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I may be late to the party with this, but I'm seeing some odd CV usage by the AI. They are sending out CVs with moderate damage and with depeleted air groups. This has cost them a few CVs against me. I thought perhaps I had gotten lucky, but I loaded up as the Jap player and saw Hiryu with 2 Zeroes and moderate Sys-, low Flt and Eng damage running around near Lunga(where I have plenty of LBA).

Anyone else seeing this?

Yep saw it alot--helped me to sink all but one of th jap ai cvs by late 42. Cant figure out if they are disbanding groups or transferring them to land bases.

Ok, not just me then. I've downed what looks to be 5-7 CVs and 3 CVLs by Oct 1942. At least half were due to the CV groups having low-none aircraft onboard.  

I have a different experience, yamamoto its being very careful in my game (with his carriers.. his transports fleet is a submarine one by now...). At 17 feb 1942 IJN carrier forces had only twice show his flag (three if you include PH initial attack), early january they raided soerabaja and dissapeared north of new guinea,  at 2 feb they appeared suporting a landing in Baker (first jap supported landing!) and made three consecutive raids on Canton, dissapearing again. This second time a CL raider force broke through my lines and is causing havok among my Tankers 

When you notice things like this, why not include which scenario and what settings you use for the AI?Might be something peculiar to one scenario and not the whole game?

Scen 1.

KB AI has just spent a month cruising off the coast of Sri Lanka, even though suffering low-medium level losses they swept back & forward, I wish my CV could stay at sea so long.

At the same time AI sent Soryu & maybe another (Junyo??) between Efate & Noumea (both Allied) to be sunk by my only 2 operational CV with a bit of LBA.

On about June 6 42 a similar 2 CV TF hit Midway, only to be smashed to a rusting fish reef by the 2 Sqns of Vindicators.

I dont think AI is smarter, only a little more aggresive which works in the early months but soon wears out.

I've seen this, too.  And, it seems that the CVs get broken down into smaller TFs, so that there's only one or two together.  The AI wants toi have CVs everywhere, it seems.
 
It does make them easy pickings, if I could keep my CVs loaded with planes, which I can't.
 

ORIGINAL: m10bob

When you notice things like this, why not include which scenario and what settings you use for the AI?Might be something peculiar to one scenario and not the whole game?

Exactly[:-]

Sorry, Main Campaign (1) on Normal/Historical difficulty. Default settings all around (Dec 7 Surprise, etc.).

Is this being addressed in the patch? If so, I think I'm going to restart.

It's not just carriers, playing against the AI allied, the AI tried to sail very badly damaged ships from Pearl harbor to the west coast and several of them sunk on the way.

ORIGINAL: bjmorgan

I've seen this, too. And, it seems that the CVs get broken down into smaller TFs, so that there's only one or two together. The AI wants toi have CVs everywhere, it seems.

It does make them easy pickings, if I could keep my CVs loaded with planes, which I can't.

I like this, I didn't like the fact the in WITP, the AI couldn't operate more then one carrier group and always kept all of the carriers together. I just wish it would use CV's and CVL's more to cover transports to forward bases.

Yeah, TF composition seems ok (some major operations are not covered/escorted), but the CV TFs without operational air groups needs to be fixed. I can barely keep my CAGs at 75% strength, which I think is adequate for moderate action. The Jap AI is sending out CV TFs with their CAGS at around 1-5%. CAP of 3-5 Zeroes over a 3 CV TF with no striking force. Just slaughter to no purpose.  

Lessee now...Jap carriers being sent out with little or no planes..That sounds familiar, kinda like what happened in 1944?


I also like the idea the AI is not keeping all its' cv's in one "deathstar" like it used to do.

ORIGINAL: m10bob

Lessee now...Jap carriers being sent out with little or no planes..That sounds familiar, kinda like what happened in 1944?

Exactly--1944, not 1942.

ORIGINAL: m10bob

Lessee now...Jap carriers being sent out with little or no planes..That sounds familiar, kinda like what happened in 1944?


I also like the idea the AI is not keeping all its' cv's in one "deathstar" like it used to do.

yeah, but now its sits them off places like Sri Lanka for weeks on end, witi no obvious purpose after an initial 'port' attack, only to have them sunk when my CV's finally arrive.
Ive had another japanese CV group sit off the Australian east coast for a week but at least it ran up and down the coast causing havoc rather than just sit off sydney waiting to be sunk. The AI seems a little hit and miss in its use of CV groups at times.

ORIGINAL: bjmorgan

I've seen this, too.  And, it seems that the CVs get broken down into smaller TFs, so that there's only one or two together.  The AI wants toi have CVs everywhere, it seems.

It does make them easy pickings, if I could keep my CVs loaded with planes, which I can't.

I noticed this in my game against the IJ AI (very hard AI setting for the grand campaign). A A/C TF consisting of Zuikaku and Soryu have been making the rounds around The Celebes with 2 mini-KBs pounding Ambon, Macasar and the other DEI base on the Southern end of the Celebes. I got tired of it and brought 3 allied carriers in via Darwin to punish.

The IJN air groups had been attritted by bombing airfields and the like, resistance was certainly less than a full air complement. Result: Soryu sunk by allied carrier air in late January '42, Zuikaku damaged and leaving the area.

Lexington probably won't make port, but I consider that a reasonable trade at this stage of the game-anything to blunt the tidal tsunami of IJN activities and leave me more time to build up fortress Java is a good thing.

ORIGINAL: bjmorgan

I've seen this, too.  And, it seems that the CVs get broken down into smaller TFs, so that there's only one or two together.  The AI wants toi have CVs everywhere, it seems ...

Historically, the IJN tried that too; it didn't work well in the long run, esp. in the Coral Sea.