FEBRUARY 2025 DEMO

A STARTER’S GUIDE (1 ed.)

st
FOREWORD
Thank you for giving our Demo a try! Remember that this is merely the Demo version
of a Beta version… Issues are expected and reporting them (via the automated crash
report system, or on Discord, Reddit or Steam) will be much appreciated.

As an instrument to promote the on-going Kickstarter campaign, this demo will be

regularly updated with fixes and possibly new functions. Stay informed by following us on
our social platforms and other channels.

This manual will be updated regularly and include any new functions added to the
Demo, or clarification needed based on feedback. Feel free to re-open it regularly directly
from the link found in our main menu screen!

Enjoy!

The TFA Team

Contents
The Step-by-step Phases of a Classic Carrier vs. Carrier Engagement...................................... 3
1. Welcome Aboard : the Stations & the View System ............................................. 3
A. Stations............................................................................................................5
B. Views ...............................................................................................................8
2. Bluejacket Homework: your Machines & your Men ............................................ 12
A. Your Ships ..................................................................................................... 12
B. Your Aircraft ................................................................................................... 20
3. Intel: Getting Acquainted with the Enemy .......................................................... 22
4. Opening Moves: Manoeuvering to Attack at Dawn............................................. 27
5. Scouting: Searching and Pinpointing the Enemy ............................................... 29
6. Laying the trap: Launching a Combat Air Patrol (CAP) ...................................... 36
7. Planning and Launching your First Strike........................................................... 40
8. Bracing for Impact : Pain & Consequences ........................................................ 43
9. Battle Assessment : Withdrawal or Pursuit ?...................................................... 45

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 The Step-by-step Phases of a
Classic Carrier vs. Carrier Engagement

A classic carrier battle unfolds through several key phases, each crucial to gaining and
maintaining an advantage over the enemy. The Demo in Task Force Admiral will allow
you to tackle each of these phases with different levels of control, with a deeper experience
in the final game.

Note: a certain number of lesser functions will be omitted from this quick peek. They
will be thoroughly detailed when time comes in the actual manual provided with the game.

1. Welcome Aboard : the Stations & the View System

Before we head into battle, it is important to get rid of the interface-related matters so
as to make you more familiar with your tools.

There are two kinds of points of view (PoVs) for the player in Task Force Admiral :

- COMMAND STATIONS : a series of static screens « inside » which allow you to

survey your forces and give them commands.

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 - EXTERNAL VIEWS : dynamic PoVs « outside » allowing you to move the
camera around the 3D world.

First of all, notice the TOOLBAR at your disposal in the top left corner of your screen,
which allows you to jump between various COMMAND STATIONS and EXTERNAL
VIEWS. “Toggle” icons can be double-clicked to access specific substations (Note: we
will probably add new icons later on but until then, this will do, hope you don’t
mind!).

BINOCS/BRIDGE
VIEW [NUMPAD 8]

Toggle MISSIONS [F8]

SQUADRONS [F8] * 2
Toggle FLIGHT DECK [F7]
DECK TIMELINE [F7] * 2

DEFENSIVE AIR OPS [F5]

FLEET PLOT STATION [F3]

3D WORLD VIEW [ENTER]

STRATEGIC MAP [F2]

The toolbar is always visible, along with other elements, unless you use
[TAB] to HIDE ALL interface modules, including the mouse cursor.
Panels on both sides can be expanded/collapsing by clicking the
corresponding sign or hitting the relevant key [RETURN] and [HOME].

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 A. Stations

Besides the selective access offered by the TOOLBAR, all the stations can also be
reached using the [Function Keys] in pure 1990-esque fashion.

Toggle Toggle

DEFENSIVE
FLAG AIR OPS [F5]
PLOT [F1]

FIGHTER DIRECTION [F6]

STRATEGIC
MAP [F2]
AIRCRAFT ROSTER [F7]
DECK TIMELINE [F7] * 2
FLEET PLOT [F3]

FORMATION EDITOR [F4] MISSIONS [F8]

SQUADRONS [F8] * 2

a) The STRATEGIC MAP which will give you a 2D vision of the strategic situation,
also accessible via [F2] or via the button in the menu. This station allows you to survey
the overall picture, plan for the next move and give a several orders to your forces,
such as setting their heading, their speed, amending their composition or preparing air
missions. Note that you can also consult weather and wind information too.

b) The FLEET PLOT STATION: the Maneuver Board or FLEET PLOT includes the
following sub-stations:

- The FLEET INFORMATION SCREEN [F3] provides you all the info regarding the
current status of each of your active FLEETS.
- The FORMATION EDITOR SCREEN [F4] allows you to change the formation of
your active FLEETS.
- The DEFENSIVE AIR OPS [F5] allows you to assign Combat Air Patrol missions.

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 - The FIGHTER DIRECTION SCREEN [F6] lets you survey air defense in real time
and assign targets to your Combat Air Patrol airborne.

These substations can also be swapped through the station’s own interface with a mere
mouse click.

FLEET PLOT [F3] [F4] [F5] [F6]

c) The AIR PLOT STATION: the AIR PLOT includes the following sub-stations, which
will be displayed as an overlay above your current view (and as such can be displayed
in the external view too, unlike the FLEET PLOT substations which will occupy the
whole space and preclude access to the view system) :

- The AIRCRAFT ROSTER SCREEN [F7] provides you all the info regarding the
current location of your aircraft on your flight deck and hangar deck, allowing to
follow the process of spotting and re-spotting in real-time.
- The DECK TIMELINE SCREEN [DOUBLE F7] gives you an idea of what is about
to happen on the flight deck in the next hours by listing the missions being
prepared, and the missions expected to return, along with their timing.
- The MISSION ROSTER SCREEN [F8] allows you to have a clear picture of the air
missions ordered so far, and allows you to access the combat reports once they
are ready.

