Matrix Games Forums

Hi all,

with 1.5 ready to come out, i'm spending a lot of time thinking about how will the japanese aircraft production will be managed.
With the ability to change the upgrade path, i wonder how people will determine , since the beginning, the production levels for their aicrafts. Will you concentrate only on a particular model you consider superior or try to balance your futur air army?

Fighters: Army

After Nates and Oscars I there are 3 different choices: Tojo,Tony and Oscar II

Will you switch everything to Tojos, in order to provide high altitude interceptors for your bases or you will balance the production in order to have decent range escort for your bombers?

Fighters: Navy

I think there won't be many problems here...the path is already written, right? A6M2-> A6M3-> A6M5 and so on...

Bombers: Army

Here's something more interesting.

Sonias or Anns? Some seem to prefer the Anns...but they are not armoured, right? So why to prefer them? More accurate? more range?

I think nobody will keep their Lilies, right? They suck to say the least!
So, at the beginning of the war Sallies and Helens.....what would you prefer?
and after those two?

Navy

Not many choices here:-)


Now, something that really concerns me....

Recon planes and Patrol planes

Will they be considered in the same cathegory? Will we be able to switch some Dinah to Mavis?


.....and what about night fighters? Will they be considered a cathegory apart or will we be able to change a Oscar Sentai to Nicks for night fighting pourposes?

really curious about what folks think....

Do both the Sallies and Helens carry torps?

ORIGINAL: freeboy

Do both the Sallies and Helens carry torps?

neither of them AFAIK

Sallies do not carry torpedos.
Helen - I think - can carry torpedos.

But a far as I understood, manual upgrades can be chosen from the same type - e.g. fighter, bomber .. (the classes displayed in the info screens).

If that's the case, I would certainly prefer the Ki. 61 over the Tojos.
Tojos are good at the beginning, but make a bad impression against Liberators.
Ki. 61 - if flown by experienced pilots can compete against P38Js and Thunderbolts.
Unfortunate, both make a bad impression when fighting Spitfires.
The Oscar II is not even worth of considering.

If possible, I would even consider switching land-based Zeros against Ki.61.
Durability of A6M2 and A6M3 - too high operational losses -is far below Ki. 61.
Even the A6M5 is well below expectation.

Speaking of Bombers, the Helen is certainly the best.
But if possible, I would try to switch Bomber Groups to Betties.
All japanese Bombers are crap, but - if well escorted - Betties have a good range, good payload and few operational losses.

ORIGINAL: Gen.Hoepner


Fighters: Navy

I think there won't be many problems here...the path is already written, right? A6M2-> A6M3-> A6M5 and so on...

Don't forget the A6M3a .. so A6M2-> A6M3-> A6M3a -> A6M5 and so on...

Harrer [;)]

ORIGINAL: guderian39

Sallies do not carry torpedos.
Helen - I think - can carry torpedos.

But a far as I understood, manual upgrades can be chosen from the same type - e.g. fighter, bomber .. (the classes displayed in the info screens).

If that's the case, I would certainly prefer the Ki. 61 over the Tojos.
Tojos are good at the beginning, but make a bad impression against Liberators.
Ki. 61 - if flown by experienced pilots can compete against P38Js and Thunderbolts.
Unfortunate, both make a bad impression when fighting Spitfires.
The Oscar II is not even worth of considering.

If possible, I would even consider switching land-based Zeros against Ki.61.
Durability of A6M2 and A6M3 - too high operational losses -is far below Ki. 61.
Even the A6M5 is well below expectation.

Speaking of Bombers, the Helen is certainly the best.
But if possible, I would try to switch Bomber Groups to Betties.
All japanese Bombers are crap, but - if well escorted - Betties have a good range, good payload and few operational losses.

I do not think Navy bombers can be switched to Army bombers. Nor the army fighters to Navy fighters and vice versa.

I really do not think helens carry torps...quite sure about that

For information, the Helen doesn't have any torpedo ..

SO, my production objectives :

A5M4 -> A6M2 -> A6M3 -> A6M3a -> A6M5 -> A6M8 -> A7M2 -> J7W

BUT that's good for the navy .. for the army, maybe I 'll keep my A6M2 long range and wait for the A6M3a also long range ..

I also think I'll put some N1K1-J on my CV's as CAP .. they are better than the A6M5 ..and the Jack is better than the A6M3 so .. it's a possibility.. the best I think against the F4U1 and F6F ..

D1A -> D3A -> D4Y .. nothing special ..

B4Y -> B5N -> B6N -> B7A .. nothing special ..

G3M -> G4M1 -> G4M2 -> P1Y !

H6K -> H8K ..

For the float planes, my Pete will be Alf or Jake now.

