Struggling to get to grips....

[mikeyjones]

Hi Everybody,

OK, so this is my first post and I hope I don't sound too stupid - though given that I have what some folk would consider basic questions, I probably will.

I've only been playing WITP for a few days (though have managed to rack up 24+ hours of game time whilst making substantial withdrawals from my "relationship bank account" - thank god for Big Brother (in the UK) at the moment or I think my girlfriend would have binned me off already!!) and have struggled on a few things that I'd like to seek some advice from experienced players on, just to get me through this learning period more quickly. By the way, I have read the manual and searched the board so I think I have taken on a fair chunk of information anyway.

Question One. The thing I like about WITP is the size and the detail. I'm really struggling though to think at the right strategic level. I can conceptualise what I want to achieve (e.g. hold a temporary line at this point but start building a better defensive line between points A, B and C) but I struggle to implement this strategically because I start micromanaging and then tinkering. What I'm struggling with is, I think, the Order of Battle. I know I have HQ units (e.g. in my current, starter scenario there is Southeast Asia command and I have the Malay Army HQ) but I can't work out what units are associated with this HQ so that I keep them near to get command benefits / avoid penalties. Simiarly with the RAF units. I seem to have several RAF units and several HQs (I think) but I'm not sure who should stack up under where. When going through the history on this board and looking for "Order of Battle" I can see people planning campaigns and making reference to Group II, Group III and Group IV etc where it looks like they've grouped units. Is this just a "conceptual" grouping not actually supported with the game of am I missing something? Generally, any tips on better organising myself to avoid micromanaging would be greatly appreciated - though I do like a bit of micromanagement at times! Moving umpteen units though, I'd like to be a bit more macro....

Question Two. I'll kick myself when I get the answer. I'm losing tons of ships when trying to evacuate / relocate troops. Essentially, I want a TF to head to a location and pick up troops and then come back. What happens is that the TF gets to its objectives and then comes straight back so, again, I get bogged down in micromanagement. I suppose that this is better than the poor guys sitting at the port with enemy troops on all sides and bombs raining on their heads watching as the ships come into port and then bugger off without them. It takes me a while to actually get the ship into port and, invariably, the TF gets spotted and despatched fairly quickly by some well aimed torpedoes. Where am I going wrong?

Question Three. I'm rubbish at recon. Period. When I make a defensive stand, I can't determine the make up of the attacking force (other than info from combat reports) and so can't decide whether fight or flight is the best approach. When I do counter-attack, I can't determine any degree of effectiveness. i.e. I want to know if I'm doing any damage. I have the right recon missions being flown so I'm guessing that my recon capability is pretty weak.....thought?

Basics - I'm sorry - but any help through this frustrating (but essential) "learning" period would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks all.

[Gen.Hoepner]

About question 2:
Transport ships are slow and big, so they get spotted very easily.
If you want to evacuate at night, unseen and at low risk a certain location, you need to form a Fast Transport TF (mainly using DDs and CLs). Set the base of the TF a port where you want those troops to get safe and then click load troops button. Youll soon find another button called Pick Up Troops. Select the unit you want to grab and the TF will do the job. Just rember that this kind of TF tries to arrive at destination at night and normally it takes up to several nights to evacuate a medium size unit

[treespider]

ORIGINAL: Gen.Hoepner

About question 2:
Transport ships are slow and big, so they get spotted very easily.
If you want to evacuate at night, unseen and at low risk a certain location, you need to form a Fast Transport TF (mainly using DDs and CLs). Set the base of the TF a port where you want those troops to get safe and then click load troops button. Youll soon find another button called Pick Up Troops. Select the unit you want to grab and the TF will do the job. Just rember that this kind of TF tries to arrive at destination at night and normally it takes up to several nights to evacuate a medium size unit

Cautionary Note: Make sure none of the ships in the FT have a floatplane. (Until the next patch at least) there is currently a bug that will cause the unit to vanish if the FT TF has a floatplane and it performs a pickup.

[mikeyjones]

Thanks. Thought I'd give it a blast whilst at lunch at my desk and the Fast Transport TF is clear - appreciate that. Don't have so many of them at the moment so I guess it'll be APs and AKs for the time being....

[Gen.Hoepner]

For a good recon you need a dedicated type of plane. If you play allies, you're gonna recieve the P-38 for the recon in late 42...till then, use some very experienced 2Es bombers, but do not count much on what they report.

[DFalcon]

You can get the transport to stay until your order phase by making the destination and the home port the same. This is a do or die order. Even if they abort they will return to the same base. If it is under enemy aircover it is more likely to be die than do, but sometimes you have to try.

