Setting Minimum Requirements for AD's

[MemoryLeak]

Sorry, but I've searched on this and thought I found the answer but I can't be sure.

I would like to make effective for all Air Directives' that morale level for all Air Groups from 0-50 must rest and Fatigue level
from 20-100 must rest.

I found one post that said you can set this in the Commanders Report. Which I tried to do but it
appeared to only be set for one air group that fit into one of the parameters. That group's morale was 48 so a
RS indicated it was at rest.

Is this a global setting or did it only affect one group? And if only one group, is there someplace where global
settings can be made? I really would hope that a player doesn't have to go thru all air groups every turn and
place them at rest if they fell into the above categories.

Thanks in advance.

[Joel Billings]

If you set the filters as you stated, then any air units that currently meet both of the requirements will be listed. At that point you can make the global change to rest and all units listed will change to rest. If you only had one unit listed, then you only have 1 that meets both requirements. If you want units that meet either criteria, start with one, set those units to rest, then reset and set the other criteria and then set to rest. That way units that meet only one of the criteria will be on rest.

[MemoryLeak]

Okay, I think I get it. The air groups will not automatically be placed at rest, even if they fall within
the parameters I created. I have to remember to add that task to a check-off list each turn.

I haven't tried playing yet. Still working on watching all the video's I can find and studying the Hand Book
which I printed.


Is there a place that lists all of the planes, the mission they are best suited for (Day fighter or night fighter), range, most efficient
altitude, that sort of thing?

I imagine I will never understand much of this game. Supply will be impossible to comprehend. and there are so
many boxes with info in them with hyphens, in parentheses and not in parenthesis, etc. that I can't find an
explanation for that makes any sense. I'm watch one of the videos you recommended and after a ground attack
the narrator hovered the cursor over a Herman Goering unit and there is so much unexplained numerical data that
I'm sure is important but is like a foreign language.

[Devonport]

Re the planes.

In the Commander's Report you can sort the aircraft by type. This will tell you which planes are night fighters, which are Level Bombers, which naval patrol aircraft etc.

To identify range, altitude etc, I think you need to look at individual aircraft statistics.

I have learnt a lot about WW2 aircraft by having all set to manual upgrade and then, when they need replacing use the 'compare aircraft' tab to look at the different characteristics. To give a practical example, I like Bomber Command to fly at night at 21000 ft. Stirling bombers won't reach that height so I replace them with Lancaster or Halifax bombers.

Suggest you do try playing one of the smaller scenarios as a way of finding out what works. Air combat is great because it allows you to automate as much, or as little, as you like. I started by automating most of it and now leave only the load outs to the computer, but every now and then set them manually.

[MemoryLeak]

Thank you for the information, I appreciate it. I write all of this down and refer back to it.

I will fire up Husky and try it in a while.

Thanks again.

[hazxan]

ORIGINAL: MemoryLeak

there are so many boxes with info in them with hyphens, in parentheses and not in parenthesis, etc. that I can't find an explanation for that makes any sense.

I agree with you on this! I do enjoy the game, though, even though I have no idea what I'm doing with the air force and logistics most of the time. It seems strange that the developers have done such a good job with the hard stuff but skipped much easier stuff. Such as tool tips to explain all the heiroglyphs. Or simply write the full column heading instead of an abbreviation. It feels like the air battle was bolted awkwardly on to the ground combat and the interface is not really there to support it.

To MemoryLeak, if there's a "secret" to WitW, it's that the AI (on normal, at least) is quite possible to beat while knowing just the basics. You don't need to know the details on all the aircraft to do well. especially as Allies vs AI. Multiplayer would be whole different story though.

[MemoryLeak]

Hi NotaGrog,

Yes, tool tips for all of the data abbreviations would be greatly appreciated. I did find in the manual where a lot of it is explained (Section 33 or 34 I think)
But I can't access it during a game and I am not going to write all of that down. I'm 68 and I'd be dead by
the time I could outline all of that.

I bought War in the Pacific when it first came out years ago and a smaller game based on it but I
don't recall it's name. I enjoyed it but it was REALLY tedious. Took as long as the actual WWII to play it.

At least a lot if this is automated.

Anyone want to buy this? I just tried Husky after three days of reading the manual and watching
videos and I can't even get a GD ground unit to move. This isn't for me.

[IslandInland]

ORIGINAL: MemoryLeak

I did find in the manual where a lot of it is explained (Section 33 or 34 I think)
But I can't access it during a game and I am not going to write all of that down. I'm 68 and I'd be dead by
the time I could outline all of that.

I just tried Husky after three days of reading the manual and watching
videos and I can't even get a GD ground unit to move. This isn't for me.

If you load the game, click Preferences in the main menu, and then choose the windowed option in the Screen Mode setting you will be able to have the manual open on your Windows task bar while you are playing the game.

[IslandInland]

To move a ground unit left click it. Some of the hexes will darken. The ones that aren't dark are where you can move the unit to. To move the unit simply move your mouse to the desired hex and then right click.

