Canoerebel
Posts: 21100
Joined: 12/14/2002
From: Northwestern Georgia, USA
Status: offline
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AE, the Magic 24 Hour Movement Feature, and Picket Ships
There is a glaring flaw with AE that we all live with happily and seldom think about: Magic 24 Hour Movement. When orders are entered, we cannot countermand them for 24 hours even if something stunning becomes apparent one minute later. Our troops, planes, and ships have to continue on for those 24 hours even if doing so is the height of stupidity (or would be in real life) and would never happen (in real life).
Thus, I issue orders for a key transport TF to steam from Ceylon to Sabang. At the time the orders are issued, my patrols out of Sabang report the KB has been stationed near Padang for days. But John issues orders for KB to spring at Full Speed to the sea lanes between Ceylon and Sabang. At that rate, the carries can make 600 miles in a single day. And every single mile those ships are under surveillance of my patrol planes. But I can't issue orders to recall my ships for 24 hours. They just have to steam ahead to commit suicide.
None of us complain about that feature. It's just part of the game. But it is one of the game's greatest abstractions (or weaknesses). One way we can try to deal with that is to give orders to "fall back or retire if threats appear," but those are imprecise and seldom if ever model anything like what would happen in real life. But we just accept it, loving the game for what it is.
John used this very tactic in this game once, to launch the KB into the midst of the sea lanes between Ceylon and Sabang. I knew he might come, but I wasn't sure when or exactly where. So I had lots of ships in between - empties fleeing Sabang for Ceylon, ships inbound with troops, and my carriers stationed far enough back to avoid the Free 24 Hour Movement Abstraction. When John pounced, he then bitterly complained that I was the one abusing the game, because my scattered shipping "soaked off" some of his sorties and confused the mission selection. He was backed up in his accusations by some other Forumites, including one who just flat out said I was a liar (he later apologized).
This left me dumbfounded and disappointed. I hadn't done what they had accused me of doing and, in fact, it was John who was taking advantage of the game mechanics (though I didn't complain about that as it's just part of the game).
So I routinely employ picket ships to minimize the dangers of the Free 24 Hour Movement Feature. I use these judiciously and effectively. I pull them out of the way when they'd done their job. And not once have they "soaked off sorties." I just pull them out of the way, because I want to save them because they are valuable and have done their job.
Some players (including John, as he reiterated in an email tonight) contend that it's "okay" to use military vessels as pickets but not merchants. I disagree and think that works a disadvantage on the other player. It's usually easier to kill an xAK than a YMS, and they are more valuable to boot. So that's a false distinction, in my book. But whenever possible I do use military vessels just to appease the sensibilities of those who haven't thought this through.
The game involves lots of abstractions. Given all features of the game, it is reasonable to use assets judiciously to protect more valuable assets. The military would do the same thing in the real war. The military didn't have to do what I do simply because they (at least the Allies) nearly always knew where the KB was (or where it wasn't, which was usually sufficient). But the military did use DDs and other vessels to screen carriers. Since the military didn't have to deal with a 24 Hour Free Movement Feature, however, it didn't have to send picket vessels out 250 or 500 miles. It could turn around when danger appeared. It didn't have to wait until tomorrow.
In the real war the Allies did crazy things like leave civilians on remote islands for months at a time to report on enemy troop movements, or send frogmen in to enemy beaches before invasions, or risk submarines to rescue downed airmen within range of enemy artillery, etc. The military isn't stupid. It does what it has to do at the least expense and risk possible. That's what we're doing with picket ships.
What this boils down to is that some players want to be able to send carriers vast distances without risk of detection until they can attack an unprepared opponent who didn't act prudently to protect his assets.
And this is a game!
< Message edited by Canoerebel -- 3/22/2016 6:06:23 AM >
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RE: The Good The Bad & The Indifferent - 
) That would have knocked the stuffing out of Johns entire game 
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