Matrix Games Forums

Hello to everybody,

I am new here not only for AE but also for WiTP so you can imagine how big is my task of learning!! I bought this game because I am a follower of the WWII history and also a very hard player of board games since 25 years ago. I am very confident with many of the board and computer wargames parameters and proceadures so things are sometimes familiar to me. I wanted to get involve with the Pacific scenario (since I am always been linked to the German side of the WWII) and I think this is one of the most detailed games I have seen.

My learnt curve has started trying to understand the basics of air units and TF movements so I have taken Coral see scen to understand all these and here it arises a few questions (and sorry if they are stupid or have been answered because I couldnt find them so far):

1.- Since the naval movement starts before the air attacks and movements, does this mean that if you select a sepecific target for your planes and this target becomes out of range of them after the movement of the CV, will they lose this target and concentrate on others within their range? It has happened to me with my Lexinton CV. I tried to attack Tugali on my second day and since the TF moved they didnt attack there but took the SOHO TF as the target (My recons got it during that morning) so I was lucky because maybe I would have lost the chance to attack that TF if my pilots raid against their previous target. This makes me think that if you have a TF in movement you maybe let your commanders to focus on the better TF spotted rather than give them specific targets.
2.- I know that recon goes in arc of 10 degrees clockwise but for example if you have 4 recon planes in one of your BB and you send them from 10 to 40 degrees arc, would they cover the first 0 to 40 degrees during morning (in slots of 10 degrees per plane) and then form 40 to 80 during afternoon? I think I have read this within the foum. If this is right, May you send them the same way but cover 10-40 degrees during morning and afternoon.

Thank you very much in advance for all your help.

Welcome a m s.
 
1) You can plan your CV ops when still out of range. That means if you select Tulagi as a target
when you CV is not yet in range, but your CV TF´s destination hex is, then you can hit the
base on the next turn. When the TF moves out of range of an assigned target during the movement phase
you wont do the assigned ground attack (but still do naval attacks if you chose it as primary).
You always should coordinate the attack orders with your plans to position the CV TF, assigning specific ground targets
only makes sense when you are in range after the movement phase naturally.
 
2) No, this only happens if you set the search arc to 0-80 degrees. Then youd get the result you are describing. If
you set the search arc to 0-40 degrees the planes will search the same area again in the PM phase.

1. This is correct. Cariers move before the 1st air phase and therefore if your carriers move out of range of the desired target they cannot attack it.

2. -If there a more planes available for search than the set search arcs, the game engine will start
over from the Start arc. Sometimes the afternoon arc will look narrower than the morning arc,
what is happening is that the remaining afternoon arcs are drawing right almost on top of the
morning arcs. - Addendum 2.2

1- You can give your planes the order for naval attack first, and then port/airfield attack as secondary. That way your planes will attack enemy ships in range, if there aren't any, it will bomb the other target.

2- A pretty complete write-up of search arcs can be found here http://hc-strategy.com/ae/wiki/index.php?title=Search_Arcs

Thank you very much for all you clear answers. I still fight in the Coral sea scen and I have realized how exposed my CV´s are to air strikes. Both Yorktown and Lexington are trying to reach a port after being hit by torpedos and bombs. The Yorktown is almost in Australia and the Lexington has flood damage of 60 but it has improved to 58 the last day. It only moves one hex a day so I am scare the Japanese will find him. And this arises a few more questions to me:

1.- Spotting TF´s: The JAP´s CV have been so close to me but I could not detect them. I send my Catalinas from Port Moresby having one Catalina per arc degree (10) during morning and the same arc during afternoon. They didn’t find the JAP´s TF that later on I saw it was launching an air strike against my CV´s. I gave the Catalinas a Naval search mission. Is this correct? Or should I have sent them with a recon mission (in this one it asks me for an hex)? Should I have sent them with less distance to cover? They have 20 hexes but I guess that with 10 hexes they would have been over the JAP´s TF. It is confusing to me because I have many planes searching the area that I am pretty sure the Japanese are but I don’t find them.

2.- When a CV is hit and the computer transfers my air squadrons to another CV or to an airfield some of these squadrons are broken down into pieces. Is there any procedure that justifies these broken downs? I mean, does the computer consider to transfer the fighters first or something like that and how the broke them down? And afterwards if you have for example two fighter squadrons, one with let say 15 planes and another one that has been transferred from another CV of for example 2 fighters, is it possible to merge them? I tried with the disband order but it didn’t work. I thought that as soon as the disband order would transfer the planes and pilots to the next air squadron it would have merge them but I think I am missing something.

3.- The DL and MDL: Is the DL the chance to hit a TF and the MDL the level of knowledge of the composition of that TF? Is there any screen place where I can check both levels in a specific TF, ground base or port?

I really appreciate very much all your help. The game rules are very well made but there are some gaps that arise after a few plays.

THANKS AGAIN

1- Naval search is correct. To increase the chances of finding the enemy, you can use more planes (some of the carrier planes on search is always a good plan). You could also reduce the range for the Catalinas, they have less chance of spotting anything the further out they go, at 20 hexes your chances of spotting anything are very low. Not sure if the long range reduces the chance of finding ships closer to the base though.

2- I don't know anything about priority, or how the location of the redirected planes is decided. To recombine the different groups of the same squadron, try getting them into the same base.

3- For the best explanation on DL and MDL, read the chapter on spotting in the manual. 

Thank you Smeulders. I apreciate very much your help.

Regarding merger of air squadrons, I have to say that I have themm with in the same CV but I guess you can not merge them in a CV. You have to send them to a base....so you may have many air squadrons at the same Cv with maybe just 1 or 2 planes on each of them which makes more disturbing to deal with orders...

And regarding the DL and the MDL, I have read that chapter many times but I still have the same doubts: Is the DL the chance to hit a TF and the MDL the level of knowledge of the composition of that TF? Is there any screen place where I can check both levels in a specific TF, ground base or port?

Thank you very much. I realize I have plenty of time to waste with this great game purchase!