Veteran Pilots - Bug or Feature?

[Kull]

Playing with the 1123p Beta, and getting two different results when collecting pilots from the "Reserve" pool:

1) With "Reserve" pool selected (and populated with some number of veterans), Click the "Get New Pilot" button. Result: Your unit now has a veteran pilot, available with zero delay. Now matter how many you select using this method, ALL of them arrive with zero delay.

2) With "Reserve" pool selected (and populated with some number of veterans), Click the "Request Veteran" button. The Reserve Pool is now displayed. Start selecting veterans. Result: Veterans are assigned to your unit, but ALL have a random delay number between 1 and 7.

Personally I think it makes sense that all Veteran Pilots should not immediately arrive in their new unit, and thus Option 2 has more of a real world feel to it. Nevertheless, why do the two methods produce such completely different results? If the intent was to have a delay, why offer an option in which no delay occurs? Unless this is a bug.....

[michaelm75au]

1. This is a 'random' pull of a pilot. You really have no control over who you 'get'.
2. With this option, you select the actual pilot you want.

[Lokasenna]

However, I have noticed that fighter units will pull from the Fighter Reserve, bomber/torpedo bomber from the Bomber reserve, FP/PA units from the Patrol reserve...

So for Fighter units, you CAN get the pilots instantly. You can also use the buttons at the button of the screen when in the "Request Veteran" screen to get the pilots instantly. Just make sure to sort by the skill you want.


E.g., when I am pulling DB pilots I select just the Bomber Reserve, then sort by NavT skill, then click "Least 5 experienced pilots" to instantly pull 5 NavB/NavS pilots (I train my DB pilots for NavB/NavS and TB pilots for NavB/NavT). With a little creativity, you can make something similar work for you.

[Kull]

ORIGINAL: michaelm

1. This is a 'random' pull of a pilot. You really have no control over who you 'get'.
2. With this option, you select the actual pilot you want.

Actually, I kinda do! For a variety of reasons (some I'll go into in more detail below) my Reserve Pool is usually empty until such time as I'm ready to start moving pilots from training units out to the field. In the past there were some delays involved, but now, lets say I need 3 high skill fighter pilots in unit X and three of perhaps a slightly lower caliber in unit Y. First I'll put three "high skill" pilots in the pool, go to unit X and use method #1 to grab exactly the pilots I want (i.e. the three I just put in to the pool). Now I'll go to the training units and pull out the lower grade pilots, and again use method #1 to load them into unit Y.

In the bad old days before I figured out this new feature, I'd just put all six into the pool and then individually assign them to units X and Y, with the result that it could (and usually did) take up to a week before they arrived where needed. But with method #1, I can and do select exactly the pilots I want, and they all arrive instantaneously at their destinations. Since this is the way the game is supposed to work, I'll use the new method, but it does a feel a bit gamey.

[Kull]

ORIGINAL: Lokasenna

However, I have noticed that fighter units will pull from the Fighter Reserve, bomber/torpedo bomber from the Bomber reserve, FP/PA units from the Patrol reserve...

So for Fighter units, you CAN get the pilots instantly. You can also use the buttons at the button of the screen when in the "Request Veteran" screen to get the pilots instantly. Just make sure to sort by the skill you want.


E.g., when I am pulling DB pilots I select just the Bomber Reserve, then sort by NavT skill, then click "Least 5 experienced pilots" to instantly pull 5 NavB/NavS pilots (I train my DB pilots for NavB/NavS and TB pilots for NavB/NavT). With a little creativity, you can make something similar work for you.

As indicated above, I keep the Reserve Pool empty until I'm ready to use it, and the main reason is the "engine penalty". For example, Betty (2-engine) and Kate (1-engine) pilots have nearly identical stats, but if you mix them in the Reserve Pool, and accidentally pull a Kate pilot for a Betty (or vice versa), there's a 2-to-5 point hit on their experience (not to the skills, but the overall experience). It's even worse with float planes (and for the Allies, Army Bombers), because there you have 1, 2, and 4 engines, and all the pilot skills are virtually identical. Initially it's not a problem with fighters, but soon enough you'll get the 2-engine variants and the issue spreads.

Anyway, as a result of that, I keep the pool empty and only fill it when it's time to move pilots out of the training units (and obviously, where "engine count" matters, I'll move those pilots in separate groups). So although your sort mechanism seems pretty neat, it can't resolve this problem. Micromanagement wins again!

[Lokasenna]

Seriously? I never noticed that. Maybe I need to RTFM.