RE: The Good The Bad & The Indifferent (Full Version)

All Forums >> [New Releases from Matrix Games] >> War in the Pacific: Admiral's Edition >> After Action Reports



Message

Canoerebel -> RE: The Good The Bad & The Indifferent (11/28/2016 8:20:10 PM)

A quick look at the Celebes, primary target for Carousel.

[image]local://upfiles/8143/8F5E686AE881416CA03E9C58691080B6.jpg[/image]



Lokasenna -> RE: The Good The Bad & The Indifferent (11/28/2016 8:54:27 PM)

That stupid dot base that stays green all game I think is the result of a PWHEX error. You can't unload amphibs there at all - I think maybe the game thinks there's no coast. So it doesn't get auto-occupied via rowboats. Or something.



BBfanboy -> RE: The Good The Bad & The Indifferent (11/28/2016 8:59:19 PM)

With Horn Island in your hands (unexpectedly for John, I think) he will be wanting to shore up his New Guinea defences in case you are going for an envelopment from the south. Accordingly, I think the troops just moved out of Rabaul are going to Buna to march over to Port Moresby. Your Carousel could mean a roulette wheel so I am betting red 13 on my guess. [8D]



Canoerebel -> RE: The Good The Bad & The Indifferent (11/28/2016 9:43:13 PM)

While walking Lavender Mountain, the thought that occurred to me was that John might (not will, but might) use KB to circumnavigate Oz, interdicting my supply lines, seeing what prey he might snare, and then winding up in the DEI. I think that would hurt him more than help him, but the aggressive, offensive nature of a raid might entice him.

Surely, surely to goodness he won't use all those troops to reinforce eastern New Guinea. That would be shocking, to me.

It would be like the Confederates using the Army of Tennessee to fortify Macon and Milledgeville after Sherman took Savannah. The front had long passed those points, and Sherman was moving into South Carolina. There was no looking back.



Canoerebel -> RE: The Good The Bad & The Indifferent (11/28/2016 9:47:24 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Lokasenna
That stupid dot base that stays green all game I think is the result of a PWHEX error. You can't unload amphibs there at all - I think maybe the game thinks there's no coast. So it doesn't get auto-occupied via rowboats. Or something.


That's interesting. No wonder I couldn't get SSTs to land supply there back in the late spring of '43. I had wanted to base some PBYs there to see where John deployed his carriers as the Sumatra campaign wound down.

I've transported in supply via Dakotas flying from Ambon. The base force personnel came in via flying boat.

So, for Japan, is the only option to take the base via paratroop fragment assault? It would probably be worth it, just to avoid the Allies using the base stealthily at some inopportune (for Japan) moment.



Lokasenna -> RE: The Good The Bad & The Indifferent (11/28/2016 11:34:51 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

quote:

ORIGINAL: Lokasenna
That stupid dot base that stays green all game I think is the result of a PWHEX error. You can't unload amphibs there at all - I think maybe the game thinks there's no coast. So it doesn't get auto-occupied via rowboats. Or something.


That's interesting. No wonder I couldn't get SSTs to land supply there back in the late spring of '43. I had wanted to base some PBYs there to see where John deployed his carriers as the Sumatra campaign wound down.

I've transported in supply via Dakotas flying from Ambon. The base force personnel came in via flying boat.

So, for Japan, is the only option to take the base via paratroop fragment assault? It would probably be worth it, just to avoid the Allies using the base stealthily at some inopportune (for Japan) moment.



So far as I know, yes.



BBfanboy -> RE: The Good The Bad & The Indifferent (11/29/2016 1:00:44 AM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: Lokasenna

That stupid dot base that stays green all game I think is the result of a PWHEX error. You can't unload amphibs there at all - I think maybe the game thinks there's no coast. So it doesn't get auto-occupied via rowboats. Or something.


It looks like you are referring to Kalao. In the game using the F6 key it shows a red line at the reef (as it should) but dark blue lines for the other sides. The "W" key does not show any anomalies either.

I looked at the base in the editor in both Scenario 1 (stock) and 28 (DBB). Both show the islet as Type 01 (Port) , with a port SPS of 0 and starting at 0. The AF is SPS 4, start 0. No apparent anomalies there.

So if the Pwhex map file is corrupted it would not show anything on the hex border displays?



Lokasenna -> RE: The Good The Bad & The Indifferent (11/29/2016 1:18:30 AM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy


quote:

ORIGINAL: Lokasenna

That stupid dot base that stays green all game I think is the result of a PWHEX error. You can't unload amphibs there at all - I think maybe the game thinks there's no coast. So it doesn't get auto-occupied via rowboats. Or something.


It looks like you are referring to Kalao. In the game using the F6 key it shows a red line at the reef (as it should) but dark blue lines for the other sides. The "W" key does not show any anomalies either.

