Matrix Games Forums

I was playing a UV game but got annoyed and left it alone for several weeks before I decided to load up and try again. My reason for annoyance is in my first question: can anyone help out here please?

1. Jap (cpu controlled) carrier tf shows up well within range of my LBA's at PM. For four days it cruised off the coast of New Guinea sinking my transport convoys but not a single LBA would launch vs the jap tf!!!!!!!
They would launch against AP tfs though much further away!!! (This is why I lost my rag and switched off last time I played).

So the question: How to get my LBA's to launch vs the carriers?

I read somewhere that it may help to have a carrier sqdn based with your LBA sqdns. I have a sqdn of Navy Wildcats at PM and still no launch. My pilots are experienced, high morale and low fatigue plenty of support but still no dice.

This is a problem the cpu does not suffer from with 147 jap LBA launching from Lunga to sink 2 of my carriers just a few turns later (and this was in a thunderstorm too)....


AAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! help please.


2. At what level of damage is an airfield closed down? I read somewhere its over 50 but the japs are still launching full scale bombing runs out of airfilds with damage well over 70!

3. I know port supply hits reduce supplies at the base by 10%. Is the same true of an airfield supply hit? ( same for fuel with fuel supply hits?)

First, as to LBA vs. carriers. When LBA is set to naval atack, the AI will assign a target to the LBA based on the expected level of defense the target will offer. Quite simply LBA would almost always attack an AP TF as opposed to a CV TF, even if the AP TF is further away.

As to types of planes in the LBA, both the Army and Navy version of the Dauntless will attack carriers with no hesitation. Same for the torpedo bombers. Both those types of aircraft (DBs and TBs) are good versus naval targets and can be lethal to carriers IF you give them enough escort to get through the fighter cover.

Army Air Corps planes (fighter bombers and level bombers) will generally shy away from well-defended naval targets. Fighter bombers have a MUCH better chance against naval targets as opposed to level bombers.

The Japanese LBA was (IIRC) well designed to attack naval targets, so they will not hesitate in going after your carriers. Bettys are literal ship killers.

An airfield is closed at a damage of 50. If you see a 70 damage reported but planes are still flying, then your intelligence troops are pumping sunshine up your a**. Most damage estimates are inflated (I'm assuming you're playing with FoW on).

Airfield damage affects runways and "service". "Service" damage limits the amount of morale your pilots can recover from turn to turn. I'm sure any base damage (airfield or ports) will reduce supply levels. Fuel hits will reduce fuel evels available, but not supply levels.

Hope that helps.

In reference to carrier sqaudrons based at your airfield,
if you have say 2 SBD sqdrn's an SBD and a wildcat sqdrn or two
at your base from a sunk carrier then the chances are good
that your P40's, P38's, B25.s and varius other aircraft will join in the
strike against another carrier task force. ( not always though )
The experienced carrier squadrons will give some backbone and
offensive punch in the carrier strike that your land units don't always
want to attack as they get chewed up piecemeal. ( not trained for carrier attacks)
For this to work you need to have experienced Sqdrns,
the higher the skill level of the land units the more likely they will join in,
but don't be surprised if you lose most of your P40's as they are
no match for zero's. they act as targets to allow for your SBD'S
and wildcats to get thru.[:D]
The other thing to remember is attrition, the more you fatiuge and were down
the japanese CV'S sqdrns the better your chances are at inflicting damage.
I never attack japanese carriers with mine unless I can have several days
of constant air combat with them via the above scenario.
then attack with a well rested and well trained carrier task force.
Be patient and you will learn how to attrit the japanese as it takes months
of cat and mouse tactics to inflict the damage needed to win, the game is
not designed to be a shootum up over in one battle type of a game
Qaudalcanal lasted for quite a few months in real life and this game
represents that aspect of combat qiute well, attrition, logistics, and patience
is the key to this game.

Thanks for the replies guys. This advice explains a lot.

I'll try shipping a few dive bombers into PM [:D]

btw is SBD short for shore based dive bomber?

No, SBD is the terminology used for both carrier and marine dive bombers. The army version was the A24.

Remember %50 damages will close a base for offensive operations but the base can still put up CAP. Operational losses will be higher but they base can still defend itself. You got to really pound a base before it can't fly CAP.

SBD was the Navy designation for Scout Bomber - Douglas. The Navy operators used to refer to it as Slow But Deadly, after Midway.[:D]

Had a couple of wierd turns last night in my current game.

Me Allies, Japan =cpu

I'm assaulting Lae and have landed troops to assault Finschaffen too. A Jap carrier tf escorts in a load of AP's to Lae. I set all my LBA's at PM to naval attack (inc. 3x SBD sqdns). Next day: nothing! Not a single plane launches, my pilots all decided to take the day off and hang around the flight officer's mess instead. They were well rested with good morale but nothing launched!!! To say I was annoyed again is an understatement.

But then:

Within a week the jap carrier tf appears again (out of the blue) it popped up just three hexes away from my own carrier tf off the coast of Buna. There had been two days of t/storms so I was caught with my pants down with all planes grounded. The two carriers attacked each other but only scratched each others paint work. Next turn my PM LBA's were put to nav attack and my second carrier tf bought up at full speed....carnage!

This time all my LBA's launched. The only difference to the previous time was that I selected less planes (I left the level bombers on nav search only) and the weather was clear vs rainy the previous time. My carriers also launched everything. And now something inexplicable happens?? Only 12 zeros were on cap over the three jap carriers. I did not lose and single plane to air-air or even to flak despite hundreds attacking!

The CV Junyo ihas joined the fishes and I doubt Zukaiku (sp?) or CVL Hosho will make port before sinking with the number of torps they're wearing. What happened there?

One last related point: How come jap Emilys spot 100% of your tfs every turn even in t/storms?

The naval searches are definately something you have to do constantly
knowing where the enemy task forces are at all times is essential
to having succesful attacks, I think we left this out in the other posts
by accident as assuming it is something we set to do normally.
Coastwatcher sightings and naval searches give indications where
task forces were and possibly where they are headed, but most importatly
they increase the probability of succesful attacks as the detection levels
go up.