Just my opinion here, but I think it's shared by at least a few others.
I think the fleets have been a big gameplay-killer in this particular setup. I'm aware of how they SHOULD be used, Shane points it out quite accurately. And there's potential for some fun ops that way.
But, for the most part, the way they ARE being used this week is as ack platforms to park a few rods offshore to provide cover for vulchers -- or as vulchers themselves, with 5" flack.
Last night I finally logged in frustration/boredom while an allied cruiser fleet was parked at A9(?) with at least one carrier group (I think probably 2) close by. There seemed to be little or no effort made to take the base, even though it was completely killed by relentless shelling from ships' batteries.
Sink'em? Yeah, sure, it can be done. Kudos to those who've mastered the skill. But fact is, the IJN/IJA's jabo assets pale in comparison to the US's.
I'm not sure what the solution is .. I just know it feels broke.
The lack of shore batteries ... inability to man field ack ... inability of carrier task forces to defend themselves in surface warfare ... and fleet spawn points that are HOURS removed from the action while the enemy's are nearby ... all combine to make this a pretty frustrating setup.
The dogfights have been fun, though.
Splash1