For the transports, I keep my KI 57 II, my KI 54, my L3Y and L2D2 .. MC 21 maybe converted in Topsy's ..

The recon planes :

KI 36 -> KI 15 -> KI 46 II -> KI 46 III

Army bombers :

Lily converted to Sally .. the rest is the same .. I keep the sonia and the Sally and Helen ( until the Peggy arrive for those)

The nates and Oscar will became KI 61 tony and KI 44 tojo .. the tony against the ennemy bombers and the tojo against the ennemy fighters .. of course the will fight against all of them .. so one squadron of them two for each attacked base... next I 'll upgrade them in KI 84 .. also I'll keep some squadrons of the KI 45 .. the KAIa as night fighter ( and then I'll upgrade it in KAIc) and the KAIb as fighter bomber .. good guns

Harrer [;)]

About transport planes...why would you keep all those crappy planes instead of converting all of them to L3Y with its HUGE range?

Will it be possible to convert Float planes to Mavis and Emilies?
hope not

ORIGINAL: Gen.Hoepner

About transport planes...why would you keep all those crappy planes instead of converting all of them to L3Y with its HUGE range?

Will it be possible to convert Float planes to Mavis and Emilies?
hope not

1. Because the L3Y is an navy aircraft ! ! So we can't upgrade the topsy and so on which depend of the army [:-]

2. I think it'll be possible .. but not sure .. someone can confirm this ?

Thanks in advance

Harrer

I never noticed that^_^

Thanks

ORIGINAL: Gen.Hoepner

I never noticed that^_^

Thanks

You're welcome [;)]

Harrer

I already asked in several threads about the handling of Nightfighters and Fighter-Bombers in the new upgrade mechanism, but never got an answer [:(]

Regarding Tonys and Tojos, as you might need escorts for your bombers you should definatly have some Tojos, the Tony has a crappy range (2normal/3ext.).

ORIGINAL: WhoCares

I already asked in several threads about the handling of Nightfighters and Fighter-Bombers in the new upgrade mechanism, but never got an answer [:(]

Regarding Tonys and Tojos, as you might need escorts for your bombers you should definatly have some Tojos, the Tony has a crappy range (2normal/3ext.).

But the tony with his guns is better against the ennemy bombers, and so we don't need an extended range [;)]

Harrer

gun value

tony 14 2X 12.7 mm HO-103MG + 20 mm cannon HO-5
Tojo 12 4X 12.7 mm HO-103MG

In the land based air units information screen, float planes and patrols are listed separatly, in the manual too,I think. So you shouldn't be able to switch them.

For Navy fighters it isn't so simple (fortunatly!) :
The J2M jack is the Tony for the Navy, don't forget it! it comes in early 43.
Availability for A6M5 and George isn't so different ( may become the same with research, if research is worth something[&:]).For your CVs you probably need A6M5, but for land base units wich one is your choice[;)]?

There is something I don't understand: the data base gives a better range for Tonies than Tojos. Strange.

ORIGINAL: WhoCares

I already asked in several threads about the handling of Nightfighters and Fighter-Bombers in the new upgrade mechanism, but never got an answer [:(]

Regarding Tonys and Tojos, as you might need escorts for your bombers you should definatly have some Tojos, the Tony has a crappy range (2normal/3ext.).

I don´t know if I´m running a bugged 1.4 but since 1.4 my Tonies aren´t short legged! I know that earlier I had these Tonies with only 3 hexes range and my Tojos with range 5 but since 1.4 my Tonies have a range of six! Haven´t changed anything so why do I have this super Tonies? Anyone else with Tonies flying up to 6 hexes?

Yes, Castor, it's just what I was saying above.The Data base gives 285 miles as normal radius if I remember well, and I think historicaly the Tony was a good plane but with very short range.

Yeah that´s strange because I´m quite sure that in previous versions you couldn´t use the Tonies for escort because of its short range. Now it´s just like that I prefer the Tony because of its greater range than the Tojo. Any official answer on this? Has there something gone wrong or was this change intended?

Tony Range for CAP and attack missions is five hexes.

For escort missions it may be even 6 hexes.

Durability is slightly better (1point) as the Tojo. This leads to far less operational losses for damaged aircraft.

Float, Search, Recon are all separate types, there is no crossover except for one oddball recon that lets you jump into the fighter class as it really was a fighter.

The permutations and combinations are pretty much completely open, you'll just have to wait as there are simply too many to list.

ORIGINAL: Mr.Frag

Float, Search, Recon are all separate types, there is no crossover except for one oddball recon that lets you jump into the fighter class as it really was a fighter.

The permutations and combinations are pretty much completely open, you'll just have to wait as there are simply too many to list.

Is my English too bad or have you just said that with 1.5 I´ll be able to change Rufes into e.g. Zeros?