PDU off: Still don't understand air upgrade

[guytipton41]

Hi Folks,

PDU Off, Scenario 1:

I have VMF-111 in good supply, no frags, all the normal stuff. It's a currently a training unit flying Buffaloes. But it's in a good position and I would like to upgrade it to Corsairs. Swap out the pilots for elites, etc. Do I need upgrade it to F4F-3, then F4F-3P, then F4F-4 before getting to the F4Us? What if I don't have any F4F-3Ps left? Are they stuck in F4F-3s forever?

Remember, PDU Off.

Cheers,
Guy

[Puhis]

You can't manually skip Wildcats, but automatic upgrades do skip plane models.

Anyway, I think you need 18 planes to upgrade that unit?

[Lokasenna]

It's been about a year so I don't remember the resolution I found (or happened across....), but I believe you will need 18 planes in the pool, of an airframe that is on their upgrade path. I think this comes up because their immediate upgrade does not have enough planes.

I had this exact problem with VF-6 back in my first game. They were stuck with F4F-3A airframes after it had been out of production, and their upgrade was set to F4F-3...of which I had 0, and it was also out of production. However, I had the F4F-4 in production, and it was on their upgrade path. With PDU Off, I wasn't able to make them hop into F4F-4s, but I believe that once I hit the "requires X planes to upgrade" amount (shown there up at the top), they automatically upgraded to F4F-4s. Longest month of game time ever.

[cohimbra]

ORIGINAL: guytipton41
Do I need upgrade it to F4F-3, then F4F-3P, then F4F-4 before getting to the F4Us? What if I don't have any F4F-3Ps left? Are they stuck in F4F-3s forever?

Remember, PDU Off.

I'm not an expert, but actually I play as jappo vs allied AI whit PDU=Off;
and yes, you must follow the upgrade path (F4F-3 -> F4F-3P -> etc, etc.).
As japanese I can upgrade a squadron formed by 49 planes whit only 2 planes
of the successor without problem...I'm not able to tell you what are the
base requirement to do this, but I send my squadron to Tokyo (AF=10 and plenty
of Air Support & Supply) and I do the upgrade. Hope this help.

[DivePac88]

I think your problem is that those Coneheads are blocking the upgrade, as I think I read in the manual somewhere that they can do that. [;)]

[HansBolter]

We have been told in the past that squadrons that have a withdrawal date can't be upgraded until the pool has sufficient numbers to upgrade the squadron to full strength (although I have found this is not true for all squadrons that have a withdrawal date, just most).

Squadrons that do not have a withdrawal date can be manually upgraded as soon as there is one plane in the pool (automatic upgrade will still wait until there is a sufficient number in the pool to upgrade to full strength).

Look to see if the squadron in question has a withdrawal date. If not it may be that since you will be dependent on an automatic upgrade that skips a plane type and can't force the upgrade manually it will have to wait for sufficient numbers in the pool.

[aphrochine]

Just set to Automatic Upgrade and wait a few turns, see there the engine lands you.

[PaxMondo]

ORIGINAL: guytipton41

Hi Folks,

PDU Off, Scenario 1:

I have VMF-111 in good supply, no frags, all the normal stuff. It's a currently a training unit flying Buffaloes. But it's in a good position and I would like to upgrade it to Corsairs. Swap out the pilots for elites, etc. Do I need upgrade it to F4F-3, then F4F-3P, then F4F-4 before getting to the F4Us? What if I don't have any F4F-3Ps left? Are they stuck in F4F-3s forever?

Remember, PDU Off.

Cheers,
Guy

Per your image, you must have 18 planes in the pool to upgrade this unit. At this time, none of the potential upgrades have the requisite size pool. This list of future upgrades on the right is not an ordered list, but just the list of what you can upgrade to. So, this group currently CANNOT upgrade to the F4F-3 no matter the pool size even though that is a fighter model.

[Puhis]

ORIGINAL: PaxMondo


This list of future upgrades on the right is not an ordered list, but just the list of what you can upgrade to.

Wrong. It is exactly an order list when playing PDU off.

[PaxMondo]

ORIGINAL: Puhis

ORIGINAL: PaxMondo


This list of future upgrades on the right is not an ordered list, but just the list of what you can upgrade to.

Wrong. It is exactly an order list when playing PDU off.

Mmmm, ok maybe we are saying the same thing here just differently, or I need to re-install my WitPAE. This is what I see ....




