quote:

ORIGINAL: ny59giants

Cape Town device convoys - I've noticed that the convoys don't withdraw and disband the devices into the pools three days after arrival starting in July '43. Some state that will not withdraw for over 33 to 188 days. Do you have any convoys at CT with any withdrawl time over 3 days?? I've posted this in the Mod section about it.

quote:

ORIGINAL: JocMeister

Q-ball,

Me and my opponent is considering to start using the BETA to avoid some of the pitfalls related to the late game seen in the GJ/rader game (alabative escorts/massed LBA and so on).

Iīm quite worried about updating considering the massive change to air coordination and how that affects everything. You have been playing for quite some time now with the BETA. What is your opinion on the BETA? Do you foresee any problems later on? Iīm especially worried about:

-Ground/AF/Strategic bombing being affected/lowered by less coordination
-Allied bomber losses rising dramatically

Thankful for any input!

quote:

Greyjoy has alot more fighters than I do, so he is able to concentrate 200+ at at least 5 airfields from what I can tell. You can expand all IJN fighters groups to 72 planes if you want to, I think he's done alot of that, and packed them with Georges.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Q-Ball

Greyjoy has alot more fighters than I do, so he is able to concentrate 200+ at at least 5 airfields from what I can tell. You can expand all IJN fighters groups to 72 planes if you want to, I think he's done alot of that, and packed them with Georges.

quote:

ORIGINAL: JocMeister

I think you should ask him to resize them back the their intended size. If he has split all his squadrons and resized them to huge units I think that has the potential to unbalance a lot of stuff. How many extra fighters is that on the fronline? 500? 1000? Its certainly nothing intended by the developers.

One of the problems is that you canīt do the same simply because you lack numbers to do so until perhaps mid to late 45. Besides I donīt think you can resize a single USMC squadron until the go through their 10/44 resize to 24 planes. Same with navy until their resize to 40. You could of course resize the CVE squadrons to 90 plane units but what are you going to fill them with? Wildcats which are useless anyway. Army you canīt resize at all.

Its certainly a "creative" move by GJ but I think stuff like this only leads to problems. He already has an advantage in having bigger squadrons sizes "un resized". No need to push it. I would certainly not be happy with it unless I played a "no HR game" like Bullwinkle.

GJ is a honorable guy. If you tell him you are not too happy about it Iīm sure he will immediately resize them back without hesitation.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Q-Ball

Pax: Good thoughts, though getting leakers doesn't work when the range is set to Zero

quote:

ORIGINAL: Q-Ball

I think I have two courses of action:

1. Either ask the reduction of IJN air, or

2. Gamey on; 100 1-ship TFs, CAP Traps, night bombing, the works

quote:

ORIGINAL: JocMeister

Its certainly a "creative" move by GJ but I think stuff like this only leads to problems. He already has an advantage in having bigger squadrons sizes "un resized". No need to push it. I would certainly not be happy with it unless I played a "no HR game" like Bullwinkle.

quote:

ORIGINAL: JocMeister

What Erik said.

I donīt use LRCAP for offensive missions because they donīt perform as well as Sweeps and fatigue is just insane making the involved squadrons unavailable for days while recovering. I also think planes on LRCAP lessen the overall effect of the sweeps. Just a feeling though.

Use sweeps only and set up 3-4 rotations of 100-200 planes each so you can rest and replenish the rotations currently not sweeping. I try and keep squadrons with the same models in the same rotation. Makes it easier when giving orders to a large number of squadrons and it feels like it might increase the chance of "coordinated sweeps". Obviously use only your best pilots in the airframes you cherish like the P47. This is at least what I do and I think Iīm doing well in the air! [:)]

Make sure you keep it up for a week or two and his fatigue and moral will be down the drain. This will lead to your KDR shooting through up to 7-8 eventually. If you can, force him to LRCAP something and then sweep that rather than his bases. That will skyrocket his fatigue. Its just about sweep, sweep, sweep. Eventually he will crack and then you can start closing his airbases.

Are you making sure your pilots have high DEF rating? Should be at least 60-70.

EDIT:

Big air bases can be closed. Either you wear him down like I described above or you can close it instantly. Iīve done that one 2-3 occasions with 500-700 fighters on CAP (Rangoon, Rabaul). You do need luck though. Just set up as many squadrons as you have to spare on Sweep, set all bombers you have available on AF attack and sacrifice something you hold dearly to the gods of AE that the Sweeps go in first! [:D]

quote:

ORIGINAL: crsutton


Well, we have to disagree here.[;)] I use combined sweeps and LRCAP to great effect. As does my opponent. The benefit to LRCAP with sweeps is the LRCAP fighters can (not always) show up in multiple rounds to support sweeps, so if your sweeps go in one at at time, you will have support. And more fighting passes due to the LRCAP fighting in multiple rounds. In addition if you are sending in bombers on the same turn the LRCAP will provide them escort as well while not suffering the penalty that regular escort will. The drawback is high fatigue but this is worth it in my eyes if you can rotate units. I "never" escort bombers with anything but LRCAP. In my four year old game we have about 42,000 destroyed Japanese aircraft to 29,000 Allied. Seems about right.

I saw nothing wrong with Brad's attack except that he went in to combat vs superior numbers. A 55-85 kill ratio considering the odds is a pretty darn good result in my book. With the George and Frank having such poor service rating, all other things being equal, the Japanese will wear down. If the Japanese are not at a base with a rail line, then a couple of turns sweeping, and then as Obvert says a massive bombing attack to kill all of the disabled Franks and Georges that are stuck on the ground.

If he has too many fighters there then hit him elsewhere where there are not so many. The key is to have superior numbers when you attack and the Japanese aircraft will get chewed up.

One limitation to the Japanese player vastly expanding air groups is that he has no way of adding air support in his ground units. Something that he is short of anyways. GJ may be able to concentrate aviation support at one or two key bases but he will be short of this elsewhere. There are just only so many aircraft the he can support. If I recall the Japanese army gets one 81 plane fighter squadron and some that are in the 40-50 range. The bulk are smaller. It is the units that fit on carriers that can be expanded and you will need to discuss that with him.

quote:

ORIGINAL: crsutton

One limitation to the Japanese player vastly expanding air groups is that he has no way of adding air support in his ground units. Something that he is short of anyways. GJ may be able to concentrate aviation support at one or two key bases but he will be short of this elsewhere. There are just only so many aircraft the he can support.