Radar Strength

[Leadfingers]

Is there a way to tell how much Radar strength a given hex has?

I'm playing Germany, and I want to make sure that I'm efficient with my radar coverage, but there's no way I can find to determine if a given hex has any coverage. So I'm kinda left with going overkill with radar.

Any advice?

 

[Oof]

you can only see the lvl of a radar station by clicking on the province. What most players do, is building a couple of radar stations at lvl 10 and you can pretty much see everything you need to see. In the case of Germany I use Emden, a province in Eastern-Prussia at the Soviet border and one in the Southern part of the captured part of Poland. I build the latter two stations because they don't only show the location of enemy forces but you can also see the infrastructure of provinces within range. Btw clicking on the infra tab probably gives you the best insight in the range of your stations.
The best way to build lvl 10 stations is by building 5 lvls in the province itself and 5 lvls at the same time through the production screen. This saves 50% on construction time.

 

[Leadfingers]

I don't see how that math works....

And how does the Infrastructure Tab show me radar strength in a hex?

the main reaseon Im asking about Radar strength is because I want all of Germany covered, so I can deter UK Bombers.

 

[Pugmak]

I don't see how that math works....

And how does the Infrastructure Tab show me radar strength in a hex?

the main reaseon Im asking about Radar strength is because I want all of Germany covered, so I can deter UK Bombers.

Yep. The other use for radar lol. Lots forget that. Not sure how much it does help though..

Iirc, a radar for use in air intercept work covers the province it is based in, and (not at all sure on this) its next door neighbor provinces.

I've never tried it, but have you checked the air tab on your map? Just guessing that it might show where you've got radars useful for intercepts.

 

[Oof]

You can only build one level at the time in a specific province. So when you wanna build a lvl 10 station in Emden, you click on the province and on the bottom left hand side of the screen the province info appears. Now press 5 times next to the radar icon and their production will be added to your queue in the production screen. Now go to the production screen, click on the radar tab and build another 5 lvls. They should be finished at the same time and the one in the province will be on the map straight away, while the other can be placed there manually.

Without radar you can only see the infra of provinces you or your Allies control. Or provinces that are controlled by other non aligned or enemy nations when they border to provinces you or your Allies control. When you start building radar, it will not only show enemy units behind the frontline, but alos the infra lvls. Once you have a vlv 10 station, in let’s say Gumbinnen East-Prussia, you can see what the infra is like all the way to Moscow. And in that way you can determine the range of your stations.

 

[Opanashc]

You can only build one level at the time in a specific province. So when you wanna build a lvl 10 station in Emden, you click on the province and on the bottom left hand side of the screen the province info appears. Now press 5 times next to the radar icon and their production will be added to your queue in the production screen. Now go to the production screen, click on the radar tab and build another 5 lvls. They should be finished at the same time and the one in the province will be on the map straight away, while the other can be placed there manually.

Or, you can dial up 10 parallel radar builds from production screen, and plop them all into the province as they finish. Only airbases and ports cannot have this - for exploitation purposes.

 

[Secret Master]

Or, you can dial up 10 parallel radar builds from production screen, and plop them all into the province as they finish. Only airbases and ports cannot have this - for exploitation purposes.

Yep. It's really useful to do this. It's what the pro's do.

 

[Oof]

Too gamey for me

 

[Secret Master]

Too gamey for me

Normally, I would agree.

But I find it odd that I can't just build a huge RADAR facility in one place at one time. There is a tech that regulates how awesome your RADAR is, but I should be able to plant a small or huge RADAR facility at one time in a place (if I have the IC). It's not like dredging a larger port.

 

[misterbean]

The "other" use of radar involves the following.

There are 2 fighter-type aerial missions. Air Superiority, where you order your fighters to stay over their target area constantly, and Air Intercept, where they stay on the ground and scramble once the enemy bombers have been detected. This last mission is kind of useless without radar, because the bombers will have dropped their bombs before you can get airborne. With radar coverage (and, yes, it works on the province it is located and all adjacent provinces), your fighters get airborne faster, meaning less devestation.

 

[Oof]

There are 2 fighter-type aerial missions. Air Superiority, where you order your fighters to stay over their target area constantly, and Air Intercept, where they stay on the ground and scramble once the enemy bombers have been detected. This last mission is kind of useless without radar, because the bombers will have dropped their bombs before you can get airborne. With radar coverage (and, yes, it works on the province it is located and all adjacent provinces), your fighters get airborne faster, meaning less devestation.

I usually don’t bother building radar in the major German cities. For German air defense I have three INT units covering the skies of Germany and main land Europe. Besides the fact that the AI usually bombs the usual targets, yes now I’m being gamey, it also attacks one location multiple times in a row. So once you have a INT on air superiority over a city, you’re in the clear for a while. The question really is what is the cheapest and most effective solution? IMHO all those 2 lvl radar station are too expensive and in the end they still don’t stop the bombing and the loss of IC. Yes INT might be more effective with radar, but even without radar they do enough damage in one defensive action to stop the RAF for about a month. You’d get the same result with radar….

 

[misterbean]

One more thing I forgot to mention. Radar helps you find fleets as well. So if you're playing UK in a game of hide-and-seek with German subs, there are worse things to spend your IC on.

@Oof: I know, I was just being complete.

 

[Oof]

One more thing I forgot to mention. Radar helps you find fleets as well. So if you're playing UK in a game of hide-and-seek with German subs, there are worse things to spend your IC on.