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 - The SQUADRON ROSTER SCREEN [DOUBLE F8] allows you to inspect the
statistics of your air groups aboard each carrier. Note: a lot of these functions
are still work in progress and might not be activated. They will gradually be
brought online during the beta process.

These substations can also be swapped through the station’s own interface with a mere
mouse click.

AIR PLOT [F7] [F8]

In addition to your toolbar, you will have noticed that you begin in the FLAGPLOT,
your command post aboard your flagship, which is your default view every time you load
a scenario. Designed along the lines of a 1990s interface, the FLAGPLOT is an interactive
hub that allows you to click directly on some of the stations. You can return to it anytime
using the [F1] key. Note that future versions of the game will make better use of its
possibilities in terms of interaction, along with the appearance of the future
intel/radio stations.

FLAG PLOT [F1]

STRATEGIC MAP [F2] 1

FLEET PLOT
2 [F3] [F4] [F5] [F6]

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 B. Views

Whenever you are not looking at a piece of furniture or a blackboard, we want you to
be able to experience the full visual fury of getting wrong and bombed aboard your ship.
As such, you are allowed to access a number of views an historical commander could
hardly dream of. Note: enjoy that while it lasts. We could only settle for one level of
difficulty for the Demo, but in the future, we will let you customize your suffering
with limited access to views!

a) The WORLD 3D VIEW is an orbit-based view of any vehicle accessible in the world.
It can be toggled on and off at all times through the corresponding icon on the
TOOLBAR or by hitting [ENTER]. To switch between units, select them on the
ORDER OF BATTLE PANEL on the left of your screen, or use the shortcuts [PGUP]
and [PGDN].

b) The BINOCULAR/BRIDGE VIEW is a first person view of the unit currently selected
on the ORDER OF BATTLE PANEL on the left of your screen. The keyboard shortcut
is the [ 8 ] (up) key, which will bring you at the forefront of the selected unit (the bridge
if it is a ship, the engine cowling if it is an aircraft)

Note: when in World 3D view, you can always directly

[DOUBLE MOUSE LEFT CLICK]
on any unit in sight to center the orbit camera on it, including enemy units!

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To move around in these two view modes, feel free to use the following keys, along
with your numpad :

- [WASD] to move the camera around like in a first-person

shooter (forward, backward, sidesteps). To move more slowly,
you can use [SHIFT] + [WASD] ;

- [R] and [F] to change the elevation point ;

- [RIGHT MOUSE BUTTON] to turn around ;

- [MOUSEWHEEL] to change the zoom level ;

The Numpad controls allow

you to jump to some pre-
determined camera spots.

[WASD] & [SHIFT] +

[WASD] then can be used
to move around, allowing
you possibly to “walk” on a
ship if it is the kind of effect
you are looking for.

Note: increasing or
decreasing the field of
view will sometimes
result in some conflicts
as the LOD (the simplified
3D models based on view
distance) will not switch
like they would do with
mere zoom.

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3) The TACTICAL VIEW is accessible at all times by using [ SPACE ] as a toggle. It
provides you with a 3D simplified view of the battlefield, allowing you to more easily
find your forces or follow the action, not unlike the “sensors” view in the Homeworld
series or its equivalent in Nebulous: Fleet Command, for instance.

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 Choosing an INDIVIDUAL UNIT, a GROUP or a DIVISION in the ORDER OF
BATTLE PANEL will center the view’s camera on it, and will light the unit in a lighter
color (usually gold). In this mode, Friendly units are blue, Enemy units are red, and
unidentified units are orange-yellow.

Right clicking on an individual unit or group of units on the map will allow you to
assume TACTICAL COMMAND. It means that this unit or formation will be temporarily
detached from its mother formation to maneuver according to the turn instructions you
will give in tactical mode.

Note: this will be your primary interface for future surface combat action –
which is not implemented in the demo yet.

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2. Bluejacket Homework: your Machines & your Men

Although a 1942-era carrier flag officer serving in the US Navy (USN) would be rather
knowledgeable about his own ships and aircraft at that point, perhaps you’re not just yet.
Whether you are discovering all this or need a small update, here is a short summary of
the forces you have at your disposal as the eponymous Task Force Admiral in the scenario
provided with the Demo. Thank you for your kind attention!

A. Your Ships

You are in charge of a composite Task Force made of the fusion of Task Force 11 and
Task Force 17, placed under the overall command of Vice Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher
(that’s who you are, basically). A Task Force is made of several subdivisions. These are
as follows, from the smaller unit to the larger one:

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 1. Individual ships

Individual ships belong to a class. Classes belong to a type/category. You might be

already familiar with these, but in any case, here they are for the sake of this scenario:

a) Aircraft carriers (CV) are the most important ships in your fleet, and are tasked
with operating strike and fighter aircraft. By May 1942, their anti-air defense has been
considerably reinforced in face of the threat made apparent by Pearl Harbor, the loss of
HMS Prince of Wales & HMS Repulse off Malaya and other painful episodes for the Allied
side at the hands of Japanese naval aviation. The two CVs at your disposal are USS
Yorktown (CV-5) and USS Lexington (CV-2). Historically, Lexington was sunk and
Yorktown moderately damaged during this engagement, in exchange for heavy damage
inflicted to Japanese carrier Shokaku and severe depletion of the Japanese air groups
involved.

