how do i get carriers to launch aircraft?

[Webster]

i want to know how to get carriers to launch aircraft as soon as i'm detected so they attack me untill i'm no longer detected by the enemy

[FAdmiral]

Carriers launch planes automaticly and then only a few at a time. The most
I have seen is 4-6 maybe. If you want large carrier air attacks, you have to
place them into the game yourself. If you want examples of how this is done,
look at how it was created in this mission "Battle of the Coral Sea" or you can DL
my patrol called "Coral Sea" where I have it all set up too. Check my thread,
"Coral Sea Patrol" here in the designers forum....

JIM

[Webster]

well if a DD detects you it shoots at you and comes drop cans.

a carrier would launch planes to come attack you.

this is what i want to get in my missions, not a bunch of planes but 2 or 3 that would attack you as long as you were detectable like you would get in real life.

too many convoys with carriers never launch a plane while i'm sinking ships, this is not right to wait to be sunk and never launch attack planes.

[FAdmiral]

I have had both planes from carriers and land-based aircraft attack me while
DDs were looking for me. It just might not happen all the time. Lotsa stuff in
this game is random. I had DDs just out of sight not come to investigate when
I torp a merchant, but then I have had some race over to look for me too....

JIM

[Webster]

I have had both planes from carriers and land-based aircraft attack me while
DDs were looking for me. It just might not happen all the time. Lotsa stuff in
this game is random. I had DDs just out of sight not come to investigate when
I torp a merchant, but then I have had some race over to look for me too....

JIM

the only time carrier aircraft attack me is if they were launched at other surface ships, then they act like regular aircraft and attack. if no surface ships are around to launch an attack against then i cant get carriers to launch any planes to defend themselves.

[FAdmiral]

You may want to check your DATA/Cfg./AirStrike file to see what your
settings are. I have modified mine and I know others have too. There is
also a mod that does it for you if you are not comfortable doing it yourself....

JIM

[Webster]

You may want to check your DATA/Cfg./AirStrike file to see what your
settings are. I have modified mine and I know others have too. There is
also a mod that does it for you if you are not comfortable doing it yourself....

JIM

where do i change it and what setting?

whats the mod called, i may want it.

[FAdmiral]

Check out these 2 threads:

http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=117715&page=2&highlight=Reduced+Aircraft

http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=110937&page=4


JIM

[Webster]

Check out these 2 threads:

http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=117715&page=2&highlight=Reduced+Aircraft

http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=110937&page=4


JIM

thats not what i mean,

gun crew not firing at highest threat targets issue:

when surfaced you have small convoy of two or three freighters and a DD in range and they start firing at you. battlestations and gun crews man guns to return fire.

with AI targetting your deck gun crew will not fire on the DD untill it has sunk at least 2 of the 3 freighters. now while this is going on the DD is closer than any other ship and is blowing me to pieces but never gets shot at and is allowed to sail right up and ram me if it wants to.

now any reasonable assesment of which target poses the greatest threat to sinking the sub would be fire at the DD before you ever thought about shooting at the freighters.


now the airplane thing:
i am at periscope depth not on surface, periscope is up and i have just torpedo a ship next to the carrier. the DD start scouting for me and are on alert since being triggered to do so by my attack. i dont think the carrier has a trigger to respond to a sub attack. it launches a few planes at surface ships but if only my sub is around i can sink the whole convoy and never see a plane try to find and attack me.
planes that are already in the air will attack me and if carrier has launched planes at another target they will respond to attack me sometimes but never if i am only threat around. i see the carriers change coarse and such responding to my presence but why doesnt it use its best weapon, the planes, to defend itself and the convoy it guards?

[tater]

There is actually a command to tell the gunners what to shoot at. You poin the binos at the target and hit a key, and they shoot at that target.

As for the CVs, air operatons are amazingly complex. In addition to getting aircraft ready, they'd need to steam the entire task force or convoy into the wind. In the case of a japanese convoy, that level of organization seems unlikely, frankly.

tater

[Webster]

oh well....

[tater]

I should have said air ops in REAL LIFE are very complex. In game, the planes just teleport into the air at your detection range (just).

I actually think that more accurate CV groups (in game terms) would have either no aircraft at all (flying), or at most 2-3 Zeros (and Zeros should have NO bombs, they didn't carry them.). Ditto for floatplanes and seaplane tenders.

In RL, CVs need to steam into the wind at high speed (in a straight line) to launch or retrieve planes. That means the whole group needs to move with them. That level of AI isn't in the game. CA based floatplanes could be catted off underweigh, but to retrieve the planes they'd actually stop (floats were lifted aboard with a crane).

tater

[FAdmiral]

Yep, this is a game that cuts corners in order to achieve desired results.
To keep programming at a minimum and still get things to work somewhat
correctly is just this kind of shortcut. Levels of accurate detail take many
thousands of lines of code to accomplish and not all players have the latest
lightning fast PC to run it....

JIM

[Webster]

well the carrier issue i can write off as representing real life but the gun issue is just stupid.

you must always fire at the greatest threat to your life and if nothing else you would target the closest ship even if AI cant destinguish between a freighter or warship.

i know about telling it which ship to target, but this is not my question because my whole point is that the gun is not defending the sub but going after shipping instead.

[tater]

What gun is firing at shipping? The deck gun? It's not a DP gun, they don't fire it at aircraft (it would be damn ineffective in that role).

tater

[FAdmiral]

Use the gun on manual yourself. Thats what I do. It adds to the thrill
of the hunt....

JIM

[Webster]

What gun is firing at shipping? The deck gun? It's not a DP gun, they don't fire it at aircraft (it would be damn ineffective in that role).

tater

we are refering to deck gun against enemy ships "tater"

they always seem to avoid shooting at the greatest threat from other ships.

if they have a tanker and a DD to choose from they always lock onto tanker and let the DD go unchalanged to sink you.

[Webster]

Use the gun on manual yourself. Thats what I do. It adds to the thrill
of the hunt....

JIM

well i do man the gun most times but there are times i am busy with torps or AA gun from air attack, etc....

if i have to leave the gun on AI i may as well crash dive because it will not shoot at greatest threat

[tater]

Gunners shot at what the skipper told them to shoot at. Look through the binos and I think you hit the b key and they shoot at who you tell them to.

Beside, you should dive. NO real sub would ever intentionally take on a DD on the surface, much less during air attack. The fact that you aren't almost instantly sunk by the DD in the first place is a far greater problem than the AI gunners not attacking the biggest threat, lol.

tater

[FAdmiral]

A submarines GREATEST feature is the ability to operate under the waves.
I only attack on the surface when I want to sink an UNARMED merchant and
not use up my torpedo inventory. Torpedos are the subs MAJOR weapon !!
The deck gun and AA gun are just there for emergency battles or to save your
major weapon for another day. Operation of a sub can be done using realistic
actions or you can do it arcade style just for the fun of seeing your sub get
blasted to bits...

JIM

[Webster]

with this game you cant just dive or you could die from unknown level of damage so if i have damage and get further damaged by plane or ship i take my chances on surface fighting to escape. so i don't always have time to pick targets for the gunners while i'm taking evasive actions and plotting escape routes while dodging enemy fire. it would be nice if my own crew tried to help me survive while this was happening lol.

also if electrics are damaged or anytime i see water level rising too fast i blow tanks asap and stay surfaced to reduce flooding untill damages are repaired and water is pumped out. this has gotten me in situations to have to fight my way to escape. i manage to sink the DD depthcharging me and with a head start i try running for it on surface and deck guns are shooting at anything around except the DD steaming towards me.