Matrix Games Forums

JAMIAM -
 
Right, total protonic reversal such as "mostly reduced maintenance, i.e. slower repair, higher ops losses."
 
Marquo

ORIGINAL: Marquo
The air committment number can be changed manually and I encourage doing so; different craft require different levels of support - you can have 9 fighter groups/base but if you have 9 long range bombers the required support will greatly exceed the support level, and then bad things happen...

OK, I know its not good, but how bad is it? Frankly ALL of my airbases are full with 9 air groups, including LR bombers. I was thinking that the quickest way to increase the support levels was to attach a bunch of air groups and hope that they suck in support. Even if the air groups are not operating at 100% efficiency, it seems like it is better to have them on the airbases than in the reserve? Or am I confused again?

The ratings for the air HQ leader are supposed to adjust the readiness of planes, and how many are committed to battle; also the amount of supports at an air base should have an effect.

"mostly reduced maintenance, i.e. slower repair, higher ops losses."
 
Quote from Pavel

ORIGINAL: Marquo

"mostly reduced maintenance, i.e. slower repair, higher ops losses."

Yeah, but I think I can live with that. I actually have quite a few planes, and once an air group gets below about 50%, I send it back to the Reserve. I will see how long this practice survives into the 1942 campaign, but so far so good.

Agreed. I find the same too.

I think this is the main thread discussing how Sov GS and air support work, so I wanted to post some screen shots here which seem to show that things do not work as described in this thread. My understanding was that Stavka air units will only support Stavak ground units, UNLESS they are in the closest air base to a battle involving the ground units of a front. I also understood that a front's air units would only support ground units from that front, not from Stavka.

Based on what I observed during my last turn in a GC vs the AI, this is not in fact how things work. Here are some screenshots:

First, here is a battle in which units from the Western Front received some kind of air support from both Front and Stavka air units:


Note that the Front air units went to the hexes of the attacking Front units, and the Stavka air units went to the hex of the defending German unit. Not sure what significance that has...

Here is another battle in which air units from the SW Front supported an attack by Stavka ground units:

In this instance, the Front units went to the defender's hex. Note also that both the attacking Stavka unit and defending German unit are adjacent to a SW Front unit, if that matters.

Finally, here is a battle in which Stavka air units supported Stavka ground units, but some Stavka air units went to the hexes of the attacking units, and some went to the defender's hex, what does that mean?


Would really like it if someone could explain what is going on in these screen shots...

Another question: in the north and south, is there any point in keeping the Baltic and Black Sea air HQs, respectively? I usually attach their airbases to the respective Front air HQs and disband them.

Perhaps air units going to the Soviet hexes were fighters trying to attack the German bombers going to the same place.

ORIGINAL: randallw

Perhaps air units going to the Soviet hexes were fighters trying to attack the German bombers going to the same place.

Maybe, I just thought that all of the planes providing ground support (ie, both German and Soviet bombers) would go to where the battle was occuring (ie, the defender's hex), although German planes did appear to be going to the same hexes. I'll have to watch more air battles, including defensive GS, as I go...

ORIGINAL: 76mm

Another question: in the north and south, is there any point in keeping the Baltic and Black Sea air HQs, respectively? I usually attach their airbases to the respective Front air HQs and disband them.

I have been thinking about this too. The thing is I want new bases and as long as you have unused ones (filled up to 6 units, according to capt flam) you don't receive new bases [&:] Again, I don't think I understood very well this part of the game.

ORIGINAL: TulliusDetritus

I have been thinking about this too. The thing is I want new bases and as long as you have unused ones (filled up to 6 units, according to capt flam) you don't receive new bases [&:] Again, I don't think I understood very well this part of the game.

A) Does the Axis auto-generate LW airbases at all?
B) Do the Axis Minors?
C) For the Soviets, is the auto-generation of a new air-base going to occur if you have air bases in Transcaucus M.D. or Moscow M.D. (for example) that are under-filled? I worry that if I don't put 6 on EVERYTHING, I'll end up with nothing being generated.

for the axis i don't think so
for the soviet MD not activated are not taken in the count
with the majority of SAD disbanding it will become eay to fill your airbases

ORIGINAL: TulliusDetritus
I have been thinking about this too. The thing is I want new bases and as long as you have unused ones (filled up to 6 units, according to capt flam) you don't receive new bases [&:] Again, I don't think I understood very well this part of the game.

But if you have unused ones, you don't need new ones? I think what I'll do from now on is keep the Baltic air HQ around until the Volkhov front shows up, transfer the Baltic air groups to the volkhov (or some other front), and then disband the Baltic. Same thing for the Black Sea air HQ, probably transfer the air bases to the Transcauses or Crimea Front, and then disband the HQ.

For better or for worse, I've been filling the air bases with 9 air groups of the same type (fighter, tactical bomber, level bomber, etc.); if they are not full I really don't need new airbases. The only bases in which I mix aircraft types are the VVS bases, which have a mix of recon, transport, and level bombers.

Yes I have 76mm. But I hate chaos. I don't want to fill a TBAP (long range bombers) base with fighters. I want everything to make sense. I am an organisation freak [:D]

WitP AE, much more complex on this one (literally EVERY single ship is represented on the game [8D]) taught me this: stay organized, avoid chaos. It is much more complicated on WitP and believe me, I can tell you what mine sweepers, sub chasers, destroyers or whatever are not assigned to any TF (and therefore ready to be sent elsewhere) in let's say the North Pacific [:D] I use excel files. I am not doing this yet with WitE.

The problem is that as far as I can tell you have no way of knowing what your new airbases will be, so you can either leave your IL2s in the NR or put them into a new DAB, IAD airbase, etc. Pretty easy call for me.

I have been using the Air Commitment level to administer my airbases. One reason is that this method does not use APs to swap things around while I find direct assigning the units does use them.

This method will keep you honest as to what air units go into what type of air base. Only fighters will be assigned to IAD bases, etc. The commitment level is re-adjusted each turn to the number of assigned air groups. If I have a commitment level of 6 but I then send one to the National Reserve because it only has 2 aircraft, I must use the MOVE button or the next turn my commitment level is 5. This method also means that some bases will not allow you to assign anything to them if the proper aircraft are not available. I have trouble having the Recon air groups assigned to anything other than the Baltic or Black Sea air commands and the VVS airbases are usually empty unless I plan it just right.

According to the manual, and my limited experience, when the total number of air groups are over six times the air bases, a new random air base will be supplied. This gets to be a real joke at times as I just received a DBAD air base on Turn 7 which I can fill but is not very useful as of yet.

Hopes this helps.

ORIGINAL: carlkay58

I have been using the Air Commitment level to administer my airbases. One reason is that this method does not use APs to swap things around while I find direct assigning the units does use them.

Assigning airgroups to/from the NR does not cost any AP.

And I don't understand why people sometimes only assign aircraft to the "proper" airbases. The type of air base you receive seems to be completely random, and if it is not what i need, I ignore its designation and fill it with what I want.

Interesting 76mm. One thing which may be of interest is that I've occasionally seen air units bombing during an attack but not actually get registered as being present in the battle report. Nothing major, but it confused me a little.

ORIGINAL: Zebedee
One thing which may be of interest is that I've occasionally seen air units bombing during an attack but not actually get registered as being present in the battle report. Nothing major, but it confused me a little.

Huh, have never noticed that, that's weird. Rogue GS attacks?

Also, I should mention that I have assumed, but have not checked, that fighters stationed in, for instance a DBAD base will perform figher roles normally. I thought this should be the case because some people might station fighters and bombers in the same base, but have not checked the fighters to make sure, but I had better do so.