Slitherine

quote:

ORIGINAL: Gaius Duilius
1) Sometimes I got this MSW force in Australia and I want to refuel it when it returns to port after having had their asses kicked by the IJN subs (the AI got an awful number of subs there!); but their endurance numbers don't change and they remain red. What can I do?

2) I just decided that Andaman Islands are a good gunnery target for my four British BBs, so I ordered the task force to go there and bombard it, and I selected my CV task force (well, this is a grand name for it, but do I hate the Hermes!! ) to follow it to provide some air cover. The BB task force went and did what it was supposed to do, but I found out that Hermes and Formidable are still in port having some tea and crumpets... leaving my BBs at the mercy of the Bettys! For now they didn't get anything, but I fear for my beloved Prince of Wales...! Is it some sort of bug?

quote:

ORIGINAL: Gaius Duilius

Why thank you!
For the 1) question, I really didn't check it out for fuel. My error, sorry.
About the CV protecting my BBs, I know that simply putting them in the same hex will do nothing. I set the fighter groups of the carriers to 'Long Range CAP', so they should provide some cover to the Surface TF. Anyway, if the Bettys want to try and get my CV, one, if they get the Hermes I won't be very much displeased (I hate it, I hate it, I hate it!! ), second, I have put two or three CLAAs in that TF, so it has quite a good AA capability. Besides, until the KB doesn't come in the Indian Ocean to annihilate my naval forces there, the only ships I can encounter there are some convoys, but I suspect there are some BBs at Singapore and Indochina. And although I have four ready BBs and another plus the Repulse undergoing repair, I want to be ready to get 'em if they want to make a tour of the Indian Ocean.
Maybe I spelled it wrong before, but I just wanted to send my BB task force to the Andaman Islands to bombard it, not to get any ships they had there (which disappeared very quickly, should I say). And I wanted Formidable and Hermes to go with them to give the Rangoon Bettys a better (defended ) target. I already lost Revenge to planes, and I don't want to waste my capital ships, not there.
Tocaff, I wanted to say that my Surface TFs have done very little; apart from the run with Force Z to Khota Baru where I found out that Kongo and Haruna had left, so I took advantage of that and proceeded to sink Mogami and Mikuma plus one destroyer, my ABDA forces weren't able to pass through all the bombers the AI sent me. At least I managed to save a good part of the Dutch ships and the Boise, although I regret having lost Houston; with all the heavy cruisers the IJN has, I think I can't have too much heavy cruisers (but I guess it was the juiciest target the Japanese had, so alas!). The greater damage was done by my Vildebeest and Swordfish and Blenheims at Singapore before it fell, and by the DEI Martins and TVs. They aren't tough enough to go against carriers (apart from Riujo! ) or battleships, but against the transports you have to love them! And not even mentioning all the cargos and tankers damaged, and all the minesweepers. I think sooner or later the AI will miss them (but in Australia, I'm already missing them! ).

I wanted to ask you a honest opinion. In the Western Pacific I've got 5 US CVs (well, six counting the Long Island, but I'm gonna use it in combat only if my Fleet carriers get nailed), and after some serious thinking I've decided to put them as follows :

- two Air Combat TFs with two carriers each at PH, to do some raids on the Gilberts and the Marshalls and to be ready if the Japanese make a move for Wake (who didn't fall and that I hold as an advanced base) or Midway or somewhere else in the Northern or Central Pacific;
- the Saratoga with escorts at Noumea, because even if the AI is just wasting time conquering all my defenseless islands bases near Rabaul and sending some fighters and bombers to Port Moresby, I want to do some damage to his shipping there and have some serious naval force with with to counteract any moves from its part; if necessary, I'm going to send the other carriers there, but for now it seems like a good idea.
Do you think it's the right thing to do? Or am I making a mistake to divide my CVs? The KB is lurking near Timor (and I don't know why the heck it's sitting there, I evacuated all my ships there, no targets at all!), but if it decides to go for the Solomons or Port Moresby 1 CV against 6 are very despicable odds. Should I transfer Lexington there to reinforce my SW Pacific area? Or should I keep things as they are?
I already thank you!

quote:

ORIGINAL: MBogdasarian

In many games on the Pacific War which include China there is a distinction between the Nationalists and the Communists. Is there something I am missing in the current version (not the Admiralty version, just the updates of WITP).

Is there a role for the intelligence breakthroughs by the U.S.? It seems a good deal of success, especially at Midway (I suffered a reversed Midway at the hands of my very capable opponent and my planes did not even attack his carriers but the BB's instead!), was due to our intelligence breakthroughs.

I particularly "like" the advantages the Japanese enjoy early in the war. Their planes, ships, soldiers, and sailors, seem quite superior to the Allies, and if no Midway occurs for them they really beat up on the Allies, making for a good game. But, as my opponent and I have limited time for play, the day by day turns really lengthen the game. Have you any tips on speeding up? Clearly there is a huge compromise on the details.

In spite of having adequate resources at an airbase, including support and field size, it seems there are many occasions (the waters between Port Moresby and Cooktown, for example) where the Japanese operate with relative impunity despite what should be a very threatening array of Allied aircraft. Ideas on why the planes won't fly? Weather doesn't seem to be quite the answer.

What makes it worse is that the Allied aircraft, even though on naval attack, won't strike a fleet invading their very own hex (Port Moresby again). The deficiency has happened in other scenarios. Why?

Michael Bogdasarian