Japanese Economy Advice

[jdsrae]

Here’s my 2c on xAK conversions.

AG are undervalued. They can rearm SC and PB with depth charges in small ports. I converted lots for that purpose, 52x Daigen class.

AKE Akasi is slightly smaller but can rearm the same ships as AKE Aden, just not the Nagato and Yamato class BBs.
AKE Lima can rearm everything despite the capacity of it technically not being big enough to. I didn’t believe it until I tried it and it worked.
I’ve got plenty of AKE Akasi (24) and some AKE Lima (6) to move near where the big BBs go.

AV, I converted lots to support a large Jake ASW force as an experiment. They free up land based aviation support to be able to maintain other aircraft.
9x AV start. Add 34x Kyushu plus 12x Husimi to be able to support 50+ land based Jake groups. I don’t use AV in task forces at sea, they are disbanded in small ports to support land based Jakes and the odd Rufe group.

AR conversions can’t be done until about mid 42 then take a year, but I have 7 of them happening, Husimi class

AD, I converted lots of Ehime as they were doing nothing anyway to use in a similar role to AG. They still aren’t doing anything though.

AS, I converted 6 more, to give each submarine squadron a backup flagship.

AK, anything that is left that can (all Yusen classes) I converted once the amphib bonus was over. Roughly half then to AK-t.

AGP, I converted all Miyati as they weren’t doing anything. More MGB/MTB don’t arrive until 1944 so they will keep doing nothing until then.

PB, ACM and AMc- you need to figure out how many you want of each. I convert all 54 Ansyu to PB and all 38 Tosu to PB; Kiso get split 32 to AMc and 37 to ACM.

AMC I leave as AMC because they have more big guns than AK. I wont convert back to AK the ones that can. With decent skippers some AMC now have >50 crew experience and rising.

[RangerJoe]

The Tosu I convert to CMc for the free mines. I make a lot of ACMs. Great for island chains on the convoy routes. Put in the Jake float planes for ASW/Search along with the slow SCs in ASW task forces. There are a few deep water hexes from Formosa to the Home Islands otherwise the convoys stay coastal. The mines might be small, but they can damage the sub. If already damaged or located by the aircraft and ASW, then maybe they will be sunk. I just have a reported Dutch sub O-16 killed by type 95 DCs by a DD. Two control room fires started by near misses, an engine room with severe damage and another penetrating hit with a fire. Six hits in total but no debris or oil floating to the surface. But it is a long way from a decent port.

[BBfanboy]

My Japanese Economy advice: They should contact Apple and offer to take over production of IPhones and IPads from the Chinese!

[Speedysteve]

Thanks guys. Appreciate the advice [:)]

I'm planning to follow Mike Solli's conversion guide at present but will do some planning.

Any thoughts on my engines question (Am I right in remembering that R&D 'production' doesn't need the engines to increase the arrival date (logically it would still be wise to produce the required number of engines anyhow to get the 500 pool bonus and so that once production begins I have the required engines too)? Can't see an easy way to work out engine needs other than manual addition)?

Thanks

[Speedysteve]

Also. I can't remember the consensus on if it was worth the supply cost to repair Miri's industry?

[RangerJoe]

Always repair the oil. The refining capacity is up to you.

Magwe oil is not worth repairing however as it tends to get bombed out fairly quickly. With AAA backed by radar and/or searchlights with CAP, it can be costly for the Allies to bomb it.

[ITAKLinus]

A) If you have engines over 500 in the pool, they'll grant you a bonus to R&D and you'll spend one engine per-R&D factory in the process.


B) Miri starts with 150(150) OIL because the guys over there started damaging the plants before the war started (IIRC) and therefore you have to repair it. Since each point of whatever costs 1.000 supplies, the grand total for Miri to be repaired is 150.000 supplies: take those supplies into account when you do your economical planning, they're not few.
Also, send them in little quantities over the course of the next months in order to avoid spoilage.


