1908

[Korpen]

It has proved difficult to wade through a war involving at least six players when there are at least six fronts and multiple potential naval engagements.  A lot of the engagements and news has not been release (I think), but there is fighting in Tasmania, New Guinea, Taiwan, Hainam, some of the islands of the East Indies, and some Pacific Islands, along with a probable border conflict in Australia and multiple raiders and invasion forces in motion across the Pacific and Indian Oceans.  Plan have been changed monthly due to the rather fluid nature of the conflict.  I expect things to get even worse in March and April unless the war ends in some fashion.  (Some things in February are completed, other things have not been stated.)

And no, I will not use "Rock falls, everyone dies."  That is way too easy, and the fallout will endanger Rohan and Columbia.

I recentlky suggested writing out orders up to June or July if possible, but just the nature of this war is making that very difficult.

(This is also why I like scripped conflicts.)

What could (and should) we, the players, do to make things as easy and swift for You, the mods, as possible?

[The Rock Doctor]

I can respect the fact that this is a complicated war and that you mods are quite busy with it.  It is, however, very frustrating for me to see this unfold in real-time - especially when so little is being publically reported.

At the same time, I think you are all rushing to pack too many events into a given period of sim-time.  There have been more major engagements, and arguably more surface vessels lost, in four months of this war than in all of WW1.  You guys are fighting a hyper-war in an era of primitive wireless communication.

There needs to be some pacing, some limitation on operational tempo - neither the machines nor the people should be able to maintain this kind of pace.  One or two major fleet actions per half-year.  Mandatory rest/maintenance periods after major operations (or penalties to capability if ignored).  

(Us neutrals can help, I think, by not selling heaps of ships to the belligerents - if they have to actually repair their damaged vessels, rather than ignore them and throw their new acquisitions into action, they may have to slow down to a reasonable pace.)

[Ithekro]

I agree with some of that.

As for how to correct that, well that is a little more problematic.  With the majority of the players, they have a relatively small area to deal with in terms of forces and campaigns.  The Swiss have to deal with all of them.  Thus a dilema for when new fronts open up and one campaign stalls (or is successful quicker then expected) then making new troop or ship movement orders required either to counter a threat, or take advantage of a change in conditions.  Of course all this reacting and acting is going to ware out the Swiss military in fairly short order if this keeps up for much longer.  I mean they may be able to hold, but their striking ability will likely be shot in the shorts.  And that is before we deal with what the Japanese have in mind.

[Walter]

Rearranging the landscape a bit. That's what the Japanese have in mind. ;D

[Desertfox]

Walter, Iberia will NOT be amused. ;) ;D

Well don't blame me, this war would have been over by now had not everyone and their brother decided to join the party. ;) Doing my best to get the Febuary orders finished but like Ithekro said I have to deal with every Theater unlike everyone else, on top of real life.

[swamphen]

I hope to have a few months' worth of orders ready soon - got delayed a bit.

[Walter]

Walter, Iberia will NOT be amused.

Well, it is not my fault that they own a ticking timebomb. :D

[Borys]

Ahoj!
Rock, I understand that you are bored. But so was I - and I will be again - when there are conflicts where I am not directly involved.

As to the multitude of engagments - it is a multi-front war, with huge fleets, waging independent operations. The is no issue of hyper-commmunications. If my Schlachtgeshwader is off Tasmania in January, it may be in the NOI in March - no sooner. The thing is - I repeat - that there are so many separate Squadrons out there.

To make it less boring for yopu and other neutrals I will be less secretive.

Borys

[Carthaginian]

Personally, I like the slow flow of action... currently my life is going a bit fast, so it's nice to let my imagination have time to catch up. Of course, wars can't last forever- especially not with this attrition rate- but its been nice not to have to worry about getting everything ready for  running a country while I was also trying ot get ready for nursing school.

[miketr]

Well... one thought would be to just declare an end to the war and hand out the results.  Other than the Fox I don't think anyone in the game really doubts the final outcome of the war. 

Michael

[Carthaginian]

Well, I've got initial budgets for the next 2 halves and will work out more details for them and the next couple this week. It can come sooner or later- I really don't mind.

Wars take time. If this one keeps on rolling, so be it.
I'm not bored in the least. :)

[Desertfox]

Well I have plenty of tricks up my sleeves, and as long as the NSN survives, NS cannot be defeated. Note, that I have offered peace as is, but there have been no takers.

[Phoenix]

In the past few months I've been more or less plagued by a severe lack of inspiration, and at the rare instances when I did have inspiration my illness or other activities kept me from writing, hence I would forget what I wanted to write, hence it was lost again. I'm deeply sorry for this and I hope I'll be better soon. It doesn't help that my obsession with cats, and the 4 magnificent felines in my household especially, has been a serious distraction as well. See: "lolcats" (and I can proudly state my feline friends have been featered there).

I am reading the Honor Harrington series (David Weber) again. And a few Clive Cusslers. Maybe that'll get me in the mood.

But the war for me has been straightforward: kick the NS out of the Islands, have half of my boaties patrol around those, and have some of my other tubs assist the Dutch elsewhere. So I'm not really needed for marching orders.

[swamphen]

Been occupied elsewhere the last week or so, but am back in the flow now.

[The Rock Doctor]

I used to like the Weber books so much, but he started losing me later in the series.  For me, the first two Harringtons are far and away the best of the bunch.

Phoenix, a series that might interest you is by a guy called James Cobb - three or four near-future books about a USN officer and her stealth destroyer's exploits.

The war has been straightforward for me, too:  don't get directly involved, take advantage of participants where feasible.