[dtravel]

1) There is no in-game association between HQs and units.  Even the general area assignments you see listed in the top left corner of the unit detail windows has little if any effect in the game.  All units within the radius of effect of a HQ unit will get the benefit of the special abilities of that HQ.  Any and all LCUs in the same hex will get the benefit of the HQs support squads.  So don't worry about what units are assigned to what HQs or commands.
 
2) The usual way (at least for me) to do what you're describing here is to create the Transport TF, set it to "Patrol/Do Not Retire" and then once it has reached its destination you order it to load the unit.  Don't bother with Fast Transport TFs at all, they are seriously buggered.  But even with "Patrol/DNR" there is a chance the ships will turn around and run away if they are attacked.  Orders are not always obeyed in this game.
 
3) If you are playing as the Allies, then yes your recon ability is very weak.  Especially at the start of the war.  Fog Of War (FOW) is a big factor in this game and you will have to get used to not knowing everything you'd like to.
 
Keep asking questions.  We're usually pretty good about answering even very dumb basic ones.  (Personally, I suspect its 'cause we're still learning the answers ourselves even after two years but that could just be me.)
 
And welcome to Micromanagement In The Pacific: Struggling Against The Details, 1941-46. [:'(]

[6971grunt]

As to Question 2: The already posted responses are excellent. When you send a convoy to pick up troops make sure that you click-off "retirement allowed" so that the convoy remains at the port. Also, the port size will determine how fast you can remove units [e.g., a 1-size port will load slower than a 5-size port].

As to Question 3: I have found that recon-by-bombardment is an effective way to see the units you are up against [although it uses supply and may cause some fatigue]. Just place your units on "bombardment" and you should get an idea what troops you are facing.

As to Question 1: This is a more difficult question because everyone is different as to a "strategic approach". WiTP is made for the micro-manager, but also permits the AI to control certain aspects of the game [i.e., automatic convoys, automatic ship selection, etc.], but most of us like the "micro" aspects of the game.

What I think your asking concerns the organization of your forces. Your unit screen(s) indicate which HQ(s) to which they are attached. One of the drawbacks of the system is that there is no visual representation on the screen as to what units belong to the 4th Fleet, or the Southeast Fleet, etc. Once you get into the game a bit more you'll be more familiar with the units and to whom they belong.

Does this provide any answers to you Question 1[&:]

[mikeyjones]

Thanks for the responses and apologies for my slow one.  I'm finding it difficult to balance my fledgling WiTP career with my "real" career and my relationship!!  Oh well, we all love a challenge.
 
Sorry if my original post was a bit vague but grunt6971 has prett much nailed it.  I have in my mind a strategy and want to organise my forces accordingly but I struggle to put them in the right place because I don't know who they belong to.  For example, if we look at Southeast Asia in early '42, I have several HQ units available: Southeast Asia, IND III Corp, 221 RAF, 222 RAF and 224 RAF.  I can see that SE HQ has a command radius of 9 so I've moved this unit so that all other units within 18 hexes get the command bonus but I'm not so sure as which units now slot under the other HQs.  I'm guessing that IND III Corp is the 'parent' of the Indian divisions that I have and so the other LCU's don't have a Corps HQ.  As to which RAF units stack up under the RAF HQs, I'm not so sure.  Similarly, in West Coast I can see the West Coast HQ, US III Corp HQ and US IX Corps HQ.  There are then LCUs for 7th USA Div and 41st USA Div.  I guess my concern is that if I stack a unit up under the wrong HQ, I'll lose command benefits.  Does this make better sense?
 
I had some pretty decent sessions over the weekend so I'm getting a lot more comfortable (a campaign no longer seems completely daunting) with things.  The order of battle or how a unit stacks up under the command structure is still a little hazy....
 
Thanks again for people's responses.
 
 
Mikey.

[Rob Brennan UK]

One quick think mikey .. Command radius iirc INCLUDES the hex the HQ is in , so a range 9 can only reach range 8 when you start hex counting and range 1 only affect the hex it is in. Not a biggie but worth keeping in mind [;)]

nice to see a new convert too.. this game seems to be continually selling for matrix and all new players welcome and there isn't a 'dumb' question by default. we all learn new stuff every day about this game so welcome to a very long but enjoyable learning curve [:D]

[dtravel]

ORIGINAL: mikeyjones
I guess my concern is that if I stack a unit up under the wrong HQ, I'll lose command benefits.

There is no "wrong" HQ. The only criteria for a unit to get a HQ's benefits is to be within the command radius.

The order of battle or how a unit stacks up under the command structure is still a little hazy....

There is no order of battle or command structure except what you create yourself.