UFOs - What about interception ?

[TorF]

First part of UFOs code is finished. Now radars detects UFOs, and aircrafts can purchase them.

If you want to test it, build a radar in your base, and try "addufo" in console (7 times to add 7 UFOs). "set showufos 1" could be usefull too. Double click on an ufo to launch an interception.

But actually if an aircraft touch an UFO, there is no fight. The aircraft go back to base.
So the question is : how the fight aircraft/ufo have to be displayed ? In a single popup ? A long range missile battle on geoscape ? Other...

And how many UFOs have to be created in geoscape ? This info could be written somewhere in .ufo files.


The third and final part will be to determine how to display all information about ufos chasing, radars, the corresponding messages...

[TorF]

A screenshot : http://img241.imageshack.us/img241/2092/radarsuy6.jpg

[Bandobras]

After the discussion in the IRC I'm for  real-time long range rocket fire exchange on the geoscape. You can only order ships to attack or withdraw. Many ships, ufos and bases can take part.

For the future, some piffy subwindow can be added where you can see the model of the ufo or the aircraft take hits, flee or disintegrate.

Perhaps, for the very distant future, you can be allowed to choose whether to aim at engine, weapons or hull and this will affect the fight somewhat and the state of the crashed ufo and number of surviving aliens...

[HaJo]

So the question is : how the fight aircraft/ufo have to be displayed ?

How about a 3D-Battlescape in the air with small aircraft and ufo-models
instead of soldiers and aliens on the ground ?

The map would be mostly empty space (maybe some clouds?), and the
scale would be much bigger (say each square 100x100m instead of 1x1m),
and we could use the familar animations for beams and rockets.

And how many UFOs have to be created in geoscape ?

Are there any missions for the ufos yet (exploration / build base / supply / terror / etc.) ?
Those missions would determine which type of ufos (and how many of them)
were flying from/to which place.

E.g. exploration --> single scout
supply mission --> 1 transport with 1-2 escorts,
etc.

Of course, the AI needs some adjustments for such fights...

If an ufo gets shot down, the game has to create a ground-mission
in suitable terrain.

[TorF]

Those ideas sound good. So in any case, the next step is to create the weapon and shield system for aircrafts.

Weapons and shields should be created in the same way than the human and alien weapons, in an .ufo file, to determine their range, damage, type of damage, ammos, price... They will also be included in ufopedia and in the research system.

Inventories could be used to assign weapons and shields to aircrafts.
Count and size of inventories depends of the type of aircraft. A big aircraft will have many big inventories and it will be able to carry huge weapons/shields, but a small aircraft will be able to carry only few and small weapons/shields.
One big inventory could carry a big weapon or many small ones.

It could be cool to use the same inventories to assign weapons and shields in an aircraft. So the player will be able to fully decide its aircraft configuration : only weapons, both weapons and shields, lot of shields and only one huge weapon... customized aircrafts.


I don't know if there are missions created for ufos crash. And yes they are required.