Quote:
Originally Posted by elanaiba
1. Aircraft carriers have launched aircraft since SH4, you just don't see that in 3D. No change there.
2. No big changes there until now
3. No, but AI submarines are now able to shoot torpedoes. Thats new.
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Regarding number 1, not they don't conduct proper air operations. While I'm fine with AI aircraft on ships as an abstraction at some level, in SH4, it's best to literally turn that functionality off, or seriously curtail it.
The "airstike" paradigm in SH is such that once detected, the planes will swarm all over the place. In some limited circumstances---like escort carriers in the ATO---this behavior is not awful since the
raison d'etre for CVEs in the ATO was to attack submarines. In general, however, ship based aircraft did NOT funtion with that as their sole purpose. So maybe 1-2 planes fly ASW watch, and if detected, virtually no more would be launched. Planes were instead (other than a few on CAP) held and launch ALL AT ONCE for an airstrike (rare).
As a result, you should at most see 1-2 planes above a CV, except during the CV's actual use as a CV, when virtually all planes would be aloft---but NONE would be attacking subs, since they'd be flying off to attack their REAL target far away. The CAP might still spot a sub (their eytes would be looking for PLANES, however, this would be VERY unlikely) in rare cases.
Bottom line is that for CVE escorted convoys, the SH airstrike paradigm is acceptable if properly modded, but for all other CV operations, it's best almost entirely removed for even a hint of realism.
Also, air o0ps are not at all realistic in general from an AI POV.
Having a couple planes aloft on ASW patrol or CAP is fine, but if the CV(E/L) needed to launch MORE planes, it would have to spot the new planes, then turn into the wind, and do the same to recover. That's a major failing, IMO.
With proper ship simulation, a CV caught launching or recovering aircraft would be steaming at a constant speed and NOT zig-zagging. An easy target. At virtually all other times it would be ZZing (as ALL ships should be doing (not independently, either, convoys should ZZ as a group)).