Let me talk about the conclusion first. This game is not the kind of casual game where you click on the screen without thinking. It tests your scheduling ability in multi-tasking state. If you have played hardcore games like Flight Simulator or Kerbal, you will get started quickly. But if you are a novice attracted by the aircraft carrier theme, don't panic. This article will break down the mechanisms that are not clearly explained in the game and show them to you.
Regarding the takeoff and landing of the plane, this is the core operation of the entire game, and it is also the place where novices are most likely to overturn. When the aircraft lands, its course must be almost exactly aligned with the angled deck of the aircraft carrier. If the angle deviates by more than five degrees, it will immediately go around, which wastes time in the entire mission chain. My suggestion is not to chase the aircraft in the picture and jerk the angle of view, but to focus on the two guide light lines at the end of the deck and let the nose of the aircraft press the lines. In terms of speed control, the approach speed is kept a little above the reference value prompted by the game, about 5% more, because the airflow and the shaking of the aircraft carrier itself will make the actual touchdown speed lower than the surface speed. The speed brake does not need to be fully opened during the approach stage. It is easier to accurately hook the arresting wire when the aircraft passes the center line of the aircraft carrier before decelerating at full speed.
In terms of management, we must develop the habit of batching. Do not release all the aircraft in the hangar at once, unless it is a pure annihilation mission that requires extreme output. In the normal mission process, the four-machine formation is divided into two waves. The first wave is responsible for clearing the outer air defense, and the second wave goes directly into the inner circle to drop bombs. This ensures that there is always fire suppression at the airport, and the takeoff and landing schedule on your deck will not be crowded. There is a hidden setting in the game, that is, having more than three aircraft on standby on the deck at the same time will greatly reduce the efficiency of transportation, including the speed of refueling and loading bombs, so the deck must be kept clear of two to three parking spaces at all times.
When it comes to prioritizing military tasks, my personal habit is to look at the weather forecast first. Yes, this game has a weather system, and it has a huge impact. Dense fog will reduce visibility and the accuracy of bomb delivery will be significantly reduced. At this time, do not accept precision strike missions. Change to escort or patrol for more stable returns. In addition, different mission modes have fixed requirements for the configuration of carrier-based aircraft. For example, anti-submarine missions must carry sonobuoys and depth bombs. If you hang ordinary aerial bombs in, the hit rate will be so low that you will doubt your life. In the attack preparation interface, confirm the mission target type and change the corresponding mount as soon as possible. This is the most easily overlooked detail for novices.
Let's talk about a numerical mechanism that few people pay attention to: the steering of the aircraft carrier will directly affect the departure direction of the aircraft. If your bow is facing the wind, and the wind direction is southeast, and you force takeoff against the wind, the departure acceleration will be slower, and the deck taxiing distance of a fully loaded bomber will be much longer. Before taking off, click to switch the perspective, take a look at the wind flag on the deck, and then adjust the course of the aircraft carrier so that the take-off direction is as close to the upwind direction as possible. You will find that the take-off becomes particularly smooth, and you can even hang an extra bomb. This is considered an advanced technique, but it has a significant positive impact on task completion rates.
Finally, let's talk about the small details in the game. After each sortie is completed, the fatigue level of the crew will increase. Although this value bar is not clearly provided in the game, the reaction time of the crew who sorties more than three times in a row will become longer. The specific manifestation is that after you give the takeoff command, the time from preparation to taxiing will be one or two seconds longer. Therefore, remember to let the first wave of crews rotate and rest between missions, and use the second batch to top up. This can maintain the continuous combat capability throughout the entire expedition. The damage to the deck of an aircraft carrier is permanent. After a tough battle, remember to return to port for repairs. Don't be stingy with the game coins. When the durability of the deck is low, the fault tolerance rate of each operation will decrease.
Players who want to get started should first master the basic operations, and don't rush to higher difficulty levels. The core fun of this game lies in the sense of control that "everything is in a hurry but everything is in order in the end". When you command a full aircraft carrier fleet to complete an all-weather combat mission for the first time, the sense of accomplishment is indeed extraordinary. Captains, see you on deck. 😎