Timskorn

Yes he appears as an actual HQ unit you can move wherever you like.

!!!!!!!!!!!!CONTEST IS CLOSED!!!!!!!!!!!! The lucky SOB who wins a copy of SC2 Pacific War is NUPREMAL with a guess of 3527. The Magic Number was 3535, nearly getting a bullseye! If anyone was hoping that I would pick a number that was somehow significant to anything, as you know from last contest it was completely random and if it happened to be a number with historical significance, or otherwise, it is entirely coincidental. When I say you need zero skill to win at this contest, I mean it! Nupremal, I sent you an e-mail through your profile link, so let me know if you received it and CONGRATS! Thanks everyone for participating and when/if Hubert releases another game, be sure to join again because I'll be holding another one!! And….CONTEST IS CLOSED. It's OVER. GOODBYE!

While playing those long sessions against the AI or TCP/IP multiplayer, what music do you have going in the background? Especially for the new Pacific scenarios I have "The Thin Red Line" soundtrack regularly playing. I'm thinking maybe some Jay-Z next... j/k

You're talking about in the mini-scenarios, correct? I believe they're just for supply purposes, nothing else.

Hey Bayfire, and welcome! You won't have a problem finding an opponent, that's for sure. You can find one here or go check out the Opponent Finder forum at the bottom of the general forum list and you can find people there or you can start your own post. It helps to add some detail to what you're looking for, such as which scenario you want to play, which side you prefer and the kind of time commitment you expect. For example I only get a turn or two in a day with more on the weekend, so I wouldn't match up well with someone who wants an opponent who can do an hour or two of TCP/IP a night.

Of course...the other, 3rd option is to sneak attack the American West Coast....

Wikipedia should probably be one of the last resources used in getting facts! I found two archived news articles, one from Time and one from NY Times. The Time article is from Sep., 1941 and confirms the Chinese recaptured Foochow. The NY Times article from Oct. of 1944 confirms the Japanese re-took the port, but what happened in-between 41 and 44? Did the Chinese really hold it for 3 years? Time: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,766045,00.html NY Times: http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F30617FD3B5C167B93C6A8178BD95F408485F9 This is a great, fairly medium-length read about the operations of the US with China in the fight against Japan during WW2. The article briefly states that Japan held all of China's coastal ports by the end of 1941. This would confirm Bill's belief that Japan may have only briefly held it in 1941 before the Chinese took it back. The other thing I've noticed is that sometimes it only says "the port" being captured, but I can't imagine that one side would hold the city, while the other the port? http://beijing.usembassy-china.org.cn/ww2operationaloutline.html

I've dealt with them a couple ways. If you really want to take them down you need to commit to it. Bring in extra divisions and lots of airpower. All they'll be able to do is try and slow your advance. You'll find your units will gain loads of experience in China too as they pound them month after month. By the time I advance on their main capital I usually have 4-5 units that have full experience bars. The other route you can take is to put just enough forces in China to keep them in check. Part of the victory condition for the Japanese is to take their main capital, but you can instead use those extra units to go after Delhi, Australia's capital or Hawaii, all of which also count towards victory. I think the British in Burma are a bigger threat, but the Chinese can overwhelm you with numbers if you aren't putting adequate pressure on them. I think it's important to try and cripple or outright remove either the threat from Chinese forces or British forces in Burma in order to free up more units to hold the US back. Extra air units can be placed throughout your pacific island holdings, and extra infantry can be placed to defend those islands and Japan proper. In the end the US is likely the only country that will be in a position to take out Japan, so no matter what my plan is it always has the US in mind in the long-term.

I understand people's disdain with the word 'DRM', as some have caused some customers an insane level of headaches. However, elicense is pretty easy and hassle-free compared to many others. I'm hearing a lot of "if this happens", "I should be able to"...really, do people format harddrives and get viruses every month? Downloading again is extremely easy, and if you have problems finding the e-mail, save it. And I don't know about anyone else, but an SC game takes up so little HD space I never consider uninstalling them to make room, especially compared to other programs and games I have that I could uninstall. So it seems mostly a principle thing, which is fine, everyone has to have principles to stick to…but in return you're missing out on a fantastic game because of theoretical situations you may never find yourself in. We're not talking about a car purchase here people, holy cow. Crack a cold one, relax and just get the game and start sinking some flattops!!

