A few questions before i begin

[owe166]

So i picked the game up a little while ago and i'm now getting the time to start up a campaign game. I have 2 Questions before i start though that i can't seem to find in the manual.

1-Air replenishment task forces. I don't really understand what the manual means by CVE's transporting air cargo. Does it mean replacement planes for the CVE's or replacement planes for other carriers or land bases?

2-How in depth is the damage system in game modeled? Say akagi for example gets a 500lb bomb through her deck,Does the game simulate it and the possible repercussions from the bomb or Does it just deal X amount of damage to her SYS or Floatation damage?

Sorry if these questions have already been asked but i wasn't able to find any other threads on them.

[Jorge_Stanbury]

1. The USN have some replacement squadrons; they will start arriving in 42. So if they in a replenishment TF and are in range of a carrier TF that is missing the same planes types, then the replacements will move automatically to the carrier TF
If you are playing Japan, then simply ignore as they never implemented this idea

2. a lot deeper than anything you (or I) have ever seen
if the deck armor doesn't stop a bomb, there are a lot of possible repercussions, you really don't want to see a gasoline storage or ammo magazine explosion
even if a deck armor stops a bomb, you will still gain system damage and potentially fires... with bad luck, and/ or multiple non penetrating hits, that fire can grow an become incontrollable sinking the ship

[Aurorus]

ORIGINAL: owe166

2-How in depth is the damage system in game modeled? Say akagi for example gets a 500lb bomb through her deck,Does the game simulate it and the possible repercussions from the bomb or Does it just deal X amount of damage to her SYS or Floatation damage?

As Jorge says, the damage system is the most elaborate that you will find in any game of this kind. At its base, it is numbers: % flotation damage, % systems damage, and % engine damage, but there are innumerable possible outcomes that can contribute to these basic numbers. For example, I once saw a Japanese CA sink from 1 500 lb bomb hit... caused an internal explosion and fires that never went out. Fuel tanks can be hit on submarines, which will then leak oil until they are "dead in the water"... sometimes depth charge attacks force them to the surface. Ships can take engine damage which reduce their speed and maneuverability, making them more vulnerable to subsequent attacks... guns, turrets, even depth charge racks can be destroyed by shells. As realistic a combat system as you will ever see at this level of abstraction.

[Chris21wen]

ORIGINAL: owe166

So i picked the game up a little while ago and i'm now getting the time to start up a campaign game. I have 2 Questions before i start though that i can't seem to find in the manual.

1-Air replenishment task forces. I don't really understand what the manual means by CVE's transporting air cargo. Does it mean replacement planes for the CVE's or replacement planes for other carriers or land bases?

Air replenishment and air transport TFs are not the same thing. Air Repl TFs use CVEs stuffed to the gunnels with twice the number of a/c and therefore cannot fly operationally. The air groups used are identifiable as VRF types. Their sole job is to replenish operational carrier CV/CVL/CVEs. You don't have any VRFs at the start.

Air transport are TFs that simply transport air groups over the vast distances of the Pacific using CV or AK types. If CV types are used then they can fly operationally while being transported. If AK types are used then they can't, obviously, but they are transported whole (not crated) so when they unload they are instantly operational. E.g. not damaged.

ORIGINAL: owe166

2-How in depth is the damage system in game modeled? Say akagi for example gets a 500lb bomb through her deck,Does the game simulate it and the possible repercussions from the bomb or Does it just deal X amount of damage to her SYS or Floatation damage?

Sorry if these questions have already been asked but i wasn't able to find any other threads on them.

Well but I don't know the specifics but damage can get worse just as it can be repaired at sea. A Japanese carrier is more likely to sink than a US one due to the Japanese lack of damage control. A US carrier is more likely to sink than a Br CV due to Br use of armoured decks but it's all relative due to the random nature of hits.

[geofflambert]

Someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but CV/CVL/CVE/CS/AV ships have AC capacities. They can carry up to 115% of that capacity in assembled AC and operate them. They can carry a number in excess of that of disassembled AC (all of them will be disassembled) which require one day's assembly once unloaded assuming you have aviation support present. I don't know what the absolute capacity is for any given ship but you won't be permitted to begin loading AC from a squadron until you have sufficient capacity. xAK and AK type ships have no AC capacity (and thus cannot operate AC) but can carry disassembled AC.

There simply is no such thing as an air replenishment TF. For the US and the US only there are air replenishment squadrons. When I was playing the allied side I discovered their existence accidentally. I had expanded them and was using them as training squadrons in forward bases in the NZ. Suddenly planes and untrained pilots began disappearing from them. Where were they going? I was having kittens. I detest it almost anytime the AI does anything "for" me. Anytime a CV was in range of NZ that was short pilots in their squadrons this was happening, and untrained zombies were showing up on my carriers. The concept of having squadrons sitting around with fully trained and operational pilots and planes waiting for a CV to show up within range needing replacements is to me one of the most stupendously idiotic ideas I've ever heard of. Now I play the Japanese so I don't have to deal with that anymore. Now you can have in effect an air replenishment TF of, say, CVEs, but then you would be wasting three things, the trained pilots, the AC and the CVEs. Aaarrrrrgh!

