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You send them all to the blasted north to build an absurd supervillain base in the Aleutians.
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Mar 16, 2016 17:29
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| # ? May 17, 2024 01:49 |
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   A tanker is a nice way to start the day.   Our subs are back after a quiet period.  Guess I forgot something.  A least we're getting some good hits in.  The attack breaks another layer of forts, but costs us.   The Kido Butai is still on its way.  The morning run finds some transports cowering in the harbour. The afternoon run deals with them.   Changsha looks like it may need another rest-attack cycle.   So another bloody day, but at least we are making some progress – and a whole fleet of ships is moving forwards! The Allied base points drop again, and we gain another 250 points on them today. 1,400 more to be in the lead!  Its a good day on the ship sinking front!
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Mar 16, 2016 17:58
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Holy Emperor! You actually lost an entire unit attacking at Singapore.
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Mar 16, 2016 20:19
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It's way too easy for Singapore to hold out longer than a week in this game. I withdrew like 2 Australian Brigades to form a division and didn't flow reinforcements in and it still held out for over a month.
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Mar 16, 2016 20:26
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Grey you didnt bring enough to the party at Singapore, you need at least two more army divisions to take the place otherwise its nothing but a waste of men.
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Mar 16, 2016 20:39
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In my last game it ultimately took 10× the defender AV to dislodge the enemy, after months of pretty persistent attacks.
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Mar 16, 2016 20:48
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How does gameplay work for a Japanese player? Is it a "gobble as much as you can and then hold aa long as possible" strategy, or "constant fighting until you get pushed back and then a fighting retreat to hardened positions"?
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Mar 16, 2016 20:59
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"Gobble as much as you can" about describes it, but it doesn't recognize the fundamental problem of playing Japan: You never have enough resources to be comfortable on the offensive, even during the early "happy days". A single miscalculation of forces required to take a strategic objective can cost you critically, since rectifying such a mistake would most likely take months, which you don't have, and additional troops, which you also don't have. So it's more like "take your available forces and try to play ahead half a year in your head. Then take this half year prediction and hope it holds in practice, or you are screwed." Also your survival in practice depends on a die roll. Compare it to the Allies who can lose as many battles as they plausibly can, and still come out on top. steinrokkan fucked around with this message at 21:12 on Mar 16, 2016 |
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Mar 16, 2016 21:08
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Donkringel posted:How does gameplay work for a Japanese player? Is it a "gobble as much as you can and then hold aa long as possible" strategy, or "constant fighting until you get pushed back and then a fighting retreat to hardened positions"? It's pretty much the former. You have essentially 6-7 months at the beginning to take whatever you want (that's not India, Australia, or the continental US), another 6-7 months to solidify your positions and maaaaybe take a few more things, and then by early 1943 the US is pumping out an Essex-class carrier every few months and you will never be able to keep up, so you have to concentrate on keeping supply lines (especially to the oil in the DEI) open for as long as possible. Whether or not you lose the Kido Butai to a hilarious tactical misstep is probably the key factor in determining how long these periods last.
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Mar 16, 2016 21:10
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What's the downside of putting a token force encircling Singapore and then ignoring it? Is it resource significant?
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Mar 16, 2016 21:40
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goatface posted:What's the downside of putting a token force encircling Singapore and then ignoring it? Is it resource significant? It's the key shipping hub for the entire region, everything goes there and then to Japan.
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Mar 16, 2016 22:07
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steinrokkan posted:So it's more like "take your available forces and try to play ahead half a year in your head. Then take this half year prediction and hope it holds in practice, or you are screwed." Also your survival in practice depends on a die roll. Incredibly that was exactly how Japanese high command planned their operations. Donkringel posted:How does gameplay work for a Japanese player? Is it a "gobble as much as you can and then hold aa long as possible" strategy, or "constant fighting until you get pushed back and then a fighting retreat to hardened positions"? I will say though that in Scenario 2 or the various alternate universe scenarios that exist with a more prepared Japan, it's definitely possible to shoot for Autovictory against the AI, which is an exercise in massive offensives, force preservation, and bean counting.
