Slitherine

quote:

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

...I am getting trashed, but learning a lot. Funny things you don't really think about, like hiding ships and planes, how to protect supplies, air festungs, force in being, nibbling away at the Allied might, vehicle production and pool management. Little victories...

quote:

ORIGINAL: Lokasenna

Disagree that you need to make 500 Jacks/Georges per month, at least in 1943 when you begin to get them.

quote:

Can they make it across the river and into the IJA troopers best friend -- the jungle?

quote:

ORIGINAL: witpqs

quote:

Can they make it across the river and into the IJA troopers best friend -- the jungle?

How far do they have left to go?

quote:

ORIGINAL: Alfred

quote:

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

...I am getting trashed, but learning a lot. Funny things you don't really think about, like hiding ships and planes, how to protect supplies, air festungs, force in being, nibbling away at the Allied might, vehicle production and pool management. Little victories...

No, you are not "getting trashed".

Firstly, you have to remember the state the Empire was in when you took over. In that state it would not survive past the middle of 1943. Under your stewardship not only has it survived to the middle of 1944, it is still very much capable of inflicting defeats upon the enemy.

Secondly, there remains considerable doubt that the Allies can achieve anything better than a draw. Unless the Allies can achieve an auto victory before the scenario ends, the best they can achieve then is a draw.

Thirdly, it is only in harvesting strategic points that the enemy is progressing towards the auto victory level. Enemy air losses, bearing in mind each downed 4E is worth 2 VPs is well short of the 2:1 ratio. Army and naval loss ratios are not that much more beneficial to the enemy than the air loss ratio.

Fourthly, you are not factoring the ride of the Valkyrie to harvest your own strategic points off Australian industry. Not only is there potential for substantial harvesting there if the enemy rear has been denuded of forces but it may also lead to a reduction of enemy pressure on your frontlines as units are redeployed to meet the Valkyrie.

Fifthly, unlike almost every one who plays Japan, you do not have the unwarranted "American" expectation of achieving decisive military victories. You have the historical Japanese attitude which few properly follow and yet it is the attitude which can deliver a good outcome for the Empire.

Alfred

quote:

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

quote:

ORIGINAL: witpqs

quote:

Can they make it across the river and into the IJA troopers best friend -- the jungle?

How far do they have left to go?

32 miles. Sigh. Should have started a day earlier.

Your brilliant (or lucky) capture of Cam Ranh Bay, and the previous brilliant invasion in Burma, has led you to pocket a lot of Japanese defenders and made your travels thru Indochina rather sunny.

Not the case here...

quote:

How in the world did Obvert have around 20 divisions that Jocke managed to cut off here?

quote:

ORIGINAL: obvert

quote:

How in the world did Obvert have around 20 divisions that Jocke managed to cut off here?

No SL = stupid play. When your opponent can put 500,000 men in a hex then your 300,000 can hold them off. Until the lines are cut by poor tactical decision making. Tried to go the fast risky path instead of the slow safe way and I hadn't learned yet about reserve mode movement which doesn't slow due to air bombardment.

Also there was a bit of hubris.

quote:

ORIGINAL: obvert

Hey Lowpe! Good to see this still going. Glad you're keeping up your end of the fight.

While I've been on hiatus I've been playing Head to Head with some late game stuff involving a Kuriles invasion and letting the Allies get quite far behind in points to see if they can come back in late 44 and 45. This has changed my ideas about late defense for Japan. Previously i was happy to lose 500-1,000 planes in a day if it inflicted even some losses on the Allied fleets, 4Es or ground forces. I've begun to realize that in addition to the points lost in strike planes the pilot experience improvement on the Allied side shooting down all of those planes changes the air war completely.

Defending doesn't have to mean counter-attacking. This is sometimes not as exciting, but it's certainly been hard for me to get air supremacy over the HI even with P-40N and P-51D (at a 2:1 or better VP ratio for the Allies) once Japan has the Frank ki-84r, the J2M5, the Sam and others. Against the J7W1 it's even tougher. Sure, the strategic points are racking up, but Japan is still in the fight in June 45, still has some good pilots, still isn't close to falling to 1:2 in VPs, and the army is holding in some places.

So what I'm saying is pick your spots. Just as Alfred pointed out above, it's not about winning a battle tactically at this point, it's about winning points at a ratio that keeps you in the game for a draw or better.

Now I've got a bit to catch up on to see how you got here!