Slitherine

quote:

ORIGINAL: Lokasenna

You'll get a nice fat wad of VPs once you clear out the DEI and Singapore (with the stuff from Java/Sumatra?), which you appear to be doing at a reasonable pace.

Couple of tiny hints for landing on Hokkaido:

Since you pretty much have to land on the eastern side of the island, avoid Wakkanai at first as it starts with CD guns and is one of the defense points for the Sea of Japan. Choose Bihoro or Kushiro as your initial point - you'll be landing completely unopposed by CD fire unless he's brought in some of the special base forces, most of which only have 8cm guns anyway (Wakkanai has some 15cm's and change). I like Kushiro because it has a bigger port. Bring Seabees, build the airfields. Each can reach AF9.

Just know that you'll be facing whatever's left of the IJN at that point, as once you're on Hokkaido he has no need to defend further afield and therefore no need for ships. Prepare accordingly.

quote:

ORIGINAL: JocMeister

Thanks Princep!, I got the turn a couple of hours ago. A day later then I was told...

Havnīt had a proper look yet but recon shown Hokkaido is indeed "empty!" So to Hokkaido we go then. Now the question is HOW do we get to Hokkaido. Its going to be a logistical nightmare! Donīt want to just pack everything up and leave tomorrow. I need to plan this properly and do it the right way.

LOC is going to be Midway - Hokkaido. So I need to prepare Midway for the increased traffic. And I need to construct some sort of ruse. There is no way the entire navy and 15 IDs are going to leave Luzon unnoticed and travel to Hokkaido. Feint towards Bonins perhaps? The would look like a credible target for the entire navy.

I also need to make sure Erik canīt shift the troops from Formosa. So I need to isolate Formosa...lots and lots of stuff to do and find a solution to! Fun!

quote:

Morning Air attack on 217th Naval Construction Battalion, at 79,75 (Lingayen)

Weather in hex: Moderate rain

Raid detected at 19 NM, estimated altitude 12,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 5 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-83 x 46
Ki-84r Frank x 14
Ki-100-I Tony x 19

Allied aircraft
P-51D Mustang x 25

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-100-I Tony: 3 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
P-51D Mustang: 4 destroyed

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Morning Air attack on Lingayen , at 79,75

Weather in hex: Moderate rain

Raid detected at 30 NM, estimated altitude 35,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 8 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-83 x 41
Ki-84r Frank x 13
Ki-100-I Tony x 9

Allied aircraft
P-51D Mustang x 18

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-83: 2 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
P-51D Mustang: 3 destroyed

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Morning Air attack on Lingayen , at 79,75

Weather in hex: Moderate rain

Raid detected at 31 NM, estimated altitude 34,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 8 minutes

Japanese aircraft
Ki-83 x 35
Ki-84r Frank x 10
Ki-100-I Tony x 8

Allied aircraft
P-51D Mustang x 18

Japanese aircraft losses
Ki-83: 1 destroyed
Ki-100-I Tony: 2 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
P-51D Mustang: 1 destroyed

quote:

ORIGINAL: JocMeister

Have to admit Iīm slightly annoyed and frustrated right now. I was promised a turn late afternoon or possible in the evening yesterday but no turn is up and no communication. This have sadly become the norm lately. No turn and no word. It happens almost every day now.

I have to admit that for the first time since we started this game Iīm starting to wonder if this game is going to slowly fade out. Since the fall of Manilagrad we have barely made 5 or 6 turns. We usually managed 2-3 turns per day and even more on the weekends. Erik knows we are playing against the clock here since Iīve told him that once the second baby arrives in early April I will have to drop this game and the AAR. Being on the defensive waiting for allied moves canīt be much different than playing the allies in 42. Turns take no time once you got things in motion. He doesnīt even have to worry about convoys and moving fuel/oil around anymore. The turns should take 30 min tops so I have no clue why we have almost come to a complete stop. I get the motivation can be tough at this stage. But so was my motivation in late 42/early 43 when the entire USN and China was gone. I still sent him the turns and if I didnīt I always let him know why and when it was coming.

