Low CAP vs High SWEEPS test #1

[Lowpe]

Obvert, are you getting any kind of feel for the length of the air to air combat at different bands per the Gorn's suggestions earlier?

[obvert]

ORIGINAL: Yaab

I think Ki-84b Frank is at disadvantage against P-47 as it is equppied with two MGs and two cannons. Aren't cannons, with their slow rate of fire, only good against bombers? I would try a test with P-47 sweeping against the last Tojo which is armed with 4 MGs. Both aircraft arrive in 3/44.

I don't think it is. In my actual gameplay the Ki-84r was a godsend against Allied fighters in 44. Speed differential is much better with the Ki-84r than the Tojo, and the consistency of maneuver through bands. Although the arrival dates might be similar, the Tojo IIc comes much earlier for almost all Japanese players due to the R & D line.

As for the 20mm, they are necessary for Allied 4E bombers, but don't actually hurt against fighters, and especially one with such high durability as he P-47. I find the MG only fighters aren't so great against the P-38, P-47 and Corsair with their high durability ratings.

That said, the Tojo is up on the list for sure. I want to know how to bridge the gap between early war, mid-war and late war fighters against the Allied best sweepers myself. [:)]

[obvert]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

ORIGINAL: obvert

This i not a test for Japanese players though, and soon I'll be trying to put low CAP settings into effect with early war Allied defenders to see if the tactic works there too. Similar situation, the Buffalo vs the A6M2. [;)]

Excellent!

However, here you will find the pilot skill & experience delta really puts the Buffalo behind.

However, get some decent pilots in them and you will be very surprised with the results.

I'll test pilots with the Ki-84r first too! I'll put 50/70 pilots in to see how they do against the 70/70 Thuds.

Then I'll also try 80/70 guys for the P-47s against the low CAP. Already listed on the spreadsheet, just gotta get through the next few tests. [8D]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

ORIGINAL: obvert

Here I'm more interested in how to improve the P-38 sweeps in 43-44. [:D]

My best use for Lightning sweeps, albeit in 1945, was to perform LRCAP over the Thunderbolt/Mustang sweeps.

I also use them for LR CAP mostly in the late game, or LR escort. I'd like to see if there is a way to make them a part of successful offensive ops without bleeding pilots, VPs, etc.

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

Obvert, are you getting any kind of feel for the length of the air to air combat at different bands per the Gorn's suggestions earlier?

No. I'm not watching any replays right now. This is mainly seeing what is going on, then if there are more targeted tests on something I'll choose to watch some portion of replays.

At this point I can see which layer of CAP is getting hit harder, but there don't seem to be patterns there I've noticed yet. I'll look back through focusing on the low CAP to see if I can work it out and which planes (per Loka's suggestion, renaming "types" as band indicators) are in different segments of combat. That'll be on my second test of 9k, 7k, 5k to also test if this is enough of a set for consistent and useful info.

[Lokasenna]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

ORIGINAL: obvert

ORIGINAL: Lokasenna




There's only one real option here, so it's an easy answer:

Nicks in tandem with something else.

Here I'm more interested in how to improve the P-38 sweeps in 43-44. [:D]

My best use for Lightning sweeps, albeit in 1945, was to perform LRCAP over the Thunderbolt/Mustang sweeps.

I stick with the J, since it goes to 44K - higher than the Randy-a.

[obvert]

Another test. This one a low CAP with restricted max altitude for the Ki-84. The low CAP in this case again was effective, but it seems the loss of ability to climb past 10k did inhibit the Ki-84r grous somewhat, as they didn't score as high a kill to loss ratio here as with a stock version of the plane and all other factors the same.

Notice planes being scrambled to climb only to 10k.

So. I have two more tests tonight to do. Both using pilot EXP. [:)]

[Lokasenna]

You should change the CAP percentage from 50 [;)].

[obvert]

ORIGINAL: Lokasenna

You should change the CAP percentage from 50 [;)].

One thing at a time!! [;)]

[obvert]

Ok. Only able to finish one more tonight. This is with groups that have 80exp P-47 pilots. Actually as shown below, a good number are 90exp and a mix through into the 70s, averaging out around 80.

I wanted to see how much pilot exp mattered here, and it seems it does. Strangely though, the 82 exp group, the 51st/16th shown here, didn't fare as well as the 78exp group in losses.

I'd like to isolate this more later with exact same skills and just different experience. From the editor it seems hard to modify and copy an individual pilot skills, although you can change experience. Maybe I'm missing something?

Anyway, these groups did slightly better than the original 70exp groups in the earlier test of 9k, 7k, 5k.

[rustysi]

First, let me just say thanks Obvert for the effort, and it'll be interesting to see where this goes, but...

Hmmm, layered CAP seems to work best. Hmmm, US Navy figured this out and at whatever point in the war and consistently ran Hi-CAP, Med-CAP, Low-CAP. Hmmm, game mimics this. Hmmm, what a shock!!!![:D]

P.S. Sorry, I just couldn't help myself.[:'(]

[obvert]

ORIGINAL: rustysi

First, let me just say thanks Obvert for the effort, and it'll be interesting to see where this goes, but...

