What's a brief synopsis of gameplay?

[Adam Parker]

Bradfordkay wrote something helpful in another thread:

"You organized your TFs, gave them orders, organized and sent out your search aircraft aand then responded to their sightings (keeping in mind that they were notorious for misrepresenting what they saw). You are in charge of organizing the CAP coverage of your aircraft as well. Land based air is in the game, works just like carrier based except that you don't have as many restrictions on plane handling ... Surface combat was a little more complex than that in UV/WITP, but still wasn't done on a realistic battle map.

I've never played this game and I've always wanted something of the old AH Victory in the Pacific/Midway genre. WitP has always been way over my head in red-tape and game time.

So can those who know this game from the past, expand on Bradfordkay's synopsis? Exactly how does a game run? Do you choose a scenario and do the forces then start already on the map in contact for example? What are the victory conditions and how long can a game run? What operations do you get going first? How do you then progress them as the scen expands. How do you assign patrols and combat? etc.

Once again, SSG promises a solid AI. The new interface, game art and engine tweaks make this game more than a re-release for Windows (as opposed ot TOAW/Harpoon). So Matrix you've won my order [;)]

Thanks guys and gals.
Adam.

[ravinhood]

It's been a long time, but, if I remember correctly there were variances in placement of the TF's each game. It didn't always playout the same everytime (which was good). And the synopsis is pretty right on. You give your TF orders of travel and send out PBY's to scout and hope the siting is correct when you send out your squadrons. You can set the size of them and the type of planes for each flight. You also setup cap and there are occassional surface battles, though I usually just played "Midway" or "The Coral Sea" scenarios. There's a lot more than that, but, those two were the ones I knew most about from reading and movies. Of course there are other things like distance to travel and you can lose tracking because of bad weather and things like that.
 
What I can only wish for is someday a more animated graphical display of the actual attacks taking place. Kinda like GalCiv II does it. Hands off, but, you get to watch the battles sort of like a movie reel. It's more of just a numerical game than a graphics whore game at least that was the origional version. But, I played it on a commodore 64 then lol. "Carrier Force" the origional "Carrier Strike" had more indepth play to it I think. You had to turn in the wind to launch aircraft and you had to be precise about when to send out your squadrons. One hex off and they would all end up crash landing or if you were lucky diverting to another aircraft carrier. I spashed many a sqaudron learning that game. But, it was so neat, they gave you laminated maps of the battles. Ahhhh the good ole days. I miss the laminated maps games came with.

[Gregor_SSG]

A brief synopsis of Carriers at War gameplay.

1. Find enemy carriers
2. Sink them
3. For extra points, avoid losing your carriers at the same time.

A slightly more expanded version, using the US player in the Coral Sea scenario as an example.

You start at night and with no sightings.
You must decide your overall strategy:

(a)sprint North and try to get very close the Japanese main force and duke it out
(b)sprint West and try and cheapshot the Shoho
(c) sprint Southwest and try to stay unsighted for a while, drawing the Japanese south and waiting for an opportunity to strike

Set your CAP - each fighter on CAP is unavailable to escort strikes, so choose carefully

Set your search patterns (very important)

Run the clock till dawn then start waiting nervously for sighting reports.

After that, who can say? The Japanese could be almost anywhere. Your search planes might miss them, or generate false sighting reports (almost guaranteed). You just have to react the situation as it unfolds. Hard questions include the following:

Is that real CV sighting or just a misreport?
If its really a CV sighting is it the Zuikaku and the Shokaku or just the Shoho?
If it's really the main force, am I close enough to strike or must I get closer? (This is a real problem for the short-ranged early war US planes.
Will that incoming strike send my carriers to the bottom?

Its the glorious uncertainty of carrier warfare that makes Carriers at war such an exciting game.

Gregor

[goodwoodrw]

The aim is the same as any other wargame, seek and find then kill kill kill[:D] just the strategy is different [;)] Must go and find my old 5 1/4 inch disks so I can trade them in.

[Adam Parker]

ORIGINAL: Gregor_SSG

Is that real CV sighting or just a misreport?
If its really a CV sighting is it the Zuikaku and the Shokaku or just the Shoho?
If it's really the main force, am I close enough to strike or must I get closer? (This is a real problem for the short-ranged early war US planes.
Will that incoming strike send my carriers to the bottom?

Its the glorious uncertainty of carrier warfare that makes Carriers at war such an exciting game.

Gregor

Thanks guys including BASB.

I love the sound of this one already [;)]

Keep setting the bar Gregor.