AI not building Merchant Marine

[*Lava*]

Okay, so I saw this in my Allied campaign. The AI responds to merchant marine losses by building more escorts, but does not build more merchant marine. Fatal for the Japanese.

Now I'm into my Japanese campaign and I am seeing the same behavior. I am crippling the Allied merchant marine, and it is building escorts in response... but no merchants.

Think this logic needs to be reversed.

[ncc1701e]

Hope the AI is building transports for USA too.

[AlvaroSousa]

It might not be able to keep up with the losses.

But I will check.

[AlvaroSousa]

Also which side are you and what year is it?

[*Lava*]

Also which side are you and what year is it?

Japan - 1 Jan 1943

The UK has gone from 105 merchants and 12 escorts to 51 merchants and 21 escorts.

The US has gone from 43 merchants and 12 escorts to 39 merchants and 27 escorts.

[AlvaroSousa]

It builds what it needs + 20% more. So if it is not using that amount it doesn't build.

[ncc1701e]

I must play badly then, because I am always building MM playing both sides.
I prefer to have plenty.

[generalfdog]

I rarely build mm in pacific, ai has lots of issues right now but i think this would be down on the list unless they pretty much out, as long as we are talking ai builds seems to me they build too much air and then don't use them

[*Lava*]

I rarely build mm in pacific, ai has lots of issues right now but i think this would be down on the list unless they pretty much out, as long as we are talking ai builds seems to me they build too much air and then don't use them

IMO, while most of the action happens on land, the War in the Pacific is really a naval war. A 1939 fighter division costs more than an army. Hell, at 300 pp it costs almost as much as a light CV (400 pp).

For Japan, which is heavily reliant on merchants shipping oil, that fighter division is equal to 30 merchants. The Japanese start with 200 merchants of which 154 are required to ship all goods (especially oil). Yet, the Japanese, will not produce merchants, and instead buy upwards to 10 escorts. 10 escorts is equal to 400 production and it is also equal to 40 merchants.

Another problem Japan has is that ASW starts at 1939. This puts them way behind the power curve to counter US submarines, and leaves them vulnerable to interdiction.

I believe if the AI is not going to build merchants for the Japanese, they should have at least 2 merchant marine in their reinforcement queue when you start the war. Otherwise, it is too easy to interdict their merchants and by 1944, they are pretty much importing nothing.

As for the Allies, yea, I guess it really doesn't matter. In my game playing Japan, the US built 100 escorts to defend 80 merchants. Yep, I couldn't attack the merchants with all those escorts around and they appear to have plenty of everything, but the cost/benefit ratio there, is just way too inefficient to be building so many escorts and almost no merchants. I think the Allies built (and we are talking June 1944) 4 merchant units.

As for aircraft, yep, the Japanese have way too many aircraft, the US has a huge amount, however, the UK and Indian military, have almost nothing. If any part of the war needs aircraft, it is India, as it is pretty easy to bring their advance to a standstill with just infantry.

A big reason that I think that the Japanese AI doesn't use its aircraft is that it is far too short on oil. They have quite a few tactical aircraft units, but using 3 oil... its no wonder they don't get used. That may be historically correct, however, it detracts from playing the Allies (as the Japanese don't use that huge air force of theirs), although, by far, playing the Allies is the most fun and worth the price of admission.