The last hurrah - Yamato hugger v Yamato hugger
Posted: Wed Nov 13, 2024 3:31 pm
This is probably going to be my last time playing this game, so I thought I would write an AAR on it. Included in this will be a lot of my age old tricks (since there will be no more updates to the game and Im not playing again, Im not going to keep them a secret anymore). I am playing both sides, since playing the computer in a campaign game is a total joke and playing against someone is always filled with "house rules" its probably easier this way. Note, I have almost always played this game as Japan, so my allied tricks arent as polished as my Japanese tricks. I am also playing version 26a (Jul 10 2016) as the latest version is a complete joke.
Realism options:
FOW on. AWE on. ADC on. PDU on. Historical first turn on. Surprise on. Reliable torps OFF. Realistic R&D on. No Unit withdrawls on. Fixed reinforcements.
Game options: Combat reports on. 2 day turns on. Everything else OFF.
Reasons:
FoW I will only react to what I can actually see on the map and by intell reports. Need FoW on to see what the other side knows.
PDU mainly because thats the only way I have ever played. I think it is true with most players (Im sure there are exceptions).
Historical 1st turn again is the only way I play the game. Too many BS scenarios otherwise (like Japan hitting Java on turn 1 where really the allies would see them coming and react to it).
Real R&D the only real effect is not being able to switch air factories from research planes to production planes back and forth. I play this both ways, and honestly by the way I do things after March 42 this doesnt matter. So the only real effect on this game will be the numbers of E16s I build in the first months of the war.
No unit withdrawls This has minimal effect on the Japanese. I do this to help the allied player as it allows them to save a good number of training squadrons and save a lot of precious aircraft early in the war.
2 day turns 2 reasons 1) it speeds up the game. A LOT. 2) it gives a little more uncertainly as to what is going to happen.
Also, China doesnt work well in this game, so I am not going to do anything here from either side except Hong Kong and Chinas 5th corps. Also the far north (for both sides) was just to keep an eye on each other on the lend lease ships going to the USSR for the most part, so this area is also a non-combat area.
Historical first turn and 2 day turns are the only way I ever play this game.
Dec 7-8 runs as you would expect. Japanese losses were the 5 mini subs at Pearl and 27 Zeros were downed by flak/op losses. All other losses were not worth reporting. Intell reports post turn reported PoW and Repulse sunk along with minor ships at Pearl and in the Phillipines. Actual allied losses were Tennessee and California (and DD Cummings) lost at Pearl and an AVD at Davao. PoW and Repulse both made it back to Singapore. A very bad start for Japan. 25 P40Bs and 19 PBY-5s were destroyed however.
Japans moves:
trick #1 The CS in Hiroshima is my workhorse. EVERY non BB/CA/CL naval scout unit passes through this unit. Units can relocate to it and change their unit size to 24 airplanes (except those with fixed times). Restricted units become unrestricted after landing on it. This only works for the Japanese (not allies) so I always considered it part of the game and I have never reported it as a bug. These squadrons I convert to 24 planes and begin training them in ASW from the start. I will eventually equip them all with E16s. You have to upgrade the squadrons 1 at a time. You move 1 squadron off, upgrade the remaining squadron, move it off, move another one on, upgrade it. You wont be able to move that just upgraded 2nd squadron off, but you can transfer the next truns upgrade on now. So in this way you can upgrade 2 squadrons a turn. Playing 2 day turns slows this process down significantly, but you will be waiting for airplanes anyways, so no real big deal.
trick #2 Just as the scout planes can become unrestricted by transferring to the CS without paying a PP charge, naval carrier aircraft can do the same thing by transferring to carriers (again, this doesnt work on the allied side so again I always considered it part of the game and didnt report it). Once the Akagi gets back to Truk I do the same with non-carrier assigned squadrons as I do with scout squadrons. I increase their sizes to 81 planes when I can (a lot of the Japanese squadrons have set dates when the can upgrade numbers of planes so these cant change). This allows you to get a lot of pilots into training very quickly. It also allows you to cover the whole map to minimize the ability of the allies to run carrier raids into the Japanese rear area like I have seen so many players try to do.
