Aboard the Red Castle - Erkki(J) vs. Smeulders(A) - no lookin'!

[Erkki]

This AAR is about me, as the Japanese player, against Smeulders, who plays the Allies. Welcome aboard the Red Castle, have a seat!



Scenario is DaBabes December 7, using the latest beta patch.

This is my 3rd game that I play longer than January 1942(I hope we do!), and my 2nd PBEM. Being a relatively new player, playing the Japanese is probably an even greater challenge than the Allies, but I'm going to do it any way. Lol.

Our house rules include all kinds of aerial war stuff I'm not going to repeat here, as well as a general rule to not game the game, and have fun fighting our virtual war instead of trying to win by all means possible, in the context of this being a computer game after all.



My objectives for 1941 are:

1) Standard 1 or 2 day Pearl Harbor bombardment, after which the Kido Butai moves to refuel and supports the New Britain, New Guinea and Solomons landings.

2) pretty much the standard elsewhere, too, except I'm preserving units to capture Palembang directly before Dec 31st.

I dont think I have the skills to try, and not fail, to conquer more than the standard perimeter. Long time goal is to not lose the war before 1943, and keep as many of my carriers as possible alive.

Smeulders now has the first turn, I'm expecting to receive it within an hour. [;)]

[PaxMondo]

 
SUBSCRIBED!!

[Cribtop]

BANZAI!

[aztez]

Good luck to you! Always nice to see fellow finns doing battles around the pacific! [:D]

[Erkki]

All righty, first turn behind!

Pearl Harbor attack: could have went considerably better!

Morning Air attack on Pearl Harbor , at 180,107

Weather in hex: Clear sky

Raid detected at 118 NM, estimated altitude 16,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 44 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 64
B5N2 Kate x 54
D3A1 Val x 126



Allied aircraft
no flights

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 21 damaged
A6M2 Zero: 17 destroyed by flak
B5N2 Kate: 4 damaged
B5N2 Kate: 2 destroyed by flak
D3A1 Val: 14 damaged
D3A1 Val: 3 destroyed by flak

Allied aircraft losses
PBY-5 Catalina: 3 destroyed on ground
O-47A: 1 destroyed on ground
P-36A Mohawk: 1 destroyed on ground
B-18A Bolo: 1 destroyed on ground
B-17D Fortress: 2 destroyed on ground
P-40B Warhawk: 1 destroyed on ground
A-20A Havoc: 1 destroyed on ground
SBD-1 Dauntless: 1 destroyed on ground
F4F-3 Wildcat: 1 destroyed on ground

Allied Ships
CM Oglala, Bomb hits 1, on fire
BB Maryland, Bomb hits 6, Torpedo hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage
DM Preble
BB Nevada, Bomb hits 5, Torpedo hits 1, on fire
CL Phoenix, Bomb hits 1
BB West Virginia, Bomb hits 6, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
BB Oklahoma, Bomb hits 4, Torpedo hits 1, on fire
BB Pennsylvania, Bomb hits 2, Torpedo hits 2, on fire
BB Tennessee, Bomb hits 3
AV Curtiss
CA San Francisco, Bomb hits 1
DM Montgomery
AS Pelias, Bomb hits 1, on fire
BB California, Bomb hits 3, Torpedo hits 2, heavy damage
xAP St. Mihel
DM Pruitt
AV Tangier, Torpedo hits 1, on fire
BB Arizona, Bomb hits 8, on fire
CL St. Louis, Bomb hits 1
CL Raleigh, Bomb hits 1
DM Ramsay, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires
AG Antares, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires
DMS Trevor, Bomb hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
DD Selfridge, Bomb hits 1, on fire
DD Helm, Bomb hits 1, on fire
CL Honolulu, Bomb hits 1, on fire
DD Tucker, Bomb hits 1


Allied ground losses:
43 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 7 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled


Repair Shipyard hits 1
Manpower hits 11
Fires 5774
Airbase hits 30
Airbase supply hits 1
Runway hits 61
Port hits 10
Port fuel hits 1
Port supply hits 1

Oh yeah! A midget put a torp on West Virginia before this attack, with "listing, counter flooding" reported. It looks like 2 BBs might be going down. The downside was destroying barely 20 Allied aircraft for 26(!!!!!) Zeros + all the lost strike aircraft. Kido Butai lost 44 planes in all with 37 pilots KIA or MIA, and I dont think the PH air field is even cratered enough to stop the P-40s from flying tomorrow.

