Matrix Games Forums

Just getting into this game but I need some help.

I can't get my head round supply. I am Japanese and all my main ports have loads of supply and I have transport TFs. How do I go about supplying isolated infantry for instance start of Scenario 19 I have infantry unit in Buka with no supply. How do i get supplies to them when there is no airfield or port (and how do i send supplies by air anyway!) Does the AI do anything for me re-supplying or do I need to do it all manually?

Also my ground troops need support - what sort of support - encouraging words? and if it is tangible support where do I find it and how do I send it to them?

If I set up TF of one sub and make it computer controlled will the AI automatically send the subs out on patrol. Mine are just sitting there.

Thanks in advance

ORIGINAL: Bill Durrant

Just getting into this game but I need some help.

I can't get my head round supply. I am Japanese and all my main ports have loads of supply and I have transport TFs. How do I go about supplying isolated infantry for instance start of Scenario 19 I have infantry unit in Buka with no supply. How do i get supplies to them when there is no airfield or port (and how do i send supplies by air anyway!) Does the AI do anything for me re-supplying or do I need to do it all manually?

Also my ground troops need support - what sort of support - encouraging words? and if it is tangible support where do I find it and how do I send it to them?

If I set up TF of one sub and make it computer controlled will the AI automatically send the subs out on patrol. Mine are just sitting there.

Thanks in advance

The Transports will unload supplies to your troops if ya send them there....they will just unload slower in a non-port hex. No airdrops in UV....will be in WitP though. I don't use the AI at all for my TFs. Support is given by HQ and ENG units in the same hex. Subs do crazy things when under computer control.....ALL my TFs are human controlled.

And I always disband the present TFs at the start of the game and rebuild them the way I need them. Tailor the TFs for the mission.

Smaller Supply TFs are less likely to be spotted and attacked. Send SCs and PGs with transports to get them experience. They are useful later on when they are more experienced.

You can give them shakedown cruises with DDs to gain experience faster. I've seen that SCs won't drop on subs much, if at all, at first. The will drop on subs if they are with a DD that is dropping.

Just a few ideas for you.

Thanx - keep the ideas coming -I need all the help I can get.

Thrown myself in the deep end with PBEM scen 19[X(]

Hi and welcome to the deep end [:)]

As to supplies, I believe you can send supplies to any beach hex and start off-loading there. It will take forever, since the beach is treated as a level 0 port. Buka qualifies as a beach hex. I don't play as the IJN, but I believe the first air transports they get are Topsy transports. The Allies can transport supplies with PBYs and level bombers. I think the IJN can also do so with their Nell bombers.

As to support, each ground unit has a page showing their numbers, weapons, etc. as well as the support they have on hand and the support they need. It's on the left hand side of the page. Usually, combat engineers, infantry, and AA need more support than they have, whereas base forces and headquaters have more support than they need. Support in this game is a generic term for all of the functions the "rear echelon" provides (meals, administration, logistics, rest areas, etc.). Units with less support than they need will lose morale rather than recover it, and more and more of your combat forces will go into the parenthesis (or "unavailable) column of the unit detail page.

Subs are an aspect of the game that is often "left over" by many players, especially against the AI. Placing a sub on "computer control" after you create a sub task force is not the same as the pre-game option "Auto Sub Ops". If you want to have the AI run your subs for you, the "Auto Sub Ops" must be selected before the game starts (if you're playing PBEM). Placing a sub on "Computer Control" means the sub will sail to a destination hex you provide, and then start responding to sighting reports and tracking targets across the ocean on their own. The benefit of that is the AI will determine when the sub neds to come home due to low fuel, etc. but that is far outweighed by the detremint of increased SYS damage from running all over the ocean chasing contacts.

Hope that helps. Have fun! [:)]

The best thing to do with the isolated Japanese units at the start of the game is to send ships (either a tranport or a FT TF) to load them and bring them in a real base. Japanese units really suffer in no-base dots, especially without supplies.

As for supplying an unit on a beach, you can send a transport TF, as in a port. But it will be awfully slowly to unload and Allied submarines may come quickly, especially as coastwtachers will probably report the ships.