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 USS Lexington (“Lady Lex”) was the first real fleet carrier of the US Navy, built upon
a battlecruiser hull along with her sister ship USS Saratoga (CV-3). She is long (actually
the longest warship in the world in 1942) and as such clumsy in a turn, and lacks a few
innovations which makes her more vulnerable than her younger sisters – chiefly open
hangars on the sides and a third elevator. Still, she packs a punch and she can sustain
quite the amount of damage. She has recently traded her big 8-inch cruiser battery for a
collection of 1.1” (28mm) rapid fire “chicago pianos” and was reinforced with dozens of
lighter 20mm and .50” (12.7mm) single mounts. As such she is along with Yorktown the
most lethal anti-air platform available in your force.

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 USS Yorktown, commissioned nearly a decade later, is the lead ship of her class, and
along with sister ships USS Enterprise (CV-6) and Hornet (CV-8) the most advanced
carrier type in service in the US Navy at that time, and the blueprint for the next generation
of American fleet carriers known as the Essex class, at that time under construction. She
has everything a modern carrier could ask for: resilience, speed, endurance, aircraft
capacity, viable anti-aircraft protection. Take good care of her, and like her historical self,
she will serve your virtual Navy to the very end.

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b) Heavy Cruisers (CA) are the meat of the surface force. They will provide anti-air
and anti-ship protection to your carriers. They are usually armed with 8-inch (203mm) guns
and a large array of light and medium anti-air mounts.

c) Destroyers (DD) are the shepherds of the fleet. They do everything everybody
else is too big/too slow to accomplish. From anti-submarine duty to rescue missions, the
“tin-can sailors” are the ones you are calling whenever you need something done.
Although submarine and rescue missions are not part of the Demo, your DDs will certainly
be kept busy. When placed in an anti-air ring formation around the carrier, they contribute
to anti-air defense, their 5” (127mm) main batteries playing a dual-purpose role engaging
the enemy aircraft at range. They are also useful to disrupt torpedo runs as they zero in
on your carriers.
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 2. Divisions, Task Groups and Task Forces

Individual ships are regrouped in DIVISIONS (in US Navy 1942 lingo known as Task
Units, or T.U.). DIVISIONS are usually made of ships of the same category (i.e. destroyers,
or cruisers, or carriers) so as to maneuver as a tactical force. As such, you are not allowed
to mix ship types when reorganizing/splitting/merging divisions, although ship classes of
a given category (i.e. different destroyer types) can co-exist.

On the other hand, GROUPS known as Task Groups (T.G.) are a larger force which
can contain divisions/task units of different categories. They are organized so as to be
easily detachable from the last and highest level, as FLEETS, or Task Forces (T.F.).

All your ships for the scenario can be seen on the ORDER OF BATTLE PANEL on
the left of your screen. Stars on the silhouettes denote the flagship for each levels of
command: one star for a division flagship, two stars for a group flagship, three stars for a
fleet (Task Force) flagship.

Task Forces can be reorganized, split and merged into DIVISIONS, GROUPS or
FLEETS by accessing the STRATEGIC MAP on [F2] or by clicking on the corresponding
button on the top left, and right-clicking the corresponding FLEET icon to open the

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dialogue box. Select, drag and drop the formations or the ships in the next column and
edit names whenever the mouse cursor turns into a pencil icon.

Your current formation can be inspected on the maneuver board of the FLEET PLOT
STATION whose default view is the FLEET INFORMATION SCREEN by using [F3] on
your keyboard or clicking the corresponding icon in the top left.

Making good use of your screen assets will prove useful in the future. Although Task
Force 17 is already optimally deployed, you might have a different opinion of who should
go where, especially later in the battle. To modify the formation of your FLEET, access
the FORMATION EDITOR SCREEN by using [F4] or click on the corresponding button in
the Fleet Plot user interface. Like in the merge/split interface, select, drag and drop the
DIVISIONS at will to reorganize your formation, and use the range circles so as to make
it look clean. You can also right click the formations so as to make them adopt a tactical
pre-set (such as putting them in a column formation). Please note that the DIVISION of

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the flagship (your ship) cannot be moved away from the center of the formation. Don’t
forget to validate and save your formation. The orders will be disseminated immediately,
but execution might require some time, so it is a job better done outside of a Task Force’s
busy hours.

If you return to the Fleet Information screen after giving new formation orders, you
will notice that the ships now have a “ghost” position in the screen. This is their new
assigned station. The “full” silhouettes will now move towards these stations so as to keep
formation as instructed.

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 B. Your Aircraft

On paper, the basic 1942-era American air group is outdated and outperformed by
your opponent’s, especially in terms of range and speed. Yet, history has shown that the
right amount of skill and fighting ended up making these comparably less flattering but
more rugged designs enter the pantheon of naval aviation, living forever as the pillars of
American naval aviation’s finest hour. Besides the hidden qualities of the airplanes, this
performance was the result of a very proficient cadre of pre-war pilots, whose training and
talent was put to the test during the first months of 1942 to great success against a foe
initially deemed superior in experience and skill.

