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Sir Robin -> Scenario 17 IJN First Month (7/29/2003 10:55:20 PM)
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UV is a wonderful game with alot of subtle complexity.
I am not much of a PBEM player and spend my games flexing the AI. UV's AI has been fairly competent so far.
My favorite scenario is #17 playing as the Japanese. The Japanese only have a couple of months to make their mark before the Americans' economic muscle comes to bear. So the early battles are critical to your eventual success or failure.
I have found several important things that should be accomplished within the first month.
1. Sink or Heavily Damage the CVs Yorktown and Lexington, while minimizing damaging to your carriers.
2. Capture Lunga and Tulagi.
3. Capture Wau.
Sinking or pounding on the Allied carriers prevents them from sneaking up on your CVs supporting the Port Moresby invasion. Minimizing damage to your carriers lets you more effectively suppress the Port Moresby airfield and port.
Capturing Lunga and Tulagi almost always draw out the Allied carriers. If you keep your carriers near Lunga and Tulagi their CVs will be to far from friendly bases and suffer massive operational losses in case they are heavily damaged.:rolleyes:
Capturing Wau opens the way to Port Moresby. With how quickly the AI beefs up the local air force it can be very costly shipping troops to anywhere in New Guinea. Being able to drop them off in northern New Guinea and march them down lowers the losses in shipping. Not by much but it does lower them.
The key thing in this early strategy is dealing with the CVs Yorktown and Lexington. With them gone or crippled it will severely weaken the allies ability to hurt you. Being able to do this also involves several steps.
1. Set your escort Zeros to 15,000 altitude, if your Vals are at 10,000 and Kates at 5,000.
2. Stay further than five hexes from their CVs including reaction moves.
3. Have two TFs. A CV in one and a CV, CVL in the other.
There doesn't seem to be any perfect altitude. I have done alot of carrier battle reloads with various altitudes and percentages. Even a boneheaded "Kates at 100 Altitude" strafing the Yorktown. My Kates and Vals varried in their performance no matter what altitude I had them set on.
However my Zeros performed best both on Escort and CAP when set at 15,000 Altitude. I am not sure why, but against the AI in a first month carrier battle my Zeros rock at 15,000. I almost always get a first day Ace with them at this altitude. Yes its against the AI but I have no idea what alititude they are using. I think the AI CV squadrons' altitude is supposed to vary.
If you are futher than five hexes from their CVs, their planes can't reach you carrying torpedoes. Yes those 1000kg bombs still hurt like hell, but it is easier if torpedoes aren't swiss cheesing your hulls. This range advantage gives you an edge in lethality and helps make up for the 1000/250 bomb gap.
The AI CV Squadron attack routines seem to focus on one carrier group. They also seem to focus on the TF with the most carriers. So at the end of the day you will have a damaged CV and CVL plus one untouched CV. Both of the american CVs will have been hurt and usually at least one of them can no longer launch planes.
This is an important edge for the following days. Because you need to hunt down these flattops. Both will make a beeline for Noumaeu so run a parallel course. Also have a surface TF waiting along this route. There is little sweeter than catching a wounded CV with your cruisers.
If you have any luck and keep you head you will have sunk at least one and possibly both carriers by the beginning of June. There is also an excellent chance that you have one undamaged carrier ready to support a drive on Port Moresby and interdict some supply routes.
Good hunting...
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