Matrix Games Forums

Hi guys, never played a PBEM game before (never in any game), but I think once I get some more exp in the game I might try. So have a few questions.

1. I see alot of HR's about Allies not being able to move around there units (exceptions are TF's at see). I can understand not moving many ships or lcu's. Why can't a few ships or lcu's be moved, trained or whatever? The Japanese get to change there plans to some extent.

2. I have yet to see any mention to being able to move Chinese units. Do most players move or mess with them on the first turn?

3. Please keep this civil, this is not about JFB or AFB. Just me wondering and gathering some intel on a PBEM game.

Thanks
doc

ORIGINAL: DOCUP

Hi guys, never played a PBEM game before (never in any game), but I think once I get some more exp in the game I might try. So have a few questions.

1. I see alot of HR's about Allies not being able to move around there units (exceptions are TF's at see). I can understand not moving many ships or lcu's. Why can't a few ships or lcu's be moved, trained or whatever? The Japanese get to change there plans to some extent.

2. I have yet to see any mention to being able to move Chinese units. Do most players move or mess with them on the first turn?

3. Please keep this civil, this is not about JFB or AFB. Just me wondering and gathering some intel on a PBEM game.

Thanks
doc

^
1.) More or less the restriction on ships is related to Manila and PH. If you put your subs into TFs at Manila you cant sink them in the Harbor. At PH if you create a lot of small TFs with you BBs and send them to all available directions you can save quite a lot of units. If you go head on with KB in a Surface combat you can mess up a lot of things. In addition you can try to disrupt KB with PT/DD Fleets to eat up his Op Points or force it to evade and move around. In general you can do to much nasty things with your ships.

You can start a premature retreat in Thailand with your LCUs and mess around with them. You can move your undamaged planes prior to any Japanese attack. In general it is not necessary to shift around you Ships/LCU/Planes prior to the outbreak of the war.

2.) For myself i do not mess around with my Chinese LCU on turn one. Again not really necessary as you cant to the perfect move with them. It takes time to establish your defense there so no need to hurry.

There are things, which are not coded in the game. For example restricted units may still leave their AOR by normal movement over land. These has to be specified by HR's.
Another example are the units in the DIE. Do they have to fight today or another day ?

China is somewhat different, as the war was already ongoing.

In my opinion it woud be gamey (cheating) to try and attack the KB on Dec 7. or move all the ships out of PH on the 6th. Honestly how many of us would leave all the BB's in one port with very lil cap etc. But I'm an trying to get a feel for how players feel and operate their PBEMS.

Thanks Beppi

doc

DOCUP

PBEM is the way to go provided you have a reliable opponent, who will fight on as you to must. The AI is ok for learning but nothing beats knowing someone else suffers their defeat and your defeat with human eyes. Think of PBEM as an AI that takes longer to make a turn. A PC is just to roll the dice , nothing more. In my WITP game my allied opponents lost all his CV in July 42 and still carried on ( hats off to him ) and is now on an interesting offensive and its now mid June 44.

If you feel uncomfortable about any house rules on Dec 7th ( which I agree should mean no allied naval units in port may be issued orders ) then you can simply start the DEC 8 SCN.

In my experience every Jap thinks they will do better by starting on Dec 7th. Some do not attack PH but Manilla to get to some of the allied subs there as thse guys will cause a lot of trouble later.

In my experience of twenty yeras of gaming and 10 on the PC, AE is at the very top of the tree. It can be improved and will be but its pretty good now.

Cav

.

ORIGINAL: DOCUP

In my opinion it woud be gamey (cheating) to try and attack the KB on Dec 7. or move all the ships out of PH on the 6th. Honestly how many of us would leave all the BB's in one port with very lil cap etc. But I'm an trying to get a feel for how players feel and operate their PBEMS.

Thanks Beppi

doc

That always depends. For my part i play a PBEM for fun and we often discuss different moves regarding being gamey. I want to enjoy the PBEM experience as long as possible so i am always open to discussions with my partner. We adopted a lot of rules during the game (night 4E AF attacks, PT TF numbers and so on). The engine is no where near perfect and leaves a lot of ways to create gamey situations. Thats what HR are for.

When you start a game usually you want to enjoy it as long as possible so i would not create any TFs in PH even without such a HR. But HR makes it clear, don't even think about it and often it is not black/whit. In Pearl almost everyone would agree to not interfere with the KB strike but whats about all the other landings (Wake landings interruption for example). The HR just provides a smooth start for both sides in a game. There are more than enough following turns to do shiny strategic moves or awful mistakes.

Overall in an PBEM you spent 100 of hours with your partner and you should always try to get the most fun for both sides. For example i restricted myself to no invade through the SRA as i count the Route Darwin/Timor into the SRA with alle the lvl 9 bases as to easy. I would not put a HR for that cause then he could just strip everything empty there, so it is
an non HR restriction.

ORIGINAL: beppi

Overall in an PBEM you spent 100 of hours with your partner and you should always try to get the most fun for both sides. For example i restricted myself to no invade through the SRA as i count the Route Darwin/Timor into the SRA with alle the lvl 9 bases as to easy. I would not put a HR for that cause then he could just strip everything empty there, so it is
an non HR restriction

100 hours? What game are you playing? It must be more than 1 hour per turn x 1200 turns = 1200 hours (ok, half if you play 2-day turns, but an hour is probably a short turn). [:'(] EDIT: I just realized that you might have meant 100s plural...

