Mike Scholl
Posts: 9349
Joined: 1/1/2003
From: Kansas City, MO
Status: offline
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Seems to be a fair amount of confusion over what constitutes
a STUPID attack as opposed to just a RISKY one. Some things
to consider...
Your reccon aircraft WILL get a fairly accurate picture of the CAP
over a TF. To do their jobs, they have to maintain contact with
the TF for a period to determine it's base course and speed (it
might be doing a zig-zag---no good reporting it's course as 180
if it turns to 140 10 minutes later.) During this time the scout
will normally get a reasonable notion of the CAP strength (if any)
from trying to dodge it---and as CAP is mounted on a rotating
basis it won't change greatly in most instances.
No matter what your preference, if your reccon spots enemy CARRIERS you are almost assuredly going to TRY to strike
them. The AI considers CV's to be TOP priority, and will try
more desperate measures to get a shot at them! This "design
choice" is NOT currently "on the table" and will remain for the
forseeable future. Only problem they may look at here is the
AI's seeming reluctance to match potential escorts up with
such strikes. The number of complaints seem to indicate that
there MIGHT be a problem in that regard.
STUPID comes into play when something like this happens. You
spot a TF (let's make it a CV TF) that might be coming towards
Moresby, so in your next turn you put all Moresby's bombers on
naval strike, with half the fighters on escort. Suprise..., you
guessed right and it actually comes toward you during the night!
You watch eagerly as your PBY's pick it up again, and your naval
strikes start launching. And then you get reports of this kind of
nonsense:
1) Your SBD's attacked the Carrier TF, but no fighters went
along, and they were totally shreaded by the CAP.
2) Your B-17's ignored the CV TF and decided to bomb a
couple of transports in Rabaul Harbor---covered by 50 Zeros.
3) your 2 squadrons of B-25's decide the really vital target
is a DD with some MSW's off Lae. One of your escort units
agrees, and they merrily beat up this unfortunate force with
minor losses. NOTE that this is NOT A MISTAKE. The target
they chose was 90 degrees away from the bearing to the
CV TF---they didn't "miss" it, they weren't even looking for
it.
4) Your A-20's actually go to the carriers and bring some of
the escorts with them. They manage to get a hit on a CA
while taking heavy casualties.
5) ..But your Hudson's head to the Shortlands to make an
extended range strike on a tanker and some escorts CAP'd
by some Rufe's. They are driven off with some 40% loses
and a single hit to show for it.
6) Your Beauforts make a legitimate mistake and attack some
Transports in a TF following the CV's. They do some good and
take some loses.
This is the kind of thing that is worrysome. The AI often can't
decide what is a legitimate and dangerous target NOW! And
it scatters it's efforts all over the map on things that could be
safely ignored or put off until tomorrow.
It's other big candidate for the STUPID label is that it seems to
feel it HAS to make a "Naval Strike" if any TF is spotted within
range. The following would be an example:
As the Japanese Commander, you feel that the US carriers
might be about to launch an attack on Gili-Gili or the Shortlands.
So you manuever your CV TF southeast from Rabaul to a
position that you can strike this force from if it shows up. You
have your Val's resting and doing ASW, your Zeros are on CAP
with some allocated to escort "just in case". You don't expect
to sight anything yet, as you are moving to gain a position of
advantage---but just in case you see something worthwhile or
have miss-timed the US effort, you have your Kate's on "naval strike". At first light, a float plane from Buna sights an Allied
CA force in Moresby. With New Guinea between, it's no threat
to you, and can't be one today. But because Moresby is just
within the extended range of your Kate's, guess what happens.
If you guessed 50 dead Kate's ground to bits making a suicidal
and unescorted strike against THE ONLY PLACE IN THE WHOLE
THEATRE YOU KNOW IS CONSISTANTLY COVERED BY SWARMS OF
CAP..., "you win a cookie."
That's the other big problem. The AI doesn't seem to be able to
descriminate between actual threats/opportunities and doing
something suicidally stupid. It's supposed to do this, and it
isn't working. That's the kind of report they are looking for---
ones that will help them see if there's a bug that is allowing
either "attacks that make NO SENSE" or ones that splatter the
effort all over the Pacific when there is only one REAL THREAT to
be dealt with. If you have examples like this---please send them.
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