Slitherine

quote:

ORIGINAL: Kursk1943

Kull, are you sure of 1)? I spent a lot of PPs changing the HQs of my airgroups...

quote:

ORIGINAL: Kull

1) No, the air and land units get no "extra" benefit from being assigned to any particular unrestricted HQ. There are benefits from being in the same hex or command radius, but it doesn't have to be the assigned HQ. As you surmise, mostly flavor.

2) Once the damaged fragment repairs, it will automatically fly in to rejoin the parent.

4) The display basically tells you whether the amount of fuel (endurance points) is enough to complete the current journey (whether it be one way or round trip), but it does NOT account for the possibility of refueling. So a fleet going from LA to Sydney and back, will not calculate the benefits of refueling in Sydney (whether the TF is set to "Full Refuel" or "Do Not Refuel" or any of the intermediary settings). I'm not aware of any way to change that.

5) No

6) This is a pretty good recent thread on pilot training

7) I've never seen that. In all my games, there are usually several CVTFs that cruise through the Java Sea, but all of them keep moving. If KB has been parked in one place for two weeks, you *could* start up a Japan game using a save from a time when it had been parked for maybe the 1st week to see if there's anything odd in the TF composition. Or send out some small "bait" TFs from Soerabaja (with 1 or 2 semi-worthless AKLs) to see if they will tempt it to get off the spot.

Glad to see the spreadsheet has helped get you going! This is a great game, and it's always a pleasure to see new players starting their journey up the learning cliff.

quote:

ORIGINAL: boldrobot
2) Is this true even if the parent is more than one hop away?
Nope. Bridge too far

8) After Manila falls, where's the best place to base subs patrolling near Japan? Darwin? Dutch Harbor?
Whenever you can disband an AS ship and AR for quick repairs, store some fuel and be safe from air raids. Adak is good if you build it up. If not then good old Pearl Harbor, with and advanced rearming/refuelling on Midway

9) Will a squadron flying LRCAP patrol throughout its entire radius, i.e., both long range and close range CAP? Or if I want coverage throughout the entire radius, do I need to split it between LRCAP and CAP? Trying to figure out the best way to cover troop convoys coming into Rangoon, which need CAP throughout their entire approach.
LRCAP is only present in the target hex, nowhere else. So yes, use CAP for other coverages. Be aware that LRCAP quickly runs up pilots fatugue

quote:

ORIGINAL: Yaab

#1
Air groups get coordination benefits from being assigned to the same theatre HQ if there is nor air HQ in range.

Read this thread, posts #23 and 42
http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=2382494

quote:

ORIGINAL: GetAssista

quote:

ORIGINAL: boldrobot
2) Is this true even if the parent is more than one hop away?
Nope. Bridge too far

8) After Manila falls, where's the best place to base subs patrolling near Japan? Darwin? Dutch Harbor?
Whenever you can disband an AS ship and AR for quick repairs, store some fuel and be safe from air raids. Adak is good if you build it up. If not then good old Pearl Harbor, with and advanced rearming/refuelling on Midway

9) Will a squadron flying LRCAP patrol throughout its entire radius, i.e., both long range and close range CAP? Or if I want coverage throughout the entire radius, do I need to split it between LRCAP and CAP? Trying to figure out the best way to cover troop convoys coming into Rangoon, which need CAP throughout their entire approach.
LRCAP is only present in the target hex, nowhere else. So yes, use CAP for other coverages. Be aware that LRCAP quickly runs up pilots fatugue

quote:

ORIGINAL: boldrobot

Very interesting, and this in turn raises more questions:

When does it matter whether a ship is disbanded in a port or present in a TF in a port? Will AS and AR only offer benefits if disbanded?

I didn’t know about the target hex for LRCAP. Can I target a TF and have my planes provide LRCAP as it moves? Basically I’m wondering what the most effective set of orders is to get fighters to cover a convoy coming into a port where both the approach and the port itself are vulnerable to Betties (right now, Moresby and especially Rangoon for me).

quote:

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

quote:

ORIGINAL: boldrobot

Very interesting, and this in turn raises more questions:

When does it matter whether a ship is disbanded in a port or present in a TF in a port? Will AS and AR only offer benefits if disbanded?

I didn’t know about the target hex for LRCAP. Can I target a TF and have my planes provide LRCAP as it moves? Basically I’m wondering what the most effective set of orders is to get fighters to cover a convoy coming into a port where both the approach and the port itself are vulnerable to Betties (right now, Moresby and especially Rangoon for me).

The AS will reload SS ammo without it being disbanded. It will only assist with repairs if both are disbanded. Same with the AR and any ship.
Plus, if an AR is disbanded in port and no ship is specifically assigned to it, it will donate its repair points to the port to speed up pierside repairs.