Here I have the British 78th Infantry Division selected and ready to move. By right clicking I would move the unit to Kelibia.

[Der Kuenstler]

Although I'm like a lot of you and don't know what the heck is going on, there is a certain amount of fun in digging into the game, like unraveling some dark mystery. And all the super detailed equipment makes for an interesting learning experience.

[loki100]

ORIGINAL: Devonport

...

Suggest you do try playing one of the smaller scenarios as a way of finding out what works. Air combat is great because it allows you to automate as much, or as little, as you like. I started by automating most of it and now leave only the load outs to the computer, but every now and then set them manually.

one instance where it really is worth manually altering the load outs is the various forms of Ground attack/ground support done by FB and Tac bombers. Esp for the allies, most of these offer either a rocket load out or a bomb one.

Use the bombs for offensive GS (ie when you think you'll be drawing this down in support of your attacks) and GA-unit bombing. The idea is that bombs are more effective against dug in/static targets. Rockets are better for GS in defense (ie you expect to be attacked) and GA-interdiction ... especially interdiction. In effect you are hunting moving targets and remember the interdiction mission also targets resupply etc.

Basically, if the enemy is less likely to be moving, use bombs, if they move use rockets. Its not a clear cut decision as for example a retreat is movement. Its here that the interdiction mission is best, you do some damage pre-combat, reduce supply flows and if they retreat, get to attack them again.

[MemoryLeak]

I am trying it again today. I spent the morning reading the living manual(obviously not the whole thing) and
the Handbook again.

I launched Husky again and I can't get my head around anything thing to do with the Air war.

One screen says
Percent to fly 20
Mission AC PCT 100
Escort AC PCT 100

How can you have a setting of 20 percent of the Aircraft flying a mission and 100 percent of the Aircraft
flying a mission? Doesn't make any sense at all.

And when I enter the RECON TAB at the top of the screen and it lists (I think) 5 air bases in a column on the right
side of the screen. Three of them have some characters in red like and and . What is that?

ANd if I click on Tactical Air Force it lists GND ATTACK, GND Support, Superiority and Recon. and under that and asterisk
with the word RECON. I click on RECON and nothing happens.

Above all of this is AD assigned 4(4)/ MAX 10(7). Jeeze, there are numbers everywhere and I assume they mean something that
I should be aware of but how do I know what the mean?

And there is a box that is checked in front of the four listing , IE GND Support. I unchecked the box and
it moved. so what ?

I think it is impossible unless I devoted the rest of my life to this game. But I just don't get the basic concepts.

Are the list of air bases on the right actual air bases or represent a group of bases?

[RedLancer]

As a new player to the game my advice is to use Auto AD Creation until you are comfortable with the Ground War. We know it's complex which is why it's best to start superficially and draw in more detail as you get comfortable. You are obviously looking at the Air Doctrine screen - these are settings to change when you are super proficient. To put this in context it's not something I do and I'm in the Dev Team.

[loki100]

ORIGINAL: MemoryLeak

I am trying it again today. I spent the morning reading the living manual(obviously not the whole thing) and
the Handbook again.

I launched Husky again and I can't get my head around anything thing to do with the Air war.

One screen says
Percent to fly 20
Mission AC PCT 100
Escort AC PCT 100

How can you have a setting of 20 percent of the Aircraft flying a mission and 100 percent of the Aircraft
flying a mission? Doesn't make any sense at all.

...

Red Lancer's advice to slowly take off automation re air commands is sound. It really helps as the AI routine is perfectly ok, you can then start to refine it, eg the zone covered or the number of days.

As to the %s they refer to different things.

First no is the % of undamaged aircraft in a formation needed for it to be considered combat ready. The default is 20-25% (ie the squadron will be committed if it has say 4/20 of its planes undamaged). Now this is dynamic as over the turn planes repair and become damaged. So a higher value than 20% can actually protect your planes from getting a real beating as the squadron will be grounded. So if you pick an air superiority mission, strat bombing or ground attack mission and misjudge (maybe more flak than you expected or better enemy fighter cover) a ratio higher than 20% might protect you later in the weekly turn.

Second number is how many planes the AI sends (drawing from all the allocated formations that meet the % undamaged rule). It doesn't send everything on every mission, you may be hitting multiple targets in a day and perhaps generate more than one mission/plane (esp if your bases are close to the target). So the AI pulls in say 50 planes (100%), if it doesn't have 50 it doesn't fly. As above this is a safety valve. If you set this % to say 50, well you get more but smaller missions. If to 200% fewer but bigger. The latter can pay off, say as the Germans if you are outnumbered overall it can ensure you send in enough to win when you do fly.

Third number is similar but its not the mission planes but the escorts.

For what is worth, leave these on 20/100/100 till you are sure you are getting the type of air action you want. The variations can be incredibly useful or can lead to you getting no missions (not enough planes to meet your new rules) or a real beating - carrying on flying when badly outmatched.

