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Post by vonfriedman on Mar 4, 2024 11:01:38 GMT -6
Thank you for appreciation. I cannot promise to provide you with the files quickly: please excuse me.
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Post by vonfriedman on Sept 2, 2023 6:46:34 GMT -6
For personal reasons this thread is, at least temporarily, suspended.
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Post by vonfriedman on Aug 30, 2023 0:06:52 GMT -6
A little "big day"
March 1Q15 - Thanks to Admiral Haus' caution, when yet another warning of an unspecified enemy operation arrives, five BBs, a BC, two Bs and a CA are available. Viribus Unitis has just completed repair in Cagliari, so the assembly point is fixed SE of Sardinia. The joining of forces has not yet taken place, when warships coming from S are sighted. It is a BB Courbet-class and a B Danton-class, which (it will be known later) were to join a stronger naval squadron from Toulon. Unfortunately for them, they instead encounter the battleships of the Triple Alliance, which in a battle of pursuit sink them one after the other. However, Dante Alighieri is damaged to the point of having to retreat towards Cagliari. As she proceeds slowly, on the opposite course Viribus Unitis is sailing at full speed to participate in the battle. After the battle, a staff meeting is held in the admiral's cabin, to review reports of enemy movements. The situation is confusing. Horthy, while patrolling the route between Algiers and Marseilles in search of merchantmen, has came across a squadron of French CAs, from which he escaped with difficulty. The coastguards of Sicily have repeatedly reported enemy vessels SW of the island. It is decided to sail towards the center of the Tyrrhenian Sea to protect the Italian convoys in that area, while Rear Admiral Millo's CLs will seek contact with the ships reported near Sicily. After some time Bixio, with clear weather, sights two British Bs and other warships heading north. Haus is perfectly placed to intercept them and a few hours later old Ocean and Albion and two old CAs are sunk at the cost of Helgoland, which is torpedoed during too close an action against British DDs. Rear-Admiral Horthy is fished out dripping with fury as well as water. With ammunition running out, all the battleships return to Palermo in the late evening, just in time to avoid a very unpleasant encounter with three French BBs arriving from Toulon or with the rest of the Mediterranean Fleet, which was also approaching. The turn ends with a major victory for the Triple Alliance, which at this point would have accumulated the VPs needed to close the game, if the ratio of dreadnought numbers were not still in favor of the Entente. In the same turn a troopships convoy from Naples has arrived safely in Tripoli.
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Post by vonfriedman on Aug 29, 2023 9:57:33 GMT -6
Your answer makes me think you are playing in Admiral Mode, with very limited control over dependent task forces. I prefer to play in Rear Admiral mode. In this case (at the risk of repeating myself) when you activate your ships, at the beginning of the turn, you can get a single independent task force for each "Force" (e.g. playing as UK: one for the BCF, one for the Grand Fleet, one for the Harwich Force; max three task forces with relative flagships). The ships of each task force always sail together, according to their roles and the movements assigned to the flagship. So, if you want to have a task force with some minelayers, which operates independently of another task force made up of battleships or cruisers, you need to make sure the minelayers belong to a different "Force". However, you can get around these limitations with Emergency Activation. Practical example: at the beginning of the turn you set sail with the minelayers and some DDs, in order to fulfill the objective of laying a minefield somewhere. Then, at the first opportunity, you activate other warships OF THE SAME FORCE in order to protect the minelayers, or for any other purpose. Thus you will have two task forces to maneuver independently of each other, even if the "Force" to which they belong is the same. And you can repeat this "trick" as many times as you like. Emergency Activation offers another benefit, besides halving the OP cost per ship: playing with 2 weeks per turn you can use ships that were under repair with 1 week remaining of work at the start of the turn. Finally, to answer the last question, at the start of each turn the ships are at their own bases and there is no way to start them from other locations. Ditto (obviously) for the case of emergency activation. However, with the "preempt" option, ships start the turn from a point at sea closer to the enemy's bases. The "reassign" and "rebase" options may also be used to transfer ships between bases before the turn start.
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Post by vonfriedman on Aug 29, 2023 2:21:04 GMT -6
I add this too. To assign ships to different objectives, there are two possibilities. The first is that the ships belong to different "Forces" (ed. Battle Cruiser Force for the objective "Sink X ships of Y type" and Harwich Force for minelaying) The second is to take advantage of the emergency activation, which allows you - repeating it several times - to create other task forces, almost at will.
