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I picked this game up a couple of years ago and after putzing around with the interface and never taking the time to read the manual it sat around collecting dust. I dusted it off a couple of weeks ago and got serious about learning how to play it.

I quickly found myself spending the entire Christmas holiday totally immersed in UV and am now planning to eventually pick up WitP, but I want to hold off because I want to get as much enjoyment out of UV asd I can before allowing my interest to wander.

A few quick questions:

Ship movement rates: If cruise speed for a TF is 5 and it has orders that will use cruise speed, does it move 5 in BOTH the night and day movement phases or does it move 5 for the entire day turn with it's 5 movement hexes split between the two movement phases?

Supplies needed: I realize this is an estimate that varies with the activities of the forces being supplied, but what I can't get a feel ffor is what duration of time the "need" is supposed to represent. If I have a need for 8000 supply at PM, does that represent 8000 per day, per week, per month......


Logistics seems to be the biggest challenge to manage and get a real feel for. In my first, stumbling, campaign, I have shipped every last available ground force in Australia to NG. I marched two full corps from PM to Wau and conquered Lae, Finschafen and Madang. What I didn't appreciate was what a supply boondoggle that force would become. Since I cannot yet safely ship to Lae, and air supply has drained my pool of transports from operational losses and the supply going overland from PM is losing upwards of 70% to jungle attrition, all the supply I can get to PM is immediately sucked away. While I am doing very well in the Soloman Islands, I have had to practically shut down my air operationsd in PM due to my supply strangle hold. I may restart and chalk that game up to a "learning experience", but I have persevered so far into mid January making do with my early mistakes.

What I have learned from that experience is that the game is less about taking objectives than it is about HOLDING objectives and that I shouldn't be taking anything I can't sustain through my logistics network.

One more quick question: Building new bases? Is it best to concentrate on taking and using the bases that exist or is a more incremental strategy usefull where bulding more new bases would be the approach? Since Luganville is actually a long way from Lunga I built a new base at Nevea in the Santa Cruz islands. It allowed my longest range LBAs to reach more of the "slot". I also didn't notuce until just recently that Irau at the extreme tip of the Soloman's is a viable spot for an incremental base that may be out of range of Rabaul (have to check this one) and could be a good base for staging into the Solomans and basing a surface action group there that could protect the base at Lunga against night bombardments. Are any of these ideas worthy, or am I dissapating my force too much and creating too many locations to have to ship supplies to?

Thanks for any help you experienced UV players can give?

oh, btw I am playing the full campaign (number 17 I think) with variable recinforcement shcedules and 140% committment by both sides. I have had a surface battle with the Yamato and have "seen" the Musashi. The Yamato, Haruna a CL and 6 destroyers came into bombard Lunga and I sent in the North Carolina, 5 CAs, 4 CLs and 12 Destroyers. Amazingly, the Yamato never fired on the NC. The NC and Haruna traded salvoes with the Haruna getting the worst end of it. The Yamato pummeled 4 of my CAs, but didn't sink any of them. The first Long Lance salvo missed while the second one put one torp in each of two CAs. I sunk all the destroyers and the CL and Haruna were so heavily damaged that they were finished off in the morning by LBA from Lunga. The Yamato, however, withstood an amazing pummeling by my crusiers and destroyers. Salvo after salvo of 8" and 5" gun fire came back with the ubiquitous reply " belt armor hit", NOT belt armor PENETRATION. As the Yamato left the vicinity I had a sub put one torp into it but it never phased it and it steamed back to port with it's hull looking like the surcace of the moon......can you say "heavily pockmarked"? It was hilarious to watch thinking about all those shells bouncing off the armor like Shermans trying to take out Tigers!

I'm enjoying this game immensely!

I have had UV for years, and as the manual said, war in the PTO is a lot about supply, so I would rather increase an exisiting base -- esp. airfield and port -- rather than start a new one from scratch.

When you get the chance, think about island hopping over any enemy territory in "the slot" Also, paramarines are an underutilized asset when taking underdefended enemy bases, esp. ones w/exisiting airfields.

Just like the 'Canal.

Welcome to the game Hans!

It is amazing that still people find their way to this old gem.

Regarding your questions:

The movement rate will take place in the night and day phase. So, if the green circle around your TF shows a rate of 5 hexes it will travel 10 hexes througout the day.

The "Supplies needed" does not display the comsumption of supplies. It only shows how many supplies have to be in place in order to operate the base at 100%.
The daily consumption is not displayed as it has to be calculated every day depending on all activities at the base (air missions, building, repair, units present, s.o.)

Enjoy the game

Fülli

ORIGINAL: fuelli

Welcome to the game Hans!

It is amazing that still people find their way to this old gem.

