(1-NS) Interceptor UI includes units that are outside line of sight

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Stalker0

Baller Magnus
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Right now: When you hover over a unit to attack with an Air Unit, the UI will show you if their are interceptors that would attack the unit except those outside your line of sight.

Proposal: Interceptor UI includes any unit that will intercept the plane, even ones outside of line of sight. In other words, you will always know if there is a risk of interception when you attack a unit with a plane.

Rationale: Now does it make sense that the UI doesn't show units that are hidden? It does I absolutely admit that. But from a UI standpoint, the current mechanic is horrible. You check the UI, see its clear, and fire your bomber. Next unit, you do it again, things are clear, you fire....and the bomber instantly goes up in smoke due to a hidden fighter in the backline. Its a terrible mouthfeel.

It also starts to petrify airpower, especially in the 2nd tier (bombers/fighters). Once fighters come out they generally have the range to screen behind the lines, and still intercept units on the front. But these cities are much farther back and extremely difficult to get line of sight on. As a consequence air power is actually weaker in the 2nd tier, because you have to be incredibly careful about what you attack, and cannot trust the UI to help you on the intercepts (because the UI is basically lieing to you at this point). Any attack could insta kill your bomber, and so the bombers get less used. The only real way to tell is to use fighter air screens, but against an opponent with interceptor promotions that provide multiple interceptions per plane, it can take many fighters to clear away all the interception before you "know for certain" its safe to bomb. Often in a game you just don't have the oil necessary to provide that level of fighter support and still mix in bombers.

While the current mechanic makes thematic sense, its effect on gameplay is too great imo. It tremendously weakens air power at a point where it should be at its near zenith in strength, and it gives you a UI that lies to you about the actual state of the game.
 
The only real way to tell is to use fighter air screens, but against an opponent with interceptor promotions that provide multiple interceptions per plane, it can take many fighters to clear away all the interception before you "know for certain" its safe to bomb. Often in a game you just don't have the oil necessary to provide that level of fighter support and still mix in bombers.
The way I see it, the problem is not so much that we can't get the full picture about the amount of enemy interception, it is more about the fact that's it's much easier to defend your own air space than to gain air supremacy over enemy territory. Even if your fighters with 2 interceptions are not enough, you sill have the support of your anti-aircraft guns or missile SAM and your destroyers or missile cruisers if the coast is close enough. The defender advantage is real here.
 
Spies reveal the city they're stationed in, right? Are aircraft revealed when this occurs?
 
Hmm, but that would make the UI show you information that you don't have, right?
Yep I fully admit that, but ultimately I would rather have teh UI get a little god vision and exactly be accurate than what we have now, which is just frustrating.
 
Nah, I disagree. That's the whole point of fog of war. And no, UI doesn't lie to you when it doesn't tell you about units that doesn't see. It would cheat if it would.
Definitely this. Plus it gives the the Air Pen (?) promotions more importance to me, since I send my lowest rated planes with interception mitigation to attack first
 
Definitely this. Plus it gives the the Air Pen (?) promotions more importance to me, since I send my lowest rated planes with interception mitigation to attack first
Anything favoring diversity of promotions for different roles is always a good thing IMO. Not to mention the current situation forces the player to acquire more oil if necessary, which is almost never a thing for iron and aluminum.
 
Definitely this. Plus it gives the the Air Pen (?) promotions more importance to me, since I send my lowest rated planes with interception mitigation to attack first
Until your plane dies and you lose those promotions. If air pen gave a damage reduction like evasion I could understand, but ultimately your just rolling the dice to see if you lose an expensive unit....and that's just not ok for human warring.
 
Until your plane dies and you lose those promotions. If air pen gave a damage reduction like evasion I could understand, but ultimately your just rolling the dice to see if you lose an expensive unit....and that's just not ok for human warring.
Send in melee, ranged, or scout units in first to look for hidden danger before sending your plane in then. Late game I always go plane heavy and if I lose one I just buy another and get the same or even a higher promoted replacement plane.
 
Yea I would say sending in scouts to make sure you're not being camped by 10 interceptor wings is the right thing to do. That's what things realistically were before military GPS covering the whole Earth surface.
Or we can have another action for fighters which is reveal a big chunk of area (3 tiles range around the targeted tile). You can still get intercepted and die, but you can have the exact information before throwing more expensive/experienced bombers in.
 
Yea I would say sending in scouts to make sure you're not being camped by 10 interceptor wings is the right thing to do. That's what things realistically were before military GPS covering the whole Earth surface.
When the planes are 8 tiles back Past a well defended city with a military unit on each and ever hex, getting a scout through just isn’t feasible. I think you all underestimate just how many units the AI can possess
 
When the planes are 8 tiles back Past a well defended city with a military unit on each and ever hex, getting a scout through just isn’t feasible. I think you all underestimate just how many units the AI can possess
As already suggested, you can send a spy in the city. It's useful for more than just that too.
 
Proposal failed due to lack of sponsorship on October 19, 2022.
 
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