So Japans first move finds scout planes and IJN single engine planes all heading for either Truk or Hiroshima (I use the Hosho to unrestrict squadrons in Japan/China).
I set up 5 carrier groups 4 of which will eventually become 2 CVs 1 CVL, 1 BB (Kongo class), 3 CAs (the higher AA classes), 1 CS, and 6 Fubuki DDs and 1 Yugumo DD (15 ships) each (one of the 4 uses 2 CAs (AA type) and the CAs Tone and Chikuma in place of its CS). The other carrier group will have the CVEs.
3 BB groups of 2 BBs, 2 CAs, and a gaggle of DDs. 1 operates out of Cam Rahn Bay (moves to Singapore after it falls), 1 in Java after it falls,a nd 1 in Rabul. The 2 remaining CAs and the CLs Kitakami and Oi form a 4th "BB group" and goes where needed.
I form 5 CL groups of 3 CLs and 5-8 DDs each and use them to hunt fleeing transports initially. And 3 DD groups are also formed of 8-12 DDs.
And then various assembly points for various ships to start optimizing my supply convoys are set up.
trick #3 I change the HQs of a few units to 11th Air (66th Infantry group, and the Guard brigade as well as a few engineer units that have an attack strength) and use these to capture key bases. There are a few Japanese bomber (G4M) and patrol (H6K) units that are perm restricted. You cant release these units by tricks. These units would be confined to Japan/Formosa, but when you capture an enemy base, that bases HQ changes to the HQ of the unit that captured it. So if you change the Guard to 11th air (which is an unrestricted HQ attached to "General Defense") and use it to capture Rabaul, then Rabaul is now a "General Defense" base and these "restricted" units can base there. You can also land an 11th air engineer unit at a friendly dot base and convert it to General Defense for 0 cost to base your patrol planes at, or expand it into a normal base. So I capture Wake, Guam, Rabaul, Lunga, ect ect ect with THESE units to allow them to base units there. I also make a chain of islands so I can transport ground units like the 1st air division and 11th air flot out of Japan to where they will be more useful (Ha Ha Jima to Guam to Satawal to Rabaul to Lunga for example). This trick DOES work for the allies as well, so I do the same thing there. Move an Asiatic fleet unit (FFE command) to a dot in the Ambon area and another coastal dot in Australia and fly the perma-restricted engineers out of the P.I. to Australia using PBYs. Depending on the speed of Japan on Luzon, I can often get the 7th Marine and 31st infantry regt out even. Change a few bases in northern Australia to ABDA and you can fly out almost the entire Dutch airforce. You can also pull Malayan units out of Malaya doing this, but these units arent worth saving really. I do a little more with a variation of the is trick later for releasing units from Korea and China.
Japan also forms invasion groups for northern Luzon and northern Davao in the P.I, northwestern Borneo, a new Wake force (the 66th infantry group out of Japan) a new Guam force (the Guards out of Japan). Landing forces that were at sea at start are re-routed. And this pretty much ends the Japanese 1st turn. It took me 4 days.
The allied first turn is much easier. Monty Python defense. Everything just tries to run away. I disband most of the air units in the P.I. to save the planes. The little damage they might do isnt worth the loss of the planes. Because of the game options of PDUs on and no withdrawls the allies restricted units that have "good" airplanes can be swapped out (B-17Es for B-10s for example). PBYs begin making their way to Australia to help with the P.I. evacuation. AVPs and AVDs are being sent to the stepping-stone dot bases that the allies will use to pull out. Some Dutch base forces are changed to ABDA and loaded into amphib TFs for movement to Australia. Supplies and fuel is loaded in the NEI and USA and routed to Australia. The PoW and Repulse were put into pierside repair by the computer when they arrived at Singapore so these are put in ready and will have to wait 3 days (2 game turns) to try to ship them out. A Brit CL force is built and sent (with land based Buffalos as cover) and sent to patrol off NW Borneo as well as a Dutch TF out of Java in case I am stupid enough to try to grab it early. This is to secure my Malaya evacuation. A group of warships from Sydney New Zealand, and the French DD are sent to Rabaul. And both sides assign sub patrol areas.