This game is massive psychological drain. Having to deal with the frustration and stress of not getting the turns added to that...To be honest I think I rather drop it now then slowly seeing it fade away in a month. Iīm going to give Erik one more week to straighten out on his own or Iīll give him an ultimatum to do so or drop the game.

quote:

Night Time Surface Combat, near Cam Ranh Bay at 64,72, Range 4,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
xAK Asukasan Maru, Shell hits 5, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk

Allied Ships
DD Ammen
DD Anthony
DD Charles Badger
DD Bush
DD Daly
DD Heywood Edwards
DD Paul Hamilton
DD McNair

quote:

Morning Air attack on Cam Ranh Bay , at 64,72

Weather in hex: Heavy rain

Raid detected at 48 NM, estimated altitude 35,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 13 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A7M2 Sam x 17

Allied aircraft
F4U-1D Corsair x 9
P-38L Lightning x 16
P-51D Mustang x 22

Japanese aircraft losses
A7M2 Sam: 7 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
P-38L Lightning: 1 destroyed

quote:

Night Air attack on Osaka/Kyoto , at 109,59

Weather in hex: Severe storms

Raid detected at 79 NM, estimated altitude 14,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 24 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M5d-S Zero x 13
J1N1-S Irving x 12
J1N1-Sa Irving x 37
Ki-46-III KAI Dinah x 13

Allied aircraft
B-29-25 Superfort x 26

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M5d-S Zero: 1 destroyed
J1N1-S Irving: 1 destroyed
J1N1-Sa Irving: 1 destroyed
Ki-46-III KAI Dinah: 1 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
B-29-25 Superfort: 25 damaged
B-29-25 Superfort: 1 destroyed by flak

Manpower hits 1
Fires 650

quote:

ORIGINAL: Powloon

Commiserations on the B29 raids. Is it your opinion that the night fighters themselves are overpowered or simply that he is deploying them in ahistorical numbers or a combination of both? I'm guessing that the range that you are currently operating them is a factor with a lot of damaged planes becoming losses which wouldn't otherwise happen if you had bases closer to the HI?

Like your thinking regards Hokkaido another avenue of approach will complicate the strategic picture for your opponent making it more difficult for him to concentrate his defences (although as he is operating on interior lines he can probaly move his reserves such as they are to the threatened sector fairly rapidly). I wonder though if you will need to also pick up some of the Kurile islands to secure your SLOC?

If you are trying to keep him focused on the Formosa/Okinawa front then I think it would still be a good idea to continue with the operations to pick up the smaller islands in the area. You might get a chance to attrit his forces using the airfields in northern Luzon whilst still picking up bases that are useful in there own right

quote:

ORIGINAL: JocMeister

Its just getting to me that these "missed turns" arnīt being explained with a note. A short saying "sorry didnīt have time it will come tomorrow morning" would go a long way.

We live in an era of constant access to the internet. It takes no more than 30 seconds to take up the phone and send a short email. I even do that when Iīm later than usual with a turn. I donīt think its unfair to expect a similar behavior in return or am I asking for too much? If I fail to deliver on the usual schedule I ALWAYS send a note apologizing and letting my opponent know when the next turn will come. I most certainly do if I explicitly says a turn will come at a certain point and I fail to deliver on that.

Not doing so is just...inconsiderate? Or is this just a cultural thing and Iīm being to demanding?

quote:

ORIGINAL: bigred
In my game I am lucky to do 2 two day turns per week. So maybe your expectations for turn exchange are too high.

quote:

ORIGINAL: ny59giants

Your game can easily reach '46 and the Allies still never achieve air superiority. You will gain it at sea and on land, but never in the air. That's a sad thing.

quote:

ORIGINAL: princep01

The price of playing PDU on is a steep one.  Without an adjustment to Allied air reinforcements, it is just an IJ players dream.

PDU on is an easy thing to get sucked into because it is not so apparent that it is an aerial game buster early in the war.  But, after investing more than a year of real time playing, the Allied player becomes aware of the implications and then, to avoid wasting the year, must slog on in the face of the result.

Ah well, a suppose the game programmers could make a separate air reinforcement table for the Allies with PDU on and return the game to some aerial balance, but I haven't seen much interest in doing that.

Something one must just accept once the PDU on/off decision is made. 

quote:

ORIGINAL: princep01

One of your other contributors did raise an interesting point a couple of weeks ago.  In building all these planes, researching and converting facotories to bring on new models, the IJ player my be setting himself up for a late game economic collapse by exhausting supplies prematurely.  So few games progress beyond the end of 1943, it is hard to test this thought, but it is an intersting one.  Once your game is over, I hope you will ask Obvert about this and see what he thinks about it.