Radar Ranges & Stations

[Stoney74]

Concur on the CV radar range.  Easy to get some fighters up to altitude to deal with the B-24's at 6-8K if you see them a sector out.  Also agree with the altitude function as well.  Just got finished reading Wings of Gold--radar was an extremely important part of the U.S. Navy's defense as early as '43.  Lots of the pilots quoted talked about the fighter directors giving them vectors on contacts.  

Also concur with the extended range at all fields. The bombers have the additional advantage of 3 planes with all the guns and extra ord.  If they hustle in at 15K, and you don't see them until they hit the dar ring, you've got about 2-3 minutes (240 true over 10 miles with ord drop at 2 miles) to get up to catch them before the hit the ordnance release point.  There's not a plane in the game that can get there and make anything resembling a sane attack in that time.  

Maybe as a compromise, give the DARBAR a limited range instead of the whole map.  Maybe a 4 sector radius from each friendly base, and throw in an indication of altitude.  Doesn't have to be a number, maybe a color coding for blocks of altitude, for example.  1 color/pattern for every 5K or something.

[Rolex]

My first impression is that the current dar is sufficient. We have bar dar that gives us indication from sectors away to anticipate 15k+ bombers and/or mid-altitude bombers headed toward a CV.

I think anticipation is part of gameplay. I think you can count on a spotted CV being attacked, you just have to anticipate from which direction and get airborne to intercept.

[LYNX]

Originally posted by SKJohn
Wow, Hitech - your spelling is improving!  A long post with only a few minor problems, (' in I'm, affect vs effect, an m in communication and command, etc.), but overall very much improved!
Keep up the good work!

A survey just in showed that 49% of millionairs are lysdexic .  True factual survey.  

It shows others can read OTHER  things  

[EagleDNY]

Originally posted by Rolex
My first impression is that the current dar is sufficient. We have bar dar that gives us indication from sectors away to anticipate 15k+ bombers and/or mid-altitude bombers headed toward a CV.

I think anticipation is part of gameplay. I think you can count on a spotted CV being attacked, you just have to anticipate from which direction and get airborne to intercept.

Part of what I think needs to be addressed is that the dar bar will give away the position of your CV long before it should've been detected - if you see a dar bar appear (even for a few seconds) 4 or 5 sectors out over the middle of the ocean, you've probably got the enemy CV spotted.  All you have to do is up a group of buffs, fly out there, and since nobody is driving (why would they be driving with the CV still 4 sectors from shore?) you get a nice clean easy CV kill.      

There are a few maps where you have ports on opposite ends of a long coastline -  so what happens is that instead of a good CV air battle, you get a lame CV kill, a respawn, and another 8 sector drive back to enemy waters.  Not too good for gameplay.  

There's a reason they turn the dar bar off in FSO.  Can you imagine trying to do a successful pearl harbor raid when a dar bar 5 sectors out shows the incoming raid the minute it launches?  

I must also disagree that the dar bar gives the CV defenders sufficient warning.  All it tells you is that a mass of planes might enter your sector anywhere along a 25 mile front, at any altitude.  Even if you get up quick and go looking, you can still easily be out of position to make a successful intercept.  Example: Dar Bar N, you up and head N or NE when the contacts are coming in from the NW.  Even if you managed to guess the right altitude, you are still 12-25 miles out of position when the dot shows up on the CV radar.  You might eventually intercept, but probably not before the target has made his attack.  

EagleDNY
$.02 at a time....

[Overlag]

its true..... and maybe the solution would be to have no darbar over the sea...and this is where my extended range radar towers would come in useful..... on the coast lines.

[rabbidrabbit]

having more or longer range dot dars that are killable but resupplyable instead of dar bar does add demension to the game what I can think of.

[bj229r]

Originally posted by EagleDNY
Might be hard for the LA-7 to get 3-4 sectors behind the lines to take out a big strat radar station.  At least you'll see him coming....

Nah I meant the individual bases--I see now that you're putting forth a dar source from other than the airfield

[Rolex]

EagleDNY,

Here's a little more why I think that way (in no order):

FSO is a completely different mindset than MA gameplay. I have to believe dar is more to create a battle than to end one in the MA. Pearl Harbor comparisons are more for scenarios than MA. The MA is kind of like StrategyLite.

My observation is that 3-4 sector away CVS are sunk more by spies than by being given away from people upping above dar. It happens almost every morning as the 'day shift' enters the MA.

It is still easy to anticipate the direction of incoming bombers after a CV is known to have been spotted. You just look to the logical fields where bombers would up from that have a dar bar. Every CV-based fighter climbs at least twice as fast as bombers and the maximum altitude of any bombers capable of sinking the CV can be estimated. It will take B-26s about 25 miles to climb at least 10,000', depending on fuel load.

It isn't too hard to figure out a CV is near if all you see are carrier-based planes at a base. The object of those planes is to get control of the base (drop vh, ord and sb) before the fleet can get close enough to spawn LVTs.

The object of the defenders is to sink the CV if the base is overwhelmed quickly, so expect bombers...

I'm not in favor of no dar over water either. Attackers can fly a non-direct route under radar and pop up at a location that confuses defenders about the location of the CV. I do it all the time with my squad and we aren't the smartest guys in the world, so I suspect plenty of others do also. These things are all part of the game, don't you think?

I not convinced that 1944 radar in the main arena spanning 6+ years of technology is something needed. Compromises are made for the sake of gameplay (our GPS maps, aircraft icons and distance, no mixture, no blower limits/controls, no cowl flaps, no overheating, no gun jamming or mechanical or electrical failure, no engine start procedure). Not having these does not detract from gameplay, they enhance the MA for the sake of gaming vs. real-world simulation in an environment that is pretty close to anarchy, not under a structured command system with shared goals.

I don't think more information is needed to enjoy the game. I think more unknowns and surprises are good for gameplay.