Japanese Aircraft Carriers
Several people have sent emails asking me to write up a quick guide on Japanese aircraft carriers. For the sake of being thorough, I'll attempt to write the most complete guide possible for both Japanese carrier routes. I created a Japanese CV bridge officer at level 12 and have taken him all the way to level 75 over the course of seven months and 3000+ games. I've picked up a few tricks along the way, and maybe reading this guide will help you avoid some of the things I had to learn the hard way.
Before you start on the CV ship tree...
Playing a CV is unlike any other ship available in Navy Field. You usually have little or no gun weaponry, no armor, and poor speed. The only defense you have is range, which means that you should try to put as much distance between you and your opponents while still staying close enough so that you aircraft can reach important targets without running out of fuel. Having good escorts is a tremendous benefit, especially if they have AA guns for your own protection. You should put a good amount of bulge armor on your CV so you can take a handful of torpedo hits and still operate. Be aware the current CV experience gain is about 20% of what your BB friends will make at the same levels against the same targets, but you will make more money.
You should also be aware that playing a CV comes with a certain stigma perpetuated by players who don't understand CV's and would like to pretend that your class of ship is easier to play instead of facing their own inadequacies. The fact is that a CV can be very easily neutralized by one or two ships that have effective AA guns, and that there is a wide variety of ways to dodge your bombs - if your bombers make it through the waves of enemy fighters. Regardless, many players will still adhere to the old falsehood and you might catch some flak for it. In all fairness, your attempts to keep distance between you and the enemy will mean you are usually in close proximity to the borders of the map and can easily retreat if the game doesn't go your way. Some CV's take this option when their planes are gone or if they are boxed in with no way to defend themselves, and it frustrates other players. Its up to you whether you want to perpetuate the anti-CV bias by retreating or stay to the end and fight it out.
The CV has two very important stats: they are "Aircraft Loading Capacity" and "Number of Aircraft Take Off". Because this butchers the English language, we'll call them "Hanger Space" and "Launch Capability" respectively. Your hanger space determines how many aircraft you can fit on your carrier, and your launch capability is how many you can prepare and launch at one time. You can find these stats in the shipyard when checking your ship's information by clicking the "New" button. They are highlighted by a yellow box in this picture...
(click image for larger size)
Each pilot can lead a wave of planes, so the more pilots you have on your ship the more waves of planes you can launch. Your pilots go in your aircraft carrier's support slots, and only pilots in those support slots can lead flights of planes. Any pilots in the R or T slots are only along for the ride. Because of this, the number of support slots a particular CV has is extremely important. The support slots can be found next to your ship on the dock, as show in the highlighted area of this screenshot...
(click image for larger size)
Aircraft carriers can hold one type of each class of plane. For example: Even with a level 60 fighter pilot that can fly both the A5M2 "Claude" and A6M2 "Zero", you can only equip one of those types of aircraft on your CV. You will see the slots of each of the four types of planes on the flight deck of your CV. Next to each red circle is an icon that denotes what class of plane belongs in that slot. The icons are as follows...
| Scout | Fighter | Dive Bomber | Torpedo Bomber |
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To equip a type of aircraft into it's class slot, just click on the red circle next to the appropriate icon and the menu should appear. Here are two screenshots illustrating what I'm talking about...
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(click images for larger size)
Each aircraft has a "Space" value (pictured in the screenshot above), which is the amount of hanger space each plane takes up. For example, if a fighter plane has a space of 100 and your carrier has a hanger space of 800, you can hold a maximum of eight of those fighters. For easy reference there is a indicator called "Aircraft Space" at the bottom of the Armament Status menu next to the Reload button.
Fighters and Scouts don't need to be armed manually, but dive-bombers and torpedo bombers do. If you have either on board your CV you'll see that option under the Armament Status menu. The "A" button will allow you to easily switch between types of aircraft in that class, and the "B" button will allow you to choose what kind of bombs you want those planes to carry. Here's a close-up view of that menu...