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Post by vonfriedman on Aug 29, 2023 2:03:20 GMT -6
All Quiet on the Mediterranean Front
End February 1Q15 - With Admiral Haus again in command, caution prevails and instead of putting to sea to carry out a sweep west of the Strait of Sicily, as was suggested by the High Command, all the dreadnoughts remain in port, while Prinz Eugen is completing training. All but one: Goeben. Also this time Rear Admiral Souchon insisted on weighing anchor together with Breslau, on the basis of a vague report of enemy CLs south of Sicily, which he supposed were headed to carry out a raid against the Italian convoys in the Tyrrhenian Sea. "The man can't sit still for a minute" grumbles Haus. "He will end up finding a submarine on his way and then we will laugh, or rather instead: we will cry" adds his Chief of staff. Hours pass without apparently anything happening. In the meantime, the minelayers are busy in the Strait of Bonifacio where a minefield is laid and Rear Admiral Horthy is as always on the hunt for enemy merchant ships. And this time he will be more successful than usual. A few days later, interesting news arrives. A French BB was sighted right in the area of the expected sweep. She would have been quite easy prey for the six battleships available for such a sweep, also because (so the informants say) she was sailing almost alone. The turn ends with a half draw. But the hours of light are increasing, the number of battleships available is also increasing. The next few weeks will hopefully be more action-packed. SMS Helgoland after setting sail from Cagliari
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Post by vonfriedman on Aug 29, 2023 1:15:49 GMT -6
When you select an objective you simply enable yourself to collect the corresponding VPs. After that you must activate the ships you deem necessary to achieve that objective, taking care that they are not less than the minimum required. e.g. if you need to reach point X with 4 dreadnoughts, you can also activate the whole fleet, but you have to make sure that at least 4 of your dreadnoughts pass through that point sooner or later. Ditto for laying mines. You can do this with the required minimum of unescorted minelayers or activate more along with other ships that will escort them. At this point you are able to move the divisions and/or flotillas you have activated and you can do whatever you want with them, except detach ships. They - until damaged - always remain part of their division or flotilla. This - in my opinion - is half a bug in the game, perhaps mirroring WW1 practices, but unrealistic. Furthermore, ships at the limit of autonomy cannot be sent to refuel in a nearby port, and then go back to sea. Once they enter port they are lost for the game. During the game, when some enemy ship is sighted and the emergency activation icon lights up (top right), you can click on it and activate some or all of the remaining ships, at a halved OP cost (this is a big plus). I hope I was helpful.
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Post by vonfriedman on Aug 28, 2023 0:36:48 GMT -6
Stories of minefields
February 1Q15 - Reports arrive of a mining operation which the enemy intends to carry out N of Palermo. In retaliation, it is decided to preempt the enemy and to lay a large minefield N of Bizerta using all ships capable of carrying mines. Everything runs smoothly and Bixio, Marsala, Breslau and Straßburg then proceed to prevent the opponent from carrying out a similar operation. Warned by the torpedo boats guarding the Strait of Sicily (two of which are sunk) the CLs have no difficulty in intercepting and sinking the French minelayer Proserpine and a DD. The rest of the day is spent patrolling the convoy routes of both friend and foe. Along the latter Horthy's CLs pick up good prey. At nightfall, while Breslau and Straßburg return to Palermo, they come across a procession of French DDs and boldly engage them in close combat, sinking three of them, with damage to a CL, but without receiving any hits from the various torpedoes launched. They had almost blatant luck, especially since, a few minutes earlier, they would have met France and Courbet, instead of the DDs. The turn ends with a victory for the Triple Alliance, also due to the successful arrival of a fast convoy from Taranto to Tripoli. Another good news is the arrival of the new BB Prinz Eugen and a couple of DDs. This arrival equalizes the sending of the powerful BC Princess Royal to Malta. [Historically Prinz Eugen was ready before St.Istvan - this error is already corrected in the files of the campaign in the thread A new SAI campaign.]
