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Supply
Apr 13, 2019 23:35:13 GMT -6
Post by goodwood on Apr 13, 2019 23:35:13 GMT -6
Just reading the latest addition to Devs diary, will remote bases like a Japanese held Zanzibar, will that base require physical supply to stay operational (e.g. sending a convoy to supply base with ammo and fuel etc), or is a there an abstract process that does that.
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Post by noshurviverse on Apr 14, 2019 8:50:21 GMT -6
Given the nature of RtW, I would say it's entirely reasonable to assume the process is abstracted. Unless an enemy had a force advantage significant enough to trigger an invasion I feel it's reasonable to assume a maintainable level of supplies can flow.
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Supply
Apr 14, 2019 17:47:36 GMT -6
Post by jeb94 on Apr 14, 2019 17:47:36 GMT -6
A blockade should have something to do with this. It would be interesting to have bases have stockpiles of supplies that would be maintained at certain levels. During a blockade these supplies would be used until eventually there is a shortage of fuel, munitions, and repair materials. Fuel and materials could be abstracted based off base capacity and the tonnage/aircraft currently based there. Munitions could have a certain quantity available based on base capacity. The bases in the area are resupplied up to standard levels after each month as long as there is no blockade. With a blockade in place the numbers will not replenish. Of course, with a large airbase in range of the blockaders they could be subject to damage and losses from land based air strikes as long as the base has the ability to operate its aircraft. This could make new missions like blockade running and aircraft transport missions possible and valuable. Best historical example I can think of for this is Malta.
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Supply
Apr 14, 2019 19:32:04 GMT -6
Post by goodwood on Apr 14, 2019 19:32:04 GMT -6
a naval game that is global needs a convoy element in the game. The battle for the Atlantic probably one of the most important campaigns of WW2. What more more is there is to say.
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Supply
Apr 15, 2019 3:21:09 GMT -6
Post by alexbrunius on Apr 15, 2019 3:21:09 GMT -6
a naval game that is global needs a convoy element in the game. The battle for the Atlantic probably one of the most important campaigns of WW2. What more more is there is to say. Not just in WW2. It was just as fought over during WW1, actually German submarines sunk similar amounts of tonnage during WW1 as well and probably a greater portion of the allied total tonnage. It would also be hard to ignore the impact that the convoy losses had on the Pacific theater during WW2. It greatly impacted Japan and it's ability to both supply the home front industry with overseas resources, and to supply military bases overseas.
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Supply
Apr 15, 2019 8:49:07 GMT -6
dorn likes this
Post by director on Apr 15, 2019 8:49:07 GMT -6
Agreed. But in the original post there was a discussion of how to supply a fleet base at Zanzibar, not the Home Islands of Japan. But as alexbrunius says, "It would also be hard to ignore the impact that the convoy losses had on the Pacific theater during WW2" and hard to deny how air power made defensive and offensive actions possible. A nation would have problems supplying fleet operations from a forward base depending upon the number of enemy and friendly bases in the area. The best guides to this are the colonial campaigns of WW1, where Germany made no effort to operate fleets or squadrons from overseas bases once war began, the Pacific theater of WW2 and of course the resupply of Malta in the same war. In the above instance, where Japan owns a base in the Indian Ocean, her ability to operate fleet units from it would depend on: 1) Who is the enemy, and does he have bases along the line of communication (as Britain, France and the US do) 2) What size fleet is to be supplied, ans at what tempo of operations 3) Are air units present, and if so in what strength In my opinion, RtW could best simulate the difficulty by giving 'supply convoy' missions to the player and determining the fate of a colonial invasion by their outcome - in other words, by weighing the number of friendly and enemy bases (and aircraft if present) in a sea zone and using that to influence the number of 'supply convoy' missions generated. Effective air units should drastically change this equation, as evidenced by the Malta and Guadalcanal campaigns: even low numbers of aircraft can have a determining effect if the enemy has fewer. Air superiority should massively multiply the power of an invading or defending force for invasions and I have no doubt they will dramatically affect naval combat. An old saying has it that a man in a rowboat with a pistol controls the sea if no-one else has them... this is true of aircraft also. This is not simple to do and might best be handled by simply ignoring the question outside the 'normal' RtW-type generation of missions and the presence of air units on a tactical scale. But the German experience in WW1 and both Allied and Japanese experience in WW2 show that an isolated base is an ineffective base, which may be taken or bypassed as desired. Conversely, even a few aircraft (as at Malta or Guadalcanal) can enable a defender to hold against enormous pressure. An 'expansion pack' of RtW2 that permitted more operational actions between battles would greatly broaden and deepen the game without, I think, compromising its core.
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Supply
Apr 16, 2019 2:39:41 GMT -6
Post by alexbrunius on Apr 16, 2019 2:39:41 GMT -6
I agree with you director. The RTW setting would lend itself well to have actual combat missions along the convoy supply lines where enemy air/naval power have bases positioned to interdict them. in this specific example it would probably be the British Air/Navy bases in Singapore, Ceylon or the Maldives if they are available that would be best positioned to interdict Japanese convoys towards the Indian Ocean bases.
For submarine raiding such missions would have to be simulated automatic, but it would be nice if you at least could choose which regions to use your submarines in ( so that the simulation of them use actual numbers of present submarines vs convoys/escorts to determine outcome ).
I love the idea of successful invasions then also depending on being able to secure and deliver alot of convoy traffic towards the Battleship fleet with invasion targets. So if you for example successful defend "invasion support convoys" few turns in a row while at the same time sinking all the enemy supply convoys heading to their outpost then the invasion is almost guaranteed to be successful. Raiding of supply convoy also could have other interesting impacts like ships operating out of bases starting with less than 100% fuel or ammunition, or airplanes not having optimal ammunition available ( mainly lack of Torpedoes and AP bombs being substituted for less effective vs ships GP bombs instead ).
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