Brief Co-Op MP AAR - Teaser

[Johan]

So we're playing some co-op MP happily on Sunday afternoon, in the Southern Conquest scenario.. (Which is Japan from Pearl Harbour down until they conquer all they did historically about aug 42)..

JPD, Aldo & Darkrenown as the Japs.
Me+Zanza as the yanks. (with AUS+PHI in MilControl)
Grosshaus and Santa Klaus as the limeys. (with HOL in mcontrol.)

Put it this way.. us allies did not exactly put in a glorious effort. Sure we managed to hold Singapore, but....

A) The aussie fleet got sunk outside of Manila when attempting ship in some reinforcements. (Or sunk and sunk, we had a destroyer able to survive.)
B) Oops, did I forget my main Taskforce with USS Langley at PORT in Manila at the same time, and get it basically obliterated by a japanese portstrike?

Fine, philippenes fold, and we desperately pull back our remnants of air from PHI to Port Moresby.

Thank god for submarines protecting Guam

So now USA gets the fun reinforcements of Yorktown+Lexington and a bunch of cruisers. UK still got their mainfleet with Hermes and a bunch of BB/CA around, so we discuss to rendesvouz near Singapore and Batavia to attempt to take out one of the 2 reported jap CV taskforces.

Ehhmm.. I just realise their based out Samoa & rebasing to Brisbane or Port Moresby would not help my fleet, so I rebase them to Batavia instead. Which means they are rendered ineffective for quite a while.

Meanwhile the japanese mops up whats left of the Philippines and land on Borneo.
The UK guys takes this as an insult and scuttles their fleet to attempt to take out the invading fleet.
Of course their airforce is busy attempting to keep air-superioriity at the Burma front, so no aerial recon.
Needless to say, the Japanese and the most hated CV of all times Zonsho(?) intercepts them, and the UK fleet is rendered ineffective.

In early April, the Japs finally land on northen Java, and we glorious Americans decide to strike back... Intensive logistical bombings from our strat-bombers, and the proud dutch colonial stops the japanese advance on Batavia.

I send out Yorktown and Lexington to engage the medium japanese fleet my fighters have spotted.
Only to discover, 1 hour into battle, a certain japanese Taskforce...
End result.. 2 sunk american carriers...

And a game-programmer muttering.. "found some sort of bug.. need to stop and fix it.."

 

[Grosshaus]

Lesson 1: Air recon
Lesson 2: Thought-through co-operation. In co-op MP you can't mess around with everything, you need to set strict boundaries of control or have a telepathic link.

 

[Chaplain]

Fantastic! Thanks for the bones, Johan. With these kinds of teasers, it's hard to wait so long until the release ... leaves me (contentedly) wondering what the delay is?

The naval rebasing concept is particularly intriguing ...

 

[Gothmog]

Really interesting (and humorous) mini-AAR, that...I particularly like the direction the naval combat is going (or at least, where is seems to be headed)...

 

[Gothmog]

...or have a telepathic link.

Don't write stuff like that, Grosshaus...soon someone will demand that it should be included in the first patch!

 

[unmerged(6777)]

Lesson 1: Air recon
Lesson 2: Thought-through co-operation. In co-op MP you can't mess around with everything, you need to set strict boundaries of control or have a telepathic link.

Lesson #3: it's fatal to lose control of the skies.
Lesson #4: don't be Johan's MP partner

 

[Bossemanden]

Damn that was one nice teaser. Thanks a bunch.

 

[Gothmog]

Lesson #4: don't be Johan's MP partner

Even with that new line of code of his?

Seriously, it seems cooperative MP can be darn fun...at least for one side...

 

[unmerged(15723)]

Japan co-oping:

As the senior beta jpd took control of the IJN Glorious Taskforces. Darkrenown and me got a Transport Fleet each and I managed to take some escorting Cruisers without anyone protesting. With jpd ruling the waves and taking HongKong, I and Darkrenown decided to conduct two separate landings on the Philippine main island.

I was in charge of the southern landing operation. Unopposed the escorted transport fleet crossed the South China Sea. With one infantry division and two marine regiments the beaches of the southern part of the island was soon in Imperial control.

Darkrenowns operation were a little more troublesome. Since I was not in command of this operation I am not fully briefed but this is how I perceived things:
After seriously underestimating the Allied numbers on the enemy beaches the first landing was a complete failure despite extensive planning. In order for Japan not to loose momentum in the offensive I assisted Commander Darkrenown with one of the marine regiments under my command by sailing it to the northern shores. When he with new divisions launched a second landing my marines went along.

The landing was a success but when I now was about to relocate my marine regiment to my Corps south of Manilla the regiment was attached to one of Darkrenowns Corps and involved in a new offensive into the island! I made an official protest and in the end the regiment was returned to my Corps. With good air support (Darkrenown) and a strong offensive from north (Darkrenown) and south (me) the main island was soon in Imperial hands and the old quarrels were forgotten.

Then I left to dine with some friends and missed out on the many more glorious Japanese victories.

 

[ConcordantNexus]

{drools}

this sounds like sooo much fun!!!

It's about high time for me to start playing Paradox MP...

 

[unmerged(14078)]

Playing as the UK together with Grosshaus. Placing lots of troops in Singapore and north of it in preparations for an invasion that never came. The Gurkas did a nice little raid into Hanoi, the Japs moved through Siam, slowly advancing towards the British troops...

Following the suggestion by Johan, the royal navy, in or close by Singapore, was sent northwest to join the American fleet to strike against the japanese. Most of the royal navy was sunk west of the Philippines, by a big Japanese taskforce. Note for next game: Check the size of the enemy fleet before deciding to send out the entire fleet.

 

[ConcordantNexus]

by the sounds of it, playing on very high speeds won't be a good idea in MP?

 

[unmerged(14078)]

by the sounds of it, playing on very high speeds won't be a good idea in MP?

The other players might get upset if you pause all the time.

You play at a speed that allows you to control the troops efficiently and keep a good overview of the situation.

 

[ConcordantNexus]

The other players might get upset if you pause all the time.

You play at a speed that allows you to control the troops efficiently and keep a good overview of the situation.

I presume that there is an in-game chat function of some kind? how well does it work?

 

[Stonewall]

I presume that there is an in-game chat function of some kind? how well does it work?

Based on my experience in previous Paradox games, MP has a nice chat feature that allows you talk to a number of different groups of countries...allies, enemies,neighbors, and an option to let you select any grouping you want to communicate with. Its a nice touch.

 

[Gwalcmai]

Aren't the times when you need to ask your allies for help also the times when you can't really find the time to type in messages? There are games that allow you to set up a number of preset messages that you can send to other players. Like, for example, "Help me, please!"

 

[unmerged(26876)]

Very nice - and let me be the first to say:

How about a screenie?

How does it work - Aldo you lost your Marines to DRs Corps? You couldn't grab it back? How does it work??

Who controls what?
Who controls Economy? Research?

 

[unmerged(34872)]

I presume that there is an in-game chat function of some kind? how well does it work?

Well without it there would be no way to have 2 player

 

[unmerged(6777)]

Very nice - and let me be the first to say:

How about a screenie?

How does it work - Aldo you lost your Marines to DRs Corps? You couldn't grab it back? How does it work??

Who controls what?
Who controls Economy? Research?

Sorry. Johan would have to answer those questions since they are still covered by NDA.

 

[unmerged(34139)]

Very nice - and let me be the first to say:

How about a screenie?

How does it work - Aldo you lost your Marines to DRs Corps? You couldn't grab it back? How does it work??

Who controls what?
Who controls Economy? Research?

It was a battle scenario so I assume no economy.