[SUGGESTION] UFOs can chase and attack airborne XCOM craft

[Hobbes]

The idea would be that the UFOs would also have a detection range and would attack the closest XCOM craft airborne and act as escorts for other UFOs.

This can add a lot of interesting additions like having to send Interceptors ahead and engage the airborne UFO escorts to allow the Skyranger to assault a landed craft.

[Unknown Hero]

You outpaced me on this one, I had a similar idea. 

Written on a paper sheet:

"Later in the game, alien strategy is to build radars in their Bases and send interceptors to shot down XCom Troop Transports."

Why not also on their UFOs. 

One idea less to suggest, thank you very much! 

This will also work great with Rescue Missions:
https://openxcom.org/forum/index.php?topic=2407.0

[Yankes]

I see one problem, intercept logic except that you are attacking UFO not opposite.

[Solarius Scorch]

I see one problem, intercept logic except that you are attacking UFO not opposite.

So... New air combat mechanic wood be good, no?

It was discussed here and there; I'm personally in favour of a more detailed combat, though of course it would be tough to code.

[Hobbes]

I see one problem, intercept logic except that you are attacking UFO not opposite.

You would have to actively dispute the skies with the aliens. It's taking the air battle to a higher level since the UFOs would now actively react to your craft. And you can also script new AI missions where the aliens send ufo fleets to patrol regions and hunt down XCOM craft found on the air.

[NeoWorm]

I would be for a new UFO type - fighter
Similar to but larger than Small Scout.
Health high enough to be able to deal damage but not that high that X-Com woudnt be able to destroy it with weapons. It should be better to completely destroy them instead taking the crash site mission to avoid endless monotone missions where you hunt one or two aliens for 5 alloys. It could be well ballanced then.

It can participate on all mission that Scout ships can, replacing one or more scouts and actively hunting the X-Com crafts.

There could be also new Alien mission - Alien patrol - that spawns few fighters that patrol over some place hunting all crafts in the area. It should score more points for aliens, than normal research/abduction missions to force players to intercept these fighters and not just let them be, because they are dangerous.

[Aldorn]

I would be for a new UFO type - fighter
Similar to but larger than Small Scout.
Health high enough to be able to deal damage but not that high that X-Com woudnt be able to destroy it with weapons. It should be better to completely destroy them instead taking the crash site mission to avoid endless monotone missions where you hunt one or two aliens for 5 alloys. It could be well ballanced then.

It can participate on all mission that Scout ships can, replacing one or more scouts and actively hunting the X-Com crafts.

There could be also new Alien mission - Alien patrol - that spawns few fighters that patrol over some place hunting all crafts in the area. It should score more points for aliens, than normal research/abduction missions to force players to intercept these fighters and not just let them be, because they are dangerous.

I like this idea.
There are already some fighters available (see existing mods). But a way to make them completely destroyed (i.e. never triggering any mission), as for example with only one alien on board that would be killed systematically, could be interesting.

[animal310]

I like this idea.
There are already some fighters available (see existing mods). But a way to make them completely destroyed (i.e. never triggering any mission), as for example with only one alien on board that would be killed systematically, could be interesting.

I don't like this idea. If you don't want the "monotonous" mission then just don't land at the crash site. Easy. 

I do very much like the idea of a new ship combat mechanic and UFO's that chase and attack xcom ships

[luke83]

Yes this is a feature i would like to see.

[Hobbes]

There could be also new Alien mission - Alien patrol - that spawns few fighters that patrol over some place hunting all crafts in the area. It should score more points for aliens, than normal research/abduction missions to force players to intercept these fighters and not just let them be, because they are dangerous.

I'm already using a similar mission called Alien Flyby on the Terrrain/Missions Pack. The aliens send a total of 9 or 10 UFOs in short succession and increasing size to overfly an area.

[Arthanor]

Well well.. I was just coming here to make the exact same suggestion..!

I have taken an interest in craft combat recently and one thing that struck me is the passivity of UFOS in the normal game. You can follow a large UFO around the globe with your tiny interceptor to see what it's up to and nothing bad happens.. That UFO is faster, tougher and has much more firepower, so it should just turn around, blow the interceptor out of the sky and then keep going.

It would also allow the transports' damage capacity to be a useful stat if they can be intercepted by UFOs (ex.: shot down by UFO fighters on their way to an alien base). That would be a further way to make the lightning relevant. It is much faster and much more resilient than a sky ranger, and can sort of defend itself with its one weapon.

A few mods already have the foundation for this with their fighters and it would be nice to build upon it with a new AI. The Interception screen would not even need to be changed that much. Once you are intercepted, you can still pick which stance you want to take, etc. The only difference should be that the UFO can move forward and back of its own accord. Forward to prevent you from running away or to bring shorter range weapons to bear. Back to keep you at bay and stay out of range of some weapons.

It would be particularly cool to give the UFO technology crafts the ability to back up from an aggressive UFO, trying to keep it at range, since saucers can fly in any direction, whereas the basic planes have to disengage and reengage if the UFO gets too close.

On a sort of related note: Is it possible to come up with a way to make access to the UFO stats sheets easier? It would be especially useful with mods adding new UFOs. Maybe something like: Every interception and recovery missions gives you a "Report: UFO X" item. Once you have a certain number of them, you can set your scientists to analyze the reports and the result is the stat sheet.

[Recruit69]

+1

However, what about those interceptors "patrolling" that will of course trigger the UFO fighers to come get it....this could then become exploited to harvest points to bump up the score for the month?