So How Am I Doing?

[Anthropoid]

I would love it if any of you guys (particularly the more experienced PBEMers) would check out my current .sav and give me some feedback.

I've owned WiTP for years now, but only in the last year or so have I really crossed over into what I'd consider was 'proficient' player. But proficient against the AI, and proficient against a human are likely two very different things.

So two questions I'd love to get feedback about: (1) things I've done so far in this game that might have been stupid/risky had I been playing a human, and (2) am I doing as well as I think I am/are the politcal points in the latest (1.8?) patch version really well balanced?

So, about my game: I've played up to 7-10-42. My general strategies were as follows:

In PI, pull everything back into Manila. I still control Manila, with about 18K infantry, 63K support troops, and 650 guns, but I'm down to ~3900 supply. I think if I cannot get some supply in there in the next month it will fall by early September. The IJA has about 94K troops and 1200 guns there. Even if all these allied troops surrender, I would say I've done far, far better here than in real history, no? I've basically ied up several IJA divisions for several extra months.

I wonder if I could send in 2 or 3 AKs loaded up with CV air cover to protect them and have any hope of it not becoming a debacle?

In Centpac, Wake did not fall, and I've subsequently turned both Wake and Midway and Johnston into stout fortresses each with 200 to 400 Assault value and some coastal guns. I was amazed at how easy it was really, and how readily available were the units to protect these bases.

I've also turned Baker into a fortress with an airfield of about size 5, fort 5, port 5 (approx) and something like 200 planes. Bomber missions have been practicing on Apamama and Tarawa for months. Most of the troops on Baker are prepping for Jaluit, Ponape, Moloelap, etc. I've got a stack of units back in LA prepping for Tarawa but it will be a few months before I have the PP to release them from West Coast duty. I've got a couple groups of ~100 APs+AKs and ASW making their way slowly back from Oz/Noumea/Palmyra to LA in preparation for the assault on Tarawa in maybe October, maybe sooner.

In SoPac, SWPac, I've basically sent as much stuff as possible to Guadalcanal, Russel Island, Tulagi, and Munda. All four of these islands are pretty heavily defended, and the Japanese have not yet landed a single unit anywhere in the area.

Island Port Airbase Fort Assault Planes
Tulagi 4 0 7.78 328 30FP
guad 2 5.98 5 418 70FB
Russ 1 2 0 679 +500mines 76F 15DB
Munda 1 2 2 173 +285mines

Also I've got the Buna coast covered pretty well
Lae 3 4 4 205assault 18FB
Salamaua 1 1 2 49
Buna 1 1 3 171 30F
Milne 1 2 2 107assault 16FB plus LB and FP
Port M 4 6 5 57 32F 103FB 16DB 53LB 15TR

I've got plenty of supply and fuel in the whole area (in Noumea alone I've got like 35K fuel and supply plus about 15 or 20 TKs all with 18K full of fuel disbanded in port.

I'm a bit short of figher aircraft in the Solomon's but I've got about four more squadrons on the way.

In the DEI, Japan has taken control of all of Borneo, all of Malaysia, the key ports on Celebes and Timor, and all of Java except Batavia.

My strategy in DEI was to pull everything not nailed down back to Batavia in an orderly fashion. I read some historians who argued that if the Dutch had followed this strategy they might have prevailed. It seems to be working wonderfully. In Batavia I have

Port 7 Airbase 5 Fort 8 566 Assault 440guns 371mines (almost all sub-layed) 86F 24FB 146LB 14RE 14TB, also a squad of about 5PT boats. For about two months now, the IJA have been sieging Batavia without much effect. I would say Batavia will not fall unless IJA manages to land significantly more troops there, and I don't think that that will happen. The airpower in Batavia has been ravaging IJN shipping.

I've got a similar set of resources in Palembang, although zero airpower. The IJAA keeps the airbase in Palembang in ruins, but so far two or three attemped bombardments out of 5 or 6 have been thwarted by the PT boats there, and IIRC, at least one attempted amphib met with disaster. In short, I think I can hold Batavia and the Japs don't even have a toehold on southern Sumatra yet, so I think I can hold that entire area.

