How Do You Launch Interceptors When...?

[Greyhawk_2004]

How do you launch interceptors to an area on the geoscape without any missions or ufos around?

[PurpleCaterpillar]

Hello Greyhawk.
Here's how you do it:

• Select the base with the aircraft that you wish to launch.
• Open the Aircraft menu.
• In the aircraft's Description tab click the Start Aircraft icon (blue-ish "box and arrow" icon), to the left of the text "at home base".
• Go back to geospace, and select the aircraft that now hovers over the base.
• If the aircraft's context menu pops up (with options such as "go back to base"), close it.
• Left click anywhere on the geospace, and the aircraft will fly to that location, providing it has enough fuel for the job.

See the attached image, if you can't find the Start Aircraft icon, on the Aircraft menu.
Happy scouting!  =)

If any developers are reading this:
Is this method of launching interceptors planned to be changed in the future?
I think this process is not very intuitive; It makes more sense to replace it with:

• Double-click anywhere on the geospace.
• If there's a clickable object under the cursor, behave normally (as if "left-clicked").
• Otherwise, show a menu with the list of all available aircraft to send to the spot.
• Alternatively, show a menu of "what would you like to do?", with buttons for "Send aircraft here", "Create installation here", (and any future additions).

I vaguely remember some discussions about disallowing double-clicks and right-clicks, or something, but what was eventually decided?

[Duke]

Interesting idea. I like that "what would you like to do?"-approach. But I don't know about those decisions.

[Greyhawk_2004]

Aha! Thank you Purple. I knew there had to be a way. Well, the game is great. I just wanted to throw it out there that I'm not the type to read game manuals and usually figure out game functions fine on my own and couldn't figure it out. Just tossing it up in the air for you game devs

[ManicMiner]

The most obvious use case for classic UFO was to "patrol" an area of high alien activity for signs of an alien base or to shoot down a few scouts to bump up the happiness rating there.

For me, the logic would be to send an interceptor out to escort a dropship back to base.

I had a dropship shot down once, because a UFO fighter appeared as if by magic, right in front of it as it was returning to base and the interceptor didn't reach the UFO in time to save it.

Given there's only space for one weapon on that craft it doesn't make much sense to me that you can't deploy an escort ship to fly out to a dropship as soon as it's in range, and then escort it home. Or, escort it to and from the mission site if it's near enough.