Major Convoys?

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All Forums >> [New Releases from Matrix Games] >> War in the Pacific: Admiral's Edition >> The War Room >> Major Convoys?

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Major Convoys? - 8/12/2010 12:13:15 AM

mbk2043

Posts: 27
Joined: 8/12/2010
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Thank you all for giving a moment to give a newb some advice. I understand how to set up CS's, and know the areas which most need supply/fuel as the allies, what I don't understand is what ships to use 'endurance' wise. Running from CapeTown to OZ, which port should I aim for and will my convoys need AK types and an AO tagging along to make the trip? ... seems they always show endurance going into the red. Ditto with runs from WestCoast to East OZ. Will I have to carry the stuff halfway, deposit and then carry on with other convoys?

Thanks for helping to ease some of my ignorance, without getting supply/fuel to the needed areas any other kind of operation seems futile.

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RE: Major Convoys? - 8/12/2010 12:26:56 AM

Bullwinkle58

Posts: 11302
Joined: 2/24/2009
Status: offline

I go CT to Perth. The 10k and above ships will make it with Direct routing. You can salt in some 9k and 8ks with the big boys, and the latter will refuel them after they come out of the exit box headed to Perth. You need to decide how or if to refuel them at Perth. Depends on what you can spare there for the return. You can also run AOs with anything, but I think this route is a waste of them.

The East Coast to CT off-map route doesn't use fuel (assumed they refuel somewhere en route) so you can run xAKLs there if you can first get them to CT or EC fuel-wise. Early in the war you'll need to haul a lot of fuel in xAKs and xAKLs. You just don't have enough tankers.

Some off-map routes DO use fuel (see the manual) because the boxes take on-map movement. Some routes don't.

I leave a nest of xAKLs and the short-leg tankers (the TANs in particular) at Perth to distribute around the coast, especially to Darwin. I make emergency fuel dumps of under 5k at Derby and Broome.

Set the supply spinner at Perth for the situation; a lot of supply will head east by land if you do that. Fuel you really have to spread out by hand.

As far as westbound tankers off the WC, early on I don't do any except to Hawaii, and from there to Midway. IJN subs have laser finders for tankers, and your ASW isn't up to protecting them as they come out of San Diego or LA. Most people set up fuel way-stations at Pago-Pago or similar, but I don't fiddle with it. By the time you get them running you can stop routing around Tarawa (you've re-captured it) and your ASW is sufficient to allow the long-range tankers to be escorted all the way to NZ, Noumea, or Sydney without stopping. Those routes might justify an AO or two, but that's not until very late 1942 or 1943.

Fuel management is among the most personal preferenced areas of the game. Ask ten people what they do and you'll get ten answers.

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The Moose

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RE: Major Convoys? - 8/12/2010 12:36:28 AM

mbk2043

Posts: 27
Joined: 8/12/2010
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Thank you for you speedy and informative reply. I seem to have totally missed the 'direct' route command. I knew it was there but didnt realize it could cut off more that 1/3 of the distance. Against the AI, I will probably get away with it for awhile, course ASW patrols can also follow the same nice lines

. Thank you also for the advice about the EC to CT run, I hadn't been 'thinking outside the box' like that.

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RE: Major Convoys? - 8/12/2010 9:25:24 AM

terje439

Posts: 6813
Joined: 3/28/2004
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quote:

ORIGINAL: mbk2043

... seems they always show endurance going into the red.

That is because they calculate the trip to the target port and back again since CT or wherever is their homeport. If you try to change the homeport to the target port, they will not be listed in red.

Terje

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("She is to be torpedoed!")

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RE: Major Convoys? - 8/12/2010 9:46:18 PM

Bullwinkle58

Posts: 11302
Joined: 2/24/2009
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: mbk2043

Thank you for you speedy and informative reply. I seem to have totally missed the 'direct' route command. I knew it was there but didnt realize it could cut off more that 1/3 of the distance. Against the AI, I will probably get away with it for awhile, course ASW patrols can also follow the same nice lines . Thank you also for the advice about the EC to CT run, I hadn't been 'thinking outside the box' like that.

No problem.

I was recently reminded that (most) off-map transits don't use fuel, even though I've been playing the game for over a year. That led to a re-read of that portion of the manual, and some playing around with off-map bases I didn't use before (Port Stanley.) All true off-map movement doesn't use fuel, but some off-map bases need fueled transits to their exit/entrance boxes.

Even when you play and read, you forget. It's good to go back sometimes. These forums are excellent for that. I'm constantly seeing something discussed that I thought I understood, playing with it, and seeing that I ddn't.

< Message edited by Bullwinkle58 -- 8/12/2010 9:49:56 PM >

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The Moose

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