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I suggest syu will need about 120 Zero. 150-200 Oscar and around 200 Tojo plus the research factories working on the next model. Otherwise your airforce will be unable to grid the Allies down and if you don't they will be on the attack in late 1942.

cheers

Rob

ORIGINAL: Mike Solli
Nick FB – I don’t know what to do here but I need to decide real soon. Maybe 1x 30 of the KAIb (Dec 42)? The KAIa arrives in May 42.

Naw. No research factories need apply for this position. See SuluSea's recent excellent threads on comparatives. The KAIa is it for this line-the others are worse.

A6M3 (Jun 42) – 1x 60 factory which will become operational. Yeah, I know I should have done 2x 30 but did this early on before I knew the ramifications. In addition, I will convert 3 factories to this and when they are repaired to 30 will change to the A6M3a (Dec 42). I want the A6M3a as soon as possible because it is carrier capable. These 3 will become operational.

A6M5 (Aug 43) – I’ll use 3x 30 to work on getting this model early if possible. I’ll convert these factories to either the A6M5c or the A6M8. Gotta check the stats on these models to see what would be more beneficial.

Why not research the A6M3 with 6x30 factories, switch 5x30 over the A6M3a the month before the A6M3 comes online. Then you can switch 4x30 over to the A6M5 (and so on...) research using a 1x30 to fit production needs for A6M3a.

IJN TB – Right now I have a size 16 factory each for the B5N1 and B5N2. The N1 will build until the engines for it are gone. The N2 will build until there are ~50 in the pool and then stop. Not sure I’ll try to accelerate the Jill much. I’ll probably increase the Jill B6N1 and B6N2 factories to 30 and convert them to the Grace before they become operational. The operational Kate factories do not upgrade to anything so one or both will upgrade to the Jill eventually. My goal is to work on the Grace. The Grace factory will increase to 30 and will get the additional benefit of the two Jill factories. I’d love to get the Grace in early 44. The Grace factories will then become operational.

Mike: B6N series does not upgrade to Grace. Thus, your plan above (if I read it correctly) will result in only damaged research factories switching to Grace from Jill. It is unlikely that you will benefit from any research for your Grace series if your switchover results in damaged research factories in late 1943.

I did a little calculating. Without the SRA, the Japanese Empire produces ~25k supply a day, or 9 million a year. About 7.6 million is produced in the Home Islands. Now that will decrease once the oil glut is burned through. With the SRA intact, you get almost 30k a day, or 11 million supply a year. If one were to increase all R&D factories to 30, the cost would be about 1.7 million supply. Has anyone considered doing that with the R&D factories? Then you could focus on the airframes you want to accelerate and keep converting them to the next ones you want. Crazy thought but I wonder if it is plausible.

Resources and supply per se are hardly restrictors on the Japanese economy in this game, IMO. Especially if you bring in copious resources to the HI and keep light industry running, your 1.7MM supply cost can be easily accomodated.

If / when I restart the game, you can darn well bet that I'll right-size / maximize production in the manner you've outlined above.

ORIGINAL: jrcar

I suggest syu will need about 120 Zero. 150-200 Oscar and around 200 Tojo plus the research factories working on the next model. Otherwise your airforce will be unable to grid the Allies down and if you don't they will be on the attack in late 1942.

cheers

Rob

Don't overlook George ... it's your best 4E deterrent that you get. <period> A lot of Zero groups can get it AFTER they have the A6M5 upgrade. You'll need to play with Tracker to see them all and which ones. So, you will want to accelerate the A6M5 not for its marginal imporvement over the A6M3a, but for its ability to unlock some George upgrade paths. [;)]

ORIGINAL: PaxMondo

ORIGINAL: jrcar

I suggest syu will need about 120 Zero. 150-200 Oscar and around 200 Tojo plus the research factories working on the next model. Otherwise your airforce will be unable to grid the Allies down and if you don't they will be on the attack in late 1942.

cheers

Rob

Don't overlook George ... it's your best 4E deterrent that you get. <period> A lot of Zero groups can get it AFTER they have the A6M5 upgrade. You'll need to play with Tracker to see them all and which ones. So, you will want to accelerate the A6M5 not for its marginal imporvement over the A6M3a, but for its ability to unlock some George upgrade paths. [;)]

Interesting, Pax-I hadn't realized that the A6M5 path 'unlocked' the George upgrade for some air groups.

Ditto the George. At least it looks good on paper, I don't have first-hand experience with it in my game yet (but soon...)

Anyone have comments about the J2 Raiden series for air defense? Again, they look good on paper for IJNAF too.

NF's.

Wish I had some good advice.  My testing in Downfall was not pretty.  Most of the IJ NF are SLOWER than the B-29, not good.  They have pitiful armament.  However, now that the NF glitch has been fixed, they have their bonus back which the day fighters lack.  Sometimes they will get in the way of the night bombers ... don't expect to have them shoot too many down.

So, for the IJA, at least the Dinah and the Randy are faster than the B-29.  They can at least interfere.

For the IJN, The Myrt and the Denko seem to be the best ... again, don't get your hopes up.

BTW, pilot exp seems to be a huge determinant in night outcomes ... moreso than day.  Min 60 EXP on your NF pilots, 70 makes a BIG difference. 