C) TENDERS: I do produce a lot of minefield tenderers. No AV, no AG, nothing. Just several AKE (between 5 and 10) and maybe 5 AR. I convert the little xAKL of 170 capacity into either minefield tenders or PBs. The 795 capacity xAKLs are converted to PBs (50% of them, the remaining 50% stays cargo).
I find no use for basically any tender a part from ACMs. Also, I convert basically every minesweeper to something I deem more useful (ACM or PB). There are few minelayers which you cannot convert and I keep them as the only minelaying assets in my inventory.
Bear in mind that there are a couple of minelayers which use a different kind of mines and they should be perserved in order to be able to use those mines.


D) Don't forget to produce / accelerate the various StD cargoes. They can be converted to TKs and they're quite useful. If you pay enough attention to your assets, though, you shouldn't be short of liquid capacity around the map.

[inqistor]

ORIGINAL: Speedysteve

Any thoughts on my engines question (Am I right in remembering that R&D 'production' doesn't need the engines to increase the arrival date (logically it would still be wise to produce the required number of engines anyhow to get the 500 pool bonus and so that once production begins I have the required engines too)? Can't see an easy way to work out engine needs other than manual addition)?

No engine needed. You can get up to 30 points of R&D per month, and double that with extra engines. Well, you can get more R&D points with single factory larger than IIRC 300, if you care.
Tracker is great for engines needs, but it is quite scary. I am currently short of almost 100 Ha-35 per month. With 3 factories upgraded every day, since war started.

Those all AD/AS/AGs can rearm your ships, but most importantly, they will help repair even at dot Bases. One such ship, and Naval HQ dropped will get every heavily damaged ship underway in few weeks from any dot Base.

[ITAKLinus]

ORIGINAL: inqistor

ORIGINAL: Speedysteve

Any thoughts on my engines question (Am I right in remembering that R&D 'production' doesn't need the engines to increase the arrival date (logically it would still be wise to produce the required number of engines anyhow to get the 500 pool bonus and so that once production begins I have the required engines too)? Can't see an easy way to work out engine needs other than manual addition)?

No engine needed. You can get up to 30 points of R&D per month, and double that with extra engines. Well, you can get more R&D points with single factory larger than IIRC 300, if you care.

Can you address that? First time I hear the "300-size-thing"

[GetAssista]

ORIGINAL: ITAKLinus
Can you address that? First time I hear the "300-size-thing"

It is well known that 270+ size R&D factory can get you 2 RP a day. Since it does not have any practical value whatsoever it's just that, a fact that might be mentioned sometimes but does not bring anything

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: GetAssista

ORIGINAL: ITAKLinus
Can you address that? First time I hear the "300-size-thing"

It is well known that 270+ size R&D factory can get you 2 RP a day. Since it does not have any practical value whatsoever it's just that, a fact that might be mentioned sometimes but does not bring anything

I have built large r&d facility before, well pretty extensively. And although the math tells us they should repair as quickly as a size 30, I have never had a large facility (sizes 60 to 270) ever repair faster than a size 30. I have never gone larger than 270.

Anecdotal evidence for sure.

[Alpha77]

Re. AGs I converted lots of them, not only or mainly for rearming small craft, but they add repair points to ports like nav support (IIRC)

Also they get a bit more AA from xAk to AG... I am not sure how the rule was for ships in port (and/or docked??) adding AA fire if the base is attacked - anyone knows?

Well the Kasu is worthwhile for better AA, but I noted that Daigen AKL class drops the 12 short gun for 2x25mm that may be not the best swap. However the short guns are also very limited in range,ceiling and accuracy. What do ppl think? I was a bit too fast perhaps making this swap only looking at AA value...oth. if caught cargo or aux ships very seldom put any dent in attackers anyway. So the 25mm can perhaps addd to a base defense for low attackers, again oth. in my game the opponent never seems to fly lower than 10k with his 4E bombers, so no reach for 25mm.

Gozan seems the best to convert, it drops the 12cm too but gets another 8cm AA PLUS 2x25mm

And another question, do aux ships add to the port repair only loaded with supplies ? I believe not, supplies are needed to re-arm but not for port repair points..

[RangerJoe]

The larger guns help protect the entire task force, the smaller ones are more for point defence/retaliation. If the Japanese would have copied and made some good 40mm or even the 37mm, that would help the intermediate level AAA defence.