[Jorge_Stanbury]

There is a replenishment TF,
but I believe you are right that replenishment squadrons will move regardless of what base or TF they are at

You can always park them deep on land (Daly Waters, for example) or use different plane types (like Hellcats for carriers, F4F-3 for replenishment) or simply use them in the front line with good pilots, so it is not a big deal if they fly to carriers

Careful with the 115% capacity. I learn the hard way it is dangerous to have it at 15% maximum, you just need one of the reserve planes to change to maintenance and then the carrier stop all operations.
I know have them at 110% max or avoid reserves

[geofflambert]

I should say that I appreciate not having to personally and manually remove squadron patches from individual pilots uniforms and then sewing on the patches for the squadrons they've been reassigned to but that's just me.

[geofflambert]

ORIGINAL: Jorge_Stanbury

There is a replenishment TF,
but I believe you are right that replenishment squadrons will move regardless of what base or TF they are at

You can always park them deep on land (Daly Waters, for example) or use different plane types (like Hellcats for carriers, F4F-3 for replenishment) or simply use them in the front line with good pilots, so it is not a big deal if they fly to carriers

Careful with the 115% capacity. I learn the hard way it is dangerous to have it at 15% maximum, you just need one of the reserve planes to change to maintenance and then the carrier stop all operations.
I know have them at 110% max or avoid reserves

Don't use reserves on CVs. There's your problem. I don't use reserves anywhere. You can load 115% active aircraft on a CV and operate them with no problem. "Reserve" AC would make sense if you had "reserve" pilots to fly them. Whenever you lose an AC more often than not you at least temporarily lose a pilot. If you have more AC than pilots that leads directly to pilot fatigue which is a really bad thing to have going on. When the game starts if I have squadrons with reserve AC I send them to the pools as soon as I encounter them.

[geofflambert]

Jorge, you're in the same time zone as me, what are you doing up at this hour? [&:][:-]

[geofflambert]

Here's another problem with "reserve" aircraft. You can load "reserve" floatplanes on cruisers and IJN submarines. That's cheating. You don't need a house rule to not cheat. Just don't do it.

[Leandros]

ORIGINAL: owe166

So i picked the game up a little while ago and i'm now getting the time to start up a campaign game. I have 2 Questions before i start though that i can't seem to find in the manual.

1-Air replenishment task forces. I don't really understand what the manual means by CVE's transporting air cargo. Does it mean replacement planes for the CVE's or replacement planes for other carriers or land bases?

Be careful with the "over-loaded" CVEs, nothing shall fly out of them. I once had several arriving from the US and sent them
directly on a raid along the west coast of Sumatra together with a couple with their "normal" complement. Took quite a while
before I understood why the air activity of the group was as low as it was, no flights had originated from the over-loaded
ones. This I understood only when I checked the remaining/flown sorties of each CVE. As you see, the problem is explained by
others here, too.

Not that it is an excuse but I believe this fact is little attended to, or unclear, in the manual. Anyway, I found it out
the hard way.

Fred

[Jorge_Stanbury]

ORIGINAL: geofflambert

Jorge, you're in the same time zone as me, what are you doing up at this hour? [&:][:-]

couldn't sleep [>:]
now I would feel tired all day

[geofflambert]

ORIGINAL: Jorge_Stanbury

ORIGINAL: geofflambert

Jorge, you're in the same time zone as me, what are you doing up at this hour? [&:][:-]

couldn't sleep [>:]
now I would feel tired all day

You were supposed to turn that back on me. I wake up at two and just go to the game or the forum.

[Chris21wen]

ORIGINAL: Jorge_Stanbury

There is a replenishment TF,
but I believe you are right that replenishment squadrons will move regardless of what base or TF they are at

You can always park them deep on land (Daly Waters, for example) or use different plane types (like Hellcats for carriers, F4F-3 for replenishment) or simply use them in the front line with good pilots, so it is not a big deal if they fly to carriers

Careful with the 115% capacity. I learn the hard way it is dangerous to have it at 15% maximum, you just need one of the reserve planes to change to maintenance and then the carrier stop all operations.
I know have them at 110% max or avoid reserves

Mid to late game if you use the game's default air group sizes a US CV with a capacity of 90 will have 92 operational a/c and 9 reserves split evenly between the three air groups. That figure is 112.2% and they all operate normally. I can't remember if this is the case at the beginning.

I've never been able to squeeze any more into the three air groups and the only way I know how to increase these numbers is to put another air group on them which has always caused them to stop operations.

[Jorge_Stanbury]

The reserves don't count for size definition. In other words, you could have 103 operational + 9 reserves and it will still operate normally. However, you just need one of the reserves to go into maintenance adnd the carrier is now an aircraft transport

I don't normally overfill the big 90-plane carriers, but it is sometimes tempting to go closer to the 115% on ships like Shokaku, Wasp, Ryujo or the British armored decks

[Chris21wen]

ORIGINAL: Jorge_Stanbury

The reserves don't count for size definition. In other words, you could have 103 operational + 9 reserves and it will still operate normally. However, you just need one of the reserves to go into maintenance adnd the carrier is now an aircraft transport

You learn something every day in this game.

[Will_L]

ORIGINAL: geofflambert

ORIGINAL: Jorge_Stanbury

ORIGINAL: geofflambert

Jorge, you're in the same time zone as me, what are you doing up at this hour? [&:][:-]

couldn't sleep [>:]
now I would feel tired all day

You were supposed to turn that back on me. I wake up at two and just go to the game or the forum.

I get home at two [8|] but I can sleep in until 1:30pm if I want to [:D] (or if my grandson lets me, sometimes its
"PAPA BILL! A JUGAR!" and knocking on the bedroom door when he wants to play.)