Matrix Games Forums

Can someone tell me what %levels should be set for port,navel,airfield attacks and escort I see that Cap is always set to 100%!!

The levels represent different things for plane types .

For bombers it represents the search level - some of the planes will search, the rest will carry out the mission you set (e.g. port, airfield,etc)

For fighters/fighterbombers it represents CAP. If it is at 100% that represents long range CAP (which you may or may not want depending on the circumstances)

I know they represent different things for each mission; WHAT ARE THEY?

Please read and understand the answer you have been given. All info needed is there !

The % is the amount of ready planes doing naval search or CAP mission instead of the units set mission type.

The levels you set depends much on personal choice and play style.

For example - If you don't have enough search planes in a sector, you can use your bombers to search and attack (although not as many planes will attack).

Some levels will quickly tire out units quickly - especially fighter units.

<edit>Many people will swear by certain levels - others do not and continually play with them</edit>

Naval search:

Conventional wisom has it that 6,000 ft is the ideal altitude. Dunno if that is actually true. In forward areas I usually fly them between 10,000-15,000 ft, depending on the aircraft (sturdier goes lower). This will dramatically cut losses - 15K takes you above most light/medium AAA. I usually run the sqd's at 80%, but you can probably run them at 100% to little ill effect. In rear areas I do naval search at 6,000 ft. If you've got sdq's to spare, teaming the naval search sqd with one on ASW is supposedly a good idea, although I've never really had a worthwhile return on this. If I use ASW at all it's with short-legged aircraft on point defence around major hubs, flying at 1,000 ft. Crew XP seems to be the important factor in detecting and/or attacking subs more so than mission type. Furthermore, raising the detection level of subs is very desirable, as it renders them less effective and more vulnerable to subsequent attack (hence always move your subs if they've been spotted). Aircraft on naval search will cover a lot more ground than those on ASW. However my regular opponent Toraq has succesfully used massed (100+) aircraft on ASW to make ventures around the obvious choke-points off Rabaul expensive.

Thanks for all your help!!! THis is the third time in two years I am giving this game a try!!!!The frustation level is HIGH but dropping!!!

ORIGINAL: alext3

Thanks for all your help!!! THis is the third time in two years I am giving this game a try!!!!The frustation level is HIGH but dropping!!!

You need to look at the game in a different perspective if you keep getting
frustrated with it.
Every move you make in the game has positive and negative consequences
that you soley control.
Engaging japanese carriers early on in the game as the allies will get your
task forces sunk early cause you didn't allow the squadrons
to train up, upgrade and fill out to full strengths. ( takes a few months )
you will be engaging high moral, high experienced veteran pilots with
understrength, undertrained squadrons, also your capitol ships will have
minimal AAA for protection. ( you have to upgrade your ships also )
avoid them for the first 6 months until you have your forces trained and upgraded
and you will see better results.
setting your carrier fighters on escort say with 20% cap allows your strike forces more support
when attacking enemy CV'S but leaves you open to attack without much protection for your own
task forces. ( 100 fighters will leave 20 for carrier protection and 80 for attack support )
setting them with 80% cap will get your attack squadrons shot down with less than desirable
results because they don't have enough protection on target. ( although you may come out without a sunk CV for yourself and shooting down quite a few of the enemies planes)
Not having enough naval searches in advance of your task forces means your sailing blind
and will be surprised when his CV'S are next to yours on the next turn without ever sighting them
giving him the strategic advantage in the attack.
Flying all your carriers fighter bombers at 16,000 feet or above will allow them to attack in 1 large
formation against a single task force with decent results but the other task forces will be unnaposed,
flying them at lower alltitudes will allow them to attack many different task forces but will sometimes
get them shot down piecemeal without enough fighter support, and knowing when and where to use
these different settings is equally important and takes time to learn.
Flying B25j's AT 100 feet with 70% or more experience will allow you to rip up convoys but
will kill your pilots with fatiuge and op losses if you don't rest them qiuckly.
Bombing bases with out ever sending in recon patrols shows you minimum results and when you
invade there are 50,000 more troops than you thought were there.
with recon patrols you will get a glimpse of what is there and improve accuracy of your attacks
and ensure that you will bring enough troops to the party..

If playing as the Japanese you have to figure out how to use all these well trained forces without
squandering time and resources and putting as much hurt into the allies that they don't make it into
1943 or at least it takes them all of 43 to mount a comeback, otherwise you will be getting pounded
for the next year wich is a learning experiance in itself...

The biggest thing to remember is the game is not over in a few engagements with the sinking of
every ship you come accross, you have to think entirely strategic in the game and plan out how you
are going to protect a certain base or how in the next 6 months you are going to take back
GILLI GILLI etc, Bringing sufficient forces to bear is ok but if you don't bring enough supply or fuel
you will be stalled and destroyed in place without food and ammunition to sustain the offensive..

Practice battles and invasions in head to head mode and tweak different settings to see different
results and learn how everything you do has negative and positive results and you will have far more
fun with the game especially when you take on a PBEM apponant that smacks you around the pacific
showing you that you still didn't learn enough... [:D]

When I say I'm frustated I don't mean because I'm getting beat by the computer...I am frustated because of the depth of the game and the incomplete manual that comes with it!!!!!!!!!

Hang in there alext3. UV is a complex game to learn, but once you start to get it your efforts will be amply rewarded. This game is deep, I'm still learning after two years.

Thats good advice from toast, and this forum in general is full of great information. I've learned alot reading here.

ORIGINAL: alext3

When I say I'm frustated I don't mean because I'm getting beat by the computer...I am frustated because of the depth of the game and the incomplete manual that comes with it!!!!!!!!!

Thats why we help out, there are so many variables in the game that only time and practice
will give you the knowledge to get better at playing it, and when that happens then you will be hooked on this game and its big, really big brother WITP.
Read the past posts cause there are 1,000's of hours of experiance there.
Hang in there and keep practicing as that is what we all have had to do to grasp these monsters,
the above info is just icing on the cake but it gives you some of the constant changing variables
in the game mechanics that you alone will control...
learn to be patient with the game and replay scenarios several different ways to learn the
outcomes of your choices and settings, there really are no other games with this much depth
and playability.