Sand Castle Posted January 19, 2003 Share Posted January 19, 2003 Can anyone tell me if there is a trick to taking Malta? I bomb/bombard the port and/or island and whatever unit is there either rebuilds, if reduced, or gains experience. Is there anyway to cut it off so it can only rebuild to a strength of 5? Any suggestions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerseyJohn Posted January 19, 2003 Share Posted January 19, 2003 Surround it with Italian warships, have a few airfleets on Sicily and a floating corps astride her waiting to land when it's defending airfleet is reduced to zero. Also, keep the Italian sub within a few hexes to reduce the convoys and invite an airstrike. If you're playing the AI don't attack it first, your chances of wiping it out are minimal and it will only rebuild. Instead, let the Malta airfleet attack something, hopefully it will be reduced for your turn, when you can hit it with your airfleets and bombard it with your ships. If you drive it to zero make sure you immediately occupy the island, otherwise the British can operate another airfleet there when your turn ends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BriantheWise Posted January 20, 2003 Share Posted January 20, 2003 Taking Malta is very tough, but very key. Here's how you do it: Do exactly like Jersey John suggested, basically, but don't wait for the Allied air to attack something - make it attack something. You need five airs, the italian fleet and a floating corp. An HQ is good too. Your first air should attack the port. This will make the Allied air intercept. You can do any where from 4 to 6 hits on it. If you only get 4 hits, wait and do it again the next turn. Remember, the air on Malta can only reinforce to 8. Next turn, attack the port, if he's reinforced his air. He will have to intercept again. Then pound the air with everything you've got: Fleets and air and kill it. It may work, it may not work. If it doesn't this round, repeat the above steps again. It can get expensive. But not always. That's against the AI. Players, generally move the air out, and replace it with the Free French corp. This is easier to attack, since your fleets can just pound it, without taking punishment, until it looks promising, reducing it's entrenchment, and then pound it with your air. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerseyJohn Posted January 20, 2003 Share Posted January 20, 2003 Brian Good pointers -- will incorporate them next time the opportunity arises. I like the idea of hitting the port too; forgot it can't reinvorce if the port goes beyone, what, four? Always great to learn something new. [ January 19, 2003, 07:51 PM: Message edited by: JerseyJohn ] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BriantheWise Posted January 20, 2003 Share Posted January 20, 2003 Jersey John, Actually, it's not that at all. The allied air will reinforce, regardless of the port strength. But the nuance of the game is that if you attack the allied air fleet while it is sitting inside the fortress, it will defend itself at a fortified value. But if you attack the port, the allied air fleet will intercept at an equal value, which, if you're Axis air has any of the experience (and HQ supply) it is supposed to have (use your most experienced air for the bombing of the port), is going to hurt the allied air badly. Then you bomb the air, even though it receives fort bonus. Bombing the port is just a way of making it intercept. Hurting the port is just an added bonus. Does that makes more sense? I may have mis explained previously. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerseyJohn Posted January 20, 2003 Share Posted January 20, 2003 Brian No, it makes perfect sense. I misunderstood the reasons before but now it's clear. Glad you went into it. One of the things I was missing before was the importance of having an HQ present with the airfleets. It's obvious that would make a big difference. You're right, if the Malta airfleet goes down to 6 due to interception it should be further reduced to zero pretty easily by the attacking airfleets and naval bombardment. Normally I've used the Italian sub as bait for the Malta air attacks, but you're right, the port attack forces a more damaging interception. Whatever happened to Sand Castle? The two of us must have pushed him past the point of human endurance and now he's off with SeaMonkey watching the still! [ January 19, 2003, 08:50 PM: Message edited by: JerseyJohn ] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BriantheWise Posted January 20, 2003 Share Posted January 20, 2003 Who knows!? You and I could talk anyone into a coma. I've noticed that you aren't posting so many pics any more, but instead allowing readers to click on the site.... I don't know if this is good. Some of your pics were great. But, my opinion, some of your posts went very long. You are very knowledgable. I love all your posts. I would love to play you sometime. I think the game would go slow, because we would be talking too much about this move and that (There are a couple of players I have played live, that say nothing, but go, finish your turn, move, nice. I hate that!) Anyways, nuf sed. The sea people will learn from this. And you and I already know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sand Castle Posted January 20, 2003 Author Share Posted January 20, 2003 i'm not in a coma although my philadelia eagles sures let me down this afternoon. never trust em, they always rip your heart out. don't worry i have been reading the conversation, although the last time i played the ai there was a corp in malta and it took the entire italian fleet w/3 carriers, 4 german air units w/hq support to finally destroy the land unit. it must have taken 6 months to do it. it is just a tough nut to crack and i'm not sure it is worth the investment in time and resources. