I , partially, somewhat agree with the CV being weak in game. (Operation Downfall in SEA sort of proved that point rather well). Or rather, more to the point, we do not have the picket destroyers at the periphery of the TG, nor do you see any pilots flying High, Mid, or Low CAP to protect carriers during carrier operations.
Then there is the TF drivers that pulls a CV right up into easy range of operational shore batteries or the PT spawn point of a base that still has ord up. Or the TG's left to fend for themselves (ie ride a straight line) as enemy bombers appear overhead, and all the pilots low trying to vulch the fields.
So, it really comes down to the skills of the players being displayed in the game. As long as players do stoopid ....um....tactically unsound.....things with CV's, they won't last long (a little of this during Downfall as well....).
Not sure adding ships and guns will help. I suppose the amount of damage it takes to kill a CV or CA could be boosted a little to compensate, or have 2 CA's for every CV to make up for the lack of any BB's or picket ships and CAP.
You have to watch how tough you do make them. Some WWII CV's took huge poundings, others were taken out by single Kamakazi's that got through to ship's stores of fuel and ord.... The ship's in game cannot be taken out by lucky hits like the real one's could either.
If we still had big maps, I could see a TG with 2 CV's and 2 CA's, but our maps are not longer that big.
If the game sported a decent AI, I'd say add CV CAP drones to defend them to some degree. If we were looking at multi-CV task forces, then I'd say make the decks of CV's able to be damaged and repaired to ongoing flight operations.
One or two organized squads could do well with a CV TG. What we see in the arena normally....not so much.......
