[GeneralChaos]

1) Japan starts the game with 6 oil suppy. Japan oil usage number at the start is -1. So if no bases(on both sides) are captured during all of war, Japan will lose game/war in 6 months. The oil usage number changes by the capturing and making active of the following bases. A +1 for Japan for each Japanese captured base of Borneo, Java, or Singapore. A -1 for Japan for each Allied liberated base of Leyte, Luzon, or Formosa. Note: Leyte and Luzon start the game Allied, so the -1 takes effect after they fall to the Japanese and then recaptured by the Allies.

So at the end of the turn, the game looks at the status of the 6 oil bases. Then it takes all the 1s and -1s and then adds it to original oil usage number of -1. If the total is positive, it adds it to the suppy number. If the total is negitive, it subtracts it from the supply number. If total is 0, then no change to supply number.

2) I believe you have it right. The more patrolling ships the faster the base grows. Maybe just one CA/CL causes such a small increase that its hard to see on the small thin red status bar?

Thats how I understand the rules.