Yes, any enemy held ports or towns can detect movement up to two tiles away. So be mindful of those little villages you decided not to take with your Marines, they are little listening posts in the ocean.

Getting the right intelligence at the right time can make a huge difference, and investing in it cannot be understated. As Bill alluded to, you can't afford to park your fleet in one spot for long periods of time nor assume you are coming with total surprise. I had one situation against the Japanese AI where I was moving my fleet towards Bougainville and was tipped off via intel of a Japanese flattop just west. I was able to directly strike the flattop at a good distance without having to get it revealed in the FOW first, then pulled my fleet back as I still wasn't sure what I was up against. Nevertheless I was able to strike first and sink a carrier! This one revelation at the right time turned what could have been a surprise for ME into a loss of a flattop for the enemy with only aircraft losses for myself.

One tool that can come in handy with this map is the Map Overview button where you can access War % and Convoy Routes. You can see which units you've used or not, and can click on the map to jump straight to that spot.

I purposely didn't put an end-date on this contest because I considered stopping it earlier than last time. Like a bag a popcorn cooking in the microwave, when you only hear a pop or two every so often you know it's time to pull it out. Leave it in too long and you burn it, and I don't want anyone here to catch on fire. *cough* Kuniworth cough* Unless the guessing really picks up I'll announce a winner on Friday, Dec. 12th so the lucky SOB can have all weekend to fight the war. PLEASE MAKE SURE YOUR CONTACT INFO IS UP TO DATE.

You won't be disappointed. Not only is Operation Z a scenario you'll be playing for a long time, the mini-scenarios are all well done too. Even if you've never played them much before I highly recommend checking them out this time!

Wow, congratulations are in order for both parties! That is how I landed a job in the industry years ago, doing work from home and then getting picked up for future projects. I am sure Bill is extremely pleased and very well should be, it is difficult to land a paying position with any game company, let alone one where you're already doing the work you love doing. Now ya just get paid to do it! Really, congrats again for both Bill and Fury Software. All of us are winners in this deal!

Hi Jorisgreens, and welcome! Unfortunately 1207 has already been picked, have another number that works for ya?

I can't speak for BF or Fury Software as to why they, in particular, decided not to do a tutorial but I can speak from experience. As a small developer, creating a tutorial takes time and money that usually is short to go around with from the start. Since it's an important part of the overall game, and not just a small scenario people may never play, they'd probably have to program new features in, create separate maps and test/debug it along with everything else. And would it really be worth it? Yes, a scenario like Operation Z can be daunting to a new player but I think most people here would say that learning the basic mechanics doesn't take too long (point-click to move, point-click to attack). Learning all of the small details like terrain effect on supply can be learned from the manual, or simply from watching a units supply drop the farther they are from a city or HQ. Tutorials can be very helpful, I agree, but in this case I'd suggest just playing the game a bit more and while you're drinking a cup'o Joe in the morning catching up on the news, flip through the manual a bit instead and get a better idea of what you're seeing in the game.