My only upgrade now is to the F2A-3 Buffalo, even though it isn't an option on the right.

(BTW, I don't show the 3P model as an option at all ... so I wonder if the OP is playing a mod? My screen is Scen 1 ...)

[Puhis]

ORIGINAL: PaxMondo

ORIGINAL: Puhis

ORIGINAL: PaxMondo


This list of future upgrades on the right is not an ordered list, but just the list of what you can upgrade to.

Wrong. It is exactly an order list when playing PDU off.

Mmmm, ok maybe we are saying the same thing here just differently, or I need to re-install my WitPAE. This is what I see ....




My only upgrade now is to the F2A-3 Buffalo, even though it isn't an option on the right.

(BTW, I don't show the 3P model as an option at all ... so I wonder if the OP is playing a mod? My screen is Scen 1 ...)

Future upgrades is still showing order of the upgrades, but it's not showing 1st plane model (I don't know why). In your case the upgrade path is:
1) Buffalo
2) Wildcat
3) 1 Corsair
4) 1A Corsair
5) 1D Corsair
6) 4 Corsair

So the future upgrade column should begin with number 2 (I admit it's a bit confusing).

[Chris21wen]

ORIGINAL: PaxMondo

ORIGINAL: Puhis

ORIGINAL: PaxMondo


This list of future upgrades on the right is not an ordered list, but just the list of what you can upgrade to.

Wrong. It is exactly an order list when playing PDU off.

Mmmm, ok maybe we are saying the same thing here just differently, or I need to re-install my WitPAE. This is what I see ....




My only upgrade now is to the F2A-3 Buffalo, even though it isn't an option on the right.

(BTW, I don't show the 3P model as an option at all ... so I wonder if the OP is playing a mod? My screen is Scen 1 ...)

Your looking at VMF-211 he's looking at VMF-111, probably different upgrade paths.

[guytipton41]

ORIGINAL: PaxMondo

ORIGINAL: guytipton41

Hi Folks,

PDU Off, Scenario 1:

I have VMF-111 in good supply, no frags, all the normal stuff. It's a currently a training unit flying Buffaloes. But it's in a good position and I would like to upgrade it to Corsairs. Swap out the pilots for elites, etc. Do I need upgrade it to F4F-3, then F4F-3P, then F4F-4 before getting to the F4Us? What if I don't have any F4F-3Ps left? Are they stuck in F4F-3s forever?

Remember, PDU Off.

Cheers,
Guy

Per your image, you must have 18 planes in the pool to upgrade this unit. At this time, none of the potential upgrades have the requisite size pool. This list of future upgrades on the right is not an ordered list, but just the list of what you can upgrade to. So, this group currently CANNOT upgrade to the F4F-3 no matter the pool size even though that is a fighter model.

Interesting,

I know that I upgrade units all the time with one aircraft in the pool. Did it this turn to a A-29 unit to free up aircraft to bulk up the B-18 units. (B-18s are just fine for Naval Search.) I'm pretty sure that some of them have withdrawal dates.

Is it the consensus: If it's the next upgrade in the ordered list only one aircraft is needed. If you're skipping an upgrade step then unit'size aircraft are needed and you need to be in auto upgrade.

Cheers,
Guy

[Chris21wen]

ORIGINAL: guytipton41

Is it the consensus: If it's the next upgrade in the ordered list only one aircraft is needed. If you're skipping an upgrade step then unit'size aircraft are needed and you need to be in auto upgrade.

Cheers,
Guy

No I do not think this is the case but I cannot prove it either way. I would like a definite answer to when a full compliment is required and when one isn't as nothing I've read in this threaad seems to satisfy some of the upgrade situations I have faced.

[Lokasenna]

ORIGINAL: Chris H

ORIGINAL: guytipton41

Is it the consensus: If it's the next upgrade in the ordered list only one aircraft is needed. If you're skipping an upgrade step then unit'size aircraft are needed and you need to be in auto upgrade.

Cheers,
Guy

No I do not think this is the case but I cannot prove it either way. I would like a definite answer to when a full compliment is required and when one isn't as nothing I've read in this threaad seems to satisfy some of the upgrade situations I have faced.

With PDU Off, that is my experience.

I prefer to play with PDU On, and have since that first game.

[Justus2]

I think a full complement is required if the squadron is scheduled to withdraw (I know at least for the starting US groups that is the case). If no withdraw date, only 1 aircraft seems to work.