By clicking either "B" buttons you'll bring up a menu that will let you pick your bomber's payload. Most payload options can vary from bomber to bomber, so you might want to browse around until you find the setup that works before for you. Also, you should consider your target when deciding what bombs to bring along. The AP bombs are good for penetrating deck armor of battleships and heavy cruisers, but do less HE damage that would otherwise hurt an un-armored target. As a general rule I always take HE bombs. The torpedo selection isn't that diverse, and its generally better to take the torpedo that does the most damage.
You must also pick how many bombs you want to bring, and each CV has a maximum number of bombs and torpedoes it can equip in its magazine. Both fall under the "Torpedo Space" indicator in the Armament Status menu as seen above. Here's a sample of what the bomb and torpedo menu will look like when you click the "B" button...
(click image for larger size)
The rest of the ships equipment is up to you and depends on the type of carrier you're using. Personally I don't put many guns on my CV's if at all, instead opting for my two level 75 restorers so I can get more soft defense. You should always try to buy the biggest engine so you can dart around the map when you need to, and I prefer the "Finger" version of the FCS so I get earlier warning for incoming enemy torpedoes and planes. The amount of armor I put on also varies from CV to CV but I try to keep a respectable amount of bulge and some deck armor. Once you've selected the types and how many planes to bring along and you've armed them its time to exit the shipyard and get ready for combat.
The battle areas is where all your equipment choices, crew, and skill as a CV user will be put to the test. Each room can hold a maximum of only 6 aircraft carriers, so the first thing you want to do is size up your enemies before the game begins and develop a strategy accordingly. If you feel you're completely out-matched it might be best to either hide on the map edges or withdraw from the battle before it begins. Any CV that stays in the game will be a priority target for every ship in the opposing fleet, and don't think a small destroyer or frigate won't gladly risk his life trying to break through your lines trying to get at you - even if it means he dies. The range between you and the enemy is usually your only defense, and if that's lost then you're as good as dead or will be forced to retreat. Either way, it will be a major blow to your team.
When the battle begins you'll see an interface in the bottom center of your screen that looks like this...
That is the control panel for all of the aircraft on your ship. It displays all the vital information you need about the aircraft you have on board your ship, as well as how many you can prepare, how many you have left in your hanger, and the their basic stats. On top of that panel you should see a few different gauges with little pedals on their lower left hand side; those are your aircraft buttons. There will be one for each pilot you have in your support slots and in the order that you placed them. To select a pilot just click on the little pedal on the bottom left hand side of the gauge and his personal menu will show up. If that pilot is available to lead a flight of planes, he'll have a "Ready" button on the bottom right side of the menu as seen above. If he is already leading a wave of planes, he will have a button that says "BK HOME" (or "Back Home") and you can use the "Find" button to center your screen on his position.
To prepare a wave of aircraft pick an available pilot, then use the light blue up and down arrows (as seen above) to choose how many planes you want to ready for take-off. You can only prepare as many planes as your CV's "Launch Capability" will allow. That number is also on display on the menu seen above under "Flight Deck". As you can see, I can prepare up to seven A6M2b Model 21 "Zero" type fighters.
Once you've chosen how many planes to prepare hit the "Ready" button and the gauge will start winding down like a clock until it has turned green and your planes are ready for launch. Here what those three gauges will look like...
| Idle | Preparing | Ready |
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Each aircraft has a different ready time, and the more aircraft in a wave the longer that wave will take to prepare. The good thing is that the time it takes to prepare a wave of planes doesn't stack, so while it might take one flight of 4 fighters with a 10 second prepare time 40 seconds to prepare, it will only take 20 seconds if I split them up into two waves of two fighters each. Unfortunately that means I need to use up two of my pilots, since one will be needed to lead each wave, but if I need to launch fighters in a hurry its the best way.
Once your planes are ready for take-off you can press the green button on your gauge and that flight will launch from your carrier. Until you've picked a destination or a target for them, they will circle your carrier until they run out of fuel. To control them, hit the number key on your keyboard that corresponds to their place in the order of gauges. For instance, if the flight you launched is the third gauge from the left, then you can select that flight of planes by hitting the "3" key on your keyboard. To quickly find them, hit the "3" key twice in a row and your screen should shift to their position on the map. You will also know which flight you selected because their icons will have switched from a green circle with a number next to them, to a more detailed summary. For example, look at the two fighters I have selected in the screenshot below...