A better way to supply such a spot is to send a fast transport TF, that unloads pratically as fast on a beach as in a port. And the best way is to use barges.

To create barges, you should have a transport TF loaded with supply points coming from Truk. Then you will have a button 'activate barges' activated at the low right side of the TF screen. Barges will be created using some supplies carried by the ships (maybe 20-25 supplies for each barge).

Then you can use the barges as transports TF. The best way is to have then sailing routine convoys from bigger bases to smaller ones. Barges are slow and small but carry only 70 or 100 supplies but so unload in one turn on a beach as in a port. And they are worth 0 victory point so you can lose as much as you want.

When they are sunk, they return to a pool and will eventually be released again when your barge number will be low enough. So in 1943 when the barges operate almost always under Allied air range and with high losses, barges will come back repeatdly (I countedt he losses in an IJN 1943 game and I lost 265 before 5 July 1943). The funny thing is that when the barge returns it has the fuel status and the cargo it has when sunk...

As for using planes to bring supplies, the cargo flown are too small to be really useful and op losses will be high, especially with Topsies that have crews with exp 50. It's a better idea to keep your transport planes to fly troops where they are needed. You can also use Emilies or Mavis to carry troops and supplies, but they are far more useful flying naval research.

You can use Nells and Betties to fly supply but it is a really very, very bad idea. These planes are really a lethal but highly fragile weapon and should not be used for secondary mission. They are here to put torpedoes in ships and are too valuable in this mission to do other missions than navl attack/naval search and sometimes night port attack. To close an airfield, Vals are far more better.

I can't get my head round supply. I am Japanese and all my main ports have loads of supply and I have transport TFs.

That's a good start... you want to identify your main bases or hubs and keep them supplied. As Japan Turk is the port of entry for supply and fuel - it will alwayys have 90,000 of each. I like to setup a couple of routine convoys running between Truk and Rabaul bringing supplies, then use smaller convoys from Rabaul to ferry supplies to my other bases.

How do I go about supplying isolated infantry for instance start of Scenario 19 I have infantry unit in Buka with no supply. How do i get supplies to them when there is no airfield or port (and how do i send supplies by air anyway!)

Ports only matter when it comes to loading and unloading speeds. You can set any dot hex as a destination and your TF will sail there and unload supplies as normal - only if there is no port it will unload them over the 'beach'. Keep in mind that the smaller the port (0 size = beach) the slower the unloading will be. So while you might think it might be a good idea to send a 3000 cap transport to a beach hex, it will take ages and ages to unload.

You and fly supplies in via air - but for this there has to be a base and airfield built up. No airfield, no planes will fly in. Simply select 'supply transport' as the mission and the destination hex, and vola, the planes will fly a small amount of supply in. I believe float plans can fly in supply without an airfield, but they require a port.

Does the AI do anything for me re-supplying or do I need to do it all manually?

Supplying needs to be done manually.

Also my ground troops need support - what sort of support - encouraging words? and if it is tangible support where do I find it and how do I send it to them?

There are 2 types of support - Aviation support and generic Support. AV support is fairly simple - 1 AV support provides faclities for 1 aircraft, thus the more AV support you have at a base, the more planes you can base there without them breaking down (bewarned that airfield size also plays a part, but you can owrry about that latter).

Generic support is similar. Each of your units require a certian level of support to function effectively. You can safely ignore the support reqs for individual units - just concentrate on the support needed for your base. You can increase support at a base by shipping a HQ unit over, as Japan you have 3-4 large HQ units spare. HQ units are pure support units - that's all they do.

If I set up TF of one sub and make it computer controlled will the AI automatically send the subs out on patrol. Mine are just sitting there.

You need to give them a destination. They will then sail there and patrol the general area. Or you can go into the options menu and set "Auto sub ops" and the computer will control them for you entirely.

Thank you very much guys you have all been of tremendous assistance[&o]

ORIGINAL: Veer

I believe float plans can fly in supply without an airfield, but they require a port.

False. Floaplanes can fly supplies and troops to dots held by their side, there is no need of a port. And they may also be based in any beach with 0 port and 0 airfield, but op losses will be higher.