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Mar 17, 2016 07:30
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  The Kido Butai get another kill.  The British call in air support at Singapore.  We capture another base.   The second unit reaches Moulmien, and we begin the attacks.  Not much to say today, we are still in transit. The Allied base points bounce back and we lose the gains of yesterday.  At least we get another kill.
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Mar 17, 2016 18:13
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This one? http://www.tynebuiltships.co.uk/S-Ships/singu1931.html Apparently a water tanker.
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Mar 17, 2016 18:30
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goatface posted:This one? http://www.tynebuiltships.co.uk/S-Ships/singu1931.html Apparently a water tanker. Its a kill! I have to agree that Singapore is FAR to hard to take in this game. The forts and terrain bonuses are stupidly high.
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Mar 17, 2016 18:51
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You should torpedo the coastal guns.
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Mar 17, 2016 19:08
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Grey Hunter posted:Its a kill! I don't know, it was already full of water!
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Mar 17, 2016 19:15
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Can we get a brief rundown on your strategic thinking with what's going on? I know it's a day-by-day LP and all but things are feeling dangerously static right now.
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Mar 17, 2016 22:50
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So, what's the earliest date that the Allied player can win?
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Mar 18, 2016 05:02
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Drone posted:Can we get a brief rundown on your strategic thinking with what's going on? I know it's a day-by-day LP and all but things are feeling dangerously static right now. We're currently in the rest phase, things will be hotting up within the week, I'm pushing on Java next. Once Singapore is sorted, I'll move up to Rangoon with the troops from there. After that, I'll have a think about it. For now, I need to secure the oil.
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Mar 18, 2016 06:50
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Why prioritize Javan oil over Sumatran? Sumatra produces much more and is a much easier nut to crack than Java.
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Mar 18, 2016 13:58
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Drone posted:Why prioritize Javan oil over Sumatran? Sumatra produces much more and is a much easier nut to crack than Java. That sounds like a good reason to but Java first while he still has the boost.
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Mar 18, 2016 15:15
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A White Guy posted:So, what's the earliest date that the Allied player can win? In theory, you can get an auto-victory on January 1st, 1943. In practice you're not going to be able to do this because it requires you to have 4 times the points of the Japanese, which would require you to lose absolutely nothing and destroy the entire Japanese navy/Invade Japan with essentially your prewar navy. Realistically, depending on how much you lost in the first 6 months (when the Japanese get their invasion bonuses), you could win during late 1944 (if you did really, really, well) or early 1945. I think this requires 3x points.
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Mar 18, 2016 16:15
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  Five torps? She's going down.  The KB finds a light crusier and escort. I doubt that single hit will do anything to her.  This seems like overkill....  I also keep forgetting to introduce the Baby Butai. (better name suggestions please.)  Basically all the slightly slower ships, keeping in range.  Another clean up operation begins.  A few more kills for me today. 30 enemy planes destroyed ground?  Somebody was nicely loaded with planes – that's a drat good kill for me.
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Mar 18, 2016 18:45
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Grey Hunter posted:I also keep forgetting to introduce the Baby Butai. (better name suggestions please.) Kawaii Butai 
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Mar 18, 2016 19:02
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A White Guy posted:So, what's the earliest date that the Allied player can win? Auto-victory doesn't come into play until Jan 1 1943. Against an AI, it's certainly possible to do this as the Allies if you're playing on Scenario 1 (historical orders of battle) and normal difficulty (the AI doesn't get to cheat as much logistically). The AI makes enough poor tactical decisions that, by your second or third playthrough, you know how to set traps for it. I used a fortress Java/Sumatra strategy, and the AI responded by sending the Kido Butai 1 or 2 carriers at a time into all of my own, as well as about 250 additional land based planes. Even after it lost its air cover, it didn't alter its invasion timetable which lead to a couple divisions of land units being sunk, and things just snowballed from there in Burma and China. I hit the auto-victory threshold in Feb 1943 and never lost Singapore.
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Mar 18, 2016 19:09
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I don't think that boat is big enough to carry 30 planes. edit - The Corinda, maybe. If they were well boxed. goatface fucked around with this message at 19:15 on Mar 18, 2016 |
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Mar 18, 2016 19:11
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The Kiddo Butai  Good to hear that Shoho is staying with the real carriers. That Taiyo is slow as hell.
