Filling Up Air Units

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All Forums >> [New Releases from Matrix Games] >> War in the Pacific: Admiral's Edition >> The War Room >> Filling Up Air Units

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Filling Up Air Units - 7/30/2009 5:07:16 PM

Mike Solli

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What do you all think about filling up the Japanese air units with available planes and then putting pilots in to use the planes at the start of the war? I'm not sure if it's a good idea or not. I'm leaning toward doing that but wonder what the rest of you think.

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RE: Filling Up Air Units - 7/30/2009 5:20:37 PM

Feltan

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Hi Mike,

That is what I've chosen to do, right or wrong.

I figure you need the striking power early, and planes and pilots sitting in the pool don't do you any good in '41 and early '42.

That being said, I will probably have reason to regret this decision.

Regards,
Feltan

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RE: Filling Up Air Units - 7/30/2009 5:25:38 PM

Mike Solli

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I figure that if the pilots are in the units early, they can gain some easy experience against some of the early fodder. Sitting in the pool, I suspect they don't gain any experience at all.

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RE: Filling Up Air Units - 7/31/2009 3:08:20 PM

Xargun

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Mike Solli

I figure that if the pilots are in the units early, they can gain some easy experience against some of the early fodder.� Sitting in the pool, I suspect they don't gain any experience at all.

True but starting my first AE game I am being very careful with all pilots and planes as I think the Japanese economy will be a lot tougher to keep running into late 42 and onwards. I am using pilots and such to fill out my needed units - like bombers in the Burma area, all Carrier Air Groups, Recon and the land-based Zero air groups. We have very few Zeros to begin with so we want them operating at max capacity - and when going up against crappy Buffalos they do shine

Also from what I've read and remember, Recon and DLs are even more important now in AE than ever before so Reconning bases before bombing them will help do more damage.

Xargun

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RE: Filling Up Air Units - 7/31/2009 3:24:00 PM

Mike Solli

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Last night I messed around a bit with pilots and added some to several air units. All of the pilots I got were inexperienced. What's with that? The avg experience was in the 30s. Have you guys looked at that?

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RE: Filling Up Air Units - 7/31/2009 3:35:42 PM

TenChiMato

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Noticed that too ... we now start with a sizeable pool of IJA and IJN pilots but they all are around 35xp. Goodbye our small pool of elite IJN pilots and the 1st turn free filling of air groups without taping into the pool.

Better start on-map training asap

So aside from IJN elite squadrons (landbased A6M2 and KB). I have given priority to filling Homeland/reserve airgroups first.
lets go training!

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RE: Filling Up Air Units - 7/31/2009 3:42:28 PM

Mike Solli

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Hmm, drawing pilots doesn't seem to be working as designed. Here's what the manual says about pulling pilots from the pool:

When a pilot is required in a group, he is selected in the following order:
1. Pilot is in the group�s pool assigned by editor, or
has returned from being wounded, etc
2. Pilot is in the pilot reserve, has not been assigned to a particular group
and has flown a similar type of plane (fighter, Level bomber, etc.)
3. Pilot is pulled from the Trained pool
4. Pilot is in the Pilot reserve but has flown a different
type of plane (experience penalty)
5. Pilot is pulled from the Trainee pool

I'm going to ask about this. What's the "group's pool"? I don't understand it. I tried to add to the Tainan group hoping to get Sakai or some of the other really good pilots in the reserve. No luck. I got "trained" garbage with exp in the 30s. Look for my question in the Air thread.

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RE: Filling Up Air Units - 7/31/2009 5:38:37 PM

Captain Cruft

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This confused me at first ...

You will get inexperienced (though trained) pilots unless the airgroup in question has some experienced bods in the Reserve Pool. Click on Reserve Pool when in Pilot Replacements and then sort by group.

What I found quite a pleasant surprise is that the 35 exp guys aren't that bad. At least they seem to be able to fly around without crashing, if not being of much use in actual combat.

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RE: Filling Up Air Units - 7/31/2009 5:43:38 PM

Mike Solli

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I tested this with the Tainan daitai, because I know there are pilot from that daitai in the reserve pool. No dice. I got the replacements. Any idea what I'm missing?

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RE: Filling Up Air Units - 7/31/2009 5:45:14 PM

Shark7

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Captain Cruft

This confused me at first ...

You will get inexperienced (though trained) pilots unless the airgroup in question has some experienced bods in the Reserve Pool. Click on Reserve Pool when in Pilot Replacements and then sort by group.

What I found quite a pleasant surprise is that the 35 exp guys aren't that bad. At least they seem to be able to fly around without crashing, if not being of much use in actual combat.

Funny thing that, the Red Baron couldn't land without crashing, but was the leading German ace of WWI. Apparantly even in RL dogfighting skills don't necessarily mean you are a good pilot.

I have a feeling that the experience thing isn't so much what matters, take a look at the individual skills on the pilots you get. Naturally they are going to have low overall experience, they have not been in combat yet. They are 'trained' not 'veteran' pilots.

A final thought, in WWII, Korea and Vietnam, it was generally accepted that most pilots would not survive their first 5 missions. If they did make it for those first 5 missions without getting killed, they were very likely to survive the rest of the war. It all comes down to actual combat experience, and there is only 1 way to get that.

< Message edited by Shark7 -- 7/31/2009 5:46:23 PM >

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RE: Filling Up Air Units - 7/31/2009 6:02:00 PM

88l71

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Shark7

Funny thing that, the Red Baron couldn't land without crashing, but was the leading German ace of WWI. Apparantly even in RL dogfighting skills don't necessarily mean you are a good pilot.

Makes sense as being a great aerobatic pilot has little to do with practical air combat. Wasn't it something like 80% of all kills in WWII the victim never saw the attacking aircraft? Also gunnery skills had a lot to do with it in the WWII timeframe with no fancy gunsights or guided missiles. I'd think aggressiveness, good tactical judgement, gunnery skills, and situational awareness have a lot more to do with being an ace than being a great dogfighter.

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