Centuur and rkr1958: a production masterclass

[Shannon V. OKeets]

Warspite, how's this?

[warspite1]

Hi Steve - that's great. Just a couple of suggested amendments. Could we say (amendments suggested underlined):

"Oil received in trade this turn can't be used to reorganize units and isn't listed here. If 0.5 or less of an oil point remains, the entire oil point must be expended. Oil fully expended to reorganize units can't be be saved or used in production and so may affect your preliminary production planning".

I don't know whether there is space for this but just wanted to make the latter point in particular clear. This would stop a player thinking the program was at fault if he/she suddenly lost a build point or two between PP and finalisation - and not realising that oil usage in reorganisation can affect that planning.

[AllenK]

A great masterclass plus good idea from Warspite1 and response from Steve on the additional text as a warning.

Due to the potential production impact, I am always cautious about sending oil to production. Generally only when I have a healthy surplus and/or can anticipate low oil use.

[warspite1]

Right so NOV/DEC 1939 played through so at the weekend I will do the end of turn run-through. Nothing majorly different, but Germany lost an oil to Strat Bombing (and got its Baltic convoys back up and running) and the CW added 2 convoys to the Arabian Sea which may make a difference iirc. I am particularly interested in the oil counter.

The idea is not to get swamped with lots of different things every turn, but instead a steady ramp up of demands on the program as more trade agreements come into play for BP, oil and resources - more losses start to hit convoy lanes and more strat bombing (I'll either introduce Italy in JAN/FEB or MAR/APR 1940).

[warspite1]

Nov/Dec 1939
Preliminary Planning

Germany

So Germany first and all looks good. The Saved Oil Points (Saved at Start) = 3 in Berlin and this is as per the position last turn.

The German factories are fully up and running and they can save an oil and get 16 BP. However, the Germans want to build up a bit of a stock of oil for the future (they saved nothing in the first turn due to the loss of the Swedish convoys).

So in addition to the one being saved, they add a second one. Adding a second saved oil drops the BP to 15. But because of the rounding up/down mechanism, a third oil can be saved that keeps the BP at 15. Germany chooses this.

The Germans lost an oil to strat bombing and this is reflected. All 6 oil are being saved in Berlin.



Italy

I don't bother to show this. This is all good. 1 oil is being saved again. So 2 at the start saved in Milan will be joined by a third this turn. 2 BP are available.

[warspite1]

Nov/Dec 1939
Preliminary Planning

Japan

The program reverts Japan back to the default that it did on the first turn. This means that the two NEI oil are being saved in Japan/Manchuria, meaning that the Hainan resource can't be transported to a factory. This is annoying. QUESTION to Centuur and rkr1958
Is there someway of stopping the program from doing this?

I switch the oil so that it is saved in Canton and the Hainan resource can now be transported overseas. All is good here too. There are 6 oil saved at the start and 2 oil added to this. Japan has 10 BP.

I close the three Axis PP screens.

[warspite1]

Nov/Dec 1939
Preliminary Planning

China

Right, China is receiving a non-oil build point from the CW this turn. It has also lost a resource to strat bombing and another to enemy zone of control (EZOC).

So the form is telling me that the Chinese have 7 resources plus 1 from the CW = 8. Take away the point lost to EZOC = 7 less one lost to strat bombing = 6. This gives 3 BP to China and no additional saved oil.

However, the CW appears to be sending its resource all the way from Coventry which takes up 7 convoys.... we don't want that. This potentially destroys the CW convoy program.

QUESTION TO Centuur and rkr1958: What are the steps required to amend the source of this resource?

[warspite1]

Nov/Dec 1939
Preliminary Planning

China

Pending a response I will see if I can make this work.

The resource provided by the CW should come from Malaya or India. There appears to be no continuous land route so assume a convoy(s) will be required.

I have a convoy in the South China Sea that can take the resource from Larut in Malaya to Hanoi and then overland to a factory.

I don't close China but switch to the CW. I click on the Larut resource and then the 'Trade' radio button.

A message comes up:

[warspite1]

Nov/Dec 1939
Preliminary Planning

China

As instructed, when I click on the top row in the table (the blue line under Non-oil Larut) I get another box. This seems to ask me which country I want this resource traded with - France or China. I pick China:

[warspite1]

Nov/Dec 1939
Preliminary Planning

China

I now get this message which is counter-intuitive. China? Yes. Production? Yes. In Place? What? What am I supposed to click now?