a. The Grumman F4F-3 “Wildcat” is a cute flying barrel which, on paper, should be
a rather average, if not mediocre platform for its category. Yet, it maintained seemingly
against all odds a positive winning rate when facing the famed Japanese Zero throughout
1942, especially when operating from carriers. The secret of its surprising sauce lies in its
unmatched durability and adequate firepower, with a lethal battery of 4 x .50” cal
machinegun which will tear apart Japanese airframes like it’s yesterday. Of all its
weaknesses though, the most hidden and dramatic one remains the absence of folding
wings, which along with outdated tactics meant that early-war fighter groups were limited
to a meager 18 or so airframes. Although corrected in the next variant, the newer F4F-4
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haven’t been delivered to Yorktown and Lexington yet in May 1942. These insufficient
numbers mean that you will always be short-handed when it comes to assuming the two
missions of the fighter squadrons (VF) at the same time: protecting the bombers and
protecting the fleet. Get good at praying for one or another, you’ll need it on May 8.

b. The Douglas SBD “Dauntless” scout dive-bomber is your main damage dealer.
Later colloquially nicknamed “Slow-But-Deadly” based on its exploits in 1942, it quite
simply inflicted 100% of all damages suffered by Japanese aircraft carriers throughout
1942 and won Midway for the US Navy. You have them in good numbers, split between a
Scouting squadron (VS) and a Bombing squadron (VB). Besides their offensive tasks, they
are usually used by the American carriers as the main scouting platform. Manage their
numbers wisely, for they are your only effective way of hurting the enemy flattops.

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c. The Douglas TBD “Devastator” is the unlucky one. Although all three models of
aircraft were based on older designs, the TBD was made obsolete faster by the efficient
progress of Japanese technology in its category. It carries the Mk13 Mod 0 torpedo, which
– its poor basic characteristics aside – performed adequately in the early days of 1942
and contributed to the sinking of Shoho on May 7. Yet, the newer Mod 1 will prove to be
extremely unreliable. Combined with the unspectacular flight performance of the TBD,
your torpedo boys are really expecting a lot from the new Grumman TBF torpedo bomber
which is about to reach fleet service – but until then, they will have to make do. Ironically,
as the Japanese fighters concentrated on the dive bombers, the Torpedo squadrons (VT)
went through the May 8 events pretty much unscathed, leading to a false sense of security
ahead of their cataclysmic annihilation at Midway, a few weeks later.

3. Intel: Getting Acquainted with the Enemy

You are on the verge of facing what some deemed the most advanced carrier fleet in
the world in early 1942. The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) is a dangerous opponent and
has now convinced itself of the value of her carefully husbanded carrier force. By
innovating in tactics and carrier technology along the years, the Japanese have put
together a lethal tool, crewed by seasoned professionals in the air and on the sea. They
are assembled in a cohesive force known as the Kido Butai, or “Mobile Force” which
corresponds administratively to the 1st Air Fleet. At the time of this engagement, 4 out of
the 6 heavy carriers of that formation are resupplying in Japan and preparing for the
invasion of Midway, to be carried out in early June. A formation has been detached to the
South to cover the invasion of Port Moresby, an Australian outpost on the Southern coast
of New Guinea. In face of imminent danger for the Allied garrison and Northern Australia,
your own carrier forces were sent South to challenge the Japanese plans and support
General MacArthur’s South West Pacific (SWPAC) command.

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 Today you will engage the most modern carriers of her existing arsenal, as part of
Carrier Division 5 (CarDiv 5), which are Shokaku (“Soaring Crane”) and Zuikaku
“Auspicious Crane”). Don’t let these names fool you: these are no peaceful birds. More
modern than even Yorktown, the two sisters have a high speed, high aircraft capacity and
excellent survivability. Having taken part to 3 of the 4 carrier battles of 1942, they were as
ubiquitous to the early Pacific campaign as much as USS Enterprise was. They were
primarily responsible for the loss of USS Lexington at the Coral Sea in May (the very
events we are covering here in this Demo) and USS Hornet at Santa Cruz in October.

The air group they are carrying are made of experienced cadres, along with a younger
complement of airmen. As such, one might say that they come second to the more
cohesive aircrews of Akagi, Kaga, Soryu and Hiryu. They carry that reputation as some
sort of heavy burden, but in actuality they still remain among the best carrier pilots in the
world at that time, having already taken part to the Pearl Harbor strike, the East Indies
campaign and the Indian Ocean raid. Besides, the fact that they might be seen as greener
than their veteran brethren means that they are very much eager to prove themselves,
and you will offer them their first real, long-awaited challenge on May 8.

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 The enemy’s air groups are made of four main types of aircraft in this scenario.

a. The Mitsubishi A6M2 Type 00 navy fighter, otherwise known as the “Zero” is
already by May 1942 an aircraft of the legends – literally so, considering the US Navy is
yet to encounter it in the air during an actual prolonged dogfight. Shots were exchanged
the previous day above Shoho, but few Allied pilots can say that they have witnessed it in
action, and lived to tell the tale. Your own Navy jockeys are eager for a fight, but might
also still underestimate the enemy’s fighter characteristics, which seem out of this world
compared to those of the F4F, whose only advantages seem to be its ruggedness and
diving speed. Lately, the Zero has been spotted above Port Moresby, tackling – and
murdering – Army P-39s in droves whenever it enjoyed altitude advantage against the
unfortunate Airacobra pilots. Considering that very little combat experience has been
exchanged with Army airmen so far due to circumstances, tread carefully around these
things.

