Can you split planes during flight?

[Grotesque]

Example:

I form a squadron of 3 planes an they're intercepting an UFO.

Another bigger threat appears on the map and I want to leave one plane to fight the first ufo and redirect two planes to intercept the newer threat. Is it possible to do this?

If not, it would be a nice improvement to the game.

[MrPyro]

It's not possible to split squadrons in flight. It's been a much discussed feature in the past; not sure if there are any plans to implement it as part of the community patches.

[ViniJones]

I tend to only send as many planes to fight a target as needed, therefore I dont have any spare in the squadron to send off hunting others. But the idea is good, especially when landing shits start trolling you and your shrike returns home because of condors´ low fuel.

A nice improvement indeed.

[Grotesque]

It's not possible to split squadrons in flight. It's been a much discussed feature in the past; not sure if there are any plans to implement it as part of the community patches.

I am surprised to read that it was a much discusses feature because now it limits your strategical choices in thegame.

As long as the plane has fuel, I should do whatever I want and manage them freely.

I tend to only send as many planes to fight a target as needed, therefore I dont have any spare in the squadron to send off hunting others. But the idea is good, especially when landing shits start trolling you and your shrike returns home because of condors´ low fuel.

A nice improvement indeed.

Sending more planes than necessary lowers damage taken by each plane.

I play on veteran difficulty and is important the management of damage taken and the waiting time involved.

Also there are ufos that get away because I cant split the planes= missed opportunity

Edited June 23, 2014 by Grotesque

[ViniJones]

Sending more planes than necessary lowers damage taken by each plane.

I play on veteran difficulty and is important the management of damage taken and the waiting time involved.

Also there are ufos that get away because I cant split the planes= missed opportunity

Ah, allow me to elaborate, I only send as much as needed to shoot the enemy down without taking excessive damage.

I play on insane, but the number differences between that and veteran are irrelevant.

What this means:

1 mig per scout, 2 migs per corvette/landing shit and so on.

I dont use autocombat, it blows. It sometimes conserves more fuel than manual or so it would seem. true

It sometimes makes migs and a single corsair win unwinnable scenarios against 3 air superiority fighters. true

The fact, that it damages your planes in the first line scenarios however makes it undesirable. (Those are 100% easy not-a-scratch wins in manual. (while the game gives you 96% in autocombat and leaves your migs with 5% hp )

I shoot down all the UFOs i spot, or run across while patrolling the event zones. Im more troubled by those that are too far for me to shoot and they linger for AGES killing civies and writing graffiti.

Like you said, I achieve this by not taking damage and only coming home to rearm which takes only a few hours. Autocombat is the only issue I see here.

Edited June 23, 2014 by ViniJones

[StellarRat]

One sort of workaround is to launch planes individually then engage in sequence, but the downside is that you might open yourself to getting shot down piecemeal. It depends on how good you are in air combat, what kind of planes you have, what you're up against, etc...

[ViniJones]

Good point. You can hit and run and Ive done it on many occassions. However this becomes a liiiiiittle too complicated with 6 or more planes in the air at once. Not to mention the 6+ UFOs.

This tactics is also completely useless if using autocombat.

[crusherven]

I'd think a single condor/corsair should be able to handle 3 fighters with no/minor damage. I haven't played on insane, though.

[ViniJones]

Hmm and how would that scenario go? I can see a condor own a single fighter without a scratch, but the other two? Unlikely. I was referring to heavy fighters versus Corsairs, although a lone corsair would still get banged up a bit fighting 3 fighters.

The scenario I meant was 2migs(light rockets) and one condor take out the 3 fighter squadron, which Ive tried to do many times and couldnt come out without being hit a couple times at least.

Edit:

I suspect the trouble with the autocombat here is the explosives and guns tier. Alenium and laser gatlings make your planes count for much more, while such upgrades dont really lower your damage taken while manualing such fights.

Edited June 23, 2014 by ViniJones

[MrPyro]

Hmm and how would that scenario go? I can see a condor own a single fighter without a scratch, but the other two? Unlikely. I was referring to heavy fighters versus Corsairs, although a lone corsair would still get banged up a bit fighting 3 fighters.

The scenario I meant was 2migs(light rockets) and one condor take out the 3 fighter squadron, which Ive tried to do many times and couldnt come out without being hit a couple times at least.

Not playing on Insane, but I have defeated 3 heavy fighters with a single Corsair with zero/minimal damage. If you send the Corsair at an angle rather than head on, the UFOs try to set an intercept course that can actually have the Corsair stay outside of their fire cone until extremely short range; then you bank hard into them. Heavy fighters have a dreadful turn speed so if you get in behind them they're toast.

[crusherven]

Just go straight at them and dodge two or three times. /shrug. It's even easier if all 3 are facing you at the beginning, because they'll have synchronized missile launches. Regular fighters are pretty flimsy, on Veteran at least.

[ViniJones]

Yea Im not that concerned about the corsairs, they mightve been buffed enough to actually pull it off. I definitely have to try the buttsecks on the heavies, pyro suggested.

Its the condor/mig mix that made me put it on the list of the actual PROs of autocombat.