Froonp
Posts: 7995
Joined: 10/21/2003 From: Marseilles, France Status: offline
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quote:
ORIGINAL: marcuswatney quote:
ORIGINAL: SurrenderMonkey Definitely to many usable islands between Hawaii and Midway, IMHO. Take a look at the WitP map - I think the only usable piece of ground is French Frigate Shoals, and it is extremely marginal at best. Johnston Island is due west, and much more viable. What's that west of Midway, between Midway and Wake? I'd like to ask if anything has been done to eliminate from play islands too small to host an airstrip, a concern first raised in 2006 (Post 9)? War in the Pacific makes the distinction between islands and atolls, and at this new detailed scale I think MWiF should too. The problem with putting in extra islands and atolls is that each new one reduces the imperative of capturing focus-hexes like Midway. The reason Midway was important was that it was the only airstrip in air range of Hawaii. This doesn't seem to be the case any more. SurrenderMonkey mentioned French Frigate Shoals. Their sole involvement in the war was during the Midway operation when a Japanese submarine carrying avgas was tasked to rendez-vous there with two Emilies, and refuel them for a reconnaisaance of Pearl Harbor. The task was aborted when the submarine found there was an American seaplane tender there. French Frigate Shoals is just a reef whose 'platform' is submerged a hundred feet. There is a rock sticking out of the water and that is about it. Millitarily it is totally useless so shouldn't appear on the map in any functional role. I reckon the other 'islands' between Midway and the Hawaiian Islands are even less significant. The smallest island of military significance (defined as being large enough for an airstrip) is Wake. Mayfair Games published a delightful little game on the two invasions of triangular Wake, where the airstrip took up the whole of one side of the triangle, the other two being arms only a few yards wide. It is the only game I have played where PanAm staff get stuck into the fight! I don't think that this is a problem. The important places of the Pacific War are still important because they sit on multiple sea area. This is what makes them important in WiF. Midway in WiF is much more important that any other island in the Hawaiian chain, except for Ohau, because it has a port which allows for a base stacking of 2 air units, and because it is put in supply from the adjacent sea area. The other islands in the chain needs their owner to put them in supply through the Hawaiian island sea area. You see what I mean ? That there are more possible bases in the Hawaiian chain is not a problem either, there are aready too much on the WiF FE map, there is no restrain. This said, I would love if we had an "Atoll" terrain type in the game. It would only allow to stack 1 seaplane, and nothing else (no land unit, no ships).
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