Matrix Games Forums

Happy new year helpful forum members!

Having fixed the invisible combat form problem in my first game, I started again (Barbarossa). All went well but I have some questions...

Firstly about the the Ground support: Def fly to target sub-phase.

Assumed this would be a phase to send TAC/STR units to support the troops under attack. When I select a bomber that is available and point it over the targeted hex it says 'There are no bombers to escort, or the fighters need to fly as fighter bombers'. Get the same if I choose a fighter.

Carried on and when playing the Russia turn I get the same thing. In the axis sub-phase I get the same message on all the targeted hexes, except for one where there is a russian plane involved. Ground support isn't ground support but air interception? Can someone explain?

The other thing is the 'return to base' subphase. You send the planes out, they do their mission and you have to return them to their base. Nothing wrong with the logic, but I can never remember where they flew off from. Is there a way to get them to rebase by themselves? Can I disable the 'return to base' phase? If I can, will it just happen automatically or will I lose my planes.

First, the message you get should be due to trying to send fighters to bomb, which is not possible except if they are fighter bombers, that's why it say you cannot bomb with that one, unless one of them is a FTR-TAC and you select it to go as a TAC (with the restrictions appliable). Unless there is a bug, you must have been selecting only fighters or fighter bombers not selected as bombers. The message could have been more clear saying instead "There are no bombers for being escorted..." , more clear, although it wouldn't sound half as well. It would be telling you that you cannot send that fighter to the ground support phase unless it escorts a bomber, and you had sent none by then.

When you ground support, you may send escorts. Those escorts when they find an enemy bombers + escorts, engage them, same happens if the enemy sent bombers only, in this case, you can see them more clearly as interceptors.

The fact is that if both sides have FTRs, there is a fighters fight trying to open way for their bombers AND/OR get in the way of the enemy ones, while grounding as many FTR as they can in the process.

That's why you can implement the dogfighting results in a in different ways, for example if you get an AX, the side attacking in that action may select to apply it to enemy bombers or their escort, however it sees more convenient.

Also, although a DC and AC allow you to pass one bomber, with some optionals you could also select a favourably modified attack on their FTRs or even bombers instead. Don't think this is in MWIF yet.

The Return to base is much more simple than you think, they can land anywhere you want (not mountain or marsh except in some cases) within the range of the planes. If they flew in extended range, they can use the extended range to come back as well. So it's up to your will.

The other thing is the 'return to base' subphase. You send the planes out, they do their mission and you have to return them to their base. Nothing wrong with the logic, but I can never remember where they flew off from. Is there a way to get them to rebase by themselves? Can I disable the 'return to base' phase? If I can, will it just happen automatically or will I lose my planes.

No. You can not get them to rebase by themselves.

Edit: If you do not land them then you can not advance the game.

ORIGINAL: Orm



No. You can not get them to rebase by themselves.

And you don't want the machine to do it. It is an operational serious decision, and even more in Barbarossa. The USSR planes often get walked upon in the retreat, and the GE planes instead use to rebase as close to the front as possible, always in strong hexes.

The other thing is the 'return to base' subphase. You send the planes out, they do their mission and you have to return them to their base. Nothing wrong with the logic, but I can never remember where they flew off from. Is there a way to get them to rebase by themselves? Can I disable the 'return to base' phase? If I can, will it just happen automatically or will I lose my planes.
You can land the planes in any hex within their range from the target hex that they can stack in. As mentioned above. However, if you want the plane to land in the hex it flew from you can right click on the plane and select from whence it flew, or something like that, and then it will be landed in the hex it flew from.

If there is a need for a detailed instruction on this just ask and I am sure someone will help out.

Yes. i read the 'from whence it came' option in the tutorials but can't find that option in my game. v annoying.

ORIGINAL: wobbleguts


Firstly about the the Ground support: Def fly to target sub-phase.

Assumed this would be a phase to send TAC/STR units to support the troops under attack. When I select a bomber that is available and point it over the targeted hex it says 'There are no bombers to escort, or the fighters need to fly as fighter bombers'. Get the same if I choose a fighter.