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b. The Aichi D3A Type 99 dive bomber (Allied 1943 codename: “Val”) or Kanbaku
is the standard light bomber of Japanese carrier aviation. With a fixed undercarriage, it is
not unlike the German Stuka, and plays the same role. It doesn’t fly very fast, and doesn’t
like getting shot at, while it only carries half the bombload of your SBDs. Still, it is very
nimble and hard to catch once it has released its payload. The Japanese bomber’s main
weapon is its 250kg (500lbs) semi-armor piercing (SAP) bomb (“ordinary bomb” in IJN
lingo) which is specifically designed to pierce a layer of armor before detonating in the
guts of a ship – or, in your case, in the hangar or machinery spaces of your carriers. Some
of the aircraft might carry a high explosive (HE) bomb (“land bomb”) which is designed to
explode on contact and will savage exposed personnel, especially those which will be
caught manning the anti-air guns. Altogether a design quite different from the American
SBD, but possibly equally dangerous, with a surgical rather than brute punch.

c. The Nakajima B5N2 Type 97 attack/torpedo bomber (Allied 1943 codename:

“Kate”) or Kanko might be the oldest aircraft in the carrier-based trio, but it is the trump
card of the Japanese arsenal. A solid platform that outperforms in every aspect your own
TBD save for survivability, it carries an extremely lethal torpedo load which, unlike its
American counterpart, has excellent launch characteristics and reliability. They will strike
in coordination with the dive bombers to wreck your carriers in a tri-dimensional pincers
attack leaving your skippers with only bad choices when it comes to escape routes.
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d. The Aichi E13A Type 00 reconnaissance seaplane (Allied 1943 codename:
“Jake”) is one of the most modern aircraft of its category in the world in 1942. Catapult-
launched from cruisers, they are the eyes of the Japanese fleet, and usually allow
Japanese commanders to keep their precious strike aircraft in reserve. The E13A is noted
for being especially sleek for its category, and although it is doomed more often than not
when jumped by fighter aircraft, it will not go down without a fight while it uses its precious
last moments to telegraph your position away to its fleet.

This analysis may suggest a bleak outlook, making it seem as though the Japanese
hold all the advantages in the air. However, the reality is a bit more nuanced. While
Japanese aircraft boast exceptional performance, their superiority comes at a significant
cost: fragile airframes and a lack of essential protective measures. Their lightweight
designs, combined with the absence of self-sealing fuel tanks, make them highly
vulnerable the moment they sustain damage from anything hot and/or fast. By May 1942,
all carrier-borne US aircraft had been outfitted with self-sealing fuel tanks, and their
sturdier airframes could withstand considerably more punishment in combat.

Beyond aircraft design, Japan’s defensive capabilities also present weaknesses at

sea. The Imperial Japanese Navy's anti-aircraft defenses suffer from poor fire control and
a lower rate of fire. Their primary light anti-air weapon, the 25mm gun, is magazine-fed in
a way that prevents sustained fire, limiting its effectiveness against incoming air strikes.

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Even their 5-inch dual-purpose guns, while powerful, rely on fire control systems that are
noticeably inferior to their American counterparts. Last but not least, no Japanese warship
to date was equipped with a detection radar, while these had become common aboard
major American warships, starting with your own carriers – providing you with a decisive
advantage in early warning and fighter direction. As a result, while Japanese carrier Task
Forces may excel in striking power, they are significantly more vulnerable when under
attack.

Thus, despite sharing the same original needs for a carrier-based warfare doctrine,
differences in technology development priorities have led to an almost asymmetric conflict.
With arguably superior fighters and torpedo bombers, backed by disciplined and well-
rehearsed tactics, the IJN appears to have the edge in offensive capability. However, the
US Navy compensates with larger, more resilient air groups and carriers with strong anti-
aircraft defenses. In the end, the question remains: who will prevail?

Well. That is for you to decide.

4. Opening Moves: Manoeuvering to Attack at Dawn

A carrier battle often begins long before the first shots are fired—sometimes days or
even weeks in advance. It is a game of patience and anticipation, much like "boxing in the
dark," where both sides must predict the enemy's movements while remaining prepared
for sudden contact. Whether the first sighting comes from careful intelligence gathering or
sheer coincidence, being ready at that critical moment can determine the outcome of the
engagement.

In this scenario, Task Force 17 has been engaging Japanese naval forces in the Coral
Sea area for several days now, and both sides are pretty aware of the presence of the
other. Moreover, bloody and messy engagements the day before made it quasi-certain
that the two carrier Task Forces will be in range of each other in the morning. Based on
your previous assessment of the enemy’s presence Northeast of your position, you can
decide to either close the gap, increase the distance or try to surprise the enemy coming
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from an unexpected direction. Depending on his taste for aggressiveness, your adversary
might behave the same – or completely differently – but do not doubt their intent: they are
here to sink you and open the way to Port Moresby, as CarDiv 5 will prove to the world
that Japanese superiority in carrier warfare remains without peer.

In the game, press [F2] or click on the corresponding button on the top left of the
screen to access the STRATEGIC MAP. From this point, you can set a course for your
forces. Keep in mind that steaming at 20 knots for six hours will cover 120 nautical miles
— approximately 140 miles or 220 km. This distance is sufficient to push the enemy well
beyond your effective strike range by dawn. Also, take into account the endurance
disparity between your air groups and the enemy's. This seemingly simple factor could
determine whether they remain beyond your reach while still posing a threat to you.

Note: only the last waypoint can be edited. If you need to adjust your course ahead of
the last waypoint, please delete them accordingly one by one starting from the end. This
will be changed in the final game.

It is still the middle of the night. You can probably advance the clock. Use the player
controls at the bottom or simply use the [+] and [-] keys on your keyboard to control TIME
COMPRESSION.

