question on specific pilot replacements

[dougmichel]

Good morning, sorry if this is a silly question but I have been unable to find the answer I am seeking. I am going through the Japan setup spreadsheet and when it discusses dropping pilots of specific exp and replacing them in the training squads I get how to drop the experienced pilots and get fresh rookies from replacements pool, but sometimes then it wants me to grab specific exp pilots from specific groups like the China Sonia pilots or something. What button do I need to press to get it to assign me specific pilots by skill or plane certification or something like that? All I have seen is to pull from TRACOM, group, or replacements, or grab a veteran.

[crsutton]

If you select pull from tracom, you will only get to choose expert pilots with exp over 80. If you pull from replacements, you will get green unskilled pilots, If you pull from reserves they AI will attempt to select a skilled pilot (if available) from your general reserve that is best suited for the role. However if you click on the "request veteran" button then you can manually select from any group but replacements. So, just click on "request veteran" then in the upper right of the box select the group you want to draw from, either group, tracom or reserves and then you can filter through your entire reserve inventory and pick and choose pilots as you please.

[dougmichel]

Thanks for the clarification, guess I thought i would not get a choice from the veteran pool.

[Dili]

There is a gamey "bug" trick that is very difficult to not use since the other option is just too cumbersome. If you select from reserves using the 1, 5 , 10 pilot buttons you get them available right away. If you click one by one via mouse they will time to the reach unit.

[rustysi]

ORIGINAL: Dili

There is a gamey "bug" trick that is very difficult to not use since the other option is just too cumbersome. If you select from reserves using the 1, 5 , 10 pilot buttons you get them available right away. If you click one by one via mouse they will time to the reach unit.

Really not that big a deal and both sides may use it the same. As for me I prefer my method of individual selection as I know exactly what I'm getting. The time delay is not normally a concern.

[GetAssista]

ORIGINAL: Dili
There is a gamey "bug" trick that is very difficult to not use since the other option is just too cumbersome. If you select from reserves using the 1, 5 , 10 pilot buttons you get them available right away. If you click one by one via mouse they will time to the reach unit.

It is even more gamey because 1,5,10 buttons do not lead to xp drop when changing plane types for the pilots.

[obvert]

ORIGINAL: Dili

There is a gamey "bug" trick that is very difficult to not use since the other option is just too cumbersome. If you select from reserves using the 1, 5 , 10 pilot buttons you get them available right away. If you click one by one via mouse they will time to the reach unit.

Nothing gamey or buggy about this. It's designed to draw pilots immediately, and they are also drawn immediately by using the select by exp % area in the main group interface.

This game is an abstraction, and there are already enough clicks to pilot training and selecting. It's very complicated to keep the right kind of pilot in the right pool to be selected automatically. Pilots do appear immediately, and that abstracts the long supply and logistics chains that actually shipped and flew them into the combat theatres. It works the same for both sides, as stated above, so no worries. Grab 10 at a time! [:)]

[Dili]

Why the difference then if you select the pilots one by one you have to wait 0-7 or so days for them to reach the squadron?

Another cumbersome thing is in that case you have to activate them after they arrive to squadron.

[tarkalak]

Also you can put pilots over the max value by:

1. Fill the squadrion with the add 10
2. Click to add more pilots.

[Kull]

You can also move pilots directly from one unit to another, without sending them into a reserve pool:

1) Select the air unit which contains the pilots you want to move (the donor unit)
- Click the yellow "PILOTS" text (bottom left). This opens the window showing all pilots currently assigned to that unit.
- By default the "To Pool" option is set on "Group" (so no change is necessary).
- Left click the name of a pilot you want to transfer. You'll get a Yes/No message box asking whether you want to transfer this pilot to the Group Reserve.
- Click "Yes", and the number 1 appears in the "Delay" column for this pilot.
- Repeat for all pilots you wish to transfer.
- Make a note of the unit name (you'll need this next).

2) Select the air unit which will receive the pilots
- About halfway down on the left side of the screen, the "Get New Pilot" arrow button should be available (if not the unit is at or above the maximum number of pilots, and you'll need to remove some).
- Assuming the button is present, click the highlighted "From ..." text and cycle it from "Reserve" to "Replacement".
- On the next line down, click the arrow button next to the "Request Veteran" text.
- This will open a window listing all pilots in the "Group Reserve" (i.e. those already assigned to units).
- Click the "Group" text on the far right of the window, and the pilots will now be sorted by unit.
- Find the "donor unit" name (from step #1 above) and you'll see all the pilots you moved into Group Reserve earlier.
- Click on each pilot's name and they will be moved into the receiving air unit, albeit with some level of delay (between 1 and 7)

[HansBolter]

Kull,

I thought pilots didn't need to be in Group Reserve to be able to be pilfered by the Select a Veteran function.

I also get the Select a Veteran text in the basic air squadron interface.

[Kull]

I'm talking about the movement of specific pilots from one unit to another without first dropping them into the national Reserve Pool. If there's a way to do that without using any sort of reserve, please share!

[HansBolter]

Kull, you are correct. I was mistaken in believing one could use the Request a Veteran function to pilfer an active pilot from another squadron.

Pilots have to be moved to at least Group Reserve (not National Reserve) to be available to be pulled out of the squadron.

Ran A test last night on what I thought I had remembered.

[crsutton]

ORIGINAL: Dili

There is a gamey "bug" trick that is very difficult to not use since the other option is just too cumbersome. If you select from reserves using the 1, 5 , 10 pilot buttons you get them available right away. If you click one by one via mouse they will time to the reach unit.

Don't think it is gamey as you get what the AI selects when you use that method and have no control. I do it both ways depending on the situation. But for the most part pick pilots manually. There are times when I just need to get every plane in the air and use the other option.

[rustysi]

It is even more gamey because 1,5,10 buttons do not lead to xp drop when changing plane types for the pilots.

Again, I've no real problem with this, as it works both ways. Besides the xp drop is really very small, should probably be greater, but then you know all the howling you'll get.[;)]