Matrix Games Forums

Is this Works as Designed with no Air interception notification except for successful interception?

Observation:
I am seeing my fighter counters reduced by one step but no notification of having performed an interception during an allied air attack.

When the AI (Allied) is performing air strikes against my German ground units I observe on the screen that my fighter strength is reduced by one point, but the Air Strike message does not indicate that an interception occurred. The Airstrike message only indicates the damage to the ground unit and attacking (Allied) air unit. My air units originally started with 10 points (100%) strength.
I go to the Statistics->Report Events->Air Strike reports and only see the log for the Air Strike but nothing in the Air Combat and Air Combat - defense.

The only time I have observed an interception message is when the attacker was successfully intercepted and the report indicated the attacker lost a strength point and the defender lost zero.

Is there a setting that I may not have enabled for notifications?

Wanted to confirm if anybody else is observing issues with Fighter intercept mission.

I am playing the Grand Campaign as Germany. Windows 7 64bit OS.

P.S. - I am enjoying the game and appreciate the quick feedback that I have seen from the developer!

I'll take a closer look at those notifications.
Can anybody confirm this in the meantime.

I think you may need to extend the time for AI combat log to 2 to 3 seconds.

Hit the pause key and you will see the AI is bombing your ground units. When that happens your fighters intercept and a few get shot down.


Here is an example:

I've seen fighter casualties from bomber interception, but I don't think this is the main cause. I too have noticed that if you reinforce your fighter wings, they have a tendency to immediately take losses in the AI player turn. Sometimes as many as three step losses for a single wing, and as many as six on the front as a whole. I think the more likely cause is enemy air superiority missions which I have never received a message notification from. It'd be nice to get a message notification from that and from enemy recon missions where you were able to inflict a step loss. That would give the player a vague idea where enemy fighters are based.

Believe me... it's from interception losses.

Set AI combat log to 3 seconds. Hit pause button or key, note name of your fighter unit and losses.

You will see they intercept several times and take casualties.

ORIGINAL: Razz

I think you may need to extend the time for AI combat log to 2 to 3 seconds.

Hit the pause key and you will see the AI is bombing your ground units. When that happens your fighters intercept and a few get shot down.


Here is an example:

I don't doubt the game mechanics are working correctly for interception. I just do not see the interception screen when the interception fails or the intercepting fighter losses a strength point. I do see the screen for interception that you show, but I do not see one anytime that I lose a Fighter strength point. The only time I do see the intercept information is if the fighter successfully intercepts and doesn't take a loss.
I know I am not missing a screen due to game configuration requires me to click to continue. I see Air Strike messages but no Air Combat message...hmmm

I'll take a closer look at this interception issue, but I suspect it is rather the matter of display than mechanics.

ORIGINAL: doomtrader

I'll take a closer look at this interception issue, but I suspect it is rather the matter of display than mechanics.

I agree.. I think the mechanics of interception are working. Instead I believe there is something with the displaying.

Thanks for your continued support and activity on the forum.

Adding my game preferences for reference purposes.

With those setting the game takes a long time for it to move.

If you want to save time and not miss anything, change the following:

AI before combat delay = 0
AI before deploy delay = 0
AI after deploy delay = 0

AI after combat delay = 3 seconds
AI sea battle delay = 3 seconds

AI during move delay = 1 second


Your setting are correct. You do see the interceptions. Just pause every AIR combat and study it.

Also, re-examine the Manual on combat.

Just for fun:
How did you start the game? Custom?

Which countries are human?

These answers will verify whether there is player setting problem.

Well I'm using the same combat delay settings that you are. And I've noticed some oddities. When your fighters intercept enemy aircraft, a dialog box does pop up. However when enemy fighters hit your fighters in an air superiority mission, there is just a flash on the hex, "Air Combat" followed by a "-1" if you take a step loss. No dialog box pops up. I think it would be a good idea to have the treatment here be symmetric, i.e. pop up box in each case.

Lastly, I noticed this: if enemy fighters on an air superiority mission hit your BOMBERS (tac air in my case), you get an "Air Combat" flash in the hex, a "-1" for a step loss and pop up box. But here's the kicker: even after noting the step loss to my bombers (confirmed by both the "-1" flash and the loss in the pop up box, my bombers were still at full strength at the start of my player turn. I've noted before that when I use my fighters in air superiority on enemy bombers, the bombers never seem to die. Is this a possible bug?

You can kill enemy bombers with air superiority missions. But they are amazingly robust. I think I need something like 5 fighters with full AP to do the job assuming equal tech. Am seriously wondering if they do more damage to the enemy economy this way than by actual bombing runs, they chew up fighters pretty good.

I think they need to tone down fighter losses. An air offensive into an intact air defense net should not be economically possible.

Cheers


Bruce