Kull
Posts: 2625
Joined: 7/3/2007 From: El Paso, TX Status: offline
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Hi Jon - As a general rule, the spreadsheet is intended for play against the AI, and to help the newbie Allied player get going. So it has a mix of strategies that probably wouldn't be a great idea against a human player, but give the AI a fight. So: quote:
ORIGINAL: jonboym Hi Kull, Been using your Allies truly excellent (great work!) spreadsheet as a way of getting back into AE after 3 years break and I have a few questions for you:- 1) You assign amphib ships (from TF408) to rescue the weany base forces off Ocean and Nauru Island? What do you intend to do with such small bases forces? Aren't these ships too big and too high value for such a job with no escort? Or have I missed an escort meeting these ships? The units are small, but they make for nice, low cost seaplane bases in risky advanced locations where valuable ships and units fear to tread (very good for a size 3 seaplane fragment). The ships that go get them are valuable, but they are also nearby and it's usually pretty low risk to make this pick-up in the first few game turns. Highly unlikely to encounter Japanese surface or sub forces, and there's time to send an escort or two to meet them on the way home AFTER the rescue. quote:
2) You suggest ordering the 14th RAAF BF in Charters Towers, Oz to Conclurry? I'm puzzled as to why you move them there, in other games I'd played like my first unfinished GC and Guadalcanal scen Charter's Towers was a handy base for 4E bombers supporting Port Moresby. I'm trying to remember which ones off hand (P40E, P40B, probably others) but some of the shorter legged land planes can't get up to Darwin without making several hops, and none of the hops can happen without the waystation base at Cloncurry. Admittedly you can rail them up to Alice Springs for the first jump, but that takes rail turns and further turns to undo the damage. I prefer to fly them the whole way. Flip of the coin as to whether it's worth expending a BF for this purpose. quote:
3) You are also ordering combat units to Milne Bay and Terapo in New Guinea but there are no corresponding base forces I can find being ordered to build up those bases. What BFs do you use for these? Bowen RAN BF is tasked (or should be) to plan for Milne Bay. The only unit going to Terapo is the tiny Aussie C company. Just to keep Terapo from flipping and force the Japanese to actively try for it if they want it. Too close and too small to try and set up a base there. quote:
4) Is the intention of moving Tasmanian BFs to Norfolk and Lord Howe island to build those as bases for ASW search planes? Exactly. quote:
5) Your strat in Malaysia is very different to Sardaukar's bug out strat, where he rescues the 2 Aus brigades and gets them out to form the 8th Aus div. Any comments on the pros/cons of the strat in this guide vs rescuing the Aussies? If you are playing the AI, you can get more bang for your buck by grabbing some of the smaller and cheaper units in Malaya, and deploying them in various SWA island locations. Plus it keeps Singers from being an absolute walkover. quote:
6) China is still a bit of a mystery to me and prob with the guide here for me is I'm not sure what the overall strat behind your openings moves in China so don't feel like I'm learning so much here without some background as to your approach. In general the idea is to pull units back from undefendable front line locations and try to hold key locations. The baseline strategy is to hold as much as possible of the rail line between Chengchow and Liuchow. Which includes sending extra units south from Chunking to help defend key locations along that line (and almost everything north of Sining). Chengchow in particular is key - if you can hold that at the start, it makes the Japanese advance very difficult. Of course, all of this is insanity against a human player, but it offers a fairly historical result versus the AI. quote:
7) I'm having trouble getting the Brunei RAN BF out with the Lodestars from Java that are moved to Borneo. The "pick up troops" button will appear for the Miri BF but not the Brunei one and get message that can't pick up restricted troopd. Makes no sense as both BFs are ABDA and unrestricted so why I can pick up Miri and not Brunei I don't know.... Brunei has a size "zero" A/F, so you can't pick up the 107th with standard land based transports like the Lodestars. You'll need Catalinas or some other seaplane to extract those guys. Pretty small unit, so it won't take many turns....but you also have a lot of other priorities. Hopefully that offers some of the "behind the scenes" thinking you were interested in! Regards, Kull
< Message edited by Kull -- 5/1/2014 5:29:32 AM >
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