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All Forums >> [Current Games From Matrix.] >> [World War II] >> Uncommon Valor - Campaign for the South Pacific >> PATHEtic!

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PATHEtic! - 9/17/2002 4:20:41 AM

motaman

Posts: 31
Joined: 7/17/2002
Status: offline

from the beginning of scenario 19 to almost a month through, port morsbey has allowed no more than 3-4 air strikes in that ammount of time due to "airfield closed, missions cancelled." This has happened every time i've started 19 and allows the japs to invade burma and gill gilli without worry of LBA. now, a month later my strikes have picked up to about 2 a week. it's like in the cartoons where the storm cloud hovers and follows the toon arround, unable to seperate itself. WHAT GIVES?

also, why the hell don't search aircraft automaticly shadow enemy TF untill they run low on fuel? And even more a mystery, why the hell are friendly TF's not able to shadow enemy TF????? I can't im,agine why it wouldnt be an option.

Post #: 1

- 9/17/2002 5:56:41 AM

Sabre21

Posts: 8231
Joined: 4/27/2001
From: on a mountain in Idaho
Status: offline

Hi Motaman

Darn weather is so unpredictable down there, I am about 3 months into 19 now as the allies and have to admit the first 2 months was pretty intense. It seems my dakotas fly every turn regardless of weather...my cap at PM has always intercepted incoming Jap strikes (unfortunately for them), but my bomber strikes are few and far between.

I had 5 B17 squadrons at gili gili with tons of support, 0 fatigue, clear weather...and as I made my invasion of Lae I had all the B17's just sit on the ramp not doing squat. Then when I finally take Lae...after several days of hard fighting and clear weather..the B17s finally come in to strike...it's like the banker giving me a loan after I paid off my house. Them B17 crews lost their beer privilege:)

It just seems at times there's just some random luck (or bad luck) that occurs from time to time. In the first week I had a major carrier fight..it was Thunderstorms, both sides were probing the other around the slot for several days trying to get in a good position when I ended up 2 hexes away..sheesh. After my strikes went in piecemeal with the first group of 18 unescorted dauntleses getting completely wiped out (them fighter pilots lost their beer priveleges too), I got in 1 decent strike with several bombs and 2 torps in each of the Shoho and Shokaku. The counter strike though was horrid...bomb after bomb and numerous torps struck my carriers. But when the battle ended...only the Lex had 10 dam and that was it...although 2 of my destroyers were smokin hulks both of which went down. Needless to say the fog of war can be unnerving at times!

Sabre21

(in reply to motaman)

Post #: 2

- 9/17/2002 12:17:54 PM

Drongo

Posts: 2205
Joined: 7/12/2002
From: Melb. Oztralia
Status: offline

G'day Motaman,

I totally agree. It's very frustrating, especially when airfields are closed in better weather as well. IMO, New Guinea airbases seem to suffer a lot worse than other locations in terms of missions cancelled. It cuts both ways, too. I've had a lot of trouble (from weather) getting the IJN LBA in Northern NG to launch strikes against allied shipping.

I was under the impression that weather now had a (slightly)smaller chance of stopping launches (one of the last patches?).
It still seems too frequent. You'd have a hard time repeating something like the historic Battle of the Bismark Sea where the allies consistently got their airstrikes off when they needed them (despite less than favourable weather in the region).

_____________________________

Have no fear,
drink more beer.

(in reply to motaman)

Post #: 3

- 9/18/2002 4:14:27 AM

motaman

Posts: 31
Joined: 7/17/2002
Status: offline

it's comforting to know i'm not the only one who's being frustrated by weather. but it doesnt make it any less frustrating.