I dont know how far I will get before I get bored with this and quit, but lets see what happens....
Realism options:
FOW on. AWE on. ADC on. PDU on. Historical first turn on. Surprise on. Reliable torps OFF. Realistic R&D on. No Unit withdrawls on. Fixed reinforcements.
Game options: Combat reports on. 2 day turns on. Everything else OFF.
Reasons:
FoW I will only react to what I can actually see on the map and by intell reports. Need FoW on to see what the other side knows.
PDU mainly because thats the only way I have ever played. I think it is true with most players (Im sure there are exceptions).
Historical 1st turn again is the only way I play the game. Too many BS scenarios otherwise (like Japan hitting Java on turn 1 where really the allies would see them coming and react to it).
Real R&D the only real effect is not being able to switch air factories from research planes to production planes back and forth. I play this both ways, and honestly by the way I do things after March 42 this doesnt matter. So the only real effect on this game will be the numbers of E16s I build in the first months of the war.
No unit withdrawls This has minimal effect on the Japanese. I do this to help the allied player as it allows them to save a good number of training squadrons and save a lot of precious aircraft early in the war.
2 day turns 2 reasons 1) it speeds up the game. A LOT. 2) it gives a little more uncertainly as to what is going to happen.
Also, China doesnt work well in this game, so I am not going to do anything here from either side except Hong Kong and Chinas 5th corps. Also the far north (for both sides) was just to keep an eye on each other on the lend lease ships going to the USSR for the most part, so this area is also a non-combat area.
Historical first turn and 2 day turns are the only way I ever play this game.
Dec 7-8 runs as you would expect. Japanese losses were the 5 mini subs at Pearl and 27 Zeros were downed by flak/op losses. All other losses were not worth reporting. Intell reports post turn reported PoW and Repulse sunk along with minor ships at Pearl and in the Phillipines. Actual allied losses were Tennessee and California (and DD Cummings) lost at Pearl and an AVD at Davao. PoW and Repulse both made it back to Singapore. A very bad start for Japan. 25 P40Bs and 19 PBY-5s were destroyed however.
Japans moves:
trick #1 The CS in Hiroshima is my workhorse. EVERY non BB/CA/CL naval scout unit passes through this unit. Units can relocate to it and change their unit size to 24 airplanes (except those with fixed times). Restricted units become unrestricted after landing on it. This only works for the Japanese (not allies) so I always considered it part of the game and I have never reported it as a bug. These squadrons I convert to 24 planes and begin training them in ASW from the start. I will eventually equip them all with E16s. You have to upgrade the squadrons 1 at a time. You move 1 squadron off, upgrade the remaining squadron, move it off, move another one on, upgrade it. You wont be able to move that just upgraded 2nd squadron off, but you can transfer the next truns upgrade on now. So in this way you can upgrade 2 squadrons a turn. Playing 2 day turns slows this process down significantly, but you will be waiting for airplanes anyways, so no real big deal.
trick #2 Just as the scout planes can become unrestricted by transferring to the CS without paying a PP charge, naval carrier aircraft can do the same thing by transferring to carriers (again, this doesnt work on the allied side so again I always considered it part of the game and didnt report it). Once the Akagi gets back to Truk I do the same with non-carrier assigned squadrons as I do with scout squadrons. I increase their sizes to 81 planes when I can (a lot of the Japanese squadrons have set dates when the can upgrade numbers of planes so these cant change). This allows you to get a lot of pilots into training very quickly. It also allows you to cover the whole map to minimize the ability of the allies to run carrier raids into the Japanese rear area like I have seen so many players try to do.
So Japans first move finds scout planes and IJN single engine planes all heading for either Truk or Hiroshima (I use the Hosho to unrestrict squadrons in Japan/China).
