HPS new games

[Airborne82nd]

No, I believe the Japanese use search planes from cruisers but I haven't played much of that side yet.

[goodwoodrw]

That's a pity, surely this a serious oversight.

[uncc]

I've been playing around with the OOB and Scenario editors. In the OOB for the Getting Started scenario I noticed that several of the US cruisers had a/c, but they weren't available in the scenario. So I used the scenario editor to add/move the a/c to the cruisers. I can now use the a/c. I can spot them, assign search missions, etc. So, a/c can be used from ships other than carriers IF the scenario designer (hacker) sets it up that way...

[Prince of Eckmühl]

ORIGINAL: uncc

I've been playing around with the OOB and Scenario editors. In the OOB for the Getting Started scenario I noticed that several of the cruisers had a/c, but they weren't available in the scenario. So I used the scenario editor to add/move the a/c to the cruisers. I can now use the a/c. I can spot them, assign search missions, etc. So, a/c can be used from ships other than carriers IF the scenario designer (hacker) sets it up that way...

This is an interesting topic. In looking through the scenarios, I've noticed that, in some cases, an IJN ship with float-planes can use them, while other similarly equipped ships, IN THE SAME SCENARIO, can't. Like I said, interesting. It's good to know that this can be modified in the editor. It'll be interesting to see if USN types can also be enabled.

[Ashtur]

All of the US Float planes are available. They're in some .oob files, and otherwise, can be added to custom oobs. (I'd not suggest messing with the stock oobs, as that could toast any scenario that uses those files).


Why aren't they in the game? As I mention in the designers notes, we had a bit of internal discussion. The Japanese used their cruiser aircraft as scouts (see the Tone Scout 5 at Midway). However, the US as a rule did not. (There are a couple of times where the VS groups were simply not available, such as late in the day at Santa Cruz when the Hornet was a floating wreck, and the Enterprise was withdrawing with damage). The Kingfishers were typically used for things like picking up pilots out of the water.

As such, it was felt that it would give the US an unfair advantage to let them use those aircraft in a totally ahistorical manner.

[Prince of Eckmühl]

ORIGINAL: garymc

All of the US Float planes are available. They're in some .oob files, and otherwise, can be added to custom oobs. (I'd not suggest messing with the stock oobs, as that could toast any scenario that uses those files).


Why aren't they in the game? As I mention in the designers notes, we had a bit of internal discussion. The Japanese used their cruiser aircraft as scouts (see the Tone Scout 5 at Midway). However, the US as a rule did not. (There are a couple of times where the VS groups were simply not available, such as late in the day at Santa Cruz when the Hornet was a floating wreck, and the Enterprise was withdrawing with damage). The Kingfishers were typically used for things like picking up pilots out of the water.

As such, it was felt that it would give the US an unfair advantage to let them use those aircraft in a totally ahistorical manner.

One really excellent reason for surface combatants NOT to use float-planes is that the "tender" in question would have to stop to pickup the aircraft. Somehow, I can't see the Yamato doing so when faced with the possibility of being torpedoed. Given the USN experience at "Torpedo Junction," this inhibition would likely be even more pronounced for its capital ships.

Question for our readers: Did ships actually have to stop to pick up a small float-plane, or just slow down? I seem to remember seeing some photographs of a Kingfisher taxing up to a teathered-mat, which would snare the aircraft by its float. That fixed the aircraft alongside the ship, so that it could be hoisted aboard. There must have been a maximum speed at which this could be done, and that likely wasn't terribly fast. Suffice it to say, aircraft like the SOC and OS2U couldn't land (successfully) in heavy seas, yet another limitation.

[JudgeDredd]

Damn that historical stuff - it'll get ya! [:D]

[Prince of Eckmühl]

ORIGINAL: Prince of Eckmühl

Did ships actually have to stop to pick up a small float-plane, or just slow down?

I always hate to quote myself for fear of seeming immodest, but y'all have to see this:

http://mighty90.com/Film_Footage.html

Look for the video-clip labeled USS ASTORIA Kingfisher floatplane rescue, 29 March 1945 -- part 1

Check out the pilot who stands up in his cockpit (with the Kingfisher bouncing around beneath him) so that he can connect the harness to the crane cable. [X(]

[Ashtur]

Geeeeezzz..... [&o]


"Hey, Dad, I got assigned to floatplanes!"

