GreyJoy
Posts: 6750
Joined: 3/18/2011 Status: offline
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quote:
ORIGINAL: veji1 GreyJoy, could you tell us a bit how you think PDU off is going to impact the game and mainly how you play it ? This is a very nice question mate. Well, let's say at first that i have no evidence. Not yet at least. My thoughts are just hypotesis... However, based on what i'm seeing deeply looking at the upgrade paths of every single Group, the war outcomes should be very different from what we are all used to with PDU ON. In 1942 we are all used to see a total and uncontested control of the skies by the japanese. As soon as Mr.Tojo arrive, all the IJA sentais get equipped with it, and the allied fighters are everywhere swept out of the skies. The few P-38s that are around are just too few and they get swept to oblivion. The P-40 is outclassed and outnumbered in every theatre. This dominion of the skies enables the empire to estabilish a strong perimeter everywhere. The Hordes of Helens and Netties complete the picture, keeping the allies (both on land and on seas) honest at least untill the Hellcats arrive (mid 1943). With PDU OFF only 4x42 Sentais can upgrade to mr.Tojo...and only 1 to KI-44a...which means that at best you're gonna have 160 Tojos (a, b and c) only by dec 1942 (if you heavily research the Tojo line so to have both the b and c version). This means the IJAAF will have to fight for 12 months ONLY with KI-43 (most of the groups simply skip the IIb version and so to upgrade most of your Ic versions you need at least to get to the IIIa...which arrives pretty late in 1943). The situation gets worse when you look at the IJN. For the Whole 1942 and 1943 you have to fight ONLY with the A6M2, A6M3 and A6M3a. Half of the IJN won't be able to upgrade to the A6M5 untill you get the A6M2Sen Baku...which means early 1944 at best. Even If you heavily RnD the N1K and J2M lines, only 4 groups will be upgradable to them by dec 1943...not much. This means that, when the Empire will be hardly pressed for its expansion, it will have to fight only with A6Ms and Oscars...both offensively (sweeping bases against P-40,P38, Spitfires and Hurricanes) and defensively (CAPping against 4Es!). The bombing army will also be much less strong, with most of the airgroups stuck with unarmoured Sallies till the end of the war and a very little minority upgradable to the armoured Helens. Lilys, Anns, Marys and Sonias will be needed in frontlines if you want to keep on advancing in 1942... It is clear like a springtime morning that with these assets the Japanese cannot hope to do what they are used to in 1942. Every advance past the very first months will have to deal with the allied air army. An air army which now is much more stronger than we used to consider...not because their airframes got better, but because they remain the same (p-39s, P-40s, P-38s, Hurricanes, Spit V) while the Japanese planes get worse. So i really have to re-consider what is a reachable strategic target under these conditions...
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