ORIGINAL: MemoryLeak

...

And there is a box that is checked in front of the four listing , IE GND Support. I unchecked the box and
it moved. so what ?

..

means you have temporarily removed the mission from the active list - which is why it dropped down the screen. Sometimes this helps more than outright cancellation as it retains the basic AD rules (targets, allocations etc) but simply suspends it for a turn or two - helps when your airforce has been pushed too hard and you want it to recover

[MemoryLeak]

Thanks for the advice. It seems really awkward and over-complicated, but I suppose that is why
some of you like. I have spent several hours and I still can't maneuver around all of the AD screens. And everything I
do seems to cancel out my previous entries. And just trying to close a screen takes an act of congress.

Too much to remember. This is one I'm going to uninstall. But thanks anyway for your advice and time.

[HMSWarspite]

Don't give up. Running the air war on full auto will still give you a good game especially against the AI. Running it on default for everything except the target hex, the size of area (hex radius) that it targets, and the target types (airfield, rail, unit etc) will keep you going for a long time. I only change anything other than those fairly rarely even now.

If you want to learn the air system, play with the first (air movement) segment of Husky... to start with, set mission priorities on the AD screen, and play the turn... see what happened, look to see which missions worked. Then reload and replay; try changing something in one mission, and see what it does. An hour of that and you will learn plenty.

[HMSWarspite]

Actually, another scenario we speculated was good for learning the air war is the DDay invasion. Once you have learned the basics, play the air turn on that and det challenges... 3 deep layer of 9 interdiction hexes from the West of the Cherbourg peninsular to Dieppe for example (perfectly doable). All rail yards north of the Seine to red (recon them first!)

[MemoryLeak]

I uninstalled the damn thing last night but first thing this morning I installed it again.

I have been working with Husky for the last 8 hours. I am beginning to figure out the mechanics of the Air War.
I can pretty much do most anything I want, but I don't know WHY I can do it.

There are so many unexplained numbers on every screen and popup. I have no idea how or why the various aircraft are available
for a mission. I can create the missions but I don't know if they are good or bad or exceed the number of
missions I can create. -3/43 (72) 55% 256 . Etcetera. So I am simply a monkey clicking on things that will
magically change.

So the game is very comprehensive, but there is no way it is more than a simple, not so pretty, OOB:Pacific to me.
Because there is no discernable relationship between the various aspects of the game.

For example, I try to unload a unit at a port in Sicily. Fine. I unload two but for the third unit it says
I have exceeded the port capacity. Okay. But I would like to know that ahead of time so I can make a plan
and go to a different port.

I know you are going to say that it tells me somewhere in amongst a dozen numbers but Jesus, come on. And I
transferred planes to an airfield in Sicily. But I really didn't know if I committed a Cardinal Sin by doing that
and starved to death all of my troops at that air field because they were soon-to-be short of Spam.

I'll bet that not one out of a thousand students at MIT can figure out how to use the supply system in this game. ANd
make an effective attack plan.

Pools and replacements and reinforcements are a complete mystery to me. I can't figure out any tangible relationship
on how to get more men to replace the dead ones. Filling casualties shoes, that's all I should have to be
concerned with. And new aircraft and types and how and when and where what size propeller is best.

I like the concept of the game but I would like to see 90% of it automated and done by the computer for
the reasons I stated above.

I know this sounds like whining, because it is. But it is because so much prior knowledge is assumed to make
it work for a player.

I am simply pointing out the obvious ,so I need to stop complaining. No one is making me use this product.

[Joel Billings]

Congrats for reinstalling and trying again. I realize the game can seem daunting. Best advice is at first to automate everything you can. Set air units to automatically upgrade, and use the AI assist to manage the air game. This game is definitely a case of its the journey not the destination. As one that truly enjoys playing OB Pacific and WitW, I can agree they are different worlds.

As far as port capacity, when in sea movement mode, the number in the port symbol is the amount of port capacity (in 000s of tons), and compare that against the transport cost of the unit in the unit detail screen (the left number is the rail/sea cost in tons, the right number is the air cost as some items can't be airlifted). When you load a unit at a port and move it to sea, you will see the number in the port drop. So if a unit that has a 4100 transport cost moves from a port with 50,000 capacity, you will see the number drop from 50 to 45 (rounds down), so you still have 45900 capacity at that port. Armored units are transport cost hogs, so be careful with them. Good luck, and keep asking questions when you have them.

[MemoryLeak]

Hi Joel, Thanks for the reply. I took a break and I'm firing it up again. I take lots of notes from
the regular manual, the living manual and the handbook.

By the way, I see you are in Santa Rosa. I went to the JC there when I got out of the Navy in 1973. A lot
of difference in the traffic between then and now.


How does a mission planner know if fighters need drop tanks for a mission? Is there a quick easy way to tell the
distance to a target and compare it to the range with and without tanks?

And there seems to be a lot of lazy Engineers sitting around doing nothing while the railways are at 100% damage.