"Well Son, I guess you'll have the easy work all war long, don't let it get to you"

[hank]

downloaded The Guadalcanal update last night and got it running.  Looks like a lot ... a whole lot of work went into this patch.  Me really like the torpedo improvements  ... I'm sure tonight I'm going to find some more stuff I like
 
gonna have to get Midway now

[ezzler]

Got both salion and midway a few days ago. About 10 day shipping to UK.
Haven't tried them yet as also bought MudTV. Waited decades for a remake of this so am unashamedly {ok, partly ashamedly} playing this instead. Its very tough on medium!

[Prince of Eckmühl]

ORIGINAL: garymc

Geeeeezzz..... [&o]


"Hey, Dad, I got assigned to floatplanes!"

"Well Son, I guess you'll have the easy work all war long, don't let it get to you"

Found one more Kingfisher video:

http://videos.howstuffworks.com/discove ... -video.htm

We'll let this one go now. [:)]

[Crimguy]

OK, so what is it guys - thumbs up or down for midway?  I avoided CAW because of the horrible feedback.  Do we have a winner here?

[Airborne82nd]

Definately a big thumbs up here!! I 've been really enjoying it. Oh, and, I avoided CAW at first, but then bit the bullet. It didn't get much play time.

[JudgeDredd]

Big thumbs up. Love it. Quite tense and enough to do...a bit quirky in the interface - but that's a personal thing. The game plays out nice.

There was one issue I noticed of late. It was in a mission where my strike force was already on it's way to the target (I had no ships this mission - I just had to sink the jap carrier)...after I took out the CAP, there was one jap CAP plane left - and it flew round the carrier in circles (it couldn't land because the carrier was on fire)...but my F4s just flew round in circles after it. It didn't occur to them to - erm - change direction?? They literally just flew round in circles after each other.

Minor glitch though. I fired a mission up last night and sending out the search planes was exciting enough...waiting on reports of sightings

[BAL]

This might be of interest to some...
 
http://www.wargame.ch/board/acw/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=14407

[Airborne82nd]

JD, regarding the circling CAP. Couldn't you manually take over an F4F unit and pull him away from the carrier, and then click back on the enemy a/c to get him to intercept again? Just a thought.

[JudgeDredd]

ORIGINAL: Airborne82nd

JD, regarding the circling CAP. Couldn't you manually take over an F4F unit and pull him away from the carrier, and then click back on the enemy a/c to get him to intercept again? Just a thought.

Yep - and I did that several times...pointing the F4 clockwise whilst the enemy airplane was travelling clockwise - all that happened was that the enemy CAP flew on by and the F4 gave chase again. I had 8 F4s after this one plane for about 10 minutes...lol

to be fair, it was the first and last tiem I saw it. The enemy CAP was only 1 plane so it was more comical than annoying really.

[Prince of Eckmühl]

ORIGINAL: Airborne82nd

JD, regarding the circling CAP. Couldn't you manually take over an F4F unit and pull him away from the carrier, and then click back on the enemy a/c to get him to intercept again? Just a thought.

I do what the poster suggests all the time. When the festivities are concluded, it's possible to go back to command/mission and simply reassign the unattached VF to the CAP package associated with the carrier.

If you're wanting the CAP posted further out, just assign them to a screening cruiser or destroyer that's between the carrier and the enemy. Works like a charm.

I think what's more noteworthy in regard to handling flights, missions and packages, is the degree to which they can be reorganized and redirected "on the fly" (pun unavoidable), something that it took me at least a week to fully appreciate.

[Prince of Eckmühl]

ORIGINAL: JudgeDredd

Yep - and I did that several times...pointing the F4 clockwise whilst the enemy airplane was travelling clockwise - all that happened was that the enemy CAP flew on by and the F4 gave chase again. I had 8 F4s after this one plane for about 10 minutes...lol

JD, there can always be a bug in the game. [:)]

Could it be that the CAP aircraft eluded your F4F because it was faster?