Vizualization of Aircraft upgrade paths

[Woos]

One thing sorely lacking from the UI of the game (one of many) is IMHO an overview of what plane type becomes available when, there relative performance and the standard upgrade path (which determine where the factories will go). Its especially interesting for the Japanese as they can shift factories and research around. So I created such a graphical overview using OpenOffice 2.0 (just to annoy all the MS-fans out there . It is available using one of the following links:

For Standard Scenario 15: OODraw file PDF file.
For Nickmod 4.2 (or so) adapted by Andrew Brown: OODraw file PDF file.

I recommend the OODraw version as it is graphically a bit better and you can edit the factory transfer arrows according to your preference. As an example the IJN fighter section from the nick-mod version:

(if embedding didn't work, also available externally)

The A2A% and Bombing% values were derived similar to the way demonstrated in the WITP Tool.xls sheet except that they takes Gun Accuracy and Penetration as well as Bomb Penetration into account. As you can see in the image above this means that with NickMod the Claude is not that much worse than the Zero anymore (except for range of course). The appropriate OOCalc Sheets, which allow quick adaption to other mods by copying in the csv data generated with witpload, are available for the standard scenario and for Nick-Mod.

Further explanation of all the symbols used can be found below in posts 13 and 14.

(BTW, how does one get the links to underline without doing it by hand?)

[ChezDaJez]

Nice work, Woos!

Puts a much more understandable face on upgrades.[:D]

Of course, you know now all the Allied fanboys are going to be yelling for one for them!!![:)]

Chez

[invernomuto]

Great Work!

[Woos]

Of course, you know now all the Allied fanboys are going to be yelling for one for them!!!

Sorry, someone else has to do that. Generating the drawings isn't automatic and would be much more work for the Allies due to their increased number of plane types. Also they don't need it that sorely as the Japanese since they can't change production anyway. And I didn't yet played the Allies, so I had no incentive to do it.

Everyone: Feel free to use the format if you want to.

[Accipiter]

[&o] OMG....this is so AWESOME!!!! Finally I'm seeing how to use production and upgrade aircraft. Thanks so very much for putting this together.

Ok, one question (I'm still a noob). The very bottom line under each aircraft...for example R19 Nagoya under J2M Jack. Does that mean that at start that in Nagoya 19 production points are being used to speed research of this aircraft? Or is it what you are suggesting should be done?

And I'm so glad you did the Nik Mod also since that is the mod I'm wanting to start up soon.

[Yamato hugger]

Green arrows, yellow arrows, black arrows, little boxes.

But the question remains, wheres Waldo?

[:D] [:D] [:D]

[Accipiter]

Ok...one more question. Some of boxes have stuff written under them like 1*T, 1*250, 2*250, etc and some have nothing under them. What do these numbers refer to? Thanks again.

[ChezDaJez]

It's explained in the legend. Those are A-A ratings, bomb loads and range stats.

Chez

[Accipiter]

It's explained in the legend. Those are A-A ratings, bomb loads and range stats.

Chez

I think those refer to the numbers inside the box. Wait a minute...you're right, it is explained in the key. They must refer to bombload. 4*250 most likely would refer to 4x250kg bombs while 8*100 would refer to 8x100kg bombs. I'm still not sure what 1*T means though.

[ChezDaJez]

It's explained in the legend. Those are A-A ratings, bomb loads and range stats.

That should read bombing accuracy, not bomb load. The bomb load is listed below the box.

Chez

[saj42]

[Chez [/quote]

I think those refer to the numbers inside the box. Wait a minute...you're right, it is explained in the key. They must refer to bombload. 4*250 most likely would refer to 4x250kg bombs while 8*100 would refer to 8x100kg bombs. I'm still not sure what 1*T means though.
[/quote]

1*T = torpedo !!!!!

[John 3rd]

These are GREAT! I am a visual person and looking at Excel spreadsheets drive me nuts! Well Done!

Only comment might be to try to add the operational statisits of each aircraft then EVERYTHING is on one page...

[John 3rd]

Looking at these more, I guess that moost of the things I mentioned are here but I do not see durablity/armor...would be a good addition. Regardless, as an IJN Fanboy, THANK YOU!

[Woos]

OK, sorry for not better explaining the used symbology. I thought everything was self-evident (you always do if you made it up yourself . So lets have a look on what's what with normal planes (i.e. non-transport).

The embedded picture shows the legend and an example. Let's start from the top left:

