                            Concept : Interception

NAME
   Interception - How plane interception works

Level: Expert

Each  time  an enemy plane (i.e. a plane owned by a country that your are HOS-
TILE to or worse) flies into over a sector, surface ship or land unit you own,
planes you have with the intercept ability will intercept them if:

   a) The incoming planes are not stealthy, or are detected.
   b) The sector is within 1/2 the interceptor's range (as modified
      by the range command).
   c) The interceptor is on no mission, or it is on air defense mission
      and the incoming planes are in its op area.
   d) It has mobility and fuel.
   e) It is at least 40% efficient.
   f) It is in a suitable base:
           1) planes without VTOL ability must be at an airport that
                   is at least 60% efficient.

           2) planes on ships may only fly if the ship can operate
                   that kind of aircraft.

Neutral and friendly planes will be reported, but not intercepted.

You additionally intercept anywhere else in your air defense mission op areas,
but only with planes on air defense mission.

Before planes scramble to intercept incoming  planes,  flak  fires  (see  info
Flak),  and  any  SAMs in range will be launched.  One SAM is launched at each
incoming plane that cost at least $1000 to build.  See below  for  the  damage
that the SAM does to the plane it hits.

Enemy  planes  will  be  intercepted by up to 1 more interceptor, i.e. 1 plane
will be intercepted by 2 (if available), 2 by 3, 3 by 4, etc. The highest num-
bered planes intercept first. Incoming missiles will only  be  intercepted  by
ABMs

Once  the  roster of attackers & interceptors is determined, attackers and in-
terceptors dogfight. First escorts & interceptors fight, then planes being es-
corted & surviving non-aborted interceptors.

First, an attacker and a defender are chosen, then each  plane  on  each  list
fights once.

Combat values

The  attacker's  combat  value  is  calculated  by adding up his planes attack
value, and modifying it for efficiency, bomb-load,  and  stealth.  The  attack
value  of  the plane is multiplied times the plane's efficiency, but cannot go
below 1/2 of the plane-type's base value (as shown by show plane stats).   (If
the  plane's  attack  value  is 0, the defensive value is used instead, with a
minimum of 1/2 the plane- type's defensive value)

Two is subtracted if the attacking plane is carrying bombs.

If the plane is stealthy, stealth%/25 is added.

The defender's value is calculated in the same way, except that the  defensive
value is always used.

Odds

Next, an odds ratio is calculated: (att/(def+att))*100.

Combat Intensity

Then, a combat intensity is rolled: (d20+d20+d20+d20)

Combat  For  each point of combat intensity (or until both planes are dead), a
d100 is rolled. If the value is less than the odds, the defender takes a casu-
alty, otherwise the attacker takes a casualty.

Once all combat rolls have been made, the attacker and  defender  are  checked
for  aborting.  If a plane is damaged below 80%, then it will have a chance of
aborting.  The chance to abort is (80-plane eff). (Example: a plane at 70% has
a 10% chance to abort.

Missiles intercepting die after the combat is done.
Example

Suppose that a fighter 2 (30% efficient, tech 154, attack value 7) is conduct-
ing a recon mission. As it enters an enemy  controlled  sector,  a  fighter  1
(100%  efficient,  tech  131,  defense value 4) rises up to fight it.  The at-
tacker's combat value is calculated:

   1) 7 * (30/100) = 2.1 = 2

   2) 2 is less than 1/2 the base attack value of an f2 (6), so the value
   is changed to 3

   3) The attacking plane is not stealthy. No modifier.

   4) The attacking plane is not carrying bombs. No modifier.

The defender's defense value, calculated similarly, is 4.

The odds ratio is (3/(3+4)) = .429 = 43%

The intensity is randomly determined to be 30. A  d100  is  rolled  30  times.
Each  time that is 43 or less, the defender takes a hit. Each time it is 44 or
more, the attacker takes a hit.

In our example, the attacker takes 17, the defender 13, leaving  them  at  13%
and 87% efficiency, respectively. The attacker has an 67% chance to abort, and
the  defender  won't.  If the attacker aborts, the mission is over.  Else, the
attacker flies on to the next sector in his flight path, perhaps to have  com-
bat again.

ABMs  ABMs do not use the normal combat procedure. They simply have a % chance
of destroying an incoming warhead equal to their defensive value.

SEE ALSO
   Plane-types, plane, fly, recon, bomb, range, mission, Flak, Planes