Actually my usual turn (after the first week of the game) takes 20 mins. IF I get a turn at least once a day and can keep my head into what I am doing. An hour for 2 day turns (yes, they take 3 times longer because you have to be more careful [:D]).

ORIGINAL: rader

ORIGINAL: beppi

Overall in an PBEM you spent 100 of hours with your partner and you should always try to get the most fun for both sides. For example i restricted myself to no invade through the SRA as i count the Route Darwin/Timor into the SRA with alle the lvl 9 bases as to easy. I would not put a HR for that cause then he could just strip everything empty there, so it is
an non HR restriction

100 hours? What game are you playing? It must be more than 1 hour per turn x 1200 turns = 1200 hours (ok, half if you play 2-day turns, but an hour is probably a short turn). [:'(] EDIT: I just realized that you might have meant 100s plural...

Yes i meant 100s , and yes i cant get to over 1000 hours for a PBEM game. I always try a little bit to myself about the time it consumes because i think if my girlfriend would know it she would kill me.

Thanks for your input guys. I am useing the ai to learn the game, and intend to play a PBEM game. Yea all this is to me is fun. I wouldn't want to ruin the fun for someone else by being gamey. Its all fun and games right. Since this is my first matrix game I wanted to build a lil exp before, I go into a PBEM game. I would hate to be the first AFB to lose everything lol.

thanks again

doc

ORIGINAL: DOCUP

Thanks for your input guys. I am useing the ai to learn the game, and intend to play a PBEM game. Yea all this is to me is fun. I wouldn't want to ruin the fun for someone else by being gamey. Its all fun and games right. Since this is my first matrix game I wanted to build a lil exp before, I go into a PBEM game. I would hate to be the first AFB to lose everything lol.

thanks again

doc

I doubt you'd be the first. Or the last. [;)]

Thanks Dixie that makes me feel a lil better lol

doc

ORIGINAL: DOCUP

Hi guys, never played a PBEM game before (never in any game), but I think once I get some more exp in the game I might try. So have a few questions.

1. I see alot of HR's about Allies not being able to move around there units (exceptions are TF's at see). I can understand not moving many ships or lcu's. Why can't a few ships or lcu's be moved, trained or whatever? The Japanese get to change there plans to some extent.

It all depends on player tastes. Myself...i have no problem with player one (japan) altering movements on turn one while i remain static.

(2. I have yet to see any mention to being able to move Chinese units. Do most players move or mess with them on the first turn?

on average, players tend to be very active in China. For player one, he'd be foolish not to take advantage of isolated starting Chinese LCU's. For player two....he/she needs to reorg to prevent/minimize said overrunning of isolated units and build a defense.

1. I see alot of HR's about Allies not being able to move around there units (exceptions are TF's at see). I can understand not moving many ships or lcu's. Why can't a few ships or lcu's be moved, trained or whatever? The Japanese get to change there plans to some extent.

For me, it's a little more complicated. If the Japanese player is willing to keep his initial attacks at the periphery of the allied positions, then I am perfectly happy with issuing orders only to ships already at sea. If he wishes to use the magical first turn movement bonus to strike more deeply into the SRA(is this valid only in WITP and not AE?), then I feel that the allied player would have a little more warning - those TFs would likely have been sighted and thus the allies would have been better prepared: CAP up and running, naval units on alert - new TFs issued orders, civilian shipping notified of possible aggressive moves by the Japanese empire and the like.

I think most people are happy for air units to be assigned to what ever

Dec 7 was a suprise and restricting allied units in ports is reasonable.

You still get to save TF Z .

In my two day game pbem scn 2 , TF Z managed to still seek out the jap SFTF with inconclusive results, 4BB went down at PH but sevearl airsrikes were made against the KB ( no hits ) . At Manila the air sTrikes sank one allied SS. The next turn the Betty and Nell got a bloody nose

CAV

PBEM are the best and I dont really play the AI at all,but you need to prepare yourself for these kinds of things...
Played 8 months of gametime then after a successful port strike recieved this.

"From ********
I'm sorry, but I can not accept that turn. It is not realistic. Your TF could not possibly transverse the area between NZ and OZ without being spotted. Either the search program is still broken or the game design is. The KB is powerful enough without an invisibility cloak. "


That was the end of that...my opponent went on a research hiatus and is not a big communicator. For the record though it was "I" who quit after asking him a few times if he was going to continue.

I think you should name that person ... I assume they werte losing ??

And there should be a data base of players who are honest and reliable .

ORIGINAL: cavalry

I think you should name that person ... I assume they werte losing ??

And there should be a data base of players who are honest and reliable .

The more I read about stunts like this the more I agree with this idea. I'd like to try PBEM someday, but stories like this . . .

ORIGINAL: Zigurat666

PBEM are the best and I dont really play the AI at all,but you need to prepare yourself for these kinds of things...
Played 8 months of gametime then after a successful port strike recieved this.

"From ********
I'm sorry, but I can not accept that turn. It is not realistic. Your TF could not possibly transverse the area between NZ and OZ without being spotted. Either the search program is still broken or the game design is. The KB is powerful enough without an invisibility cloak. "


That was the end of that...my opponent went on a research hiatus and is not a big communicator. For the record though it was "I" who quit after asking him a few times if he was going to continue.

Eesh...bad karma ad infinitum. [:-]

Reason uno I don't play PBEM....Im sure theyre great... but