Matrix Games Forums

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

She's already too damaged to fly aircraft. Not only that, I overloaded her. Oh, I did the standard quick analysis to make sure Wake's 12 Wildcats could fit...but I forgot that one American CV starts the war with five squadrons already (Vindicators are the extra). So besides her damage, Lex has too many squadrons aboard for flight ops.

In other words, I've tripped all over myself in this theater, to open the game, and I'm facing an opponent who has carefully thought through his moves and executed them flawlessly. I'm working on a House Rule to protect Allied carriers from owner-operator mistakes.

A takeback rule?

Just push those Vindicators over the side...

ORIGINAL: Mike Solli

Since you can't use Lex's planes, you may want to pull off the pilots. No reason for them to die too.

Thanks, Mike. That never crossed my mind. I acted on the suggestion. So now Lex has a bunch of aircraft but no pilots - they mysteriously vanished.

Just curious. What do you train your fighter pilots to? As the Japanese, my goal is 50+ exp, 70+ air, 70+ def.

I try for the same, though I've found it hard to get them to 70+ def. in a timely fashion. Often, I'm forced (or so I think) to press guys into service more quickly than that.

I still don't have a good grip on how to use TRACOM to increase the quality of my pilots. I've tackled major things, from game to game, in what seemed to be "digestable lumps." TRACOM probably needs to be the next item on the menu.

I thought the consensus was that TRACOM might speed up the graduation of pilots into trainee pools but has no discernible effect on quality? As for my pilots, after training air I set them to low level strafe full-training, which quickly brings up their defensive skill levels. After that, they go to safe "frontline" areas where they do real CAP and gain experience, shooting for 60+ xp.

Thanks, Anachro. That's helpful.

In all my games, I never ran out of pilots to draw from the trainee pool, so is TRACOM even necessary?

12/10/41

DEI: Dave hasn't pressed hard in this theater, yet. He has a small carrier force up north of Luzon and a bigger one that's now located near Sabang. Those aren't in proximity to the host of vulnerable Allied shipping on the move. With Davao and Kuching now in his hands, his LBA should play a larger role, but overall the Great Egress Movement has gone unusually well.

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

Thanks, Anachro. That's helpful.

In all my games, I never ran out of pilots to draw from the trainee pool, so is TRACOM even necessary?

I suspect not. As the Japanese, I use TRACOM a LOT to graduate my pilots as soon as possible, since they cost HI monthly while training. Every pilot that is accelerated a month saves 5 HI. It really adds up.

Well, that's a digestible lesson. I should've taken time to learn it a lot earlier. Fortunately, my "default" decision over the years (to just ignore TRACOM) might've been the right policy anyhow.

Yeah, that sucks about the relative positioning. I think your decision is a fine one.

As for the pilots... I am fairly certain that pilots "sunk on board" a carrier aren't really killed. They show up in the reserve pools on various delays. Or at least, that's what happened for me when I lost some CVs to subs/etc. and couldn't transfer the units off the CVs first. I didn't do a full audit of the pilots, so maybe some of them died, but I seemed to get roughly the same number of pilots into the reserves over time as I had in the units when the CVs sank. This was as Japan.

ORIGINAL: Lokasenna

Nope. Bomb all the oil you want.

If Japan wants to make sure you don't bomb it, then they need to take the appropriate steps to prevent you from doing so.

It's honestly easier to just capture bases in a certain order to prevent the bombers from flying at all (anything that is AF5 and within extended range, or anything that is AF2 and within normal range) than it is to cover the targets with CAP. It's not that big of a list of bases.

I am with Lokasenna here.

12/10/41

Intellectus ex Nihilo, CenPac Version: Final decision made. I had a lot of information available, thanks to good nav search and various other data points. I don't know Dave well enough to predict what he'll do; only enough to think what an experienced IJ player might be likely to do. After considering these things I elected to take the chance. We'll know tomorrow if Nisi quantum ad informationem accipit illud, quod in.

I should have mentioned this earlier, if I'd thought of it then.

A surface intercept of KB, regardless of what did the intercepting, would probably have the effect of making further KB movements during the turn be towards its home base - retiring, regardless of whether the TF was set to remain on station or what its commander's aggression is (Nagumo's isn't high, but isn't low). This also appears to be the case even if the CV TF is set for Patrol instead of Remain on Station.

The TF's default home port at game start is Etorofu. He may have changed it. Regardless, they're all in one direction from where KB is now... and regardless of all of that, you've already ended the turn and this info is too late.

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

12/10/41

Intellectus ex Nihilo, CenPac Version: Final decision made. I had a lot of information available, thanks to good nav search and various other data points. I don't know Dave well enough to predict what he'll do; only enough to think what an experienced IJ player might be likely to do. After considering these things I elected to take the chance. We'll know tomorrow if Nisi quantum ad informationem accipit illud, quod in.

I can't translate that much Latin, but the acidpit part sounds about right.

ORIGINAL: Lokasenna

I should have mentioned this earlier, if I'd thought of it then.

A surface intercept of KB, regardless of what did the intercepting, would probably have the effect of making further KB movements during the turn be towards its home base - retiring, regardless of whether the TF was set to remain on station or what its commander's aggression is (Nagumo's isn't high, but isn't low). This also appears to be the case even if the CV TF is set for Patrol instead of Remain on Station.

The TF's default home port at game start is Etorofu. He may have changed it. Regardless, they're all in one direction from where KB is now... and regardless of all of that, you've already ended the turn and this info is too late.

Appreciate you giving me another "mare" to mess up my night. [:)]

Of all the ships I have out there, I did select one DMS and give her a heading I thought might have a chance of interdicting KB's likely path - hoping that the interaction might slow KB down.

"Nisi quantum ad informationem accipit illud, quod in" is supposed to be a rough translation of "the quality of the information is determined by the mind that receives it."

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

"Nisi quantum ad informationem accipit illud, quod in" is supposed to be a rough translation of "the quality of the information is determined by the mind that receives it."

Assuming you ask the right question.

The corollary to "Nisi quantum ad informationem accipit illud, quod in" is 'Garbage in, garbage out'.

My Enterprise took 4 500 pounders and had medium damage north of Ambom in Dec 41 after attacking part of the mini-KB. I bi her on cruise with the Lexington escorting and a day out of Darwin something went terribly wrong over night and she sanks had no idea she would go down as her fires were out and system was in the 30s and engineering was around 50% but float was in the 20s. Her loss was a huge and unpleasant surprise. Fortunately I san a CVL, CVE and 3 CAs in exchange and my opponent decided to ask for a do over after the first of the year. He had previously lost 2 CAs in a surface night engagement with TF-Z at Tarakan. While losing half the mini-KB was bad enough losing 5 CAs and 2 more with medium damage in the first 2 weeks of the war was too much not to start over.

12/11/41

I've seen the combat report (the sync bug in this game has been brutal thus far - in the sync version for 12/9, Lex wasn't even torpedoed).

Here's what I read: No interactions with Lex whatsoever. No sign of KB whatsoever. Ent launches strike aircraft vs. the replenishment fleet.

It's lovely! It's beautiful!

What I won't know until I view the 001 movie: did Lex sink during her high-speed run? If not, is she still within view of KB? And is KB close enough to threaten Ent?

I'm about to view the movie now.

CenPac: "Cruciabilique exitu de Colligatio" (out-of-sequence is agonizing)

12/11/41

Spotted Enemy Carriers: This is the situation early in the "movie," just after I get an audio "spotted enemy carriers." I paused the movie, so you know as much as I do as I post this.