Slitherine

quote:

ORIGINAL: Axe1999

January '43 Sitrep

January started pretty quiet, with some SS re-basing, a lot of ship upgrades, and ferrying reinforcements across the map. Only area of interest was SWPAC.

SWPAC
Rossel Island fell after first deliberate attack by Americal Division. It probably could have been bypassed but I didnt want to leave possible seaplane base to Japanese to leave them eyes over Coral Sea. That triggered sortie of Musashi and Hyuga from Truk to Rabaul area. Musashi was sunk by USN carrier aircraft after three days of pounding, while Hyuga was wounded. I assumed it was going back to Truk and swarmed the area with subs and bingo, two torps into her already burning hull and she goes down. I think IJN battleship force is down to only Yamashiro.

-10% dud rate was really a huge difference, Im getting 3 sinkings per turn on average just by my subs.

Near future plans in SWPAC are to secure Huon Gulf and slowly start effectively encircling Rabaul by taking Umboi, Manus, Kavieng, maybe even go historically and land on Cape Gloucester and Arawe. Rough idea in attached pic.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Axe1999

Excerpt from Tracker

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ORIGINAL: HansBolter

With the number of Japanese capital ships you have sunk by this point in a stock scenario, you have most assuredly broken the AI so that playing beyond mid '43 would not be worth it.

I've done this many, many times.

Try combining an effort to self restrict in the way of upsetting the AIs apple cart in '42 and playing a tougher scenario with a beefed up Japanese side. Any one of the many Ironman scenarios created by AndyMac are good choices. I played scenario #40 multiple times and even managed to get a game that made it to '46 before switching to The Long Road to Tokyo for a new challenge.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Axe1999

quote:

ORIGINAL: HansBolter

With the number of Japanese capital ships you have sunk by this point in a stock scenario, you have most assuredly broken the AI so that playing beyond mid '43 would not be worth it.

I've done this many, many times.

Try combining an effort to self restrict in the way of upsetting the AIs apple cart in '42 and playing a tougher scenario with a beefed up Japanese side. Any one of the many Ironman scenarios created by AndyMac are good choices. I played scenario #40 multiple times and even managed to get a game that made it to '46 before switching to The Long Road to Tokyo for a new challenge.

I could definitely use some advice regarding house rules for my next game if you have any. These are my ideas I picked up from various AARs around and experience from this game:

- Restricted units paying PP to cross border (Ive been using some Chinese divisions for Ledo and surrounding bases)
- historical units at start stay where they are/are going, meaning Singapore gets reinforced, no evacuation of 22nd and 27th AST Brigades...
- no reinforcing DEI
- no skip bombing before '43, and no 4E skip bombing ever, before that no naval bombing under 5k feet
- sweeps only in fighters best MVR band
- no raiding supply lines with cruisers/carriers, only troop transports and tankers
- keeping (as close to) historical timeline, I started invading in SWPAC bit too early last game
- no save reloads
- 2 day turns
- no amphibious assaults with xAP/xAK
- no transfering fuel with xAKs

Im playing DBB A scenario by the way, I would use C but Im not sure how well it works with AI, and if Japan would be even more hampered by extra fuel used to move supply, making it even easier

quote:

ORIGINAL: HansBolter

Your list of self restraint rules is impressive and includes many I feel are unnecessary.

It isn't restricting game mechanics that is important in getting an AI game to extend beyond '43.

It is restricting yourself operationally and strategically.

Here is a simple list.

1. Don't create a fortress Palembang.
2. Don't intercept the AI at Canton and sink the KB in a trap.
3. Don't evacuate the entire Dutch force to Timor and build a fortress Timor.
4. Don't trash the AI's forces while it tries to take Port Moresby. Let it have it.
5. Allow the AI to have it's head in '42 taking what it goes after.
6. Don't use your foreknowledge of where the AI is going and what it wants to take to thwart it.
7. Snipe, but don't seek to defeat and turn back the AI.
8. Spend '42 laconically building defenses and saving what can be saved, don't play aggressively.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Axe1999

quote:

ORIGINAL: HansBolter

Your list of self restraint rules is impressive and includes many I feel are unnecessary.

It isn't restricting game mechanics that is important in getting an AI game to extend beyond '43.

It is restricting yourself operationally and strategically.

Here is a simple list.

1. Don't create a fortress Palembang.
2. Don't intercept the AI at Canton and sink the KB in a trap.
3. Don't evacuate the entire Dutch force to Timor and build a fortress Timor.
4. Don't trash the AI's forces while it tries to take Port Moresby. Let it have it.
5. Allow the AI to have it's head in '42 taking what it goes after.
6. Don't use your foreknowledge of where the AI is going and what it wants to take to thwart it.
7. Snipe, but don't seek to defeat and turn back the AI.
8. Spend '42 laconically building defenses and saving what can be saved, don't play aggressively.

I havent done almost anything of that before either.

1. Do you consider consolidating every LCU in Sumatra in Palembang a "fortress"? If yes, I did that than, but no outside reinforcements.

4. I would want to keep Port Moresby mostly due to historicity and jump off for PNG crawl, will it break AI that much?

7. I did a lot of that though, mostly reacting to slow invasions after their unloading bonus expired.

Other than that Ive been trying not to use prior knowledge to my advantage, mostly just fortifying and reinforcing what was historically on CONUS - Australia line of supply.

quote:

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

quote:

ORIGINAL: Axe1999

quote:

ORIGINAL: HansBolter

Your list of self restraint rules is impressive and includes many I feel are unnecessary.

It isn't restricting game mechanics that is important in getting an AI game to extend beyond '43.

It is restricting yourself operationally and strategically.

Here is a simple list.

1. Don't create a fortress Palembang.
2. Don't intercept the AI at Canton and sink the KB in a trap.
3. Don't evacuate the entire Dutch force to Timor and build a fortress Timor.
4. Don't trash the AI's forces while it tries to take Port Moresby. Let it have it.
5. Allow the AI to have it's head in '42 taking what it goes after.
6. Don't use your foreknowledge of where the AI is going and what it wants to take to thwart it.
7. Snipe, but don't seek to defeat and turn back the AI.
8. Spend '42 laconically building defenses and saving what can be saved, don't play aggressively.

I havent done almost anything of that before either.

1. Do you consider consolidating every LCU in Sumatra in Palembang a "fortress"? If yes, I did that than, but no outside reinforcements.

4. I would want to keep Port Moresby mostly due to historicity and jump off for PNG crawl, will it break AI that much?

7. I did a lot of that though, mostly reacting to slow invasions after their unloading bonus expired.

Other than that Ive been trying not to use prior knowledge to my advantage, mostly just fortifying and reinforcing what was historically on CONUS - Australia line of supply.

It isn't the possession of PM per se that breaks the AI, it is the predictability that it will keep sending troops to try and take it and that the TFs it sends will be poorly configured for what you have to defend the base - i.e. the AI tends to put a really slow ship in TFs that should be made up entirely of fast ships, or not have enough AA vessels, etc. So you can stay in one place an let the enemy come to you, whereas a human player would change direction and attack somewhere else.