How to win Wake Island?

[philsublime]

I played the wake island scenario about 5 times, but I don't have the slightest chance. My planes never hit, the japanese always hit. My planes get shot down, the japanese plane don't. Am I doing something wrong? Also, the japanese seem to attack much more often then I am.

[CapnDarwin]

I must have gotten lucky last night because I got an Allied Decisive Victory. I had my three carrier forces move west and bracket Wake. I got the reports of wake getting attacked and then got a sighting report with carriers. I jumped on it with an attack from two of my flattops (Enterprise and Saratoga). Just as the last planes got airborne the Japanese forces hit and sunk enterprise but I caught both main force carriers exposed and scored several bomb and a few torpedo hits (I though I had sunk both as well). The damage was enough from that strike and a follow up to force the Japanese to withdrawl from the island. I got the decisive, did not sink the enemy carriers (much to my surprise for the hits scored) and forced the invasion force to bail (main way I won the scneario). I could have scored a few more points by getting supplies to Wake but I was too busy hunting for the remains of the carrier force.

A lot of fun. I'll have to play it again and see if I can do better.

[Adam Parker]

Phil see my post in another thread to come called "what am I missing?"

[Caltone]

Funny, when I saw the thread title, I thought it was about how to win as Japan [;)]  Only played it twice but Japan lost marginal in both.

[Hellcat_Canada]

Sent my carriers all far north of wake at full speed and engaged the japanese cvs while their strike on wake was heading home.  Worked out pretty good for me sank both enemey cv's.  But I lost some of the supply group enroute to wake, still got a decisive victory though. [8D]

[Adam Parker]

Something is definitely wrong here.

I played Wake again as the US and another Decisive Victory - AND - the AI approached with the Japanese Task Forces from different part of the map than before. Yay for variation. Boo for - what diff did it make?

This is not a spoiler - how I won - again:

Step 1 - Wait til a green plane finds the enemy carriers.

Step 2 - Send your strikes to hit them. Yeah that's right, press the red button click your 3-4 plane icons, click launch, nothing else.

Step 3 - Cause a bit of damage.

With 1 day and 10 hours of the scenario to go - ie 1/3 - I never heard from the AI navy again.

[cyberwop36]

I grouped my 3 cv's reletively close together.

Important: make sure one of your Lexington class CV tfs is 50-100 miles closer to the japs than the other tf's. As soon as you see the japs launch all full strikes. That lead tf seems to absorb all the jap airstikes.

I killed both jap cv's and lost that lead cv.

[Erik Rutins]

Maybe you just have a knack for Wake, Adam? Have you tried Coral Sea?

[tgb]

I also got my butt kicked at Wake Island. Looking forward to trying it again.

[eloso]

I just beat this scenario today as the allies. There is a trick to it. Read the Conditional Victory conditions for the Japanese. If they don't invade wake it will be an allied decisive victory. Send your carriers southwest and engage the invasion fleet.

I had 200 points less than Japan at the end and still won a decisive victory by sinking both of the transport ships. The first time I played I lost roughly the same amount and sunk both of the Japanese carriers but still lost.

[tgb]

In my game the Japs attacked from the NE - further evidence of unpredictable AI

[Gregor_SSG]

ORIGINAL: philsublime

I played the wake island scenario about 5 times, but I don't have the slightest chance. My planes never hit, the japanese always hit. My planes get shot down, the japanese plane don't. Am I doing something wrong? Also, the japanese seem to attack much more often then I am.

There is some good advice in the threads below so I won't repeat them. The point that I would like to make is that in the early part of the war, a US carrier is not a match for a Japanese carrier. The Zero is a better fighter than the Wildcat, and the Kate is a much better torpedo bomber than the almost useless Devastator, and Japanese torpedoes are much better than the almost useless US torpedoes. Japanese aircrew are also better trained than their US counterparts.

The upside for the US? The Dauntless is a great dive bomber, and better than the Japanese Val.

The real upside for the US? Even though they don't match up, a US strike is (usually) still quite powerful enough to damage or sink Japanese carriers, especially as the Japanese carriers don't have good damage control.

So if you can get your guys in an advantageous position, they can still get the job done.

Consider giving the order to arm and fuel all planes an hour before dawn. Yes, your carrier is much more vulnerable but at this point in the war a full Japanese strike will almost certainly sink you anyway, this way your strikes will be ready to go as soon as you have that all important sighting.

Gregor

[Adam Parker]

ORIGINAL: tgb

In my game the Japs attacked from the NE - further evidence of unpredictable AI

Yes we know that. It's nice. But it's the only evidence of randomness I've seen.

Has the AI ever changed the TG's it puts it carriers into? Changed the number of TG's?

IOW you always know what you're up against.

[e_barkmann]

That's what Warroom options are for and you can make these changes easily.

Wishing that kind of randomness in a standard scenario would throw your scenario balance out the window, and no one wants that.

cheers