awaw
Posts: 127
Joined: 1/11/2010 Status: offline
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quote:
ORIGINAL: jdsrae I'm close to finishing a review of all aircraft and engines now for my next game, Scenario 1 to test a few things out. Good for you! I have been "planning" for the last 9 years, keeping in vain hope that one day I can find time to actually play a PBEM. Busy work life, hopefully game is still alive when I get to retire! I was not detailed in my initial response, when I mentioned going with Thalia only for IJA, I do not mean I drop all other airframes totally, Japan economy just cannot afford it! quote:
I was going to use up the 101 x Ha-5 engines without building any more, using them to build 50 x Topsy transports which is also a starting factory. Topsy have 1 less range than Thalia but 300 more load, so similar capability. This is pretty much what I planned for. What it means is that I do not intend to convert additional squadrons (ie those miserable Theresa) to Topsy. These "cheap" buildouts are to serve as replacements for squadrons already using Topsy at start, conversion to Thalia will be phased in only after Topsy replacements run into deficit. The very first Thalia replacements will be used on changing out Theresa squadrons! Same goes for single squadron that starts with MC Sally, use it and exhaust starting ac pools before even considering swapping! quote:
If you don't see much use for Army transport planes While transport squadrons are not sexy, their limited numbers in game pretty much dictate the airlift capability for Japan, these in turn limit how much/fast Japan can react to invasions. So Transport squadrons are very very precious imho. quote:
The problem for me with the Thalia is that it uses the Nakajima Ha-35 engine, so competes with early war fighters (Zero and Oscar), plus Kate and Babs for that engine. Agreed this is not optimal, but then this is scenario 1 Japan, every aircraft has sometime that we do not like! quote:
I'm not keen on wasting a single Nak-35 engine on a transport aircraft, and they need 2 per plane. I see it from another perspective. Japan limitation is having only X number of supplies to do Y number of factory expansions. To increase Y, the jap player has to lessen combat ops (be it less offensive ops or sorties or whatever). A Na-35 engine is largely similar in constraints to any other at start model in the long run. What you are describing is more of matching "current engine production" to "current aircraft production", something that can be worked around. It is not a hard limit unlike the factory expansions. quote:
My forecast based on 12.5% replacement rate (my guess) of all transport aircraft is about 20 IJA transports required per month in the early war. I am currently working with an eventual size 10 Thalia factory. This in in addition to the 50 Topsy that are built from game start. Not quite sufficient I am afraid, but any more will suggest a comparable reduction for other airframes, which are facing similar shortfall forecast. Such is the life of scen 1 JFBs!
< Message edited by awaw -- 2/23/2019 4:07:34 AM >
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