Matrix Games Forums

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy

ORIGINAL: Plumbersmack
1. How can I force a fleet engagement (also my fighters can't seem to find anything)

You mean a surface-to-surface naval battle (e.g., BBs banging away at each other) or a CVTF vs. CVTF (ala Midway or Coral Sea) engagement? Totally different setup.

Surface to Surface. I won't trust my CVE very far, and I would be shocked if they had anything other than ground based fighters.

You can't force a fleet engagement per se, but you can dangle some bait and have a reaction force available.

Thanks for all of your help and feedback - I really appreciate it!! The links provided have been super helpful as well. I just completed the Aleutians Campaign as the Allies, and learned a ton doing it.

Doing it again, this time as the Japanese - and now I have some questions... that I haven't been able to figure out in the links or handbook.

The allies are bombing me, and I am intercepting them, but my fighters aren't actually shooting? I have low level and high level caps set up but my fighter screens are not doing anything. I have tried setting them up as sweep, escort, training... ect... (with the cap, lcap, search ect all adjusted)... I have plenty of supply and fuel in each location. Obviously, I am doing something wrong, but I am unsure what?

Second, I have intel that the enemy has ships in port, and I am attempting to send my fighter/bombers to attack them... however they never actually leave. I have used the attack port and attack naval commands... again, what am I doing wrong?

Thanks guys!!

ORIGINAL: Plumbersmack

Thanks for all of your help and feedback - I really appreciate it!! The links provided have been super helpful as well. I just completed the Aleutians Campaign as the Allies, and learned a ton doing it.

Doing it again, this time as the Japanese - and now I have some questions... that I haven't been able to figure out in the links or handbook.

The allies are bombing me, and I am intercepting them, but my fighters aren't actually shooting? I have low level and high level caps set up but my fighter screens are not doing anything. I have tried setting them up as sweep, escort, training... ect... (with the cap, lcap, search ect all adjusted)... I have plenty of supply and fuel in each location. Obviously, I am doing something wrong, but I am unsure what?

Second, I have intel that the enemy has ships in port, and I am attempting to send my fighter/bombers to attack them... however they never actually leave. I have used the attack port and attack naval commands... again, what am I doing wrong?

Thanks guys!!

If you want to intercept bombers over an airfield you control, set your fighters to escort with a CAP ~60 (different forumites have different preferences) and a range of 0.
If your fighters are flying from a different base, you want to set them to escort with LRCAP instead of CAP with a target of the base you want to fly CAP over.

For the attack port issue, are you ensuring that the base is in range and that you are targeting the base with the squadron? Leader aggression, CAP over the hex, and weather also all play a role in determining whether a squadron flies, among other factors.

Allies heavy bomber are tough, you need large guns to shot them down. Early on, only ZERO have large guns, but is vulnerable to defensive fire. Try to keep CAP little higher, than incoming bombers. You need to have maximum number of planes already at right altitude to intercept.

Port attack is right command. The further the target, the lesser chance, that they will fly. If there are enemy fighters present, you need escort, or sweep them away.
And, if those are ships at sea, it might be PTs. You can only attack them at lowest altitude.

Just because you receive information that ships are there from your coast watchers, there may be no ships there at all.

So I have three different CAP missions over the same island. The enemies most commonly come between 7,000 ft and 17,000 feet. So I allow for a little diving distance.

CAP 1 - 10,000ft. (sweep)
CAP 2 - 20,000ft. (sweep)
CAP 3 - 15,000ft (LCAP) (escort)

My fighters will intercept, rise to meet them or dive to meet them... usually around 15 (10 zeros) total CAP fighters.... and then air combat ends and the bombers go and bomb my runways...

As to naval bombing - I was misreading the distance, they were simply out of distance. :facepalm:

Uncommon Valor is available at old-games.com for download, worth a try to help ease you into WITP:AE [&o]

ORIGINAL: 51st Highland Div


Uncommon Valor is available at old-games.com for download, worth a try to help ease you into WITP:AE [&o]

UV was my 'gateway drug' to WiTP:AE. Fun game that, for it's time, was riveting. Just be aware that the engine for WiTP:AE is vastly different, more complicated and more realistic that UV. So while it's worth a try to get a flavor for WiTP:AE, it's just a flavor, not a four-course meal.

ORIGINAL: Plumbersmack

So I have three different CAP missions over the same island. The enemies most commonly come between 7,000 ft and 17,000 feet. So I allow for a little diving distance.

CAP 1 - 10,000ft. (sweep)
CAP 2 - 20,000ft. (sweep)
CAP 3 - 15,000ft (LCAP) (escort)

My fighters will intercept, rise to meet them or dive to meet them... usually around 15 (10 zeros) total CAP fighters.... and then air combat ends and the bombers go and bomb my runways...

As to naval bombing - I was misreading the distance, they were simply out of distance. :facepalm:

Just to be clear, "sweep" orders over your own island won't work for CAP. "Sweep" is intended to sweep enemy fighters off another hex. If the enemy is providing LRCAP or CAP over that hex, your fighters will engage them and try to down them. So I suspect your CAP1 and CAP2 examples are set incorrectly for what you're trying to do.

Re: CAP3- If you've set up LRCAP, you're identifying a targetted hex for your fighters to provide air coverage. Not sure what ratio of 'escort' you've set and what they're trying to escort. Perhaps a screenshot of the squadron/sentai screen could provide some clarity.

