One thing that would make Fleets harder to attack (as if they werent hard enough) would be to allow for the Task Force Commander to command the fleet to sail in a tight, or a loose formation.
The formation we have in game now, would have been rarely used ALL the time, as it puts all the ships in a very tight formation. While this does allow for an extremely concentrated field of fire, it limits the area of control the fleet has.
If ships were spread out more, but still close enough so that every ship in the task force would overlap its AA fire over the CV... it would almost double the range of the AA for the task force, although there would not be as much of it at any one point. This option would be best used when the fleet is steaming in open water.
When the task force closes on a shore target, or another cv group, the task force commander would select tight formation. This would allow for the concentrated fire he would need to fight off the swarms of attacking planes, and to bring more large guns to bear on the shore.
I was on a CV in the Navy... and I rarely saw our escorts up close except for a "Photo Op". Now... I know naval warfare has changed since the 40's with the advent of missiles, networked radar and jet aircraft... making the CV group HAVE to spread out more, but the same principle applies.
Its a give and take really... loose formation = more area of control but less firepower in one place. Tight formation = less area of control but more firepower in one place.
Any thoughts?