Best thing ever and not just against subs, but also against the KM surface fleet. So you can avoid those embarrassing moments where you dispatch some DD to attack BB with escorts. BTW As the UK I try to build lvl 10 radar stations before the war begins in Singapore, Alexandria, Malta, Gibraltar, Penzance, Dover and the Scottish most Northern province that borders to two sea provinces…I lalways forget it’s name.
Optional is the Northern Irish province in the west, forgot it’s name. If I build one there, depends on how things evolve. But it does gives a player a complete picture of what’s happening since most subs are deployed from Wilhelmshaven and take the Northern route to the Gulf of Biscay. The amount of radar stations is also the reason why I don’t build a lvl 10 station in one go.

@Oof: I know, I was just being complete.

No worries I was just adding my “the difference between theory and practice” rule...which is different for every player BTW I still love these discussions, cause most of the time you learn something new or you rethink your strategy and if it still works.

 

[Kovax]

As for "gamey" moves, building up radar in Leipzig and Dortmund as Germany gives your defending INT a nice bonus, since those are the two provinces most likely to be Strat-bombed (unless you increase their AA defenses). I've also tried building an airfield in each of those two provinces and basing the defenders there, which virtually guarantees a successful intercept.

 

[Oof]

Must admit that the cheap, fast and gamey solution is to build up AA to lvl 4-5 in most cities and keep one city with an airfield at the original AA lvl. But that would be very gamey and of course I’ve never done that

BTW IN my current game in HPP I finally got an 8th Air force that can bomb at will anywhere in Germany by daylight. I don’t know if it’s HPP, cause I was never able to do daylight bombing in vanilla, but the results are punishing for the Germans. After one or two day attacks 3-4 IC are destroyed with only 3 strategic bombers. I only just started the bombing campaign, but at this rate I can level German IC in one month…especially when the second unit of 3 strategic bombers is ready. Unless the AI responds and does what historically happened and withdraw planes from the Eastern front.
Does anyone have any experience with daylight bombing in vanilla? I love to hear your experiences to compare?

 

[Forster]

Normally, I would agree.

But I find it odd that I can't just build a huge RADAR facility in one place at one time. There is a tech that regulates how awesome your RADAR is, but I should be able to plant a small or huge RADAR facility at one time in a place (if I have the IC). It's not like dredging a larger port.

Same with airfields. It should not take anywhere near as long to build a level 5 or 6 air field as it does in the game, never mind a full 10 level field. All of them ought to be able to be built within a year, and the lower level ones within a month or two.

 

[Oof]

Same with airfields. It should not take anywhere near as long to build a level 5 or 6 air field as it does in the game, never mind a full 10 level field. All of them ought to be able to be built within a year, and the lower level ones within a month or two.

I almost completely agree. The only thing that could have an impact on the time to build a lvl 10 airfield, radar station, fortification or port, could be terrain and the logistics involved to construct an installation in that location. I.e. constructing a lvl 10 airfield in Mandalay (Inida) would take a lot longer then when you construct one in Penzance (UK).

 

[KyrionMyrthar]

Must admit that the cheap, fast and gamey solution is to build up AA to lvl 4-5 in most cities and keep one city with an airfield at the original AA lvl. But that would be very gamey and of course I’ve never done that

BTW IN my current game in HPP I finally got an 8th Air force that can bomb at will anywhere in Germany by daylight. I don’t know if it’s HPP, cause I was never able to do daylight bombing in vanilla, but the results are punishing for the Germans. After one or two day attacks 3-4 IC are destroyed with only 3 strategic bombers. I only just started the bombing campaign, but at this rate I can level German IC in one month…especially when the second unit of 3 strategic bombers is ready. Unless the AI responds and does what historically happened and withdraw planes from the Eastern front.
Does anyone have any experience with daylight bombing in vanilla? I love to hear your experiences to compare?

In vanilla TFH last week, I had three up-to-date USA heavy bombers doing 7-9 damage to IC every raid in daylight in '43. That was wild to see, as I pretty much leveled all the main German industry in about twenty days. By the time '44 came around, I had five sets of the bombing wings pretty much bombing Germany into the dark ages.

I've seen similar results in HPP. STRATS are expensive, but for a country who can afford to invest, it's pretty much doom for their opponents.

 

[KyrionMyrthar]

As to radar, with the USA, I always build a few: the Cape Cod province, whatever it's named (I always forget), Honolulu, Colon, Puerto Rico, Seattle, San Frnacisco, and San Diego. Yes, I know I don't need most of them, but I do it for historical purposes. I won't do the massive upgrades to Guam/Wake/Midway/Johnston Island that usually tempt me, since they pretty much win the game right there.

Folks new to the USA should try it, though: max out Infra, airfields, and ports, and once radar is online in '39, slow-build (one at a time) radars on Wake and Guam to level 10. Research provincial AA to current year, and have level 5-10 AA on the islands, too. Put in level 5 coastal forts, too, and man with a few divisions, and watch Japan beat its head against the wall. In vanilla, I usually go with GAR/GAR/AA/ART divisions in the Pacific, anyway, for defense. Two-three of those will see Japanese CAG lose ORG when coupled with provincial AA, and with INT and/or MR based locally with intercept missions, it's too easy.

Add in a few 2xNAV air wings patrolling the coastal waters, and Japan will lose its main fleet by mid-'42, if you use your fleet properly.

 

[Oof]

In vanilla TFH last week, I had three up-to-date USA heavy bombers doing 7-9 damage to IC every raid in daylight in '43. That was wild to see, as I pretty much leveled all the main German industry in about twenty days. By the time '44 came around, I had five sets of the bombing wings pretty much bombing Germany into the dark ages.

I've seen similar results in HPP. STRATS are expensive, but for a country who can afford to invest, it's pretty much doom for their opponents.

Yeah, I've not really been that interested in STRT because of the cost and micromanagement they need. But hey are pretty effective. The downside is though, that when you start effective bombing in 1942/43, it will probalby win the USSR the war with a commie Europe since the USA doenst have the army to invade mainland Europe till late 43 early 44