[Alpha77]

Joe, I meant if disbanded or docked in port..provide AA if port and/or airfield is attack?

They had 40mm British "pompoms" before the war. Also captured 40mm Bofors, decided not to copy/build it. But the pompom would be even better than 25mm..[>:]

Problem is AGs do not go into cargo TFs but you can use transport instead and their load space goes down, but if you do not screw up even the IJN has more then enough normal cargo ships

[Chickenboy]

ORIGINAL: Speedysteve

Any thoughts on my engines question (Am I right in remembering that R&D 'production' doesn't need the engines to increase the arrival date (logically it would still be wise to produce the required number of engines anyhow to get the 500 pool bonus and so that once production begins I have the required engines too)? Can't see an easy way to work out engine needs other than manual addition)?

Yes, you're on the right track Speedysteve.

I still try to keep above the #500 threshold to maximize R&D efficiency, but you don't *have to*.

Be aware of airframe / engine arrival date mismatches moving forward. The Tony, Jill and D4Y series come to mind (not looking at the game at the moment) as having engine arrival dates that, unless pulled forward through research, will come into production *after* the airframes, so adjust your schedules accordingly.

[Speedysteve]

ORIGINAL: inqistor

ORIGINAL: Speedysteve

Any thoughts on my engines question (Am I right in remembering that R&D 'production' doesn't need the engines to increase the arrival date (logically it would still be wise to produce the required number of engines anyhow to get the 500 pool bonus and so that once production begins I have the required engines too)? Can't see an easy way to work out engine needs other than manual addition)?

No engine needed. You can get up to 30 points of R&D per month, and double that with extra engines. Well, you can get more R&D points with single factory larger than IIRC 300, if you care.
Tracker is great for engines needs, but it is quite scary. I am currently short of almost 100 Ha-35 per month. With 3 factories upgraded every day, since war started.

Those all AD/AS/AGs can rearm your ships, but most importantly, they will help repair even at dot Bases. One such ship, and Naval HQ dropped will get every heavily damaged ship underway in few weeks from any dot Base.

So in general do you tend to increase your engine facs to represent the total R&D produced? Let's say for example you need 100 x HA-35 for actual production and have 400 R&D plane facs needing it would you produce 500+ HA-35 per month?

[RangerJoe]

You only "need" the 100 for the air frames. The rest above 500+ just doubles your research speed.

I researching the first Tony but I will then go to the Ki-100 Tony which uses a different engine. I am also doing that for the Judy.

[Speedysteve]

Thanks Joe. Yup I get I only need the 100 but as a rule of thumb if you had 400 R&D also going what level would you have your engine production at?[:)]

[inqistor]

ORIGINAL: Speedysteve

Thanks Joe. Yup I get I only need the 100 but as a rule of thumb if you had 400 R&D also going what level would you have your engine production at?[:)]

Technically, every R&D point produced would use extra engine, so you would need exactly that much production for maximum effect.

However, you can repair only ONE point per day, so it will take you year to achieve such production. You'll better plan how much airframes you are going to produce, and set engines production at that level. You will probably run out of HI points much sooner

[inqistor]

ORIGINAL: ITAKLinus

ORIGINAL: inqistor

ORIGINAL: Speedysteve

Any thoughts on my engines question (Am I right in remembering that R&D 'production' doesn't need the engines to increase the arrival date (logically it would still be wise to produce the required number of engines anyhow to get the 500 pool bonus and so that once production begins I have the required engines too)? Can't see an easy way to work out engine needs other than manual addition)?

No engine needed. You can get up to 30 points of R&D per month, and double that with extra engines. Well, you can get more R&D points with single factory larger than IIRC 300, if you care.

Can you address that? First time I hear the "300-size-thing"

When MichaelM was repairing some bugs in BETA, he pasted that part of the code in forum. It is weird, and nobody knows who originally written it that way. You would have probably to dig in some previous BETA threads. I don't recall exact values. It might have been 400, or 500, but code definitely allows for more than 1 point of research per day at some absurd production value.