Is the "training" command any good for a/c?

[GaryChildress]

I seldom use the "training" command for air units in the game. Does anyone know for sure if air units set on "training" gain any experience over the course of time? If so, does anyone know at what rate they gain experience? If at a slower rate than units set to combat, how much slower do they gain experience over units set for combat missions? [&:]

I'm thinking that having some obsolete planes with limited capability in the game like bi-plane float fighters and setting them on "training" might be a way of creating an in-game training school for IJN pilots.

[spence]

I've come to think that the "Training" mission is all but useless for any pilots over 50 exp. I've had a couple of units training on the West Coast in a PBEM for close to 3 months and the experience gain is 2 or 3 in all that time; and that with their initial experience in the high 40's, low 50's.

[Terminus]

Yeah, training is probably most relevant for really low experience groups, like some of the late war Japanese ones. Once you get over 50 or so experience, there's no substitute for combat.

[GaryChildress]

ORIGINAL: Terminus

Yeah, training is probably most relevant for really low experience groups, like some of the late war Japanese ones. Once you get over 50 or so experience, there's no substitute for combat.

I do wish there were a better way to manage pilot experience such as being able to choose whether or not you want to draw your next pilot from the experienced pilots in the pool or drawing an inexperienced pilot to begin training. If that were the case, then I could deliberately draw inexperienced pilots to train in China and save the experienced pool pilots for front line combat in the Pacific. As it stands it takes quite a bit of managing if possible at all to keep trained pilots in the IJA & IJN. [:(]

[Widell]

From the WitP Wiki where a lot of the training discussion on the forums was captured

[Rob Brennan UK]

useful link

" Method #1 - "No Flying Training"

NOTE: This is valid for all air units.

Set your air unit to 0% "Training" mission and wait until it reaches maximum EXP level (depending on nationality, branch of service and year).

The air unit is accumulating EXP points for its pilots _ONLY_ using "Leadership/Skill" of it's leader and is not actually flying (i.e. it does not expend supply and does not suffer any operational losses in both pilots and aircraft). "

I never knew that ! .. learn something about this game every day, even after years of playing it. [8D]

[AmiralLaurent]

ORIGINAL: Rob Brennan UK

useful link

" Method #1 - "No Flying Training"

NOTE: This is valid for all air units.

Set your air unit to 0% "Training" mission and wait until it reaches maximum EXP level (depending on nationality, branch of service and year).

The air unit is accumulating EXP points for its pilots _ONLY_ using "Leadership/Skill" of it's leader and is not actually flying (i.e. it does not expend supply and does not suffer any operational losses in both pilots and aircraft). "

I never knew that ! .. learn something about this game every day, even after years of playing it. [8D]

It seems to me that the training 0%, that was working in UV, didn't work in WITP after one of the patchs (v1.5?). On the other hand, units training at 90% suffer very low losses. They aren't gaining much experience on the other hand. Pilots under 50 exp seem to be winning about 1 exp point every 5-7 days. While any ground attack mission will see them win between 1 and 3 pts.

IMHO the whole training/experience thing is WITP is totally unhistorical. Bombing troops that have no means of defence is doing no good to teach you to bomb ships, or surviving dogfights. Also training in rear areas was a better course than the frontline. And pilots should have a (low) chance to win exp by flying any mission, ever if they don't see the enemy.
Right now, the training mission is very slow but units have super-fast training methods (supply carrying or bombing bypassed troops/bases) that were never used in RL... and require micromanagement in game.

[BossGnome]

i couldn't care less if my supply carrying pilots were experienced or not, honestly...
also, sure, its a lot faster to send your troops to bomb ships or something, but its also a lot deadlier!! so for training purposes I don't think its that great. Plus, you mention the ground attack. As the japanese, you won't find that many ground attacks to do after a while. Not unescorted ones anyways...

[elxaime]

Players can simply leave a rear area base untaken and use it for safe turbo-training of pilots. The Japanese player in my PBEM left an unoccupied DEI base untaken and is using it that way. Later in the war, the Allies will have numerous such opportunities, but this can delay the shift in air superiority to the Allies for a number of months.

[Tom Hunter]

Amiral you are correct as usual.

[Widell]

Can someone with the correct skill maybe update the wiki to reflect any changes that was patched in?

[niceguy2005]

Personally, I think the pilot experience system is a bit broken. Gaming the system by putting units on constant strafing and bombing runs is ridiculous. Even more so, is having bomber pilots gain experience by putting them on supply runs for the sole purpose of running up their experience.

Beginning pilot experience should be about 50. They should only gain experience from real air to air combat, in the case of bombers on real front line bombing missions. Players are always complaining about unrealistic situations. An unrealistic situation is two fighter groups with pilots all in the 80s experience range going at one another. If this were realistic, air groups would have a couple pilots in the high 70s or 80s and most in the upeer 50s.

[Mr.Frag]

Training missions speed up the rate of exp gain until reaching < 60

Once you get there, only real missions will be of value.

[Nikademus]

it is a regrettably loophole. A shame given the training scrubbing that was done (to tune it too realistic time lengths) Unit's that try to fly combat missions...even milk runs below fully training (50) should suffer much higher incidents of accidents and navigation boo boo's. That would keep that tactic from being used.

and yes....i am wary of the squirrels

[Terminus]

Always be wary of those little furry bastards...

[Mynok]

Even if they aren't actually furry...... [:D]

[Nikademus]

especially if they arn't furry......and wear berets....

[Mynok]

And smoke.....'course we all know to beware of smokers......

[Nikademus]

especially in WA state....its hunting season......look there's one now! .....<bang>

[niceguy2005]

wabbit season.