At night the game can easily run past x100, so

remain vigilant. Hitting [P] at any time will
immediately put the game on pause and allow
you to issue new orders.
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5. Scouting: Searching and Pinpointing the Enemy

The air battle begins before sunrise, with scouting playing a critical role in determining
the course of engagement. Finding the enemy before they find you is essential. Carrier
fleets rely on your scouts, with the Japanese often deploying floatplanes and the
Americans using SBDs to locate enemy ships while minimizing their own chances of
detection. The outcome of this phase heavily influences which side gains the advantage
of striking first. To maximize effectiveness, search patterns must be carefully planned in
advance, ensuring aircraft are ready for takeoff by 0600hrs (6 A.M.) when Air Ops become
active in the current Demo.

Access the SEARCH PLANNER by right clicking Task Force 17 on the strategic map
and clicking the contextual menu entry, or by left-clicking the corresponding button on the
right of the AIR OPS TIMELINE at the bottom right corner of your screen.

Then click on CREATE NEW AIR SEARCH

on the clipboard to plan a search mission.

At the start of the war, American carriers had little experience in coordinating air groups
for search and strike missions. Fighter defense was still in its early stages of development,
and 1942 would prove to be a difficult year of learning through hard-fought battles. As the
American commander, you must set up separate search patterns for each of your two
carriers.

Note: earlier in the year, American commanders (particularly Admiral Fletcher

in March during the attack against the Lae invasion force) had realized the
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limitations of cruiser-launched seaplanes, which lacked the endurance and speed
of their Japanese counterparts. As a result, besides doctrine calling for the use of
carrier scouting squadrons, Seagulls and Kingfishers were not often picked for
scouting operations and were instead assigned inner patrols for anti-submarine
warfare, along with rescue missions. As such, they are omitted in this scenario
Allied seaplanes are not available in the Demo but will be included in the final game.

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 Search patterns are usually described as some sort of fan or pie. A sector is assigned
to each aircraft, and these aircraft will fly back usually – but not always – in a fashion that
make it look like a triangle or a piece of pie. Initial planning involves selecting the number
of aircraft assigned to the mission and the needed range, but also the width of a given
step – that is, the angle value of a sector searched by a single aircraft. As a rule of thumb,
do not expect results if the scout is flying more than 15 or 20 miles away from a potential
target. Note that altitude will help a scout with seeing further, but might cause issues if you
end up above the cloud cover. Finally, don’t forget that your ship will be moving while the
scouts are away – it means that their recovery point is calculated based on your current
course and speed. If something was to happen between their launch and their return,
SBDs and TBDs are equipped with a somewhat reliable homing beacon system but might
very well miss you.

In a situation like that of May 8, the mistakes encountered the day before mean that
the enemy will surely adopt a composite search plan so as to cover as much area as
possible and not miss you – you are bound to either meet the E13A or the B5N2 in the air.
Your scouts might even come across them in-flight, coming from the opposite direction.
The next step will ensure that your aircraft is the first and last thing any enemy snooper
will see before it goes down in flames.

Note that now that your mission has been set up, the AIR OPS TIMELINE will show
you air operations planned for the rest of the day. Pick the relevant carrier on the left, and
pick the hourly increment so as to show the air ops taking place from 0600hrs (6 AM). You
need to pick the 24H increment if the launch time is more than 4 hours away from now.

When flying over the corresponding mission on the timeline with your cursor while
looking at the STRATEGIC MAP, the mission navigation waypoints will be displayed
automatically along with extra planning information. Blue arrows show a planned
departure (take off), red arrows show a planned recovery (landing).
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 The search mission you have planified should also show up in the relevant substations
of the AIR PLOT as illustrated in the next pages.

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 In the AIRCRAFT ROSTER screen, you will see the aircraft prepping for upcoming
mission highlighted in blue.

AIRCRAFT ROSTER

In the DECK TIMELINE screen, you will see the different phases (preparation,
departure and recovery) of the upcoming mission. All the missions will be updated in real
time.

DECK TIMELINE

x2

x2
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 In the MISSION ROSTER screen, click on the relevant mission on the blackboard to
access basic timing and composition information, along with activating an EDIT MISSION
button allowing you to modify its planning. Once a mission will be done, you will also be
able to access the MISSION LOG and the MISSION REPORT screens.

MISSION ROSTER

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 Finally, the SQUADRON ROSTER screen allows you ton consult relevant statistics
regarding your air groups. As you can note, VB-5 is the squadron contributing the 6 aircraft
to our search mission, leaving 17 available for other assignments. Note: final version will
of course include full statistics of individual pilots and aircraft, not currently
available in the Demo. Note that the STORES substation, dedicated to tracking air
stores, is currently unavailable too.

SQUADRON ROSTER

x2

x2

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6. Laying the trap: Launching a Combat Air Patrol (CAP)

Now that we have set up the eyes over the fleet, your next step is to put a few guardian
angels up there too. One must anticipate the incoming strike indeed, but also the enemy
scouting which will certainly show up in no time, especially in such a scenario where both
forces might be in range from the get-go. In all three carrier vs. carrier engagements of
1942 without assistance from land-based air assets, the two sides detected each other
within an hour of each other, and both forces failed at keeping enemy scouts at bay.
Midway also goes to prove that early warning can make a difference, but it is also the only
instance where the American carriers did not have to operate their own initial search effort,
relying on the PBYs operating from Midway instead – even then, had it not been for bad
luck on the Japanese side, Task Force 16 and 17 would have been detected very early
on. No such luck here for you in the Coral Sea, as Port Moresby is too far to offer
assistance and the weather is expected to be fair. As a consequence, Combat Air Patrol
(CAP) fighters are to be kept airborne at all times to intercept attacking aircraft, assisted
by radar and a fighter director officer (FDO).

