDillworth

The KB has just been spotted. She is moving near Midway Island

I'm cranky tonight. How about shattering one of the task forces with just xAK's into 200 individual ship task forces and use them as a screen for your death star? Let him waste sorties on single ship task forces while he remains concentrated? Your close to home, he is not and your damage control is better. Have a go and give him lots of bad targets to shoot out. Your torpedoes work now. Trade him one for one.

No, sorry mate but i don't like this tactic. I find it somehow unfair (single ship TF i mean)...in RL for sure Kates wouldn't have wasted their torps on xAKs and, giving that we don't have the ability to select targets for naval attacks, i find this not exactly fair

ORIGINAL: tkbomber7285

Having read this entire thread, I have to say that I feel that Rader is still ahead in this game. That sounds crazy given GreyJoy's offensive in northern Japan, but the thing is that Rader has way more experience in the game then GreyJoy does. Not sure how often he has faced a player who made the move that GreyJoy did, probably never admittedly, but from what I've read of Rader's games if anyone has the strategy to take back Hokkaido it is him. This war is about to swing again into Rader's favor, and there is no way a second offensive like this will be allowed to happen.

No, sorry mate but i don't like this tactic. I find it somehow unfair (single ship TF i mean)...in RL for sure Kates wouldn't have wasted their torps on xAKs and, giving that we don't have the ability to select targets for naval attacks, i find this not exactly fair



Good for you! Scattering a convoy like that is a valid fleeing tactic, but gamey and unfair when used as suggested here. I salute you.

ORIGINAL: Miller

It really boils my piss when people whine "Its scen 2 so they can produce unlimited planes/pilots forever" Its a lot more complicated than that!

Miller, I have no experience with any of the Japanese production, so I'll have to take your word on it, but "boils my piss" is worthy of the forum Hall of Fame!

ORIGINAL: pws1225

Miller, I have no experience with any of the Japanese production, so I'll have to take your word on it, but "boils my piss" is worthy of the forum Hall of Fame!

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