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BriantheWise Posted January 20, 2003 Share Posted January 20, 2003 Sandcastle, It is... Say you are the Axis, and bother to take Malta. On it's own, it's a no never mind, except for 10 MMP's to you, and not to the UK. But, follow it up with taking Alexandia and then after Iraq (very key). Now, suddenly and quietly, Tripolitania, Tobruk, Alexandia, Suez, Lebonon, and all of Irag, become 10MMP sites, instead of being limited to 5, if Malta stays allied. Exclusive of Malta, which stays at 5, this adds a whopping 40+ MMP's per turn (add in the fifteen take aways). Just from taking Malta. I used to use the Axis to take Norway and Sweden. If I do both, I get 60 MMP's. If I take Malta and those cities I mentioned, I get 80 MMPs, and take away 25 MMP's. So I do go for Malta, in head to head, as best as I can. Of course there are issues, in that I believe in it so much, that it's telegraphed. But still statistically, the Med is where you should go. But if the allies know about it too well, go Norway/Sweden and ignore it, but then you have to take Spain, and Gibralter... Ah, the nuances..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerseyJohn Posted January 20, 2003 Share Posted January 20, 2003 Sand Castle Sorry your team let you down. I used to love football in the 60s and baseball right up thru the 80s; then I got old and cranky and started seeing it as a bunch of multi-millionairs running around on a field. Used to hate that sort of view, but at this point I just can't watch it any more. I think what finally killed it for me was when an announcers quick recap of out of town baseball scores suddenly became a commercial And now for your Tri-State Toyota Scoreboard . . .." so much commercialism you're never allowed to think about the game. These days if it's nice out my wife and I wander over to the Little League game. If the 12 year olds are playing I enjoy it as they're usually the right size for the field and on that level they know what they're doing. Also, I don't have someone trying to sell me something every few minutes. Brian I'd really enjoy playing you as well. Most of my games are pbem with only a few ventures into IP. As I've said often, I just can't seem to get enough consecutive undistracted hours for IP playing. I'm trying to rearrange my schedule and when it loosens a bit I hope we'll have that game with all the jabbering. Messages back and forth are enjoyable but I do have to admit in an IP game I tried against a talky opponent I found myself distracted and playing much slower (hate to rush moves as I'm prone to impulse moving if I don't consciously keep it under control). Always up for pbem games but I understand most competitive players don't care for them. To me they're best because they're the easiest to fit in. Before long it's suddenly 1941 and things are hopping. Regarding the pics: I switched over entirely to URL because Moon convinced me the images, especially some of those large ones I'd post, were bad for the site's overall operation. It's especially bad if a lot of people post the images, so I stopped putting them up there altogether. At first I thought he just didn't like my cartoons or something and I fought it, but when he explained the real reason I couldn't argue. As a matter of fact, I had to agree. I figure the URLs are fine for most purposes. It would be hard to run the Free French humor without posting images and most humorous posts, like Rocky and Bullwinkle, don't have the desired effect without the image staring you in the face while reading the caption, but I figure the first priority has to be not hindering the site. [ January 19, 2003, 09:44 PM: Message edited by: JerseyJohn ] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sand Castle Posted January 20, 2003 Author Share Posted January 20, 2003 i know it isn't sc chatter but you should try some AAA ball games. you are up close and the kids playing aren't making any money (although they are usually in it for the chance to make lots of money) and it is usually a fun way to spend an evening. by the way buckaroo banzai was a terrific way to spend a couple of hours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerseyJohn Posted January 20, 2003 Share Posted January 20, 2003 Sand Castle Not idle chatter at all; the Malta question has been answered in spades and if we feel like talking about baseball, well, so what if Malta is too small for a decent field! Agreed on AAA and similar programs, I enjoy almost any kind of amatuer baseball. It's hard to watch 13-15 year olds on a full sized field as they are almost never able to adjust to the increased distances. I've found short of college ball the best match of player to field is the 11 and 12 year olds on Little League Fields. My wife gets to discuss things with the kids mothers and I attempt in vain to remember when I was the same age as the kids playing. Buckaroo Bonzai is one of the strangest movies I've ever seen. The critics and most audiences bombed it. Now, twenty years later, I get people to watch it and they laugh their heads off. The John Lithgow character is really a hoot along with those bizarre aliens. [ January 19, 2003, 09:51 PM: Message edited by: JerseyJohn ] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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