Task Force Admiral · published · build 23043683
Note & credit: Action screenshots were provided by players on the game’s Discord - today featuring Chill, Supersigma69, Spicylol, munchlol and Foxman!
There we go, a new scenario! Along with important changes to game mechanics that were mentioned in the previous patch notes. Let's have a look at all this content, as Task Force Admiral gets richer - and harder too!
Regarding the new Long-Range Combat Air Patrol system, please refer to our previous patch notes below:
These are very much in trial, and you might not be super happy with the reactivity of the detached CAP just yet. We will try to have them intercept more targets earlier. Note that the local Task Force will not direct them towards radar contacts. They will only engage what they can visually target.
They are complemented by new Fighter Director (FDO) functions.
The new FDO mechanics ensure that now each intercept is more of a challenge. Bringing force concentration at the right point is not just about putting all aircraft on an intercept course 50 NMs away. Now you might need to optimize your placement considering aircraft more than 30-35NM away will be blind, as far as radar vectoring goes. Also, perhaps it won't work at all, or you will abuse it day one, but we need to know about that too, so don't hesitate to share your cheese.
Also, in other big news: damage inflicted to flight decks now will play a big role in determining if air ops are possible or not. Please report weird behaviors from the US & the Japanese side alike!
In theory, due to these new functions, quite a few of your usual scenarios might play very differently too, so don't hesitate to revisit them... You tell us!
The new scenario (in the Coral Sea tab) is, again, a reimagined encounter, which was much more of a close call than one might think. It is no piece of cake, as you will start in media res, understrength, and without your strike aircraft available.
A single event has made this battle possible and different from what happened historically. In reality, Takagi's Carrier Division 5 was supposed to deliver Zeroes to Rabaul on its way down south around the Solomon Islands. This simple piece of business went very wrong, and the Zeroes had to fly back to the carriers due to weather. This delay, along with refueling issues, meant that both Shokaku and Zuikaku weren't where they were supposed to be on the morning of May 4, as the Tulagi invasion group was conducting its landings without air cover outside of Kamikawa Maru's valiant Petes. This battle explores what would have happened had both sides realized that morning, in the air, that enemy carriers were nearby - without being prepared for the news. Yorktown's alpha strike is already airborne, at IP, so you will need to recover your aircraft before you can go on the offensive. Lexington is racing north. The enemy will have to recover from its own surprise and hunt you down.
We tried new victory conditions (they rely on the loss of the fleet carriers involved on both sides, and as they come in pairs, a draw is absolutely possible) and the scenario is nearly two days long - it will finish at 2200 hours the next day.
Obviously, Task Force Admiral is a work-in-progress, and a few new functions had to be implemented to make this scenario possible. As such, please pay particular attention to the following aspects, so as to provide us with useful feedback we might use next week to patch things up. In particular:
If Victory conditions work as expected
If CarDiv 5 and the Tulagi Invasion Force end up kissing islands while conducting operations
If the second day is useful at all (right now it runs all the way to the next day, 10 PM)
If Rabaul strikes do take place during the scenario
A few remarks:
This scenario rewards smart moves. You have time, but you don't have much space to maneuver, with Guadalcanal to the north.
Make good use of the LRCAP function, as Lexington could help earlier than you think.
Better to survive than to be greedy at all costs. Strategic objectives are built around your two carriers. Lose one, and you'll have to sink both Cranes to compensate.
Reminder about the modding discord here, where Matlock3462 will entertain you with his experiments (see screen above):
CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE BUORD DISCORD
And as you know Task Force Admiral also has its own server. For any in-depth, direct support for technical issues, please do pay our tech support section a visit.
CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE OFFICIAL TFA DISCORD
There we go. As you can see, obviously, our rhythm is what it is - it can be a bit on the slow side, but there is always somebody at the helm. Fear not, exciting stuff is still to come. Until then, thank you all for following us and supporting us in our journey, and please don't hesitate to share your experience, so as to allow us to work harder to improve it.
Cheers & take care!
The TFA Team