The hardest part, for me, is assigning values for guns.

A lighter gun carries less kinetic energy.... but is your rate of fire higher?  Enough higher to matter?  Cannon shells are explosive, sure, but rate of fire and accuracy enters in, not to mention ammunition supply.  Et cetera.

Not saying your solution is wrong, just commenting on the fiendish complexity of the situation.

Awesome thread!

Quote from: Old GeezerThe hardest part, for me, is assigning values for guns.

A lighter gun carries less kinetic energy.... but is your rate of fire higher?  Enough higher to matter?  Cannon shells are explosive, sure, but rate of fire and accuracy enters in, not to mention ammunition supply.  Et cetera.

Not saying your solution is wrong, just commenting on the fiendish complexity of the situation.

Agreed, Geezer! That's the point where you have to make judgement calls, balancing a horde of isolated stats with little in the way of comprehensive overviews. In the end you do the best you can according to what it is you want out of the game.

-clash

Quote from: SettembriniAwesome thread!

Thanks, Sett! Glad some of you guys are finding the process interesting.

-clash

OK! I'm alpha testing the setup in two weeks. We finished up our big Blood Games II two-era game Saturday, and next week is off due to a party. The players decided on a carrier war in the Pacific game, playing as Americans. My wife does not like the idea of playing a character who would be shooting at Americans, so the idea of playing Japanese was nixed.

I decided to go slightly alt.history right off the bat. I decided that the second of the six Lexington Class cruisers, the Constellation, was further along in construction than it was in real life, and wasn't scrapped, but was finished as a carrier, like the Lexington and Saratoga. This will be the PC's new home.

This gives me a flexibility I prefer. I can have the Connie wherever and whenever I need her, and if she sinks in game, she sinks. There were only two carriers that lasted through the whole war, the Big E and the Sara, and neither was involved in everything, so otherwise I'd have to live or die by what the real ship did. Besides, now the dilemma of "do I screw with history?" is already settled.

I almost gave them F-2A Brewster Buffaloes - the Sara was equipped with Buffs, so there is precedent - but decided to be a kinder, gentler god at the last minute. The Buff could be devastating in the right hands - the single airplane with the largest number of kills credited to it was a Buff - but those hands were Finnish, not American. Young, inexperienced American pilots would get slaughtered flying Buffs against Zeros. I gave them F-4F Grumman Wildcats instead, so they'll stand a fighting chance.

-clash

Oooh! Scratch the Constellation idea! I just found out the US Navy had an escort carrier available before the war, the Long Island, and had made another for the British, HMS Archer. THAT would be much more interesting I think!

-clash

what's the diff between a regular and escort carrier, plane complement-wise?

Quote from: beeberwhat's the diff between a regular and escort carrier, plane complement-wise?

There were three types of carriers in WWII:

A CV, or Carrier, had between 80-100 planes. They were fast (30-35 knots) and well armed. They used bunker oil to heat steam to drive turbines. They carried a squadron each of scout/dive bombers, torpedo/level bombers, and fighters. CVs were sometimes converted heavy cruisers or battleships.

A CVL, or Light Carrier, was usually a converted Light Cruiser, and deployed about 45 planes. They were fast (28-30 knots) but not well armed, and the decks were narrow. They used the same type of propulsion as regular carriers. They carried a squadron each of fighters and torpedo/level bombers.

A CVE, or Escort Carrier, was usually a converted oiler or merchantman - though some were special-built later in the war - and carried 24-30 planes. They were slow (12-16 knots) and some were diesel-fueled. They carried a mixed squadron of fighters and bombers.

The US, UK, and Japan were the only ones who deployed all three types. I had thought that CVEs were only built during the war, coming in late 1942-1943. If they were around in 1941, the PCs can be there from the beginning, and a CVE is much more likely to be given utility jobs, which the PCs would shine at! CVs and CVLs were deployed with the fleet on the glamour jobs, and were collectively called "Fast Carriers." CVEs were also called Jeep Carriers or Baby Flattops, and were used wherever they were needed.

-clash

Actually, the export version of the Buffalo that the Finns got and modified, weighed less than the stock USN version.  As a result it was rather more maneuverable than the version for home consumption.

Quote from: Lee ShortActually, the export version of the Buffalo that the Finns got and modified, weighed less than the stock USN version.  As a result it was rather more maneuverable than the version for home consumption.

True. They threw out the life raft and other non-necessary stuff - they weren't flying over the Pacific or landing on carriers - fixed a problem with the engine, and had a field day. In service during 1941-1945, the Brewsters were credited with 496 Soviet and German aircraft destroyed, against the loss of 19 Brewsters: a victory ratio of 26:1. That is just astonishing. They also replaced the .30 calibre MG with .50 calibres to give it four .50s.

The other aspect was that Hans Wind, their leading ace, developed a whole book of tactics designed to exploit the Buff's good points. He even analyzed the poor performance of the Marine Buffs at Midway, pointing out the tactical flaws in the American attack which led to them getting shredded.

Interesting stuff!

-clash

The PCs will be flying from the USS Maui, a newly converted fleet oiler on her maiden voyage as an escort carrier. The Maui carries 24 planes - 12 Vought Vindicator SBU dive bombers, 6 Douglas Devastator torpedo planes, and 6 F-4F Grumman Wildcat fighters. The PCs will be the Wildcat Pilots.

The Maui will be coming in towards Pearl on December 7, 1941.

-clash

nothing like starting off with a bang, eh?

Quote from: beebernothing like starting off with a bang, eh?

That's how I like starting things off!

-clash

It even has a precedent. A couple of squadrons of SBDs from the USS Enterprise flew into the melee around Pearl by accident and bad timing. Like the Maui, the Big E was well off the coast and wasn't spotted - it had been delayed a day due to a storm, or it would have been in-harbor on Dec. 7. Carriers were the #1 target, and none happened to be in port.

From bluejacket.com:

"At 0618 hours on 7 Dec 41, Enterprise launched SBDs of VB-6 and VS-6 to search a sector 045 to 134 degrees for a distance of 150 miles (240 km) and to then proceed to NAS Pearl Harbor on Ford Island.  A total of 18 aircraft arrived over Pearl Harbor during the Japanese attack.  One was shot down by U.S. antiaircraft fire, four by the Japanese and one crash-landed.  The remainder landed at either NAS Ewa or NAS Pearl Harbor."

-clash

sounds cool.  the idea of being ship-based fighter pilots reminds me of the cosmo-tigers in star blazers.