especially when, after writing this post, i continued to p[lay out my scenario. the japs, of course, were able to land at gilli gilli and burna, thanks to my field being closed. port morsbey opened and i forgot all about the weather/closed field crap by bombing the japs on the ground. after building up PM with lots of bombers and their experience rising with every ground attack, i was confident in my ability to take those bases back, and without a doubt i'll crush any jap reinforcments. my bombers have been making daily raids, with no bad nweather for weeks now, when i see some jap TF's approaching gilli gilli. EXCELLENT, i think, they'll be wasted. GUESS WHAT HAPPENS! yep, "PM airfield closed due to weather." the jap TF's are allowed to unload supplies at gilli gilli and bombard PM. after a few days the jap supply tf leaves and im able to get one piece-meal attack on the transport TF heading for home. WHAT AN INCREADIBLE JOKE! i have this feeling that the japs have either rose on some spiritual level and can control the weather, or the game is CHEATING! if the latter is the case, dammit.. it just better not be. That would really piss me off!

(in reply to motaman)

Post #: 4

- 9/18/2002 9:22:21 AM

Sabre21

Posts: 8231
Joined: 4/27/2001
From: on a mountain in Idaho
Status: offline

When I play as the Allies in 19, I move all 4 of my dakota squadrons to cooktown and airlift in the aussie brigade and an engineer unit to Buna. One squadron shuttles in supplies. By the time the Japs invade there, the Brigade is intact and has no difficulty eliminating the invaders.

Gili Gili is a bit more difficult. I strip my cruisers and all but a couple destroyers from my carriers forming a TF operating south of Lunga. I send the CV's just out of LBA range south of Gili Gili. So far I have had pretty good luck in destroying the invasion force moving there. The Couple cruisers and destroyers from Brisbane are also used to move in and take out what my air strikes fail to sink. This will chase of that invasion.

The cruiser group that came from the carriers sits south of Guadacanal. I send a PBY unit into tulagi for early warning. Once I see thier small invasion fleets heading to Tulagi and the Canal..I split my force and send a pair of cruisers and 2-3 DD's to each port. This is enough to take out the single DD and PC and chase off the invasion. The tricky part is getting those guys outta there before the Jap carriers get close enough to attack.

Usually I follow up the gili gili force with a brigade out of brisbane and an engineer unit (base force). I also send a base force up to Lunga once the Jap carriers head back to truk. By the time they get back, I usually have a brigade, a base force, 20k+ of supplies and 3-4 aviation units at Lunga and at Gili Gili.

Sabre21

(in reply to motaman)

Post #: 5

- 9/19/2002 1:14:01 AM

Basement Command

Posts: 64
Joined: 11/1/2001
From: Boise, ID
Status: offline

Plopping a large surface group in a harbor can really raise Cain with an invasion force, but be prepared to take losses. Even PT boats in large numbers when they become available can be useful, they can even disrupt an enemy bombardment mission. As for the weather, that's spiritual, the Divine Wind you know.

_____________________________

The only skills I have the patience to learn are those that have no practical application in real life.

(in reply to motaman)

Post #: 6

Response... - 9/19/2002 8:51:18 PM

Erik Rutins

Posts: 37503
Joined: 3/28/2000
From: Vermont, USA
Status: offline

Motaman,

Believe it or not, after hundreds upon hundreds of turns of UV, such occurrences of 3-4 strikes per month are extremely rare. I can think of one instance where I didn't get even a single strike off on a TF approaching Buna or Gili Gili. Bad weather (and very unpredictable weather) was a feature of this theater and definitely of Port Moresby. Nevertheless, I would be very surprised if your experience here becomes at all commonplace. PM often misses one air phase, sometimes misses a day, but very rarely misses more than a day or two in a row. Given that the enemy needs time to unload, that virtually always allows a strike to get through.

When you get an Air Force HQ, move it to PM if you're using it as a major air base. The bonuses that will provide to coordination (and meteorology) will help a great deal in getting strikes off the ground regularly.

I assure you that the AI isn't cheating, although it may be looking ahead to the next day's forecast for certain decisions. As a human player, I have often held transport TFs for a turn out of likely air detection/strike range when the next day's forecast called for Thunderstorms. While there's no guarantee they'll be local to the TF, it gives your on the spot commander the best chance to dodge enemy air.

Regards,

- Erik

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Erik Rutins
CEO, Matrix Games LLC