This is indeed where you send bombers to support your attacked units. However, the support step is divided into several steps. This is the step where the defender send their bombers and escorting fighters, or send up their fighters to intercept enemy missions. The difference between escorting fighters and intercepting fighters is the range that they may fly to the target.

All fighters that have any tactical factor at all may fly as a bomber. However, this must be done prior to it flying to the target. This is done by right clicking on the fighter and selecting "fly as bpmber".

ORIGINAL: wobbleguts

Yes. i read the 'from whence it came' option in the tutorials but can't find that option in my game. v annoying.

Not surprising. It is not easy to find unless you know where to look. See picture below to find it.

You right click on the plane. Select "air units" and then "whence"...

Here, see picture, I am taking a fighter-bomber to try and fly a ground support mission and get the same 'error' message that you got.

1) This error is because the fighter-bomber is flying as a fighter. If there was an enemy plane in the hex then the mission would have been allowed as an intercept mission.
2) If, before you pick up the plane, you had right clicked on the fighter and select 'fly as a bomber' then the mission would have been allowed. Note that when you do this the range and air to air value on the fighter is changed.

Sorry, I am still a bit lost.

I had an available TAC bomber 1 hex away from the the enemy's target hex. Tried to allocate it but got the There are no bombers to escort, or the fighters need to fly as fighter message.

Only get an attack option if there are enemy air units involved. To me it doesn't make sense.

ORIGINAL: wobbleguts

Sorry, I am still a bit lost.

I had an available TAC bomber 1 hex away from the the enemy's target hex. Tried to allocate it but got the There are no bombers to escort, or the fighters need to fly as fighter message.

Only get an attack option if there are enemy air units involved. To me it doesn't make sense.

Can you take a screenshot and post it here?

ORIGINAL: wobbleguts

Sorry, I am still a bit lost.

I had an available TAC bomber 1 hex away from the the enemy's target hex. Tried to allocate it but got the There are no bombers to escort, or the fighters need to fly as fighter message.

Only get an attack option if there are enemy air units involved. To me it doesn't make sense.

I suspect you are confusing a TAC bomber with a Fighter-Bomber. If it has a level silhouette as though viewed from the side as opposed to a top down silhouette - it is primarily a FTR and you must tell it to be a bomber so in this case I suspect the second part of the error message is key.

If not, then as Orm suggested, we'll need a screen shot.

No, the problem is simple: When you pick a fighter, it is a fighter. If it has a bombing strength and you want to use it as a bomber, left click on it, pick "Air units", and then pick "Fly as bomber". Easy if you know how, impossible to figure out if you don't.

This is also how you tell something to fly at night, if you are using that option.

Good to know where the 'return from whence' option is. Not being able to return air units to the actual hex they came from didn't affect the game play but I found it annoying.

The Ground support: Def fly to target sub-phase is still a little hazy for me, because I'm sure I selected an available TAC bomber first and got the There are no bombers to escort, or the fighters need to fly as fighter message. Maybe I am mistaken. If so, the following makes sense..

1) This error is because the fighter-bomber is flying as a fighter. If there was an enemy plane in the hex then the mission would have been allowed as an intercept mission.
2) If, before you pick up the plane, you had right clicked on the fighter and select 'fly as a bomber' then the mission would have been allowed. Note that when you do this the range and air to air value on the fighter is changed.

I will continue the game and see what happens next time.

Thanks!

my guess is that you picked up a fighter.

I never place a airplane back where it came. return to base are free rebases.

so think about, where you need that plane in the future. you need your short range fighters, near the future front.

i do not play with oil, hate that rule. so I often do a ground support (late turn) with my entire airforce. then I can place then where I need them the next turn

This is a good point. Return from whence is seldom the best choice, except carrier planes. And maybe if you are conducting a strategic bombing offensive and have some HQs in place near all your airfields so you can re-organize your bombers.