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy

Anyone have comments about the J2 Raiden series for air defense? Again, they look good on paper for IJNAF too.

CB,
It seems IRL that the J2 Raiden was a pretty good plane. In game though, the George is the easy choice. Gunpower matters a LOT in combat outcomes and the George has enough that even in Downfall ('45) it is STILL an effective fighter for the IJ. 6 (six) forward firing guns is a lot by IJ standards, and then 4 of them are 20mm. It really works.

If you can accelerate the A6M5 into early '43 along with the George, you end up pretty happy. The biggest "pill" though is that you can't upgrade ANY of your 'independent' air groups to the George. There is something hard coded, not visible in the editor, that if an air group starts on ship, then all of its upgrades MUST be CV capable. Sad, because, once the CV is gone, you would like to be able to upgrade to the best 'land-based' plane you have for that group.

(In my mod I just 'ticked' the carrier capable box for the George and ALL independent fighter groups can now upgrade to the George. I then just have an HR that the George can be transported by CV, but cannot fly op's. Easy work around. I know a lot of others have done the same.)

Where's the love for the Ki-51 Sonia? I have to say I've grown quite attached to Japan's version of "The little engine that could" having no other options under PDU off. I can't wait for the Ki-51b. I'll miss her when I play PDU on.

ORIGINAL: SqzMyLemon

Where's the love for the Ki-51 Sonia? I have to say I've grown quite attached to Japan's version of "The little engine that could" having no other options under PDU off. I can't wait for the Ki-51b. I'll miss her when I play PDU on.

In game it is a piece of crap. Historical it was rather succesful afaik.

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy

Interesting, Pax-I hadn't realized that the A6M5 path 'unlocked' the George upgrade for some air groups.

Damian discovered this I think. Anyway, yes. If in '42 you look through all of your fighter groups, you will only find like 4 that can upgrade to the George and only 2 not restricted. So you think "BLAH", why build the George. Then along comes the A6M5. Once you upgrade, then you find a whole bunch more. There's a thread out there somewhere with all the specifics. There might be another "key" plane like the A6M5b or A6M5c for a couple of groups. I don't recall right now.

BTW, this also applies to the Raiden if you go that route.

EDIT: Roughly 1/3 of the non-independent groups can eventually upgrade to the George. That's just a rough estimate. Someone has likely done an exact count somewhere.

ORIGINAL: Gräfin Zeppelin

ORIGINAL: SqzMyLemon

Where's the love for the Ki-51 Sonia? I have to say I've grown quite attached to Japan's version of "The little engine that could" having no other options under PDU off. I can't wait for the Ki-51b. I'll miss her when I play PDU on.

In game it is a piece of crap. Historical it was rather succesful afaik.

Sank one of the last US subs of the war if I recall correctly.

I am building Ki-51s even with PDU on. It's a cheap versatile little plane with a Service Rating of 1.

Now the closet Sonia lovers are coming out into the open!

Actually, my previous post was meant mostly in jest, however I've really grown fond of the aircraft. It's certainly not a game winner, but having to use her in China and with so many units restricted to its use, I've come to honestly appreciate what she does for my war effort. She trains my pilots in any number of skills. She provides recon and limited ASW. She can even moderately damage enemy airbases. She's a bullet magnet, but I still love her.

She's also the only Japanese bomber I know which allows the pilot to drop the miniscule ordnance from the cockpit one handed, while saving the other hand free to scarf down a few rice balls during a bombing run. How cool is that!

ORIGINAL: SqzMyLemon



She's also the only Japanese bomber I know which allows the pilot to drop the miniscule ordnance from the cockpit one handed, while saving the other hand free to scarf down a few rice balls during a bombing run. How cool is that!

Thats pretty cool I say.

ORIGINAL: Captain Cruft

I am building Ki-51s even with PDU on. It's a cheap versatile little plane with a Service Rating of 1.

Versatile ? What exactly makes it versatile ?

I'm not sensing any love from GZ towards the Sonia.

Great for China/Burma/India theatre, and the service rating is a plus...

Doesn't sound like GZ likes her though...[:D]

It has a Camera as well as the fearsome bomb load.

Which is why I prefer the Ki-61 a over the d model and the Tojo IIc over the IIa. Cooler paint schemes. And that IIc has lightning bolts on the tail. FRIGGIN' LIGHTNING BOLTS people! Who can lose with those paint schemes?

By the way, Mike: I located this old thread on the forum. You may want to take a look at the advice offered by some of the usual game of misfits and thugs: [;)]

tm.asp?m=2460395

Sure do miss C&G around here ...

ORIGINAL: Cribtop

Mike, do you cull pilots individually or wait for the whole "class" in a given unit to train up? If the former, do you immediately replace with a new recruit? I had a vague sense that I once read sticking to the class approach was better overall, but I'm not sure whether this was superseded by a later patch (or whether it was accurate to begin with).

Geez guys, I'll never run my turn at this rate. [:D] Anyway, I cull pilots on the 15th and last days of the month individually as long as they meet my minimum criteria. I also leave the best pilot in the unit. I don't know if the class technique is better. Never did that. The way I do it seems to work fine.

Edit: As I pull a pilot out I put a rookie in. The training units are always full of pilots (max + 1/3) and the max number of planes.