In Burma, I've taken my stand at Akyab, and this might be the one big mistake I've made. They have plenty of supply in Akyab (~10K), but they are slowly whittling down the size of my garrison in Akyab. I have switched about 8 or 10 Chinese Divisions plus HQs to SEAsia command, and they are moving south from Lashio, and have recently take Hanoi, and will soon retake Myitikina.

I've pretty much got air superiority in Burma, managed to lure the AI to send in quite a few bombing runs in Imphal, Lashio, and Akyab that were badly mauled by changing around the distribution of CAP frequently. I think I've badly tapped the Japanese fighter craft reserves in Burma, but I still don't know if I can hold Akyab because they outnumber me so dramatically.

Akyab:
Port 1 Airbase 3 Fort 5.50 428 Assault (7970 Infantry and 43K support troops) ~200 guns 55F 78FB

Facing this are 87100 IJA besiegers with 974guns and 178AFVs

The Japs have been bombarding constantly and causing 25 to 175 casualties per turn, and periodically doing a deliberate attack that costs them about ~1000 and me about ~800. At that rate, they are going to probably overrun Akyab in a few months. I originally intended to build up the port to size three and evacuate Akyab but that was going really slowly, so I turned that off and am trying to get the fortifications up to level 6 before they make their final assault.

If Akyab falls, I don't have a whole lot of Assault value left in Dacca, Chandpur, etc., and I suspect that the AI might just waltz through India?

I suppose my best bet is to try to get that additional Fort point, airlift in troops from Dacca, and then try to get the Port up to size 3 for a massive evacuation?

Anyway, other than Akyab, I seem to be doing way better than in real history.

The thing I find strange: I seemed to have had PLENTY of political points to be able to occupy Wake, Midway, Johnston, Baker, the Solomons, and the Buna Coast, as well as freeing up a large stack of Chinese to move into northern Indochina and Burma! and not to mention I reset a number of DEI planes and a couple land units to evacuate Borneo, and also evacuated several USAFFE units from PI.

My understanding of real history is that the allies were not able to get nearly so much power concentrated in these key places so early in the war. So my question is: assuming the rate of Political Point allocation, and costs for units are about right, what exactly did the real history commanders waste those PPs on?

Or, is the Political Point system in the 1.8 patch version just far too generous for a competent human against the AI?

Or, am I just brilliant!? [:D]

I've been playing almost all turns on Hard, with exception of: I turned it up to Very Hard for a few turns, but did not like the lopsided combat outcomes so turned it back to Hard after only a few turns.

[FeurerKrieg]

Hi Anthropoid,

I haven't looked at the sav file and I've never played allied but looks like you are doing well. As far as the PPs go, I think you will find in a PBEM you don't have nearly as much time to prepare the defenses you would like. A good Japan player will hit one or two of the main theaters faster than you can say 'Southern Resource Area'. Some will hit India, some will hit the Pacific islands, some will hit Australia.

Which brings up another point, in a PBEM, it isn't always a given that you can move up forces to the front lines from Australia, India, or Pearl because it is possible your forces will get bypassed and any of those areas could get captured because your troops were in the DEI, Burma or Pacific Islands. West coast US is safe enough, but even Pearl Harbor can be at risk if you pull too much out of it (or don't put enough in).

Anyways, you should get a PBEM game going and just see how it goes.

[Anthropoid]

Heh, don't seem to be able to upload .sav files, nor zipped up .sav files huh?

[Q-Ball]

I would say you are doing well, though after awhile you will find that if you really press things, you will confuse the AI and get bored. The AI can't handle any kind of creativity on your part.

My first game vs. AI, I started to send single-AK supply ships to the PI. As a result, it never fell, in fact we threw the Japanese out, flew in some Beauforts and other 2E bombers, and started to sink transports by the score on their way to the SRA. After the 3/44 auto victory, it was time to find a human.

I tried that single-ship thing against a human, and predictibly, the first one got through, unloaded one turn, and that was it. After that, anything that got close the PI was sunk. That's just one example of the type of thing that works against the AI, but never against the living.