As you can see I've chosen wave 1 which consists of two fighters, and I've chosen a location for them to go to by right-clicking my mouse button where the little "1" appears on the map. They will move to that position and orbit there until they run out of fuel or I send them somewhere else. As fighters they will automatically attack any enemy planes that pass nearby. Note the "0" under each fighter which means they carry no payload (bombs or torpedoes).
You prepare dive-bombers and torpedo bombers the same as you do fighters, and their payload is automatically loaded when they are prepared. Using them is very different than using fighters though. Dive-bombers must weave their way through the hordes of enemy AA and fighters - not an easy task - and when they get there they have to get in a prime position to attack. To drop bombs on a target a dive-bomber needs to get directly over it's prey and the you have to right click on the target ship so they know to drop bombs on it. The first click will set the ship as the target, and clicking it again while the bombers are in their dive will have them release their payload. General practice is to get near the target, then right click on it furiously until the bombs are away. You'll know which ship is targeted because a set or cross-hairs will appear under it...
...get over the target, right click furiously, and bombs away!
To some it sounds pretty easy, but in practice it can be very hard. Going after a BB or CA with a halfway competent driver will mean the loss of a third of your planes if not the whole flight. Most ships, even without AA guns, can tear up your bombers as they make their drop because of their AAW rating. Many ships always know how to weave the right way and at the right times, causing you to miss the target entirely. Also, the "Operating" ability of your target's BO will compare to the "Bomber" ability of your bomber pilot - and that will cause some bombs to miss even stationary targets. Take note of the screenshots above, and how the bombers have a "1" under each bomber that are still loaded with bombs, and a "0" under those that have already dropped their bombs.
The Japanese CV ship line splits between the Shokaku and Kaga routes. The Kaga route is easier in the beginning because you can upgrade from the Oyodo to the Hosho at level 46, but the Shokaku route has better carriers - if you can wait until level 60 to get your first flat top. Even so, the quality gap is never that large, but it's biggest between the 72 - 85 levels - a period that you will spend a lot of time grinding in. The best line carrier is the Shokaku without a doubt, but both lines converge on the Shinano, a very capable CV built on the hull of a Yamato class battleship.
I have bridge officers on both routes, both level 75 or better.
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The Pilots
In terms of skill (growth and ability), the Japanese fighter pilots tie the British for last place, but they seem to make up for it with high quality interceptor planes such as the A6M2 Zero. When pitted against well trained American and German pilots the Japanese are at a disadvantage, but even with a slight ability disparity the fight usually goes to whoever has the most experts and veterans. Superior tactics also contribute a great deal, but I will go into that in another guide. For an in-depth comparison of fighters, check out my guide here.
The Japanese have a skill advantage in their "Bomber" ability, and that helps with getting hit on high level warships, but Japans bombs are sub-par to German and American weapons. Japanese torpedo bombers are on average with German and Americans, but the British retain the lead in this area in both weapon damage and aircraft durability. In depth comparisons are in the works, and you'll find them posted on my website when they're done.
The Planes
Of course a fighter pilot is only as good as the plane he's flying, and visa-versa. For what Japan lacks in pilot skill it makes up for in aircraft quality, at least enough to stay competitive. Fortunately the Japanese are usually able to put one additional plane in the air when going against German and American CV's at their level. The Americans have much more hanger space, but the Germans and British have noticeably less.
The level 60 Japanese Zero is a worthy contender for any enemy plane except the German Bf-109, which is slower but packs a greater punch. The best tactic is to avoid being shot, and to bait the enemy fighters into a situation where they are out-numbered and possibly low on fuel. That way even if both sides have to retreat in a draw, your planes will make it back to the carrier and the enemy's won't. You also have the option of having your planes "hit the deck" over friendly ships so their AAW can tear up the enemy fighters due to their low altitude. This should be done as a last resort. Again, a comparison of fighters can be found here.
Japanese dive-bombers are less durable than the other three nations, and the Germans and Americans carry better bombs, but the Japanese dive-bombers are slightly faster and you get them a little earlier. They totally out-class the British, so at least they're not in last place. The best news still comes in the form of launch capability, where the presence of one additional bomber can mean killing the target or not.