I ignore 'In Place' and decide to click recompute....

[warspite1]

Nov/Dec 1939
Preliminary Planning

China

Huzzah! I think the In Place was a red herring. When I click compute I get the resource going to Kweiyang!

That immediately increases the CW BP from 7 to 8 so we are moving in the right direction. We can see that only 1 convoy point has been used for this too.

But what effect has it had on China?

[warspite1]

Nov/Dec 1939
Preliminary Planning

China

When I click on China its all good!! 3 BP still showing and the trade coming from Malaya and not Coventry.

[warspite1]

Nov/Dec 1939
Preliminary Planning

USSR

So I stick with Centuur's advice and don't close China, but simply switch to the next least complex Major Power.

No need to show this as all is good. The USSR started with 4 saved oil. They add another one this turn and have 8 BP. No resources are idle and the max oil for a neutral Major Power is saved.

USA

Exactly the same with the USA. 11 BP, 1 oil saved (making 5 in total) and 1 resource idle (Philippines). I have convoys heading west to cure that idle problem.

And so we come to the two problem children.....

France

France started the turn with 2 saved oils and that is what is showing. In this turn the French benefit from CW largesse and are due to receive 1 oil and 3 resources in addition to the oil from Persia.

But the program's opening gambit is as follows:

the FIC resource is idle, 1 oil is saved and 1 to production, giving 6 BP. Let's see what we can do to improve this situation.

[warspite1]

Nov/Dec 1939
Preliminary Planning

France

Okay so I know that I could get the FIC resource to France last turn so I attempt to do that this turn. However the program won't change the resource from idle. I switch the map to show the convoys and click unused convoys. The reason the resource isn't getting to France is immediately apparent.....

So I am going to have to switch to the CW and see what is happening.

[warspite1]

Nov/Dec 1939
Preliminary Planning

Commonwealth

There appears to be few unused convoys and only 4 idle resources. I suspect that there must be some less than optimal routing going on....

[warspite1]

Nov/Dec 1939
Preliminary Planning

Commonwealth

So, remembering the lessons of the first turn, I start with the oil first.

Unlike the Japanese - whose NEI oil reverted to its former home, most of the CW instructions for oil have remained in their changed format - which is good. However two that haven't are also NEI oil. These are going to the UK to be saved - and taking up 8 convoys each....

[warspite1]

Nov/Dec 1939
Preliminary Planning

Commonwealth

The effect is immediate. There are now only two idle resources for the CW - the 2 Australian and we know there are no convoys for these.

Furthermore, when I switch back to France, the Hanoi FIC resource is now being sent to a French factory.

So we could leave it there. However, the CW are saving 5 oils to give them 12. They only have 9 BP this turn. There are four idle factories in the UK. Can we improve the CW economy at the expense of some surplus oil?

I don't think so. I will post a game save here and ask Centuur and rkr1958 if they can achieve that goal.

Brief: Is there any way of increasing the CW production at the expense of oil? I don't believe there is but you guys might spot something obvious I've missed.

[warspite1]

Nov/Dec 1939
Preliminary Planning

And so subject to any commentary from Centuur and rkr1958, the position is:

France

France started with 2 oil saved and have saved the Iraq oil in Beirut once again for a total of 3. 13 producing resources gives 7 BP. 1 resource remains idle as there are no convoys all the way out to New Caledonia.

Commonwealth

The CW started with 7 oils and have saved another 5 for 12. There are 2 idle resources in Australia as there are no convoys out there. The BP total 9 this turn.

So I now start closing down the Allied forms.

[warspite1]

I will continue with the EoT once Centuur and rkr1958 have opined.


Meanwhile a question. If one puts convoys to sea and the program decides that it can't be arsed to put on Sentry, what is the latest time for amending this? I'm at PP stage and can't see how I can do it......

[Centuur]

ORIGINAL: warspite1

I will continue with the EoT once Centuur and rkr1958 have opined.


Meanwhile a question. If one puts convoys to sea and the program decides that it can't be arsed to put on Sentry, what is the latest time for amending this? I'm at PP stage and can't see how I can do it......

You can set a convoy to sentry at the stay at sea phase (but beware and make sure the convoy stays at sea if you click on it). On the main form, you can see if a units stays at sea or returns to base.