I looked at the base in the editor in both Scenario 1 (stock) and 28 (DBB). Both show the islet as Type 01 (Port) , with a port SPS of 0 and starting at 0. The AF is SPS 4, start 0. No apparent anomalies there.

So if the Pwhex map file is corrupted it would not show anything on the hex border displays?


There is something about it that prevents ships and SSTs from unloading there. The game even gives you a message. This should probably not be the case.



Canoerebel -> RE: The Good The Bad & The Indifferent (11/29/2016 8:21:13 PM)

1/29/44

Carousel: Death Star and the Herd continue steaming west, making their way to Celebes. The transition from Horn Island to Carousel has gone smoothly thus far, with no untoward incidents today. Tomorrow things will heat up quickly as DS nears Celebes. Invasion targets have not all been finalized, yet, but Palapo and Watampone will be included.

John is beginning to show a shift of focus. More ships and reinforcements are landing at Pare Pare, on Celebes's west coast. I want that base. Thus far, recon shows the three units ashore have no guns. Perhaps they are just engineers. SigInt had three separate reports of 56th Div. fragments on marus bound for Catoblan in the Philippines.

The only thing that can really slow me down right now (other than the usual logistical friction) is KB. I think it's still down in the Solomons. John has a bit of a dilemma. There are some juicy targets out nearby - Allied merchants hugging the Oz coast and even Horn Island itself, which is only modestly defended. But I think he has or will soon conclude that he needs KB in the DEI.

Or he may remain stubbornly on the offensive.

India/Burma: Massed Allied air raids muss up 33rd Div. at Lashio a bit. John has decent fighter squadrons there, at Schwebe, and at Rangoon (and possibly other locales). Thus far, though, the January air campaign has gone pretty well.

[image]local://upfiles/8143/FBA8B2FD242F4AD698B9768E40AC3115.jpg[/image]



Canoerebel -> RE: The Good The Bad & The Indifferent (11/29/2016 10:06:56 PM)

1/30/44

KB: Recon got good sightings of both carrier TFs (including a "spotted enemy carriers" announcement), sans fighters, at Buin. Their location is critical, both for Carousel and for the hush-hush Bumper Car.

One guess is that John has moved all his carrier fighters to the DEI to bolster his ability to attack. That would be a sensible arrangement. Under that scenario, he might then hope to shift them back to the carriers, which are positioned to raid into the Coral Sea. There, John is doing some sniffing around. He knows I have lots of vulnerable shipping. He's probably struggling with his instinct to "Attack!"

But I think things are about to come to a head. I think that in two or three days, things are going to happen that will convince John that he cannot afford to be dallying in the Coral Sea or Solomon Sea or anywhere else but his heartland.

Map of KB's location below. One of Carousel to follow.

The next week should be eventful.


[image]local://upfiles/8143/E24D4580A92B42448AB183AD0867DD95.jpg[/image]



Canoerebel -> RE: The Good The Bad & The Indifferent (11/29/2016 10:08:14 PM)

Carousel

[image]local://upfiles/8143/CDE45B755F8F45029E6D0511AAB8C2A0.jpg[/image]



crsutton -> RE: The Good The Bad & The Indifferent (11/30/2016 12:41:25 AM)

I think I would have ignored the Celebes but gone for Manado and Talaud island. Manado is a great port and threatens not only his oil but the PI. Move up to North Borneo from there and his oil is going to be cut off regardless. But six of one.....



BBfanboy -> RE: The Good The Bad & The Indifferent (11/30/2016 12:43:25 AM)

Rather than being stubborn, I think John's inaction is indecision since he wants to play his own hand but knows he should be stopping you from playing yours.
It seems to fit with his inability to prioritize on a strategic scale.

What kind of D/L does John have on DS? It seems foolish of him to leave the CL/DD TF and the one with "2 CVs" (probably tankers) that close to your approach unless he is not sure where DS is.



Canoerebel -> RE: The Good The Bad & The Indifferent (11/30/2016 1:13:23 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: crsutton
I think I would have ignored the Celebes but gone for Manado and Talaud island. Manado is a great port and threatens not only his oil but the PI. Move up to North Borneo from there and his oil is going to be cut off regardless. But six of one.....


Ross, there's a reason I didn't choose that vector. It's something I haven't touched on and won't. But if you keep reading into the spring of '44 months, you'll see why I chose to move west rather than to the NW.



Canoerebel -> RE: The Good The Bad & The Indifferent (11/30/2016 1:22:22 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

Rather than being stubborn, I think John's inaction is indecision since he wants to play his own hand but knows he should be stopping you from playing yours.
It seems to fit with his inability to prioritize on a strategic scale.

