Slitherine

quote:

ORIGINAL: Mistmatz

Why exactely is Sadogashima important?

I am not familiar with that part of the map (yet), but it looks like it's an island with no land connection to Japan proper. Thus I don't see the strategic value of the island that might justify the risk.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Mistmatz

Why exactely is Sadogashima important?

I am not familiar with that part of the map (yet), but it looks like it's an island with no land connection to Japan proper. Thus I don't see the strategic value of the island that might justify the risk.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Alfred

If the port facilities have not already been built up, getting supply in on merchantmen is not going to be easy. If it is still only a port size 2, barge resupply is the only realistic way in. Even if the port is fully built up to level 4 getting merchantmen in will be difficult but doable if the ship losses are acceptable.

The problem is that airfield (which may not have been built up by rader) is surrounded by multiple large enemy airfields which will be largely immune to most Allied air strikes from Hokkaido. Allied LRCAP of resupply convoys will not be particularly effective and a size 2 port will mean lengthy unloading times. Thus a lot of supply potentailly will end up at the bottom of the Sea of Japan. Definitely barges will be the best way to get supply in.

quote:

In any case merchantmen will not make the one way trip from Hokkaido overnight. Thus they will be vulnerable to kamikazes.

quote:

ORIGINAL: hades1001

And some body please enlighten me how radar manage to sustain such high quality of pilots with all his A/C losses?

It's a miracle to me.

quote:

ORIGINAL: hades1001

apparently radar has his way of massively producing qualified pilots. The result achieved can't be done without at least 70 exp/70 skill pilots according to my tests.

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ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

I'm sure GJ knows this, but the first thing rader is going to try to figure out now is whether he can employ the KB.  Does he know how many carriers GJ has left?  Does he think GJ will have trouble covering his supply lines between Japan, Alaska, and the West Coast.  GJ will have to look to that first and foremost.

In the meantime, the game may slow considerably from its frantic and entertaining pace as GJ probably has to attend to alot of the small stuff, especially nursing his strike aircraft back to healthy levels. 

The Japanese airforce should have been crippled by rader's profligate ways in this game.  There is no way Japan should be in the position to just wreak havoc just a day or a week after losing thousands and thousands of aircraft in a single engagement or series of engagements.  And after rader has taken the cumulative abuse suffered during the war, his back should have been broken.  If his didn't break under the avalanche of losses suffered in this game, there's little hope for the Allied player to win the air war against a capable Japanese player.

Star Wars. 

quote:

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

Star Wars.

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ORIGINAL: Miller

A very brave move by GJ, but any Allied commander viewing the outcome of that will not send his CVs within 12 hexes of mainland Japan, period.

quote:

ORIGINAL: JeffK

Half a league, half a league,
  Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death
  Rode the six hundred.
'Forward, the Light Brigade!
Charge for the guns' he said:
Into the valley of Death
  Rode the six hundred.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Alfred

(3) IIRC, approximately 40% of the potential Allied fighter CAP was already tasked to provide LRCAP over the transports at the beachhead some hexes away. That was a player decision and not the victim of the game code

(4) Much of the remaining available Allied CAP had a time to interception longer than the time to target of the incoming bombers, thus it was out of position. Being out of position is a major factor in determining whether it gets a chance to participate in combat at all or when it does, such as pre or post the raid

(5) With multiple CV TFs located in the same hex there is an opportunity for the CAP of all the TFs to participate but only the CAP of the computer targetted TF is in the optimal position to intercept. The CAP of the adjacent TFs has to move into position

(6) Allied CAP was set to only 60%. In view of (a) the short journey, (b) the short term exposure of the carriers and (c) the anticipated heavy enemy response (evidenced by the carriers having bomber units replaced by additional fighter units), a good argument could be made that 100% CAP should have been set

(7) CAP altitude was too staggered. The main reason why one wants to stagger CAP is to counter sweeps. Generally speaking a maximum of 3 altitudes suffices to counter sweeps. Again 3 altitudes, albeit at different heights, generally suffices to meet kamikazes. To counter normal enemy bomber strikes 2 maybe 3 CAP altitudes will normally suffice for the enemy bombers have set attack profile runs. Bottom line, by having so many different CAP altitudes, more CAP fighters were already being placed out of position to quickly respond and get into optimal position

(8) GreyJoy had no prior experience of handling the massed Allied carrier fleet. LBA and CV based air have one thing in common; they both fly through the air. Otherwise there are some significant differences between the two regarding how the player should approach their utilisation.

So once again before jumping on the bandwagon of criticising the game engine people would do well to consider what player made decisions contributed to the outcome. As to the overall strategy employed here and previously, I will maintain my continued silence.

Alfred