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Complete newbie at this game and I've just had one of those moments when I can't tell if the games bugged or I'm being stoopid.

Scenario 1, Japanese Air Combat Group just off Gili Gili.

I had some success by assigning all the Zeros of both CV's to CAP.

Previous attempts involved 40+ Zeros in the air and the loss of 50+ Wilcats, Dauntless and Devastators (attacking the occupied hex) in one day.

So I try it again at a point when (due to bad weather) no-one on either CV has flown for a few days. One CV has minor damage (whatever that is - 26 Sys?), the other none.

40+ Zeros are available and assigned CAP duties.

The US arrive (4 seperate strikes over the day) and are opposed by not a single Zero (or anything else for that matter...)

Zero Zeros (groan). Nowhere to be seen. Just come on in and drop as many bombs as you like.

I apperciate that all 40 might not be actually in the air (as I say, I'm a newbie and there's a lot to learn - The previous fight had involved a CVL as well) but none...?

What did I miss?

The Long distance CAP order does mean what I think it does (doesn't it)?

It's not like for just protecting other TF's? (In which case, what order do you use to protect themselves?)

The Zero's in question did not appear anywhere else in the day either. They were completely AWOL.

To add insult to injury, the CVs got a helluva a lot of damage and I then received a message to say that my Zero's had to be diverted elsewhere!!?!!

Where'd they been?

I'm begining to think "long range CAP" means CAP elsewhere...

As I say, this may be obvious but please someone enlighten me[&o]

Cheers

If you want CAP over your taskforce just use the regular CAP, and whatever % you set it to will fly CAP over the taskforce. The other fighters will fly with the attacking planes. Long Range CAP is for covering other bases or other Taskforces. IF your planes fly cap from the carrier they will cover all taskforces in that hex.

Well if i well understood your situation...

The LRCAP must be used very very carefully.
Were there any others TF in the area? if so your Squadron's Leader may have been choose another target to pretect instead of the CVs TF. Other thing to check is the fatigue/morale situation.If too High/low there can be that none of the zeros fly that day.
Something else.The zero may have been cougth still on the deck....you can never say how cv battles will end.

My suggestion is to keep the Cap level at 60/70,so that some zeros will alway being covering your carriers but they won't get too much tired.The other 40/30 will fly as escort fighters.

LRCAP for carriers'squadrons can be used if you want to protect a different TF that is in the area(a very valuable one for example...an invasion fleet)..but do not use it to defend your own cvs...

BTW:it's not a bug

Thank you very much for your swift responses[&o]

Yes I had completely misunderstood what long range CAP was.

I think it worked the first time because there were other TF's in the same hex (so they were actually protecting those TFs trather than themselves, I assume).

In the situation I described, the Air Combat TF was alone in the hex.

I've just noticed the CAP % thingy (told you I was a newbie) and can now try and learn the game all over again...

Needless to say that I didn't save the game after the above debacle.

Thanks

If you try to use long range CAP from a shore base to cover carriers or other task forces it does not work as good as CAP from a task force in the same hex.