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Post by vonfriedman on Aug 27, 2023 1:31:43 GMT -6
Also Admiral Haus is "apoplectic"End January 1Q15 - A meeting of the high command forces Admiral Haus and the Duca degli Abruzzi to be absent. Vice Admiral Thurn und Taxis is strongly advised not to undermine the few efficient battleships at his disposal. But it's like talking to the wind. Thurn und Taxis does not intend to miss the opportunity to exercise command at sea and seizes the opportunity of an old request of the Austrian Foreign Ministry to make a show of strength in the Aegean Sea. So he set sail with St. Istvan, Leonardo da Vinci, Regina Elena and Vittorio Emanuele. He hopes to meet only a few British CAs there and score an easy victory. But he has just gathered his forces, when from the naval air base of Alghero, NW of Sardinia, news begins to arrive about French warships in the area. Thurn und Taxis is uncertain: from the reports it seems to be a few CAs and perhaps a B or two, but this information is notoriously inaccurate. On the other hand, since a bombardment has not started yet, there is enough time to reach the area, where he is almost certain to find the enemy. The cruise in the Aegean, on the other hand, could take place without seeing anyone. The course is reversed and then changed once more when aerial reconnaissance from Cagliari reports a single BC a short distance away, to the SW. Assuming that she is a French ship bound for Bizerte, Thurn und Taxis heads for that base, and discovers two French BBs raising steam in the roadstead, under the protection of its forts. In the meantime, night has fallen. The big ships of the Triple Alliance start patrolling offshore, while their DDs attempt a torpedo attack, which fails (two DDs lost). Suddenly, a short distance from Leonardo da Vinci, a French BB appears followed by a B. In the subsequent rapid exchange of gunfire both the Italian BB and the French ships are damaged, the former quite badly. While Leonardo da Vinci slowly retreats towards Cagliari, Thurn und Taxis is obliged escort her. When day breaks again there is no longer a trace of the enemy. What to do? It is presumed that the French were preparing to carry out one of their sweeps in the Tyrrhenian Sea. The best thing seems to be to get close to a couple of convoys, which are known to be sailing from Genoa to Naples. This time Thurn und Taxis got it right or almost right, because his CLs, unleashed in reconnaissance, sight a British BC followed by a B. In the few remaining hours of light an artillery duel is engaged, which sees Indomitable collect several hits. Not being prudent - after what happened to Leonardo da Vinci - to go in search of a night battle, and also because the DDs are low on fuel, Turn und Taxis sets sail for Palermo, where he arrives safely the following morning, but with one BB less, which will be in the shipyard for months, and having lost two DDs, without having sunk any enemy ship. The only good news comes from Horthy, who once again intercepted and sunk some merchant ships, and also from the Italian convoys, who at least this time suffered no losses. The turn ends with a minor victory for the Entente. Admiral Haus is apoplectic.
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Post by vonfriedman on Aug 26, 2023 9:13:39 GMT -6
"A deadly punch but a weak jaw", a boxing trainer would say. Especially for that turret armor of only 9".
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Post by vonfriedman on Aug 26, 2023 4:47:01 GMT -6
Evidently your Designs folder (where are the .sdf files of ships appearing in NWS SAI scenarios/campaigns) is different from mine, because mine contains both Benedetto Brin and Ersatz Monarch (with space between the two names).
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Post by vonfriedman on Aug 26, 2023 1:01:36 GMT -6
A day to remember
January 1Q15 - Reports pile up on the desk of the Chief of Naval Operations of the Triple Alliance regarding an upcoming enemy initiative, but there isn't much clarification about it. It would seem that "Mata Hari's" sources of information have dried up. Meanwhile, the first significant reinforcements have arrived: two large minelayers and a pair of light cruisers. Taking advantage of the former it is decided to mine extensively the Strait of Bonifacio between Corsica and Sardinia, where French warships usually transit in their raids in the Tyrrhenian Sea. With the light forces now available, an extensive reconnaissance between Sicily and Tunisa (Strait of Sicily) is organized, while Viribus Unitis, Tegetthoff, Dante Alighieri, Giulio Cesare, Roma preceded by Goeben and CA Amalfi, plus DDs, gather to support them. It is the morning of a clear day when Straßburg sights on the horizon, towards S, the silhouettes of four British Invincible or Indefatigable-class BCs, behind which rises a mass of smoke created by several other large ships. Admiral Haus believes he is perfectly placed to face them, however the fight develops at first in the N direction, forcing Goeben to fight in a rearward position. She will take the opportunity to target the British Bs (two Lord Nelsons and four Duncans), which will lose two of them. The BCs are a harder nut to crack. Evidently they do not use "suicide magazine practices", as referred to by "Mata Hari", since they take one hit after another without stopping sailing at high speed and firing all their guns. Viribus Unitis receives a hit which drops her speed to 10 knots at first and causes some flooding. She turns out of line and falls behind without contributing further to the battle, while damage also increases on Tegetthoff and the other battleships. But