How useful are anti-aircraft upgrades to ports and cities?

[mdsmall]

On p. 104 of the Game Manual (section 9.8.14) it says that if a resource hex has been upgraded with AA capability that will protect the resource against Strategic Bombers, but will not protect any units occupying the hex from the effects of attack. Is this still the case, after recent patches to the game? If so, does this prevent the AA upgrades to a resource hex from protecting units occupying that hex if attacked by Tactical or Medium Bombers, or by Carrier aircraft?

I ask because, as a new player in my first PBEM game, I just learned the hard way how vulnerable my Axis naval units in port are to Allied carrier strikes. I am looking for better ways to protect my German and Italian surface ships!

[Platoonist]

Candidly, I've always found the AA augmentation to resources, and infrastructure to be weak sauce. Until you get to the higher levels of AA tech, flak seems to count for little. That could be because enemy bomber tech seems to be always well ahead of my AA tech. Plus, those bombers unerringly target whatever resources I haven't upgraded yet.

Anecdotally, AA does seem to work better for ground units.

[mdsmall]

So, is it the case under the rules that if you upgrade the AA level of a port or a city, it will only protect the resource against strategic bombing? It offers no protection (however weak) to land or naval units in the same hex against tactical or medium bombers or carrier strikes? That would make the rationale for upgrading resources very weak indeed. And why would AA capacity for resources only apply against one category of air attack, when AA capacity for land or naval units protects against all categories of air attack? Just trying to understand what the rules are and why they are that way.

[The Land]

ORIGINAL: mdsmall

On p. 104 of the Game Manual (section 9.8.14) it says that if a resource hex has been upgraded with AA capability that will protect the resource against Strategic Bombers, but will not protect any units occupying the hex from the effects of attack. Is this still the case, after recent patches to the game? If so, does this prevent the AA upgrades to a resource hex from protecting units occupying that hex if attacked by Tactical or Medium Bombers, or by Carrier aircraft?

I believe it's changed and that resource AA values stack with unit AA values when the unit is attacked. But I couldn't claim that to be the gospel truth.

[boudi]

Finally, does AA upgraded on ressources, cities, ports and fortifications protect units occupying the hex ?

Somebody has a sure and certain answer ?

[Cpuncher]

with the time you guys spent typing, could just do a simple hotseat test and read the yellow numbers at the bottom middle of your screen.

I don't have WIE, but in WAW, yes, AA upgrade of the resource does contribute to the AA defense of the unit occupying it.

[mdsmall]

True, but then other people would still be left wondering what the answer is. That's why I post questions like this one on this Forum!

[BillRunacre]

Hi

The unit will benefit from any AA upgrades to the underlying resource, but at a rate of 50% of the resource AA level benefit. So upgrading to level 2 will be required for the unit to benefit from it too.

[mdsmall]

Bill - thanks for explaining that. Was this covered in an earlier patch to the game? I have looked the patch notes for version 18 and 17 but did not see this. And does this 50% rule apply to the World War 1 game and to World at War, or is it specific to War in Europe?

[Hubert Cater]

Hi mdsmall,

This change was implemented a while back for War in Europe, v1.04. It wouldn't be mentioned in the patch notes for WWI or for WaW only because those games did not yet exist at the time but would apply for those games all the same.

Here is the line in the VERSION CHANGE NOTES for War in Europe:
- units located on a resource and defending from an air attack will now have their defensive bonus values improved (from the default) for any applicable Anti-Aircraft upgrade that the resource has received.

The patch note doesn't mention the 50% but this is indeed how it works in game as Bill mentioned.

Hubert

[mdsmall]

Hubert - many thanks for explaining the evolution of the rules on this point. It helps have a fuller understanding of the system across all three games.

Cheers,

Michael

[Hubert Cater]

Our pleasure and we really are trying to keep all 3 games generally working the same minus a few small necessary differences for WWI. This keeps it consistent and easy to learn one game and seamlessly go to the next and so on.

The one nice thing right now too is that I believe all 3 games are patched up to the same level of fixes/changes. This wasn't always the case but now that we are here, this should continue to be the case going forward.

[boudi]

Thank you Hubert.

[Tanaka]

ORIGINAL: Hubert Cater

Our pleasure and we really are trying to keep all 3 games generally working the same minus a few small necessary differences for WWI. This keeps it consistent and easy to learn one game and seamlessly go to the next and so on.

The one nice thing right now too is that I believe all 3 games are patched up to the same level of fixes/changes. This wasn't always the case but now that we are here, this should continue to be the case going forward.

This is much appreciated guys! All three games only getting better! [&o]