Betties

[Zeta16]

I have not played as the japanese for very long, but it seems that I can never get my inrange Betties or Nells to hit small groups of ships that have been spotted. They always attack the ships that are under a high amount of CAP. It seems like they never want to go after damaged ships or what not. Also it seems they like to find the farthest target that is possible.

[Nomad]

I hope someone comes up with an answer because I have the same problem. [:@]

[Howard Mitchell]

It's a common problem. The G4Ms go after the most valuable targets, not the safest, and there is no way of stopping them doing so. I decided to accept it and view it as often suicidally aggresive Japanese commanders making the decision of where to attack, which has some historical basis!

[Zeta16]

Most valuable, a hurt CA, and several Cl's compared to a few sc and an ak. And the sc's are in port with a bunch of AA guns and fighters. I have come to the point were I don't even fly them until ships are trying to do a landing or are really close.

[Oleg Mastruko]

You must be very very cautious with them, but they can be incredibly useful when used properly.

In general, bombers won't attack TF that is on open sea if range is more than 10 hexes (one of the developers explained why is it so - because it would be very very hard for them to find anything that far in the open sea).

BUT, they will attack TF if it is in a coastal hex, even if it's further away (near the coast => easier to find).

In case of Bettys this combines into potentially deadly (for Bettys themselves) mixture => no attack against un-CAPped TF on open sea if it's 10 hexes away, but attack heavily CAPped TF in coastal (and base) hex 30 hexes away instead. Of course, they go unescorted and get slaughtered.

So you have to be very very cautious with them.

O.

[Subchaser]

I don’t know why but Betties in my games are always lucky, never die for free, if I lose any noticeable number of bombers there ar surely some allied ships already on bottom or heavily damaged. But that’s just luck I believe.

Oleg said the right thing, to get best from IJN bombers you have to be very cautious. I set bomber daitais on ‘naval attack’ only when:

1) Valuable target within a range is already sighted.
2) Target is within a normal range of at least one Zero squadron and its fatigue less than 10.
3) Bombers own fatigue is less than 10.
4) Weather is not ‘rainy’ or ‘thuderstorms’.

Of course these preconditions seriously decrease number of attacks and require active airfields on Irau and Gili Gili, but when they attack they kick them hard, losses are often high, this is inevitable, but they’re not useless.