Some thoughts on manually created searches
Oct 21, 2019 15:09:28 GMT -6
bshaftoe, axe99, and 4 more like this
Post by jwsmith26 on Oct 21, 2019 15:09:28 GMT -6
There seems to be an impression that it is very difficult to send out a manually created search. I find it quite easy to set up a squadron for recon missions and then manually create my own search pattern. You simply 'ready' a group of single plane recon missions. Once readied, you can send out each plane on its own recon mission. Setting up searches manually has a number of advantages that I'll discuss below.
The readying process goes fairly quickly because, once set, the strike attributes are sticky. You only have to set the strike size to '1' once. the same is true for the mission type and bomb load. So you simply set up a strike as 'Recon', with a strength of one plane, and a light bomb load. Those parameters remain in place as you ready as many individual planes as you need. Setting separate target locations for each plane that you launch allows you to custom tailor the distance, density and breadth of your search.
I've included two videos to illustrate the process. The first video shows me setting up a squadron of 8 dive bombers for use in a manual search. The second video shows me assigning 6 of those planes to execute a search pattern that I create. (In this case I am sending out a backup search to keep an eye on a carrier force I recently discovered 100 nm away, and to make sure there are no neighboring enemy forces.) Setting up the manual search took about 30 seconds while assigning the search pattern and launching the search took about a minute. It is hardly the onerous process that it has been made out to be.
Video showing the process of setting up a search group:
Direct link to the video: i.imgur.com/ftIy9Ah.mp4
Video showing the process of setting a pattern and launching a search group:
Direct link to the video: i.imgur.com/gmz2rvf.mp4
By setting up a search in this way you can use any plane type you want. If I am going to be searching an area that I suspect or know contains enemy carriers I'll use fighters for the search pattern to lessen the chance that the searching plane will be shot down by the enemy CAP. I haven't done this yet but it would also be possible to send out a pair of planes on each search vector as a single strike to make them even tougher. If I have several squadrons, I'll pick the squadron equipped with the least effective models or weapons for use in the recon role. Many planes seem to be orphaned from their squadron by the game system and find themselves stranded as single plane sections for extended periods. A recon mission provides an effective way to use these orphaned planes. There is no requirement that all of the planes sent out on manual recon missions be part of the same squadron or even have the same role.
Because you are setting the search path for each plane you can avoid uselessly executing searches over large stretches of land, which often happens when using the standard search pattern. You can easily set up your own two-phase search pattern by staggering your launches.
The manual method will allow you to set the search density. A change introduced in v1.10 has pushed starting forces further apart, sometimes well over 100 nm apart; in fact, I've seen several battles start with carriers around 200 nm apart. The density of planes used by the default search pattern appears to be insufficient to reliably detect enemy forces at distances greater than around 100 nm. The search sectors appear to become too large at that distance. By manually setting the search pattern it is quite easy to double or even triple the density of planes searching the suspected area.
Perhaps the most important aspect of the manual search method is that there is no restriction on when or how often a search can be sent.
A downside to the manual search process compared to the automated system is the time required for the deck crew to set up a strike at the beginning of a battle. The automated process assumes the search planes are already readied and spotted. They start taking off on turn one. Setting up a manual search means the planes must be readied and spotted just like any other strike. Scout floatplanes ready and launch faster than carrier search planes, giving them a slight speed of preparation advantage in a manual search process (though they soon loose any speed advantage over carrier planes when in flight).
This method works for the player and I suppose could be considered to be a cheat because the AI will have to continue to use the standard search pattern when conducting at sea searches. This puts the AI at a substantial disadvantage if it does not discover the player's forces with its single initial search. The player and AI alike will continue to be limited to a single search per day from land bases. (Historically most bases and carrier groups in WW2 sent out two searches per day, one at dawn and another at around midday. It would be nice to incorporate that additional daily search into the automated search procedures. That was the pattern until night aerial patrols became available through a combination of new technology and extensive training, but that's another subject.)