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Mar 18, 2016 21:23
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The Kiddo Bu-tan?
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Mar 18, 2016 21:24
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The real-life Arend was a 748 ton escort converted to a seaplane tender. The Dutch crew scuttled her on 1 March 1942, but the IJN refloated and launched her as a patrol boat in 1944.
jerman999 fucked around with this message at 22:31 on Mar 18, 2016 |
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Mar 18, 2016 22:29
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jerman999 posted:The Dutch crew scuttled her on 1 March 1942, but the IJN refloated and launched her as a patrol boat in 1944. code:
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Mar 18, 2016 22:54
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Comrade Koba posted:
Can you raise ships sunk in ports in this game like in Pearl
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Mar 18, 2016 23:19
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Grey why are four of your battleships playing babysitter to the baby-Kb? You want a couple of Cruisers tops those BB's have much better things to do.
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Mar 19, 2016 00:22
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Dreamsicle posted:Can you raise ships sunk in ports in this game like in Pearl Nope. But you are far more likely to stop them from sinking if you are in port.
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Mar 19, 2016 03:16
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  We arrive at some place called Palembang. I've been told I should take it. We have to clear out a few PT boats first.  They send out their planes to defend themselves.  Phew! They send wave after wave of planes in but  The carriers arrive in time to support the invasion – I was afraid I would screw up the timings here, but I seem to have it dead on.  We pick off a destroyer.  We also severely damage a cargo ship.  Yes! Hitting a sub is a good thing.  We rout the defenders of Kendari.  We hit a Chinese force and route them.  We also continue to hold at Hankow.  We hammered them today, this is a good start to the invasion!  A point each is a point each.
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Mar 19, 2016 18:13
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So I've been reading The Conquering Tide by Ian Toll and there are sections talking about poor reliability in the early Helldiivers. Is this modeled in the game or is early adoption of the Helldiver worth it? The Helldiver in WITPtracker's aircraft comparison looks superior to the SBD-5.
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Mar 20, 2016 00:48
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Am I reading the map wrong or are there no allied troops at Palembang?
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Mar 20, 2016 01:40
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  We hit the beaches, we take heavy losses, but secure a beachhead.  The enemy scramble everything they have to take on the incoming ships.  One of their planes even sees our carriers!  Once again, we cut them down as they come in.  The law of averages say they have to hit something.  Dammit!  Hitting the shore at Batavia is costly.  Changsha stutters into death once more.  A quieter day, but there will be a couple of major attacks tomorrow – I think I already have enough men ashore to take both Palemblang and Batavia. We are still murdering the Dutch air force. This is good.
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Mar 20, 2016 18:26
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ZiegeDame posted:Am I reading the map wrong or are there no allied troops at Palembang? I think it's just because troops hadn't actually landed yet to see them.
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Mar 20, 2016 20:15
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| # ? May 17, 2024 01:49 |
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  This is why hitting that sub in harbour a couple of days ago was so nice – it was a Dutch one with working torpedoes!  It's taken these guys three months to march from Davao to here, but they don't mess around when they arrive.  We land troops at Hollandia and Madang.  This is just inefficient.  This is a lot more like it – lots of specialised ships, including an oiler!  Back to Neptune with you!  We find a couple of light cruisers and hit them as they flee.  Again, this is more planes than I would like tasked to this kill.  We hit one of the light cruisers again, and this time it just blows up!  The third wave puts a fish into the Concord.  Once minute, I just need to go clean myself up......  We get to work on Palembang – it'll take a few days, but it will be mine.  Batavia will be a tougher fight.  We take heavy losses, but we destroy the defences at Singapore – we may be able to take it now.  I try and support the troops in Moulmien, it turns into a disaster.  Another day of fighting in Changsha.  An epic day, one that will be long remembered.... Ahh, who am I kidding, you guys only remember the times I screw up.  I'm a little disappointed that that oiler was only worth 4 points. There were a few mines in Batavia, but they are gone now....
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Mar 21, 2016 18:26
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