Of course one of the newest, and coolest, additions to SC Pacific is how carriers work. From the outset of Pearl Harbor in Operation Z you immediately feel the power of these new beasts. No longer are they expensive floating "U-boat Food", but the key to victory at sea. You'll find that spotting plays an important "first role" in deciding when and if to engage an enemy fleet. Having long range tech helps a lot here, but the Japanese have an advantage right off the bat. You can't decide whether to engage the enemy first if you don't know what you're up against. If they can see you before you see them, the enemy has the initial advantage. In this case, deception can help you turn the tide. Make the enemy believe they are seeing the bulk of your force and let them engage first and make sure you have fighters nearby for CAP to protect the "bait". Having local land-based fighter units helps immensely here and can be part of your plan. Let them do the CAP so your carriers can move in for the kills with a full aircraft complement. This is where controlling and holding key islands like Truk becomes important, as you can base your land fighters at key junctures where battles are likely to occur (or where you WANT them to occur), or at the very least, can keep an eye on enemy movement in the area. Taking down enemy carriers should be your #1 goal, but not at the expense of the rest of your navy. It's OK to pull back after some initial losses, it's going to happen. As the IJN especially you need to be smart. You can't afford to let the USN build up and come at you later when they can bludgeon you with 5 carriers and an armada of support ships. Even if you take down 3 or 4 carriers, you will have likely lost a couple yourself. The USN can replace their losses, and faster. If you find the USN hiding somewhere as they build up, don't wait for them. Force the issue and threaten Australia and New Zealand. Knock them out if the Allied player wants to sit their fleet. As the USN, use your MPP advantage to get some good techs or extra carriers/ships. Take it to the IJN! Don't be reckless but remind them they don't own the Pacific, and the Marines ARE coming. Every sunk ship hurts the IJN and puts you one step closer to the mainland. Get those islands, move in your fighters, tac and bombers to complement your naval presence. Anyone have any exceptionally satisfying carrier battles that you felt really turned the tide?

And MPP's have always been an abstract way of representing a lot of things like this. For example, later in the game as Japan I simply don't have enough MPP's to reinforce and repair every unit, every ship. You have to start deciding what needs it the most. My damaged BB might sit in port for a month as I have more important units to reinforce and repair. So in this sense you get basically the exact same effect without the added complexity.

You have to play Japan to really appreciate how much they really rely on those convoy routes. Get those Allied subs in there and you can quickly make a Japanese player feel like his military is too big to support...

haha, yeah I felt the same way when I saw the map, but after playing for a couple hours it starts to shrink right before your eyes...especially when the US starts closing in on Japan!

Yeah...tell me about Burma weather, holy crow. In my last game as Japan I ended up moving all my air units out of there by mid-1943, they were grounded all the time! Great stuff to consider though when fighting there. The days that ARE clear can help swing a slugfest in your favor with a few tac bomber runs.

Yep, love the newspaper, nicely done! The day is here, let's get in the war everyone!

Welcome again to the Ridiculously Easy SC Contest! Last time I gave away a couple of free copies of Strategic Command games to one lucky winner. Amazingly, this person won by performing an action no more difficult than cracking the top open to a cold beer. That's right all you talentless, skilless hacks! This contest is for YOU! I have picked a number between 1 and 10,000. You reply here with a guess. :mad: ONLY ONE GUESS :mad:. Do not start a discussion about hexes or why you enjoy wearing pink stiletto's. If you happen to be the closest when the contest is OVER, you will win a free copy of "SC WW2 Pacific Theater". The disclaimer is that Battlefront NOR Fury Software are in any way involved in this. If my endless bucket of money happens to dry up before I buy the game for you, tough luck. If anything whatsoever happens with this contest that may offend or hurt your feelings or generally lower your overall trust in your fellow man, I am soley to blame. Participate in this high risk, high reward endeavor at...uh, your own risk! On a serious note...please tell all and anyone about this contest who may be remotely interesting in playing this game. I understand that lowers YOUR chances, but as much as I'd love to give a free copy of the game to someone who has been trolling these boards for 6 years and likely will for another 6, the purpose of this contest is to attract NEW people to the game so they can get hooked like the rest of us, then subsequently thrashed in multiplayer games. GOOD LUCK!

A lot of people feel the same way, KH! Not everyone can play multiplayer, or even if they do, it's great to have the AI to compete against. The last thing to consider is the totally robust editor that's included. Just a few simple changes to the scenario could greatly alter the difficulty, such as adding units or just giving the AI more MPP to make purchases. Of course, that is *IF* you find yourself rolling over the AI at the hardest difficulty with the highest bonuses. Good luck with that!