Head for the DEFENSIVE AIR OPS

SCREEN. Using this interface, you will be able to
set up your fighter patrols. As with your search
missions, notice that you need to specify which
carrier will be in charge of these operations.

- Click on CREATE NEW COMBAT AIR PATROL

ZONE to begin the process.
- Set the PATROL STRENGTH value to specify
how many aircraft should be in a given patrol
section.
- Patrols are renewed automatically. It means that
the total of aircraft assigned to the mission will be
DOUBLE the actual patrol strength.
- PATROL ALTITUDE sets the cruise altitude of
the CAP section.
- Time between rotations will tell you how long a
given patrol will stay in the air before its relief.
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 Set the patrol zones proper using the plot area on the right. You can move it around
and reorganize it by using the points on its corners. Move it around by clicking and
dragging the center point. Your CAP patrol will follow the outer limits of the box – as such,
if you want to create a barrier CAP, simply make a very slim rectangle. These patrol boxes
can be modified at any time. Also, pay attention to the scale on the top left corner, so as
to make sure that you are creating your patrol zone at the needed distance from the fleet.

To undo changes, click on UNDO. Once your setup is ready, click on ACCEPT
The mission will launch at the earliest time possible, which means 0600hrs in our
case. To delete an existing mission, click on DELETE. If practical, the aircraft in the
air will be recalled, and the ones that were assigned to the relief will be freed up.

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 A few remarks:

- Unlike other types of patrols (which are not available in this Demo just yet), the
CAP is set on a fixed bearing from your flagship. It means that independently from your
fleet’s maneuvers, the patrol zone will always be in the same direction.

- The further away you put your patrol box from the center of your formation, the
shorter the actual patrol duration will be. It means that you might be able to intercept
incoming threats at a good distance, but that the number of aircraft required to keep
the Patrol going will increase.

- Seemingly, the further away you put your patrol box from the center of your
formation, the longer it will take them to be redirected against a threat that would not
be in their axis. Plan carefully.

While we’re talking fighters, go have a look at the FIGHTER DIRECTION SCREEN. It
looks familiar, but it also records enemy contacts.

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 You can choose to let your Fighter Direction Officer (FDO) deal automatically with the
threats – to do so, simply keep the FDO IN CHARGE box checked. If you think you can
be more efficient than he is, uncheck the box, and you can start selecting the patrols and
clicking on the silhouettes to tell them to attack investigate or attack specific contacts.
Bogeys (unidentified contacts) are in yellow, while Bandits (enemy contacts) are in red.
Play around with the legend if you want additional information to be displayed so as to
help you command your fighters more efficiently.

When vectored to intercept a contact, the aircraft

silhouettes of the CAP patrol and the contact both will
display a straight line that shows the expected point of
interception. Naturally, this point will move around if
the contact doesn’t keep flying on a straight line.

Note that in case of extreme emergency, your AIR OPS TIMELINE comes with a
SCRAMBLE button. Use this function with extreme care. The scramble button will order
all unassigned fighters on the selected aircraft carrier to take off as soon as possible. It
pretty much creates an instant CAP patrol zone for all these fighters above your fleet.
Considering scrambling fighters will take precedence on everything else, ordering such a
measure will throw your launch and recovery cycle through the window and interrupt all
air normal air operations. Be certain that the remedy is not worse than the threat.

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7. Planning and Launching your First Strike

Once an enemy carrier force is detected, the attacking fleet scrambles to launch a
strike before the enemy can retaliate. This phase involves rapid deck operations, including
arming and fueling aircraft, and organizing them into attack formations. A well-coordinated
first strike can cripple an enemy fleet before they can respond. As such, strike preparation,
just like all other air operations, begins before dawn if a confrontation is expected.

Force. Just like SEARCH missions, STRIKE missions

are carrier-specific and cannot be coordinated using
several carriers at a time. This is where American
doctrine at that time is showing its weakness: except
your Japanese opponent, on the other hand, to send
composite strike groups made of aircraft from all its
available carriers in the same Task Force.

Cooking a strike mission is something that has to be done very carefully. Put too many
aircraft in a strike mission, and you will spend precious minutes sending them in the air.
Don’t prepare the mission in advance, and you will prevent your CAP fighters from rotating
on time – worse, you might be caught with your pants down when the enemy strike finds
you first. Sending 40 or 50 aircraft in the air at once requires you to sail into the wind for a
rather long period of time. Hornet and Enterprise in that regard took ages to send their
strikes at Midway due to an overall lack of efficiency – and several smaller incidents that
we have not even implemented in the game just yet. So let’s see how you set up a strike
before dawn.

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 The STRIKE PLANNER is a beefed-up version of the SEARCH PLANNER. It is made
of two halves : the clipboard on the left lets you change your parameters, while the
clipboard on the right gives you all your practical information in real time and allows you
to greenlight the mission.

Select a carrier to begin strike operations. As of now, only NAVAL ATTACK missions
are available in the Demo. Click on the small (+) buttons next to the aircraft types to assign
them to your strike package. In the TARGET SELECTION, either assign an existing
contact or leave it empty if you are pre-spotting a strike in anticipation. Such strikes have
to be defined as being Pre-spotted in the SPOTTING MODE parameter. Spotting mode
defines which process will be used to spot – a.k.a. organize and prepare for launch – a
strike package.