I set up 5 carrier groups 4 of which will eventually become 2 CVs 1 CVL, 1 BB (Kongo class), 3 CAs (the higher AA classes), 1 CS, and 6 Fubuki DDs and 1 Yugumo DD (15 ships) each (one of the 4 uses 2 CAs (AA type) and the CAs Tone and Chikuma in place of its CS). The other carrier group will have the CVEs.
3 BB groups of 2 BBs, 2 CAs, and a gaggle of DDs. 1 operates out of Cam Rahn Bay (moves to Singapore after it falls), 1 in Java after it falls,a nd 1 in Rabul. The 2 remaining CAs and the CLs Kitakami and Oi form a 4th "BB group" and goes where needed.
I form 5 CL groups of 3 CLs and 5-8 DDs each and use them to hunt fleeing transports initially. And 3 DD groups are also formed of 8-12 DDs.
And then various assembly points for various ships to start optimizing my supply convoys are set up.
trick #3 I change the HQs of a few units to 11th Air (66th Infantry group, and the Guard brigade as well as a few engineer units that have an attack strength) and use these to capture key bases. There are a few Japanese bomber (G4M) and patrol (H6K) units that are perm restricted. You cant release these units by tricks. These units would be confined to Japan/Formosa, but when you capture an enemy base, that bases HQ changes to the HQ of the unit that captured it. So if you change the Guard to 11th air (which is an unrestricted HQ attached to "General Defense") and use it to capture Rabaul, then Rabaul is now a "General Defense" base and these "restricted" units can base there. You can also land an 11th air engineer unit at a friendly dot base and convert it to General Defense for 0 cost to base your patrol planes at, or expand it into a normal base. So I capture Wake, Guam, Rabaul, Lunga, ect ect ect with THESE units to allow them to base units there. I also make a chain of islands so I can transport ground units like the 1st air division and 11th air flot out of Japan to where they will be more useful (Ha Ha Jima to Guam to Satawal to Rabaul to Lunga for example). This trick DOES work for the allies as well, so I do the same thing there. Move an Asiatic fleet unit (FFE command) to a dot in the Ambon area and another coastal dot in Australia and fly the perma-restricted engineers out of the P.I. to Australia using PBYs. Depending on the speed of Japan on Luzon, I can often get the 7th Marine and 31st infantry regt out even. Change a few bases in northern Australia to ABDA and you can fly out almost the entire Dutch airforce. You can also pull Malayan units out of Malaya doing this, but these units arent worth saving really. I do a little more with a variation of the is trick later for releasing units from Korea and China.
Japan also forms invasion groups for northern Luzon and northern Davao in the P.I, northwestern Borneo, a new Wake force (the 66th infantry group out of Japan) a new Guam force (the Guards out of Japan). Landing forces that were at sea at start are re-routed. And this pretty much ends the Japanese 1st turn. It took me 4 days.
The allied first turn is much easier. Monty Python defense. Everything just tries to run away. I disband most of the air units in the P.I. to save the planes. The little damage they might do isnt worth the loss of the planes. Because of the game options of PDUs on and no withdrawls the allies restricted units that have "good" airplanes can be swapped out (B-17Es for B-10s for example). PBYs begin making their way to Australia to help with the P.I. evacuation. AVPs and AVDs are being sent to the stepping-stone dot bases that the allies will use to pull out. Some Dutch base forces are changed to ABDA and loaded into amphib TFs for movement to Australia. Supplies and fuel is loaded in the NEI and USA and routed to Australia. The PoW and Repulse were put into pierside repair by the computer when they arrived at Singapore so these are put in ready and will have to wait 3 days (2 game turns) to try to ship them out. A Brit CL force is built and sent (with land based Buffalos as cover) and sent to patrol off NW Borneo as well as a Dutch TF out of Java in case I am stupid enough to try to grab it early. This is to secure my Malaya evacuation. A group of warships from Sydney New Zealand, and the French DD are sent to Rabaul. And both sides assign sub patrol areas.
I dont know how far I will get before I get bored with this and quit, but lets see what happens....