Regarding your questions:

The movement rate will take place in the night and day phase. So, if the green circle around your TF shows a rate of 5 hexes it will travel 10 hexes througout the day.

The "Supplies needed" does not display the comsumption of supplies. It only shows how many supplies have to be in place in order to operate the base at 100%.
The daily consumption is not displayed as it has to be calculated every day depending on all activities at the base (air missions, building, repair, units present, s.o.)

Enjoy the game

Fülli

Thanks, I finally figured out all I had to do was watch closely to determine how far they moved in a turn. I did have a problem with an attempted high spped run into bomb GiliGili last night. I had the beginning game small surface TF from Brisbane 8 hexes south of GiliGili. It showed a maximum movement rate of 10, I was expecting it to be able to make an 8 hex run in to trash the Jap transport fleet and get back out of reach of the Jap carriers sitting about 8 hexes NE of GG by morning. I succeeded in trashing the transport fleet and also bombarded, but was left sitting in the GG hex at daybreak where the entire force was sunk by the Jap carrier air.

What did I do wrong? Should I have been closer to the DH when beginning the high speed run? Did I just fall prey to the randomness of war whereby the combined surface action and the follow up bombardment kept the TF engaged too long keeping them from getting away?

A few observations:
 
- Logistics and supply mean EVERYTHING in this game.  Transports (AP, APD, AK) should be afforded the same protection (and attack priority) as carriers and battleships.  Bases that can't be supplied are useless.  APD's and airlifts (C47's) can be used for quickie minimal supply, but most of your major supply convoys are going to require air cover of some kind.  I find myself using carriers quite often for this, unless I have sufficient land-based air (usually not until 1943).  Anything unescorted that sails into Betty or Nell range of Rabaul (an irregular line running approx. from PM thru Gili Gili to just south of Guadalcanal) will likely become deep-sea coral reefs.  Conversely (playing as Allied), building up experienced medium bomber squadrons from PM will enable you to completely interdict all Japanese shipping in the Bismarck and Solomon Seas around New Guinea, paving the way for conquering all of New Guinea and the reduction of Rabaul as a viable base. (aka victory!)
 
- As far as your surface TF intercepting transports at Gili Gili, I'd stop the surface group three or four hexes short of GG (out of LBA range) and then barrel them in next turn, giving them the opportunity to sail far enough away to avoid air attacks.  Given the timeline, though, the transports may still be able to land for a turn.  Also if enemy carriers are too close, they may send an airstrike at you as well. 
 
- I prefer to build small airbases up the Solomons chain, starting with Irau.  Of course you have to take Lunga to really be able to dominate the area, but taking Irau will give you some much needed land-based fighter cover for the inevitable invasion of Lunga.  Irau is at the outer limit of Betty range, so send carriers to cover.   Rabaul won't send too much air to Irau due to the extreme range, but it WILL make you sorry if your amphib force has no CAP.   After Lunga and Tulagi (useful as a seaplane/PT boat base) I like to go to Russell Is., then Munda and Vella Lavella, and eventually to Torokina, anyplace else being a bonus.  Shortland is usually best pounded and bypassed - too many land units with fight in them.  Oh yeah, as I get closer to Rabaul, I tend to concentrate more planes at the front-line bases and clear out the fields farther back, using them only to rest and rotate air units.  This keeps me from having to constantly run supply convoys to ALL my bases - sparsely used bases use less supply.  I like to make Lunga a major supply depot though, and base all my heavy bombers there when fully built up. 
 
- In New Guinea I try to build up Gili Gili and Dobodura as fast as possible.  Smart use of your medium bombers (and the occasional carrier raid CAREFULLY) may not prevent troops from landing at Buna (next door to Dobodura) and Gili Gili, but may keep enough of them landing to secure the bases, and make it the devil for the  Japanese to supply, opening the way for some troops from Australia to retake the places.  Airlifting some troops from PM to Buna will help there, too.  Once Dobodura and GG are fully in business I go for Kiriwina, giving me a base to threaten shipping further out into the Solomon Sea and give my P38's a place to sweep and escort bombers to Rabaul.  After that, I then go for Salamua and Lae. 
 
-  I discovered that placing all  B17 and B24 bombers on naval search is an EXCELLENT strategy.  They have longer legs than the PBY's, they'll attack subs and shipping while on patrol, they'll ratchet up the experience fairly quickly, and losses will be few.  This will be invaluable later on when you are in a position to conduct bombing raids on Rabaul (and Shortland or Lae if they are built up too much) - the high experience will minimize the losses (keep bombers around 15,000 feet and escort with P38s when available) and increase their effectiveness.  They will also hit shipping more often, particularly transports, when placed on naval attack. 
 
Good rule of thumb - don't take anyplace that you can't keep supplied.