Matrix Games Forums

I have just leapt into PBEM, and I find it really fantastic.[:D]

However. one of my opponents in the fourth turn of the game, has stacked at least 8 squadrons on Port Moresby, when I know it's created capacity can't be more then 5, even with every US engineer in the theatre working on it. How is this possible? Am I missing something? A game mechanic?

You can put as many aircraft as you want at a base. How many it can fly at any one time depends on the size of the
airbase and the number of air support available. A size 5 airfield can support 249 aircraft with out penality for size.

But my opponent is flying at last count 8 squadrons from there? And it's not even May 5th.

Colfrost, UV is not Pacific War, where you could only have five airgroups on a size five airbase. In UV there is no limit on the number of squadrons you can stack on a base. If you wish so, you could concentrate all your planes in the entire theater at one and the same base. But your squadrons are penalized when you squeeze too many planes on the same base. So, it is not the number of squadrons, it's the total nubmer of aircraft that counts. A size 5 airbase can support 249 planes without penalty, but if you exceed this number, then the number of sorties is reduced by 25%. That means that all squadrons can still fly, but only with 75% of the planes available. Is it clear now?

Yes, it is clear now. Thank you for your help.

I never did play PacWar, I was just going by the capacity, and aviation support. He must have moved in more aviation support assets when I wasn't looking.

he probably flew them in with Dakodas

Basic rules for number of planes etc. at base include: 50 planes of all types without penalty per air base point (size 9=450 aircraft); size 2 field required for most strike missions; size 4 field required for 2 and 4E bombers; AV support points are not required to actually fly aircraft, only to repair them. You can fly with less than the desired support initially but your planes will repair more slowly, stay damaged or go into reserve depending on how large the deficit is. If you have 10 AV points you'll soon have half strength squadrons if you have a 60-100 aircraft present. On the other hand I often fly in a PBY worth of base force units to a remote island and then station a PBY squadron there for recon. Five or 6 AV points will keep the 12 PBYs happy and the troops provide less of a target than a float plane tender. Low supply also reduces the rate of repair and the number of aircraft that fly.