LRCAP assigned to a TF follows the TF as long as it can. But if you start LRCAP at max range, the squadron can run out of ops points well before the TF gets to port. For large, troop laden ships I try to have them in a big TF escorted by a carrier or two (Carrier in a different TF in same hex). For smaller troop sealifts in range of enemy aircraft, APDs or other fast transports are useful and harder to hit.

quote:

The AS will reload SS ammo without it being disbanded. It will only assist with repairs if both are disbanded. Same with the AR and any ship.
Plus, if an AR is disbanded in port and no ship is specifically assigned to it, it will donate its repair points to the port to speed up pierside repairs.

quote:

ORIGINAL: boldrobot

quote:

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

quote:

ORIGINAL: boldrobot

Very interesting, and this in turn raises more questions:

When does it matter whether a ship is disbanded in a port or present in a TF in a port? Will AS and AR only offer benefits if disbanded?

I didn’t know about the target hex for LRCAP. Can I target a TF and have my planes provide LRCAP as it moves? Basically I’m wondering what the most effective set of orders is to get fighters to cover a convoy coming into a port where both the approach and the port itself are vulnerable to Betties (right now, Moresby and especially Rangoon for me).

The AS will reload SS ammo without it being disbanded. It will only assist with repairs if both are disbanded. Same with the AR and any ship.
Plus, if an AR is disbanded in port and no ship is specifically assigned to it, it will donate its repair points to the port to speed up pierside repairs.

LRCAP assigned to a TF follows the TF as long as it can. But if you start LRCAP at max range, the squadron can run out of ops points well before the TF gets to port. For large, troop laden ships I try to have them in a big TF escorted by a carrier or two (Carrier in a different TF in same hex). For smaller troop sealifts in range of enemy aircraft, APDs or other fast transports are useful and harder to hit.

Thanks, super helpful stuff. I’ve got 3 Flying Tiger squadrons in Rangoon. Would it make sense to have one doing LRCAP over the TF at max range, one with the same orders but with its range set to maybe half (idea being this would show up later, to avoid the ops points issue you mentioned), and the third doing normal CAP?

I suppose I could also send in the Indomitable, but I’m wary of risking that asset.

quote:

ORIGINAL: boldrobot

Thanks for all of the helpful responses so far. I've got a couple more questions:

- When I'm satisfied with the experience level of pilots in a training squadron, where should I release them to? Group, active, or reserve?
Only releasing into reserve will free up spaces for new trainees. Note that it's good practice to have your training in stages. Traning skills in one squadron, then flying CAP in some backwater base to build up some xp, then frontline duty when xp is about 65+. The last part depends a lot on your losses, needs and training scale.

- Is there a way to see the total naval support at a base without clicking through all of the LCUs? I see aviation support and support listed on the base screen, but not naval support.
Base screen in the upper middle below port specifications

- What is CVL Hermes good for? It seems like it carries no fighters at the start. Without CAP, I can't see this ship being very useful in combat or even very good as a convoy escort.
Keeping Japan honest in the Indian Ocean early in the 42. Also resizing your carrier capable British fighter squadrons for training needs. They are crap for anything else anyway. Put Americans on Brit carriers

quote:

ORIGINAL: boldrobot
7. Less of a question than an observation, but in my game, the AI has decided to park KB at Makassar for like...
the last two weeks (it is now January 17). I've put a few Dutch subs in the same hex and they put a single torpedo
into Kaga, but otherwise have been unable or unwilling to attack even though they have ammunition.

quote:

ORIGINAL: boldrobot
3. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor didn't manage to sink any BBs, but of course it heavily damaged many of
them. I've read that the best move is to eventually send these guys to the West Coast to complete their repairs.
How do I know when enough damage has been repaired for them to make the trip without randomly sinking? Is there
some sort of rule of thumb? My guess is I should be primarily concerned with flotation damage here, but I'm not
sure what number is considered "safe."

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What is CVL Hermes good for? It seems like it carries no fighters at the start. Without CAP, I can't see this ship being very useful in combat or even very good as a convoy escort.

quote:

- When I'm satisfied with the experience level of pilots in a training squadron, where should I release them to? Group, active, or reserve?
Only releasing into reserve will free up spaces for new trainees. Note that it's good practice to have your training in stages. Traning skills in one squadron, then flying CAP in some backwater base to build up some xp, then frontline duty when xp is about 65+. The last part depends a lot on your losses, needs and training scale.

quote:

ORIGINAL: GetAssista

quote:

ORIGINAL: boldrobot

8) After Manila falls, where's the best place to base subs patrolling near Japan? Darwin? Dutch Harbor?
Whenever you can disband an AS ship and AR for quick repairs, store some fuel and be safe from air raids. Adak is good if you build it up. If not then good old Pearl Harbor, with and advanced rearming/refuelling on Midway

quote:

ORIGINAL: rustysi

Alternately to that stated above you can create PT's right at your base. IIRC the base must have at least 10k of supply and you must have PT's available for deployment. By available I mean on the bottom right of your base screen (again IIRC) you should see a button, 'create PT's'. If its grayed out you have not met conditions.

Another way to move those PT's at Pearl is to 'move' them back to your pools. You can do this by right clicking on your PT boats and there should be an option to do so. Pretty sure they have to be disbanded at the base to do this. After some time they will re-appear in your pools and may then be 'created' at another base. The base will spend supplies to create these vessels.