Matrix Games Forums

Hi, Well you are correct that more AC fly then the percentage set if radar effects combat. I don't see more then what is set flying intercept without radar impact. (If I set a 24 plane group to 10 percent I only get 2 aircraft without radar. (from that group) This will never prevent enemy bombers from taking off. The purpose for my post was to point out Wirraways could prevent launch (and thereby protect TF's) But the player would still need more then 9 fighters airborne for this to work.
Radar has no impact on this so I did not refer to it.
(You did point out something interesting. I've never placed fewer fighters in the air hoping to intice an attack while knowing I would have more fighters involved in the combat.)(This has already been changed for WITP. Bombers will always consider 50 percent of enemy fighter to be on CAP. They will pass or fail the check with this rather then what is actually flying. This will reduce the number of unescorted strikes flown.
(The fighters can even be "stood down" completly and still cause bomber to fail the check. (so there will be no need to constantly monitor bases and insure at least 9 fighters are airborne) Just place 18 fighters (of any type) on a base and the enemy will make the check. More fighters will of course cause more failures.
So in WITP this tactic will not work. (In as much as bombers will always be expecting to encounter no less then 50 percent of enemy fighters)

At the time the above turn was processed I had allocated 40% of my Warhawks (.4 * 24 = about 10) and 20% of my Wildcats (.2 * 26 = about 5) to CAP, totalling 15 CAP (before radar set bonuses).

Unescorted flights into strong CAP is still happening.

Hi, The escort check does not prevent unescorted missions from occuring. It does prevent some of them. The higher the number of CAP
the more likely the failed check is. Also effecting strike is morale of Bombers (high morale groups are more likely to fly then low) Experiance and the value of the target.
Unescorted strikes will still occur in WITP where the bombers always assume at least 50 percent of enemy fighters will be encountered. (They will just fail these checks more often, and the other player will not be able to influnence the check except by changing the number of fighters at the target base)
Both sides sent bombers to targets without escort. If you are the bomber commander you must expect your groups not to fly every mission you order. If you are the fighter commander you must expect the enemy to attack on occasion no matter what CAP you have flying.

I never knew radar allowed more planes to fly than were set on cap. Since having planes on cap every turn when n airstrikes are coming in causes lots of fatigue this is a MAJOR advantage. How many ground units do the Japanese have with radar and when do the first ones start arriving in the game (assuming non-variable reinforcements) ?

Hi all,

This was discussed before (regarding radar helping CAP) but I think that we all agreed that results were inconclusive...


Leo "Apollo11"


P.S. I started that thread few months ago.

"Hi, When enemy bomber groups make their check to see if they will fly to a target with CAP they do not check what type of fighter is flying the CAP. Wirraways do a fine job preventing attacks. (They don't do so well if the strike is escorted) So you may never see the benifit (since the strikes do not launch) To test. Place a few ships in a base with Wirraway CAP. Rasie and lower the CAP and note when the Japanese strike."

I haven't seen a single IJN or IJA strike stop because of CAP aloft even if the strike is unescorted. Everyone of the planes strike, and by and large the best I can hope for is that they don't sink a ship in harbor, but leave me enough to repair. I don't care whether it's Lunga, Gili Gili, Port Moresby, Cairns, or Townsville. If the Betty's can reach it, they strike every mission they fly no matter what CAP is up, and about 90% of the time they strike, they seem to get torpedo hits. You sure we haven't found a time portal and those are Klingons flying those Bettys.