Is "Naval Search" way to effective?

[Oleg Mastruko]

I agree with Long Lance - leave it as it is, and concentrate on other things. It's a bit absrtacted search system but I think it produces realistic results overall.

You are all under impression of what you DO see, but many TFs remain undetected (so you obviously can't comment on them).

In my game with Leo (that prompted him to post here and start and bump this thread I have 100+ planes on search, I search like crazy - Hudsons, Catalinas on 80-100% search and patrol, Mitchells and Marauders on up to 50%. Hudsons having 80-90% experience and very high morale. In so far (2,5 months of game) I lost cca 50 Catalinas most of them to operational losses!

He tries to run barge TFs in front of my nose and I guess the results of all this are quite realistic - sorry Leo, just my humble opinion.

Leave it as it is.

O.

[Apollo11]

Hi all,

Originally posted by Erik Rutins
As far as I know, all of your points (1-7) are taken into consideration by the search algorithm. I have certainly noticed an effect from these as well. I find that if I keep TFs fairly small (5 ships or less) and if they contain smaller vessels and stay further than 8-10 hexes from enemy bases they are nearly impossible to spot. I also have snuck Carrier TFs quite close to enemy bases in bad weather.

Regards,

- Erik

Thanks for replaying Erik (and sharing info with us)!


BTW, in light of one other thread (about Japanese barges):

showthread.php?s=&postid=290645


and the link with data/pics it produced:


http://member.nifty.ne.jp/takixxx/vessel.htm


3 main IJA barge types:

http://member.nifty.ne.jp/takixxx/daihatsu.html

http://member.nifty.ne.jp/takixxx/toku-daihatsu.html

http://member.nifty.ne.jp/takixxx/Mokusei-daihatsu.html


Can you please comment on how such small crafts (and similarly US PT boats)
can be detected from air via "Naval Search".

Being so small and slow their detection should be exception (with great luck)
rather than a rule.

IMHO, finding barge TF is like finding a needle in haystack...



Leo "Apollo11"

[NorthStar]

Originally posted by Apollo11


. . . . SNIP

Can you please comment on how such small crafts (and similarly US PT boats)
can be detected from air via "Naval Search".

Being so small and slow their detection should be exception (with great luck)
rather than a rule.

IMHO, finding barge TF is like finding a needle in haystack...



Leo "Apollo11"

It seems to me that I remember reading that the B-25 stafers and Fighter Bombers were very effective at attacking barges and sunk quite a few of them. It stands to reason that if the US was able to sink a significant number of barges with air power IRL, it couldn't have been all that hard to find them.

Then again, I'm not as well read or knowledgeable as most of you, so I may be misremembering something here.

[Pawlock]

Just to throw a bit more dust on this argument I though I would comment on a recent development in my pbem game.

Im in the situation of trying to hold PM against the inevitable IJN invasion. PM's airfields outta action 50 percent of the time and Im not ready to commit to a major CV engagment.

In order to try buy myself time I decide to despatch a small CV force, and small AP transport(empty) and move up along the edges of Lunga and Shortlands ,with the intention of being spotted in order to draw hopefully some of his forces outta the PM area.

Well Im sailing up there ,well within spotter range ,but am not spotted , so I then make the decision send the Aps back and proceed with caution further afield. Still not spotted ,this is getting on for about 3- 4 days cruising in spotter range.

Anyway to cut long story short the first he knows about it is when my CV tf launches strikes against 3 seperate unescorted convoys(all less than 4 hexes away) in middle between Kaeveng and Truk.

So Im certainly not convinced that Naval search is completly effective at spotting everything as Im sure my oppenent had search planes on Lunga and Shortland.

[Oleg Mastruko]

Pawlock bravo! Your post says it all... and I rest my case.

Most of the time players try to remain unseen, and get frustrated when thay fail in that. Now you tried the opposite - to be spotted, but managed to sneak unnoticed

Leave spotting as it is. I, for one, have no major complaints to the current model.

PS. Re my game with Leo that prompted this whole thread - nobody mentioned another spotting asset Allies have - coastwatchers. They do work in PBEM, but don't get credited for what they see. Leo's AG conwoys sail mostly near coastal hexes, so I guess at least some are spotted by CWs instead of patrol aircraft....

O.