AI Air Management

[Dr. Foo]

I really do not enjoy managing the air units, selecting targets, setting up the boxes, transferring, training and all the other stuff.

Will the AI manage it for me if I just leave it alone (hit AI every turn)...or is it not that simple.

Once I get a grasp of the game I think I will learn the air in more depth but for now I was hoping I could rely on it to do the bulk of the book keeping for me.

[jnpoint]

Sorry, but you can not just hit AI every turn. The AI do strange things sometimes, so you have to check it and change for the better, that's my experience so far.

[MisterBoats]

I think you can find a reasonable balance if you're willing to put in a little more time with the air management. I like to start every air planning phase by setting the priorities to none, then rebuilding from there. I'll assign a few missions I think are vital (mainly naval interdiction in the Med in '43), then let the computer assign the rest. Before execution I check the air directive summary and make sure everything is the way I want it. I've had good results that way.

Moving and assigning the air groups can be a lot of work, but it's worth it. As soon as a few of the Sicilian airbases are captured, I load them with fighters, followed by heavier aircraft as more bases become available. The bombers move up to Malta and Victoria, to cover southern Italy from a shorter distance. When it's afe to do so, I also move the air HQs closer to the front.

I hope this helps.

[Dr. Foo]

Yes, this all helps. I was just hoping I could get away with all AI. But experience has taught be better TOAW III Air Assassin errrr I mean Air Assistant!

Sounds like a good plan for now I will set up the things I really need and let the AI handle the rest.

[Banquet]

ORIGINAL: MisterBoats

I'll assign a few missions I think are vital (mainly naval interdiction in the Med in '43), then let the computer assign the rest.

How do you do that? If I let the AI assign AD's it overwrites any that I've created.

[MisterBoats]

Banquet,

I'm pretty sure that the computer will allow for manually assigned AD's once they have been et up. I might be wrong. My system starts with deleting all AD's for the theater groups at the beginning. Then I determine what areas need what coverage, and create AD's with the relevant commands/groups. I check the AD boxes on the map to confirm that everything is the way I want it. Then I go into the auto planner and set AD's for all theaters. I confirm the AD boxes again. Only then do I advance the turn.

In the beginning I found it tricky to not change my AD's, until I realized I had not changed groups before I issued new ones. I got the "this will delete..." (or change, maybe) message a few times. Now, I make sure to confirm each AD and change HQ's before I issue the next one. Also, I check to see that older AD's have been deleted from the group assignments.

Checking the AD assignment boxes ought to tell you if anything is out of whack. I hope all this made sense.

[Joel Billings]

My understanding is that using the AD creation screen will delete the already created ADs, at least for the non-coastal and transport commands. Best to have the AI create you ADs first, and then adjust them or cancel them and create a new one.

[MisterBoats]

Thanks, Joel. I had it backwards.

[Massattack]

Is it necessary to move Air Hq's closer to the battlefront? I know with ground hq's one needs to have them within command range of their subordinate units. So far in my Italian campaign game I have left the air hq's in their original positions, and used the computer ai to assign aircraft. ( I think I am overdue a read of the relevant part of the manual[:(]

[RedLancer]

No need - Air HQs have no command range.

[steelpanther14]

Started a new 43-45 campaign game this morning

Ive been letting the AI Handle the Air missions... but on inspection its not doing a great job.

The Sicily missions don't seem to have changed since turn one... its now turn 8 and the island
is almost empty of axis...think a change is required guess I will have to check each turn and adjust

Thinking im going to have another restart....but im learning so much and its getting easier

[MorningDew]

ORIGINAL: steelpanther14
Ive been letting the AI Handle the Air missions... but on inspection its not doing a great job.

The Sicily missions don't seem to have changed since turn one...

Do you click to have the AI Set Directives each turn? Or did you only do that on turn one?

[marion61]

I tend to use Air HQ by putting flak in them and moving them to the bigger cities for flak support instead of assigning a whole bunch of flak to cover something. HQ's are like mobile flak.

[Banquet]

ORIGINAL: steelpanther14

Started a new 43-45 campaign game this morning

Ive been letting the AI Handle the Air missions... but on inspection its not doing a great job.

The Sicily missions don't seem to have changed since turn one... its now turn 8 and the island
is almost empty of axis...think a change is required guess I will have to check each turn and adjust

Thinking im going to have another restart....but im learning so much and its getting easier

This will be because you've left the 'Amphib support south' set to 'on'

[Dereck]

This is just the way I handle it, but I've made a notepad document with each air HQ and the number of possible missions they can fly and keep track of things that way.

I may let RAF Bomber command bomb the same targets week after week (since they have a 10 hex radius) until there isn't anything left while the 8th USAAF I have more "surgical" strikes on a single city and may keep that going until the target it reduced enough to go onto another city.

It may not be perfect but I can't rely on just the game AD screen because if I don't write something down myself I can't remember it as well. It works for me but may not for others.