juliet7bravo
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I certainly won't argue that more thought needs to go into the production process. But, as you yourself have pointed out...we know what Japanese production was, and where it peaked out. We know, in broad terms, what they needed and how much. We know how much shipping tonnage was in use, of what type, and how it was allocated, for each month of the entire war. Modelling this wouldn't be rocket science. Once you know where production peaked, prior to be choked off/starved by shipping losses and bomb damage you can extrapolate their industrial performance when ahistoric factors come into play. Then you can allocate production.
Torpedo production is slightly different. It required specialized precision equipment and workers, and you couldn't just snap your fingers and change output. We know what actual production was, and where, for the Japanese. Why allocate or swag the numbers when we know the real deal? Use the real numbers to the point their production levels peak out, then after that base production on resources/damage.
We've (none of us) talked about anything but putting realistic and historical limitations on torpedoes, for both sides. No one has talked about playing historically, we've talked about "historic capabilities". A game such as this should be based on using "historic capabilities" in "ahistoric" yet realistic ways. The question is; "How can I, using what was historically available, change history?". When you inject ahistoric capabilities or unrealistic types or quantities of weapons, it becomes a fantasy game loosely based on reality. You might as well be playing MOO. It's like Honor Harrington space opera based on Horratio Hornblower...instead of sailing ships you've got star ships. But it still isn't the Napoleonic Wars.
To use your PM example, you're killing off more Allied ships than they lost in the entire war in this one extended battle, with a weapons system for which the projectile didn't even exist in those quantities. Using a method of attack in which the attacking AC's historically got slaughtered in droves with few survivors against even moderate flak or CAP. At a place which the Japanese never launched a single torpedo attack against, in spite of having numerous airfields in range.
- We talk about the Dutch "Uber-Floatplanes" using torps.
- We talk about the RAAF Beaufort (launched a grand total of 19 torp attacks IRL) and the Beaufighters (never launched a single torp attack IRL). The reality is that the Australians had a grand total of 50 torpedoes in storage (1942/43, and were forced to use the totally worthless USN MkXIII's. Yet in the game they have an endless supply of the excellent Brit Mk XII's.
- How about the RAF? While I know little of the RAF in the Pacific, the indications are they couldn't organize a Chinese Fire Drill in '42/43, let alone torp attacks or torp maintenance. From comments here, they (suprise) failed to deliver torp attacks in any meaningful numbers.
- Or the USAF/USAAC which apparently launched a single torp attack (Midway) in the Pacific using light/medium bombers. Yet we apparently can't using the PBY, which actually did, both day and night.
- Or the IJA/IJN who switched to (Nell/Betty) night intruder flights often using torps in the latter part of 1943 with some success, and I don't recall ever seeing a single successful night torp attack in game using the Nell/Betty.
- I can't find a single historical example of LB USN/USMC TB's (other than Midway) using torps, though I'm sure they did.
- No torp maintenance units, in-spite of convincing evidence these were vital to using torpedoes. Along with that is the inability in-game to cycle/stage air strikes through forward airbases.
To summarize, the air-dropped torpedo was not a "wunder-weapon" for either side. Understanding why they weren't, and how they could/should be is vital to a "simulation" such as this. With proper management, I think they COULD be a decisive weapon if the units were trained properly, employed correctly, and if you husbanded your limited supply of torps.
< Message edited by juliet7bravo -- 4/29/2006 7:43:28 PM >
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