ReconTom -> RE: Loading troops (9/11/2015 3:54:13 PM)
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I am a NEWBIE to WitPAE. Very much a newbie. I have looked over the various posts here and am still confused about loading and transporting troops. First I was confused by NOT being able to see any entries in a ship's dialog box that specifically indicated or listed "Cargo Capacity" or Troop Transport. I DID pay for the teeny print manual and then I found this multiple page chart listing EVERY SHIP in the game and for example, it tells shows a CA as being able to transport Troops and does so in FAST TRANSIT. Ok...I will read the conditions for getting to troops at a base and how to load. That being said, I notice that under Troop Transport in the MANUAL it says that AO and TK CAN NOT transport troops...OK...but then when you look in the manual's chart for Ship transport ability, has a YES in the AO'S column for troop transport, BUT in the notes at the end of the row for the AO...NO TROOPS. There is contradiction No. 1. Contradiction No. 2 is that in the Troop column for Troop transport the TK has a YES (though no not to the contrary as with the AO). Nevertheless both are designated to be able to transport troops despite the manual on page 193, section 8.3.4 TRANSPORTING GROUND UNITS says "Any ship with a cargo capacity may transport ground units, EXCEPT for AO and TK class ships that can only carry fuel. So what does that mean? Some AOs and Some TKs ONLY carry fuel and there are others that don't always carry fuel? And thus eligible to sometimes carry troops? And the further confusion is to me that I have NOT been able to find a notation of "cargo capacity" or "troop transport" on any ship data lists in a ship's dialog box. I guess this is all by way of saying: What good is the manual (though obviously sometimes...no one is perfect), but in this case I am not sure what on the section 6.3.2.3.1 SHIP TYPE CARRYING ABILITY TABLE, on page 113, is reliable or not. I did get some answers from this thread, however, and that is, I assume, that ANY TIME YOU TRY TO TRANSPORT anything that you must first go through the strategic move hoops to prepare, for example, the troops to pack up and get their kit together...that makes sense. So I will try it...and I suppose for those ships who can carry planes, that the same thing would be true. I was in VS-22 48 years ago on the Essex, Wasp and Intrepid and it most certainly took us a few days to pack up all our squadrons "stuff" including getting as many bird up as possible to fly them on instead of being loaded on to the carrier. My final point of confusion or need for clarification, is that, "Transported ground units may be unloaded on any hex that contains land. Port sizes determines the speed of unloading, so the process is very slow if coming 'ashore over the beach.'" So what constitutes a "port"? The base? Some bases have Anchor symbols and some do not. So is there a port at every base and the ANCHOR ONLY shows up IF THERE ARE SHIPS ACTUALLY DOCKED THERE and/or by default, is every base (on a shoreline) A PORT? Or ONLY the bases that have an ANCHOR? When I leave this forum I will open a scenario and see if there are any "anchor" symbols at bases, which when clicked on will show NO SHIPS. If so then I guess that makes ports of only bases that have an anchor. But then again, how could any base set at the shoreline NOT have a port. They couldn't survive without one so I likely answered my own question. In the interest of not coming off here as some rules lawyer or anal about rule books, my interest is because I have played The Battle of Coral Sea about five times now, getting beat by the A.I. each time but once when I got a Marginal Allied Victory. Moresby was LOST to the Jap A.I. in each of them BUT the one, in which I was lucky TO HOLD P.Morseby to the end. So naturally I figured, finally, that I have to find a way to get more troops there to defend it. And thus became mired in the incredible, and sometimes contradicting cute little "manual." I did try transferring airgroups to both Cookstown and to Moresby itself to help defend it. I thought, "Well that seems a good tactic." NOT!! The Mitchell's and the P40s were no match for the Jap planes. Likewise trying to interdict the Jap Transport TFs coming up the coast to land at Moresby didn't work either because they mutilated the Lexington and Yorktown before I could do much damage to the troop TF with its many escorts. Sorry this is so long...took a lot less time to type this than to ferret out all the details subject to question here in many pages of that "manual." THANKS to anyone who has struggled with troop transport and has any tips...and in the end, I don't know if moving troops around in what I always though was likely a "naval" game is a waste of time anyway. But then I have played nothing but CORAL SEA since I purchased the game about two weeks ago.It is likely that in the campaign game or Guadal that troop transport ability will be crucial. I am not an optimist and I don't ever see my way to actually winning against a human player...lucky to be able to beat the A.I. Thanks again, Tommy
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