What kind of D/L does John have on DS? It seems foolish of him to leave the CL/DD TF and the one with "2 CVs" (probably tankers) that close to your approach unless he is not sure where DS is.


John knows Death Star's location. Detection has been low, sporadic, and sometimes completely absent, but almost every turn he loses patrol aircraft to my CAP. Too, my TFs have basically moved on a straight line between Horn Island and the Celebes. He knows where DS is.

I hope my commentary isn't too critical of John. I'm trying to convey what's going on in my head right now - what information I have, what conjectures I'm making, what fears I have, and the opportunities I see.

Right now, all of this revolves around the location of KB (some of this you readers aren't privy to, but will know more soon). I'm pretty flummoxed that John has let me "see" KB for at least the past ten days. I'm even more flummoxed that he's chosen to leave KB so far out of position.

The absurdity of KB's deployment makes me wonder if I am missing key information or making flawed deductions. I've gone through this before. Usually, when I feel confident in the information I have it turns out that my guesswork is on target (Sumatra being wide open, NoPac being wide open, KB acting nuts when John had zero detection on my carriers, Big Tent being wide open). I am pretty confident I'm making the right deductions here.

But here's the thing: I might be wrong. John might have come up with something that devastating. My TFs may be steaming into disaster. That kind of uncertainty - that kind of tension - makes the game intoxicating.




Canoerebel -> RE: The Good The Bad & The Indifferent (11/30/2016 1:24:44 AM)

1/31/44

KB: Let's start with the current location of the Japanese carriers.

[image]local://upfiles/8143/B26C255F32B3415AA094D28B76D2A4CE.jpg[/image]



Canoerebel -> RE: The Good The Bad & The Indifferent (11/30/2016 1:30:26 AM)

1/31/44

Carousel: Death Star and the Carousel Herd continue on their westward journey without mishap. By tomorrow, DS should be close enough to the Celebes to "take control" of some of the bases. Some of my ASW ships had to refuel today, which may slow things down just a bit.

42 Jills sortied from Koepang without escort. DS CAP downed 39 of them. The other three limped home, I guess.

In addition to this Herd, several Big Tent TFs are moving forward to Ambon. From there, some can replenish Carousel combat ships. One of the TFs has a BB, the other is flagged by CA Baltimore. I plan to use these to bombard, if they aren't needed to fight off enemy combat ships.

With KB apparently down in the Solomons, I moved some strike aircraft off my carriers and replaced them with more fighters.

Bumper Car: This super-secret op will soon get underway.



[image]local://upfiles/8143/10E61C65B5A346B5BE6245ED5F7F7587.jpg[/image]



BBfanboy -> RE: The Good The Bad & The Indifferent (11/30/2016 1:40:31 AM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

1/31/44

KB: Let's start with the current location of the Japanese carriers.

[image]local://upfiles/8143/B26C255F32B3415AA094D28B76D2A4CE.jpg[/image]

Both those TFs missing their fighters .... makes me think he landed them at an air base and has lots of LBA fighters to make a super CAP trap there.
He will be calling you stubborn for not taking the bait! [:D]



Canoerebel -> RE: The Good The Bad & The Indifferent (11/30/2016 1:59:46 AM)

I'm working on the turn now. A CAP trap is worrisome. On the one hand, I want my carriers to take control of the seas around Celebes. On the other, any TFs John leaves in harm's way may be for CAP trap purposes. I'm weighing whether to limit my fighter's range to avoid a CAP trap and to make sure my own CAP is maximized.



T Rav -> RE: The Good The Bad & The Indifferent (11/30/2016 2:10:00 AM)

Heavily loaded CAP trap bases scream for bombardment attention. However, it is hard to pick where those targets might be.

Watching this unfold has been great fun.

T-Rav



Canoerebel -> RE: The Good The Bad & The Indifferent (11/30/2016 2:22:47 AM)

I think I know where his air force will be: Kendari and Makassar.

Other bases - Ternate, Koepang, Balikpapan, Soerabaja - are a bit too far to efficiently contribute to strikes.

I won't be set up to bombard for a few turns.

But your post reminds me - I have a great deal of fighters in Big Tent, but nearly all of them are LBA. I need to move some in from northern Oz to serve as reinforcements.



AcePylut -> RE: The Good The Bad & The Indifferent (11/30/2016 2:40:30 AM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

quote:

ORIGINAL: crsutton
I think I would have ignored the Celebes but gone for Manado and Talaud island. Manado is a great port and threatens not only his oil but the PI. Move up to North Borneo from there and his oil is going to be cut off regardless. But six of one.....


Ross, there's a reason I didn't choose that vector. It's something I haven't touched on and won't. But if you keep reading into the spring of '44 months, you'll see why I chose to move west rather than to the NW.