I don't find the process of using a manual search difficult or time consuming. Hopefully we will get a few improvements to the automated search system, but in the meantime setting up manual searches will be a useful, possibly critical, tool given the greater distances now separating starting forces when carriers are involved.
The readying process goes fairly quickly because, once set, the strike attributes are sticky. You only have to set the strike size to '1' once. the same is true for the mission type and bomb load. So you simply set up a strike as 'Recon', with a strength of one plane, and a light bomb load. Those parameters remain in place as you ready as many individual planes as you need. Setting separate target locations for each plane that you launch allows you to custom tailor the distance, density and breadth of your search.
I've included two videos to illustrate the process. The first video shows me setting up a squadron of 8 dive bombers for use in a manual search. The second video shows me assigning 6 of those planes to execute a search pattern that I create. (In this case I am sending out a backup search to keep an eye on a carrier force I recently discovered 100 nm away, and to make sure there are no neighboring enemy forces.) Setting up the manual search took about 30 seconds while assigning the search pattern and launching the search took about a minute. It is hardly the onerous process that it has been made out to be.
Video showing the process of setting up a search group:
Direct link to the video: i.imgur.com/ftIy9Ah.mp4
Video showing the process of setting a pattern and launching a search group:
Direct link to the video: i.imgur.com/gmz2rvf.mp4
By setting up a search in this way you can use any plane type you want. If I am going to be searching an area that I suspect or know contains enemy carriers I'll use fighters for the search pattern to lessen the chance that the searching plane will be shot down by the enemy CAP. I haven't done this yet but it would also be possible to send out a pair of planes on each search vector as a single strike to make them even tougher. If I have several squadrons, I'll pick the squadron equipped with the least effective models or weapons for use in the recon role. Many planes seem to be orphaned from their squadron by the game system and find themselves stranded as single plane sections for extended periods. A recon mission provides an effective way to use these orphaned planes. There is no requirement that all of the planes sent out on manual recon missions be part of the same squadron or even have the same role.
Because you are setting the search path for each plane you can avoid uselessly executing searches over large stretches of land, which often happens when using the standard search pattern. You can easily set up your own two-phase search pattern by staggering your launches.
The manual method will allow you to set the search density. A change introduced in v1.10 has pushed starting forces further apart, sometimes well over 100 nm apart; in fact, I've seen several battles start with carriers around 200 nm apart. The density of planes used by the default search pattern appears to be insufficient to reliably detect enemy forces at distances greater than around 100 nm. The search sectors appear to become too large at that distance. By manually setting the search pattern it is quite easy to double or even triple the density of planes searching the suspected area.
Perhaps the most important aspect of the manual search method is that there is no restriction on when or how often a search can be sent.
A downside to the manual search process compared to the automated system is the time required for the deck crew to set up a strike at the beginning of a battle. The automated process assumes the search planes are already readied and spotted. They start taking off on turn one. Setting up a manual search means the planes must be readied and spotted just like any other strike. Scout floatplanes ready and launch faster than carrier search planes, giving them a slight speed of preparation advantage in a manual search process (though they soon loose any speed advantage over carrier planes when in flight).
This method works for the player and I suppose could be considered to be a cheat because the AI will have to continue to use the standard search pattern when conducting at sea searches. This puts the AI at a substantial disadvantage if it does not discover the player's forces with its single initial search. The player and AI alike will continue to be limited to a single search per day from land bases. (Historically most bases and carrier groups in WW2 sent out two searches per day, one at dawn and another at around midday. It would be nice to incorporate that additional daily search into the automated search procedures. That was the pattern until night aerial patrols became available through a combination of new technology and extensive training, but that's another subject.)
I don't find the process of using a manual search difficult or time consuming. Hopefully we will get a few improvements to the automated search system, but in the meantime setting up manual searches will be a useful, possibly critical, tool given the greater distances now separating starting forces when carriers are involved.