Try this: set fighters the following way: "Escort". Lower on the screen, you'll see the % allocation buttons. Set that one to "CAP". Dial it up to 80. Set altitude to 20,000 feet. Further down the page, set range to "0". Do this on all three units and see if it makes a difference.

Well - I took screenshots but I cannot share them...

I changed them according to your recommendations. They will still intercept - but will not fire upon the enemy.

ORIGINAL: Plumbersmack

Well - I took screenshots but I cannot share them...

I changed them according to your recommendations. They will still intercept - but will not fire upon the enemy.

You need to get your post count higher before posting pictures becomes enabled.

Not sure what the threshold is since I passed it some time ago.

I think it is 10 days or something. If there is another way to share - I am happy to do so.

Plumber - when you say they don't fire is there a message such as "x plane turned away due to enemy fire" etc? If so there's code that lightly armoured planes will be turned away by heavy enemy defensive fire instead of pressing that attack.

Other factors include - relative altitudes, weather conditions, leader values, experience values etc

ORIGINAL: Speedysteve

Plumber - when you say they don't fire is there a message such as "x plane turned away due to enemy fire" etc? If so there's code that lightly armoured planes will be turned away by heavy enemy defensive fire instead of pressing that attack.

Other factors include - relative altitudes, weather conditions, leader values, experience values etc

What happens is radar detects, CAP is scrambled (some already in the air), others dive/rise to meet the incoming, and then the combat ends and they go straight to bombing my airfield. Additionally, the same thing happens when they are leaving combat. I usually have about 15+ fighters in the air, including Zeros.

How much time is there between the bombers being sighted and the combated? How far away are they detected?

I am unsure. I will need to check. I assume pretty far because of radar? I will have to get back to you when kids are in bed for an exact distance.

Just look in the combatevents.txt in your Save folder. It will show the approximate height of the enemy formation and how long it will take for them to arrive.

Morning Air attack on TF, near Rabaul at 106,125

Weather in hex: Heavy rain

Raid detected at 28 NM, estimated altitude 17,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 7 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 21

Allied aircraft
Beaufighter Ic x 6

No Japanese losses

Allied aircraft losses
Beaufighter Ic: 1 destroyed

CAP engaged:
Shoho-1/B with A6M2 Zero (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
1 plane(s) not yet engaged, 0 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 10000 , scrambling fighters to 15000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 22 minutes
13th Ku S-1 /A with A6M2 Zero (0 airborne, 6 on standby, 0 scrambling)
0 plane(s) not yet engaged, 3 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 10000 , scrambling fighters between 14000 and 15000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 13 minutes
Junyo-1 with A6M2 Zero (0 airborne, 2 on standby, 7 scrambling)
2 plane(s) not yet engaged, 0 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 10000 , scrambling fighters between 10000 and 19000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 13 minutes
**************************************************************************

Those three fighter units are from three different locations.

Morning Air attack on Attu Island , at 153,49

Weather in hex: Partial cloud

Raid detected at 160 NM, estimated altitude 23,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 55 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 13
Ki-43-IIa Oscar x 7



Allied aircraft
B-24D Liberator x 11


No Japanese losses

Allied aircraft losses
B-24D Liberator: 7 damaged



Runway hits 2

Aircraft Attacking:
4 x B-24D Liberator bombing from 19000 feet *
Airfield Attack: 5 x 500 lb GP Bomb
7 x B-24D Liberator bombing from 19000 feet *
Airfield Attack: 5 x 500 lb GP Bomb

CAP engaged:
201 Ku S-1 with A6M2 Zero (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
0 plane(s) not yet engaged, 0 being recalled, 13 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 15000
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 53 minutes
54th Sentai Det with Ki-43-IIa Oscar (0 airborne, 5 on standby, 0 scrambling)
2 plane(s) not yet engaged, 0 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 20000 , scrambling fighters between 21000 and 23000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 33 minutes

ORIGINAL: Plumbersmack

Morning Air attack on Attu Island , at 153,49

Weather in hex: Partial cloud

Raid detected at 160 NM, estimated altitude 23,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 55 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 13
Ki-43-IIa Oscar x 7



Allied aircraft
B-24D Liberator x 11


No Japanese losses

Allied aircraft losses
B-24D Liberator: 7 damaged



Runway hits 2

Aircraft Attacking:
4 x B-24D Liberator bombing from 19000 feet *
Airfield Attack: 5 x 500 lb GP Bomb
7 x B-24D Liberator bombing from 19000 feet *
Airfield Attack: 5 x 500 lb GP Bomb

CAP engaged:
201 Ku S-1 with A6M2 Zero (0 airborne, 0 on standby, 0 scrambling)
0 plane(s) not yet engaged, 0 being recalled, 13 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 15000
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 53 minutes
54th Sentai Det with Ki-43-IIa Oscar (0 airborne, 5 on standby, 0 scrambling)
2 plane(s) not yet engaged, 0 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 20000 , scrambling fighters between 21000 and 23000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 33 minutes

No bug or issue is revealed by this CR.

What exactly is the problem?
What exactly are you expecting to happen which doesn't happen.

The cause of most AE problems result from players having unjustified expectations of how the game should play according to their preconceived opinions instead of learning the actual game mechanics.

Alfred