• The "Arriving Airgroups" hook: Some reenforcements will arrive with this plane type as primary type. This means you have to produce at least some planes of this type (to fill at least one group) to receive these reenforcements. Even if you don't like the type at all. If you convert them to another type just after arrival, you don't need more then enough planes for one group.
• The name of the type: What can I say? I'm not responsible for those.
• The "Best Choice" star: IMHO (one of) the best plane types in that category for the given time. So I would try to research them to get them early and increase production of them to allow fast replacement of the "lesser" types. This doesn't necessarily mean nothing else should be produced. See the "Arriving Airgroups" above and also keep in mind the cost of transfering fatories vs. just having them upgrade automatically. Also YMMV cosiderably. Just read a thread on float planes where everyone had another oponion on what to use and what to dump.
• The availability date: I tried to arrange the plane boxes roughly according to when each type becomes available (thus e.g. the big gap between Helen and Peggy). But readability considerations prevented this from being exact, so the exact date (without research) can be seen here.
• Air 2 Air percentage: Should give a relative indication on how well the plane will fare when fighting against other planes. The formula is similar to the one used by WitP Tools but with a few twists. It goes: 30% Speedpercentage + 25% Manouver% + 20% DurabilityArmor% + 20% Gun% + 5% Climb%. In this XXXX% (e.g. Manouver%) means the standardized relative strength of this plane's manouver value with regards to the manouver values of all other planes. Mathematically this means that it is always between 0% and 100% and the formula is (MvrValue-MinMvr)/(MaxMvr-MinMvr). Now for the twists. Armor*10% is added to durability. So a plane with Armor of 2 will get 20% durability value for free (but that will be multiplied with the 25% given in the first formula above so the overall rating when going from Armor 0 to Armor 2 will only increase by 5%). Gun is not the gun value presented in the game (which is just the sum of all the "effect" values of the guns the plane has) but multiplies in accuracy and penetration and then standardizes the whole thing so that zeros have their old gun value again. The exact formulas can be seen in the provided spread sheets. You can play around with the weighting by changing the parameters on the very bottom
• Bombing%: Similar to A2A% this should give an indication on bombing performance. The weighting of the factors is: 23% Speed% + 4% Manouver% + 21% Durability% + 7% Gun% + 45% Bombload%. Most explanations from A2A% hold here again although bomb load% is special. It is derived from adding the effect of the bomb, which for AP bombs is smaller than the load cost, and then adding 40 times the square root of the max penetration of a single bomb/torpedo carried. The game just shows you the sum of the load costs of the bombs.
  I'm not completely happy with the formula as it still has problems with B17/B29 completely disturbing the process with their high bomb loads (so the difference between a bomb load of 500 and of 80 becomes so neglectable that Japanses fighters are better bombers than the Dive bombers due to their higher speed).
• Range: In the WitP Tools formula this was included into the percentages. I found it too important for it so there is an own entry for the Extended range of the plane.
• The Engine indicator (lower left corner or outside the box if space was scarce): How many and what engines are needed (how many is difficult to see in the PDF version). This will give you some indication in advance how your need for engines will develop in the future. If you e.g. go for the Jack with only minimal production of Georges you will need more Mitsubishi and less Nakaijama engines. Also an indication on the cost of the plane (more engines => more expensive plane).
• Produced/Researched numbers: Where is the plane produced/researched at the beginning of the scenario and in which numbers. Note that R typically also means that the factory is in a damaged state and has to be repaired first to start researching.
• The "1*T" entries below the box: Due to my dissatisfaction with the Bombing% values (see above) I also listed for all bomber type planes what bombs exactly they carry. 2*250 here means two 250 kb AP bombs (all Japanese bombs are AP and - thankfully - metric). 2*T means two torpedos (of unspecified penetration power, they all go through the belt armor anyway). And yes, there are planes with two torpedos. Just find them
• Black arrows: These indicate the standard upgrade path. So if you have disabled PDU this is the way your planes will upgrade. It is also the way the factories will upgrade.
• Green arrows: The way I would shift industry around at the beginning (and partially also later). Remember that shifting industry around costs you some of the industry (depends on the durability difference between the planes) and damages the industry so you might prefer the automatic upgrades. Those are sometimes indicated by "Halt&Restart", i.e. halt until automatic upgrade and then restart the industry. And of course you might want to do something completely different.

OK, anyone still reading? Hopefully all questions resolved. Next post will be on the transport planes.

[Woos]

For transport planes most things are similar to the other planes described above. Only the performace data is different:

• Load: How many XXXX can the plane load (I don't know the unit, probably pounds). The more it can load, the quicker it will move your troops or the more supply you get from a single run. Be aware that independent of the max load of the plane, it doesn't seem to be possible to load devices with a load factor >=7. This has the interesting effect that once paratroopers upgraded from 37mm AT to 47mm AT they will leave them behind every time they are transported by plane.
• Troop transport range: The troop transport range is higher than the extended range of a plane. The extended range is 1/3 of max range whereas the troop transport range is 1/2 of max range. As the latter is more important for transport planes, it is used in the transport plane boxes.

Note that there is also a small deviation from the standard box format for the Recon planes. No Bombing% is shown for them as they can not perform such a mission (except maybe as Kamikaze). Also most of them can't carry any bombs anyway.

[Accipiter]

Thanks Woos....that clarifies all my questions [:)]

[Zerberus_MatrixForum]

It seems to me, that the links to these nice graphics are down meanwhile. Does somebody know other sources to get it?

Z.

[Oldguard1970]

Hello Z.

I might have a copy of the Scenario 15 file. If I do, it's on a different computer. I will check and respond by Monday.

Best regards,

[Oldguard1970]

Hello again Z,

I did not have that file. Sorry.

I suggest you go to Spooky's site. There are many good things there including a listing of planes and upgrades.

http://mathubert.free.fr/ (Spooky's web site)

[Zerberus_MatrixForum]

Hi,

I already know Spooky's site, but thanks a lot for your response and support.

Cheers,

Z.