I'm going to bombard for another day, but tomorrow the Zeros wont be strafing a thing, sweeps and escort ordered..


Everywhere else:

Standard stuff, except I managed to destroy just one (1) Blenheim on the ground, out of all the Allied air force in the Philippines and Malaya. My Ki-27s managed to damage a Buffalo, though. [:D]

For some reason, the ordered port strike to Rangoon failed to fly. There was no report of bad weather.

Also not one single "forlorn hope" ship trying to escape the Philippines, but 2 sighted cruisers that are sailing South I will try to intercept using the Ryujo.


Not a good start.

[pws1225]

Ah, a fellow JFB noob! Good luck and BANZAI!

[Erkki]

Less than 24 after the first rounds are fired, the Japanese High Command already has some, well, command & control issues:

[pws1225]

Erkki - Tracker seems to have a problem reading the beta version of the game, although it handles the last official release just fine. If you're using the beta, you may want to switch back to the 'official' version.

Hope this helps - Paul

[Erkki]

ORIGINAL: pws1225

Erkki - Tracker seems to have a problem reading the beta version of the game, although it handles the last official release just fine. If you're using the beta, you may want to switch back to the 'official' version.

Hope this helps - Paul

Really? How do people manage everything without the Tracker? I mean, without it, I dont even know if I'm using more naval shipyard points than I'm producing, for example...

[pws1225]

I depend on Tracker for exactly that kind of information. I expect you can the same info from within the game if you're willing to keep track of it turn by turn, but Tracker makes the task practical to do.

What version of the game are you using?

[Erkki]

We're using the latest beta - I had no idea that the tracker wouldnt work. Anyone knows if its possible to revert mid game or do we have to play the first turn again?

[pws1225]

I'm pretty sure you can, but I'd recommend posting the question in the technical support forum. You'll get a much better answer there than I can offer. And remember that both you and your opponent will have to revert back to the older 'official version. Good luck.

Paul

[Erkki]

For the aircraft industry or most of the other stuff I dont need it, but I like to see, in the "alert" list, when a ground unit changes hex(without the need to check the moving ones every turn), when new pilots reach their air units(without the need to check every #### unit every turn...) and especially to manage the Home Islands industry, as in, supply, resource, oil and fuel levels. Without noting down the amounts at each base every single turn, how am I going to do it? [&:]

[pws1225]

I don't see how you can unless you enjoy taking notes more than playing the game. That's one reason I am still using the older official version of the game so I can use tracker to watch those for me.

[Erkki]

ORIGINAL: pws1225

I don't see how you can unless you enjoy taking notes more than playing the game. That's one reason I am still using the older official version of the game so I can use tracker to watch those for me.

Looks like going back is not possible - the non-beta, latest official version game wont open the save file(save before I clicked turn done button).

[:(]

[aztez]

That DOS error window had familiar language in it! [:D]

Check the tracker thread. I think you need to copy some dll file(s) when using beta. I read about that earlier today.

Trying to start my japanese campaign "click festival" tomorrow.

[Erkki]

Okay, got the tracker working: I had to move a .dll file from witpae/beta2/ folder to the tracker folder.

[SoliInvictus202]

I can only say that I have exactly the same problem (maybe some different text though) - tracker doesn't work here as well

[Erkki]

ORIGINAL: SoliInvictus202

I can only say that I have exactly the same problem (maybe some different text though) - tracker doesn't work here as well

Okay, just delete the created database files(all 4), then copy & paste pwsdll.dll from witpae/Beta2/ to your tracker main folder.

[pws1225]

ORIGINAL: Erkki

Okay, just delete the created database files(all 4), then copy & paste pwsdll.dll from witpae/Beta2/ to your tracker main folder.

I'll be giving that a try tonight!