Afternoon everyone. A question bout trade routes..

[Reliant121]

Hello all.

Now i want to pose a question to you fervent SH IV gamers out there: What are the best and juiciest trade routes out there for merchants, convoys and task forces? I seem to have the lack of luck in seeing absolutely bog all and ending up taking the cheapskate route out by attacking a Jap controlled harbour.

Any ideas?

I'm a casual player, i dont particularly care for fantastic realism. Just point me in the right direction, and you'll have a happy reliant.

Thanks guys.

[Seminole]

If you hang around the approaches to Rabaul or Tokyo you should not be disappointed....

In fact I have only recently,for the first time, been sent to the Tokyo area.(I usually play Asiatic fleet) I can't seem to be able to surface long enough to clear out the CO2 due to convoys approaching from every direction. ..barely have time to reload before another pops over the horizon.

:hmm: ..Looks as if I will be able to shoot every torpedo and stay within a 50 mile radius...then head back with fuel bunkers at least 60% full....maybe more.


But if you want to roam far and wide... there are several maps that have productive routes marked off ..even one I believe in your SHIV folder.

[Reliant121]

Indeed? thankyou for that advice. I shall be making a detour to Tokyo pretty soon, me thinks :P

[doulos05]

I have found, in 41/42, that hanging around Burneo can be pretty fruitful. The Celebes Sea and the South China sea are both right there. Just north of Burneo, there are 2 very narrow passages that I like to frequent. The one immediately north of the island and the one immediately south of the Phillipines. Ships sail along the Western side of the island that creates these two channels like it's a freaking interstate. This mission I had to pass up 5 sonar contacts (8 ships total) because I needed the torpedos for my photo recon of Manila (What? You mean they just want me to take pictures of it? No way, I'm certain that "photo recon" is code for "Blow crap up"). Now, I am running without any mods that affect convoy generation, but that sea lane should be pretty active anyway (it's the easy way to get from Manila to Balipatkan(sp?).

[Diopos]

There is a very helpful map that comes along with the game CD. It has the "trade routes".

Originally Posted by doulos05

I have found, in 41/42, that hanging around Burneo can be pretty fruitful. The Celebes Sea and the South China sea are both right there. Just north of Burneo, there are 2 very narrow passages that I like to frequent. The one immediately north of the island and the one immediately south of the Phillipines. Ships sail along the Western side of the island that creates these two channels like it's a freaking interstate. This mission I had to pass up 5 sonar contacts (8 ships total) because I needed the torpedos for my photo recon of Manila (What? You mean they just want me to take pictures of it? No way, I'm certain that "photo recon" is code for "Blow crap up"). Now, I am running without any mods that affect convoy generation, but that sea lane should be pretty active anyway (it's the easy way to get from Manila to Balipatkan(sp?).

BTW, I'm on my 8th tour, and just got assigned out of Brisbane. Told to go patrol off north of the Philippines. Never made it. After topping off the tanks at the Soloman Islands, the route to my patrol position was so damned full of traffic that I actually ran out of torpedoes about 40 hours away from my assigned position (yes, even the aft torpedoes - I like to "fart in their general direction"). :p

So, north of Soloman Islands and just hug the areas north (watch for patrol planes!) of that spot, all the way up the eastern edges of the Philippines.

[PortsmouthProwler]

And just FYI, for historical knowledge:

* The US Navy was suprisingly lax and tardy in taking advantage of the Luzon Strait. Take a look at the East Asian littoral - if anything should be labelled 'chokepoint', it's the Luzon Strait. The service didn't really start patrolling it regularly 'til '43.

* The Bungo Suido and Kii Suido (western and eastern entrances to Japan's Inland Sea, respectively) should not be overlooked - again, historically fruitful.

* Coast of Indochina can be good - ask the late, great George Grider, skipper of the Flasher.

* Cutting off traffic to the Solomons and the outer Pacific islands is worth a hunt, too.

As always, weigh your risk in shallow waters versus the pickings to be had.

[doulos05]

Originally Posted by Diopos

There is a very helpful map that comes along with the game CD. It has the "trade routes".

Sadly, the map is not with all versions of the game CD. However, in a similar thread someplace around here is a link to a map which suitably replaces it.

[Orion2012]

There is a JANAC map the floats around here somewhere. Its the best source for trade routes if your using RSRD

[groomsie]

Patrolling just south of the islands (say a sector bearing 135 to 225 from the main islands) out in the 25 to 50 mile range has been very good for me. Lots of traffic passing through in all directions, at least prior to and including mid-1943...