in the end the effect of the greater number of large caliber guns of the Triple Alliance dreadnoughts is felt (the ratio is about 4:3 even without Viribus Unitis and Goeben). Indefatigable turns out of line and begins limping away towards Bizerta, which however she will not reach by sinking along the way. Leaving the battered Bs behind, the British BCs head towards Malta, stubbornly pursued by Dante Alighieri and Cesare ( Tegetthoff is too damaged and Goeben soon runs out of ammunition). Invincible, much damaged, is finally caught up and sunk in the night. While the Italian BBs retreat towards Augusta in SE Sicily, after a brief clash with some British DDs, Amalfi is subjected to fire from some large ships, probably CAs, reporting damage. It is most likely Admiral Troubridge's squadron, which usually patrols the Aegean Sea at the entrance to the Adriatic Sea, arriving late to the rescue of the BCs of Malta. The turn ends with many ships undergoing repairs, but for the first time two enemy dreadnought ships have been sunk. Mining the Bonifacio's Strait proved to be effective because a French CL sank on that minefield. However one BB and various Bs from Toulon later have wrought havoc among the Italian transports in the Tyrrhenian Sea. Since Horthy managed to intercept a couple of large enemy merchantmen, the balance of the war on traffic waged by surface ships is less negative than usual. What submarines do in this type of warfare remains shrouded in mystery. Battle of the Strait of Sicily - 1st phase
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Post by vonfriedman on Aug 25, 2023 7:39:11 GMT -6
You'll excuse me if I tried to entice you to play also my Mediterranean campaign... About missing ships files for the Adriatic campaign, you should have installed on your PC a directory titled Steam and Iron. In that directory you should then find a folder called Designs, where you will find the .sdf files of all the ships from 1914 to 1918 and beyond. Then there is a second folder, called Custom Files, where you can add other ships, created with the Designship tool or downloaded. If necessary, give me a list of the ships that are missing and I will try to send you the related .sdf files, to then put in the Custom Files folder. This is what I understand, however please note that I am certainly not a computer whiz.
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Post by vonfriedman on Aug 25, 2023 5:12:00 GMT -6
Sorry for having contributed in part to the mess you speak of. However you have to go to page 2 of these Discussions and there you will find the thread "A new SAI campaign" in the penultimate place. On 24 September 2019 and then again on 11 January 2020 I have attached various files, including those which perhaps include the ships of your interest. Most of them are already in the standard SAI game files.
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Post by vonfriedman on Aug 25, 2023 1:19:07 GMT -6
A risky operation
End December 1Q14 - The announcement of a further enemy operation causes much discussion among the admirals of the Triple Alliance navies. In fact, only two Austrian BBs are available and some argue that they should not be exposed to risks and instead be trained, to join their companions that will leave the repair yards in two weeks' time. But the young and ambitious Vice Admiral Thurn und Taxis (Haus is in Vienna to try to reassure the old emperor) thinks otherwise. He points out that vessel movements which have been observed in Gibraltar and also a recent message from Corrispondente Beta (a spy vessel disguised as a Spanish trawler) indicate that it will be a British convoy bound for Malta, which has not received supplies for several months. It will therefore be a question of facing only a few old British Bs, as it is certain that several BCs of the Mediterranean Fleet are still in the South Atlantic. Without listening to any more protests and doubts, the Austrian admiral sets sail with Tegetthoff and St.Istvan towards the western Mediterranean, being preceded by the faster CLs. At the same time a large minefield is set up off the coast of Bizerte. His hypothesis turns out to be well founded, because on the evening of the second day Helgoland and Saida sight several British battleships, Duncan or Russell-class, N of the coast of Algeria, sailing due east. In the few hours of light that remain, Thurn und Taxis manages to score a few hits on the enemy ships, which retreat into the darkness. During the night, despite an extensive patrol, no news of the British Bs arrives (it will later turn out that they have reached Malta sailing along the coastline), so Thurn und Taxis decides to return to base. He is lucky enough to come across an isolated old French B, which is chased and sunk, but in the meantime the damage to St.Istvan increases and more ammo is spent. Suddenly alarming reports comes from the scouting cruisers, which have sighted a British squadron, with three BCs and many Bs to the East. The Mediterranean Fleet has come out of Malta in force this time and threatens to cut off the retreat of the Austrians. Other worrying news comes from the central Tyrrhenian Sea, where French BBs are reported. Never like this time does one have the feeling of an enemy dominance in the Mediterranean, despite the sinking of many French Bs in the previous months. However, the long winter nights allows the Austrian admiral to return to base without encountering the enemy. The turn thus ends with a minor, very narrow victory of the Triple Alliance. [The endgame was played several times and one time out of three the Austrians had the worst.]
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