Because there's a big POW camp in Sumatra, made of prisoners taken during the failed invasion from last year? amirite?



BBfanboy -> RE: The Good The Bad & The Indifferent (11/30/2016 2:57:33 AM)

I think Canoerebel needs to keep Op Sec on his next campaign until he is spotted by the Japanese. It is just too easy for casual comments from those in the know to give something away (unintentionally, but still given). I have been guilty of nearly doing that a couple of times but fortunately some veterans called me on my goof, and I was able to delete it quickly. [sm=innocent0009.gif]



Canoerebel -> RE: The Good The Bad & The Indifferent (11/30/2016 3:22:47 AM)

After some wise counsel from Bullwinkle many months ago, I rethought my practice of posting misleading information in my AAR. Now, I cover about 80% of what's going on - the obvious stuff, like Big Tent, at least when it's already underway. But the other 20% remains pretty closely guarded, just to guard against the accidental leaks BBFanboy referred to. It is easy to give subtle things way - things that aren't obvious, except to a player in tune with little nuances that disclose great truths. Or something like that. (Purple prose!)



T Rav -> RE: The Good The Bad & The Indifferent (11/30/2016 3:33:10 AM)

That's why I only follow one. When it's over, I'll read John's. Not that I give much advice, anyway.



Canoerebel -> RE: The Good The Bad & The Indifferent (11/30/2016 3:33:59 AM)

Most of my CVs have at least one fighter group whose pilots have an average experience in the upper 70s and lower 80s. Here is one from Saratoga.

These guys have more kills than most pilots in other squadrons.

Many of my carrier fighter pilots fought long and hard defending Sabang. That was a tough fight, ultimately a lost fight, but the pilots benefited tremendously. They were fighting over their own base, so when their aircraft (mostly F4F) went down, they usually survived.

So one tangible benefit of the Sumatra campaign was that it helped hone the American carrier fighter pilots.

John probably got an analogous benefit. His ships bombarded Sabang daily for months. I guess the experience level of their crews are rather high.

[image]local://upfiles/8143/0C7FBDF788EF430B8E26EE6A5CC3847F.jpg[/image]



anarchyintheuk -> RE: The Good The Bad & The Indifferent (11/30/2016 2:09:52 PM)

When, if ever, your CVs get some down time, it looks like some pilots could use remedial defensive training.

As always, enjoying the aar.



Lokasenna -> RE: The Good The Bad & The Indifferent (11/30/2016 3:14:04 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

After some wise counsel from Bullwinkle many months ago, I rethought my practice of posting misleading information in my AAR. Now, I cover about 80% of what's going on - the obvious stuff, like Big Tent, at least when it's already underway. But the other 20% remains pretty closely guarded, just to guard against the accidental leaks BBFanboy referred to. It is easy to give subtle things way - things that aren't obvious, except to a player in tune with little nuances that disclose great truths. Or something like that. (Purple prose!)


Pink, maybe... don't know about purple.


RE: his fighter-less KB... perhaps he is trying to entice you to attack him, at which point he'd fly all his fighters back? That doesn't make much sense, though, so what you suggested is probably the case as it makes slightly more sense.



Canoerebel -> RE: The Good The Bad & The Indifferent (11/30/2016 3:25:04 PM)

Loka, that's what I've conjectured in previous posts - that John sent his fighters to the DEI, hoping their skilled pilots would help strike aircraft make it through Death Star's CAP. (Or perhaps it was to boost any CAP traps he's setting.)

But the weird thing is that he's left his carriers where they've been sighted for a good ten turns. That can't help him in any way that I can see, and it's probably hurt him gravely (as I think events will show). My guess is that he just hasn't noticed the detection levels and thinks his carriers are out of sight.



Lokasenna -> RE: The Good The Bad & The Indifferent (11/30/2016 3:26:53 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

Loka, that's what I've conjectured in previous posts - that John sent his fighters to the DEI, hoping their skilled pilots would help strike aircraft make it through Death Star's CAP. (Or perhaps it was to boost any CAP traps he's setting.)

But the weird thing is that he's left his carriers where they've been sighted for a good ten turns. That can't help him in any way that I can see, and it's probably hurt him gravely (as I think events will show). My guess is that he just hasn't noticed the detection levels and thinks his carriers are out of sight.


Yeah, that he's left them there is the only reason I'm grasping at other possible explanations. It could be that he just hasn't noticed, but that would be odd, too - you'd think he'd have checked on them at least once, and at least for me a DL on the mouseover is pretty hard to miss.



Page: <<   < prev  269 270 [271] 272 273   next >   >>

Valid CSS!




Forum Software © ASPPlayground.NET Advanced Edition 2.4.5 ANSI
0.71875