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An "Intercept when able" command? Also, interceptor status icons in geoscape


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Just a suggestion, is it possible to add an "Intercept when able" command to the game? That is, that I pick three interceptors, and they launch simultaneously when all three are done refuelling, repairing, etc.? I find it a bit cumbersome to have to keep opening the interception window to see if all the planes are ready to fly.

Also, if there could be some sort of row of icons, one for each interceptor, in the top of the geoscape view, to show at a glance which fighters and dropships are ready to go, that'd be incredibly convenient as well. Green could indicate a plane that's ready to fly, grey could be a plane that's refuelling or rearming, and red could be a plane being recovered. Would save me from having to hit the "Launch interceptors" button for then to click some random point on earth to see which interceptors can fly ;) .

Edited by Safe-Keeper
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I'm not sure if I understand your point. The game is doing nothing for me, I'm still opening the intercept window, choosing planes, and selecting a target. The only difference is I only need to do so once, rather than several times, because I don't know exactly when planes will be ready. Open the window too early, and the plane is still refuelling. Open it too late, and you waste valuable time because there's a plane sitting there ready to launch and a UFO potentially getting away. All I'm suggesting is that the game carries out the intercept order when the planes are ready. Don't see how that has anything to do with "the game playing for me".

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I don't know exactly when planes will be ready.

That is why we need notifications maybe, not auto-stuff. Any auto-do-stuff option is a very bad thing, because it will make players lazy and then ask for more autostuff (for example more autosave thread). I might also agree that clicking launch interceptor should allow you to first pick what you want and then destination, but on the other hand, you get optimized display what is better option to send.

Refueling always tells how many game hours will it take, rearming not so. But it also doesn't take that long, still a notification would be much greater help then auto send. If you auto-send Interceptors then what - you will probably make them "busy" and what if another more urgent threat appears. Adding auto-stuff is mostly a bad decision. There are so many IFs that could go wrong.

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Forcing micro management is weak game design unless you are making a competitive online game. If the player wants to issue a complex command (Wait until fuel is full and weapons are at x%, then intercept this target if it is still in radar range), you either add it or say it is out of scope of the engine and move on, saying "we could but would prefer the player micro instead" is weak sauce.

Hell, I'd be much happier if my Migs had enough brains to fly as to minimize the time to missile launch, instead of trying to plot intercept courses so they can use their (non-existent) lances.

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So streamlining is bad because it might makes people ask for more stremlining? I don't agree with that.

If you auto-send Interceptors then what - you will probably make them "busy" and what if another more urgent threat appears.
I don't follow, and I think you might have misunderstood my original post. I'm not proposing that we make interceptors automated, I'm proposing that you be able to, for example, click on a UFO, choose "Launch interceptors", select three Interceptors in the interceptors window, and hit the "Launch when able" button. Then, once all three are refuelled and rearmed, they go after the UFO as ordered. If another more urgent threat then appears I will cancel the order and give new orders accordingly. Don't see how that will be a problem, to be honest.
Refueling always tells how many game hours will it take, rearming not so.
Hours, not minutes. It's still a hit-or-miss when you open the window, and it'd be far more conventient to be able to give launch orders even though the fighters are not ready.

Anyone else want to weight in?

Edited by Safe-Keeper
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I agree with the OP in principal.

It is a time saving feature and one that makes sense from a realism point of view as well.

I am not sure how much use it would be though for anything apart from dropships.

It would have a few down sides.

The game allows you to launch fighters before they are fully armed and fuelled so when would it launch them?

When they were full or when they were at the minimum required to reach the enemy?

What if the enemy was flying away rather than flying towards you?

If you had to wait for a couple of hours game time before they launched then chances are the enemy would be in a less favourable position.

Status icons would be nice but could take up a huge amount of space if you had two or three bases with several hangars in each.

All in all I think just sticking with notification messages might be easier.

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