Posts made by IJN-Nagato

Well, I actually got my buddy over and played 5 games yesterday.  He took the Italian carrier with american planes, cruisers and destroyers.  I have to say that in game the Americans have a clear advantage in Anti-Aircraft fire.  Not only do the Ami destroyers have a better AA value than the Kaigun destroyers, a lot of them had the Heavy AA ability, which devastated my torpedo bombers every game.  The american light cruisers also have an AA attack value better than my cruisers, the Soryu or the Haruna, and his 2 cruisers also have heavy anit-air ability, so when he uses his ‘floatila’ strategy as he calls it (putting his carrier with one destroyer then sticking the AA CL and the heavy AA/radar picket DD in the space next to it, as well as on the first turn his other AA CL is also on the other side of the carrier), my planes are cut to ribbons.  In 5 games I was able to attempt an airial torpedo attack about 2 or 3 times max, and one of those was on a lone DD because I was tired of loosing planes and having them aborted.

The Americans AA is actually quite a deal better in game already.  It’s base value is usually better, especailly on DDs and CLs, and they have neat AA abilities like heavy AA and other radar direction stuff.  They diffinently don’t need an AA buff.  While the Japanese AA is worse than the Americans, I still find it playable.  Although it’s quite difficult to chase off 2 squadrons of Hell Divers.  They usually can sink the Soryu by reaching critical armor value by the 2nd turn when they concentrate with land based fighter support.  Still, good times.  I love the game.

Gentlemen as far as AA potential of ships, I don’t think there was a great difference.  Unless you count the fact the late war Japanese had much more limited ammo.  As far as actual weapons and mounts, I think the Type 96 (25mm) was compareble to our 28mm.  And I believe we both had the DP 5" guns, I think the only edge we had going for us was when we started mounting the 40mm, though I’d have to research it a little more to be sure.  Let me also put forth the fact that after the losses at Midway, most Japanese pilots were newbs, and couldn’t really compare to the US pilots in training and flight time.  Aslo take into consideration that US plane types kept getting better and better, as well as maintaining a high degree of ruggedness.

In short, I feel better aircraft, with more highly trained pilots on the US side, would be more effective when compared against post midway ‘newb pilots’ on the Japanese side, in lightly or unarmoured Japanese aircraft.  The American planes and pilots were better, and were ever increasing in number, that is what I think accounts for their better performance historicaly.  As far as I can tell, it seems that the AA potential between US and Japan in WW2 wasn’t all that different for the majority of the war, apart from what’s noted above.  For A&A game purposes I would definently rate them close.  Including CAP and the overwhelming carrier and aircraft forces of the late war US is a different matter all thogether.

Cheers!

Thank you.

This game has some how slipped under my radar, I just noticed it this week.  Also I’ve just ordered my starter set and a few of the newer boosters to get me started.  Looking at the ships, I am sad I missed the earliest 2 sets, as it seems my fleets are going to have to do without the Akagi and Yamato, two of the ships I was really hoping I’d be able to pick up.  Does anyone know of a reliable place to buy the older boosters on-line, or where I could pick up the Akagi, or some of the first set Japanese Battleships and planes at least?

I have a sinking feeling I’ll be putting the Nihon Kaigun to sea with mostly escorts to start…  I’d like to get the IJN ‘midway carries’ at least.

I’m looking forward to getting some good friends into this game, as we’ve been looking for a WW2 naval game on and off for a while now.  That being said, after we start, I expect a small arms race for fleet carries and planes.  Should be interesting.