Hmmm, layered CAP seems to work best. Hmmm, US Navy figured this out and at whatever point in the war and consistently ran Hi-CAP, Med-CAP, Low-CAP. Hmmm, game mimics this. Hmmm, what a shock!!!![:D]

P.S. Sorry, I just couldn't help myself.[:'(]

It's taken a while to isolate what is actually most effective, and it's not quite a Hi-CAP, Med-CAP, Low-CAP as (I think) the USN would have run it. I would guess, although I don't know what the actual altitudes would be, that they were running something like 20k, 15k 10k? Or something similar.

I'm happy to try this, but the CV game is slightly different than flying and defending strato-sweeps with LBA. CV CAP is meant to combat strikes against ships, which in general come in at a smaller selection of altitudes. The really tough tests will come in trying to defend airfields against high sweeps, LR CAP and escorted bombing strikes all across the range of possible altitudes.

Anyway, the interesting part here may be that the game as we play it doesn't mimic strategies that were used in the era, and that certain tactics may provide very unhistorical results. I really want to get through this set so the tests are not about how to beat the P-47, but actually about tendencies of CAP using any airframe.

[rustysi]

that they were running something like 20k, 15k 10k?

Not 100% sure, but I think they were a bit lower.

I'm happy to try this, but the CV game is slightly different

I'm sorry, I didn't mean to imply that you do. I was just joking around in my post.

What I have learned while playing is that sometimes I didn't get an intercept on an incoming raid. The only thing I could see as the possible answer was that there was an extreme altitude delta between the raid and my CAP. So where I can I layered my CAP. In my current game (v the AI) I just bombed some naval units at a port. When I saw P40's in the combat reply I figured my unescorted bombers were toast. There was no attack. Now I know there may be other factors at play here, but the only one I'm privy to was an extreme altitude delta. I was at 5k, CAP was at 20k. The other factors that may be involved are 'under the hood', so to speak.

Anyway as I said before, thank you for the effort, and it should be an interesting ride.

Ciao

[Lowpe]

If the CAP has a range setting, then they could be covering some other attack, not just the altitude delta.

Which btw is a great trick for dispersing heavy CAP.

[obvert]

Here is a look at loss results for the tests so far. Maybe easier to see.

[Lowpe]

Very nice, thanks for all your efforts on this, and I hope you keep on plugging away.[&o]

[Ambassador]

It seems a low CAP is better against enemy high sweeps, but would such a low CAP intercept massive high-altitude bomber raids ?

[obvert]

ORIGINAL: Ambassador

It seems a low CAP is better against enemy high sweeps, but would such a low CAP intercept massive high-altitude bomber raids ?

Not clear, but I'm not testing anything to do with bombing strikes, yet. I'd love to get to that point but have a lot of simple and complex tests with sweeps I'd like to try first.

Setting CAP is a tough choice (harder than I'd thought apparently), and much more complex with sweeps, LR CAP and bombing strikes to be considered.

[Yaab]

Obvert, did you tweak the Frank for this test? In my DDB-C game , its service rating is 3. While the test itself is great, it doesn't tell you how it would play out in a multi-day CAP vs SWEEP battle, with Franks falling steadily into disrepair.

[Yaab]

BTW, a test between P-47N and Ki-100 (both arrive in 3/1945) would be nice. Both have service rating 1.

[obvert]

ORIGINAL: Yaab

Obvert, did you tweak the Frank for this test? In my DDB-C game , its service rating is 3. While the test itself is great, it doesn't tell you how it would play out in a multi-day CAP vs SWEEP battle, with Franks falling steadily into disrepair.

I only test with a fresh unit, resetting the turn each run. In an actual game, yes, over time the results will be different as fresh groups sweep, bombers hit the base and the disabled planes sit on the ground.

At some point it would be great to do some more real scenario tests, but players choose many different methods of wearing down an opponent, and that is the strategy and creativity in the game. I just want to give more tools and knowledge to play with, really, for myself and others.

ORIGINAL: Yaab

BTW, a test between P-47N and Ki-100 (both arrive in 3/1945) would be nice. Both have service rating 1.

In these tests I'm most interested in situations, so far. These are best tested with static factors, just changing one at a time to see what has an effect. I'd love to do more, but I have a bit of a plan in terms of things I'm hoping to learn more about, and specific airframes are a ways down the list.

Next up is early game situations.

[obvert]

Ok. So I had to take some time to train pilots in my test scenario. Apparently I can't create pilots with specific stats, only choose their experience. Training took a while and these guys are not the ideal 50/70/70 I'd usually go for and waned to test, but they are close. about 52/65/62.

The next test is these beginner pilots vs the 70exp P-47 pilots. After testing the 80exp guys I wanted to see what changing the defensive pilots would do to the best previously tested setup, the 9k, 7k, 5k low CAP.

The higher EXP vs lower EXP makes a huge difference, and the P-47s do much better.