SPOTTING MODES AVAILABLE

Standard Time: the mission will Early Spotting: the mission will
be prepared on the flight deck so be prepared and spotted on the
as to fit the set scheduled flight deck at the expense of other
departure time tightly. air operations.

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 Another parameter of note is the DEPARTURE MODE. Currently two modes are
available, a third – emergency departure – will be activated in a future beta. These two
modes are as follows :

DEPARTURE MODES AVAILABLE

Deferred departure: strike Normal departure: faster strike

elements will wait for each other elements will join up with slower
before heading to the target area ones enroute to the target
as a cohesive group. Lower risk area…If all goes well. Higher risk
of package disruption, but lower of package disruption but better
endurance too. endurance.

Last but not least, LOADOUT PREFERENCE allows you to tweak the package further
by encouraging a bigger offensive punch or a longer endurance.

LOADOUT OPTIONS AVAILABLE

Endurance: strike elements will Offensive power: heavier, more

carry when possible smaller lethal payloads will have the
offensive payloads, but will have priority, even if it means a smaller
better endurance. range and endurance for the
strike package.

The red disk on the map indicates the maximum strike range according to current
parameters. Never forget that your carrier task force is always moving: what seems to be
out of range right now could very well be in range in a few hours from now. Once you are
done with your strike mission, you can either greenlight it (for early preparation) or give
the order for immediate take off.

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8. Bracing for Impact : Pain & Consequences

Now that you have most of the needed tools in hand, we don’t want to spoil the fun too
much. Just know that you will have to be ready for the textbook application of what we
have explained by the enemy within hours, if not minutes of daybreak. It will be hard to
escape the enemy’s attention, and you will always ponder whether it is better to strike
back immediately, or try your luck at misleading the enemy strike by steaming in another
direction. Just remember that your Task Force is forced on a set course whenever it is
conducting air operations, which largely constrains your freedom of maneuver once the
action has begun. Still, avoiding contact was not unheard of, and in specific cases can
prove as efficient as seeking a confrontation, when distance and time are on your side:
during the battle of Eastern Solomons, Enterprise and Saratoga managed to cheat fate
and make the Japanese second strike miss their rendezvous.

Your strike has taken off. The dogfights have started. The bombers will always go
through. Your ship commanding officers will maneuver by themselves to escape enemy
fire: there is not much left to do but pray if you have not been able to stop the onslaught
in the air. Once your carrier is damaged, a simple damage report will be accessible on the
right info panel. Fly over the different elements so as to highlight the kind of damage the
modules have suffered.
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 Modules can either be OK (functional), disabled, damaged or destroyed.

MODULE DAMAGE TYPES

OK - operational Disabled
Green Orange

the module is working at 100% the module is temporarily out of order

efficiency and hasn’t been damaged. & will be put back online.

Damaged Destroyed
Yellow Red

the module has been repaired but is the module is destroyed & cannot be
now working with a malus. repaired during this scenario.

Note that repair time for each module is randomized to an extent, and more critical
modules, such as the rudder, might take several hours before they are made operational
again. Damage to air modules will impact your ability to conduct air operations, even
though flight deck repairs will allow for them to resume when possible. Fires on the flight
deck will suspend all on-going and future air operations until extinguished.

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9. Battle Assessment : Withdrawal or Pursuit ?

Carriers that take damage must quickly deploy damage control teams to contain fires
and keep the flight deck operational. The ability to recover and launch aircraft after an
attack can be decisive.

Meanwhile, as crews work to patch up your ships and restore friendly air assets, the
admiral must assess losses and decide whether to press on or retreat. If one side suffers
critical damage, they will attempt to withdraw while using their remaining aircraft and
escort ships to cover their retreat. The victors may choose to pursue and finish off fleeing
carriers, but they must consider their own damage and fuel reserves before committing to
further attacks.

By the afternoon of May 8, both sides had taken such heavy losses that they each
decided to retreat. In the Demo, we are simplifying things: your main objective is to force
the enemy carrier force to withdraw, leading to the recall of Operation MO. You will not be
penalized for reaching the same conclusion as your opponent, as your own withdrawal
was never at stake. High command will notify you when the enemy retreats, giving you
the option to continue the battle for a few more hours or proceed directly to the victory

45
screen. Notes: other ways to leave the scenario mid-play are being explored as we
speak. The Demo will be updated accordingly.

The Battle of the Coral Sea is often described in history books as a "Strategic Victory,
Tactical Defeat" for the Allies. This is not mere pedantry ; it is a fair assessment. The loss
ratio at sea was not exactly in favor of the Americans, given the complete loss of USS
Lexington. Yet, despite heavy casualties, the American forces succeeded in repelling the
Japanese invasion of Port Moresby, one of the most crucial strategic events of early 1942.
While the failed Japanese invasion was not necessarily the deciding factor in the final
Allied victory, it shaped the course of the South Pacific and Southwest Pacific campaigns.

For the first time, to our knowledge, we aim to reflect this complexity by providing both
a tactical and strategic assessment. Too often, performance is judged solely by the kill/loss
ratio, which is only part of the picture. That’s why the game offers nine different outcomes,
depending on whether you accomplish your strategic objective, such as turning back
Carrier Division 5, or simply inflict greater losses than you suffer.

As with everything else in this Demo, the system is still in its early stages. The final
version will hopefully account for actual human losses, connected to your rescue efforts.
But that is for another day. Until then, let’s see if you can save Port Moresby in this little
introduction of ours!

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