Airlift Interdiction

[Boco]

From the manual:

AIRLIFT ORDERS....Enemy air-to-air units within range of either the target or destination city have a chance to scramble and interdict the transport.

Does anyone know:

1) What are the odds of interdiction? Does this increase with more fighters in range?

2) Do the interdicting fighters have to be domain 2?

3) Has someone written about this in a tipsheet?

[Case]

I've noticed that aircraft with the fighter flag, but with bomber syle movement (ie range of 2+) don't seem to interdict cargo flights.

[Boco]

I also posted this question on the strategy forum (http://apolyton.net/forums/showthrea...03#post1532384). In short, I think it's about a 20% intercept rate.

One obvious flaw in my question above, though. If the phrase "within range" is accurate, then interdicting units must be air units by definition. My read on that is the range must be >0. Couple that with your experience, Case, and I suspect that the program looks for range 1, domain 1 units only.

There's madness behind my method here. I'm looking for a simple, abstract, strategic-level way to simulate U-Boat interceptions of reinforcements from a far off-continent city (e.g. London to Cairo). Unfortunately, 20% is 2-4 times as high as I'd like.

[Case]

Interesting. I would have guessed that the rate was greater then 20% though - I've played games where something like 100% of airlifts were intercepted before I gave up and shipped the damn units by sea.

[ravagon]

Originally posted by Case
I've noticed that aircraft with the fighter flag, but with bomber syle movement (ie range of 2+) don't seem to interdict cargo flights.

Do you actually get the "Fighters may interdict airlift" popup message though?
If the range does play a part then the "bomber movement" fighters, which would generally have less movement than range 1 fighter types, might simply be out of range. ie: Could it use the whole range for the "pure" fighters, not taking into account that said fighter would have to rtb afterwards?
No "fighter" helo's ...

In any case from personal experience I think its more like a 50% chance of intercepting - albeit with a fairly large margin of error as I don't generally take them on.

[Boco]

Yeah, I was a little surprised at the 20% result myself, but it was based on only 100 trials. I also started with a crowded old saved game for the trials. Perhaps I should have tried a more controlled test: 3 cities, 2 units, etc.

Civ2 seems less than random to me at times. In these tests, I had a 4 out of ten rate at one point, and several 0 out of 10 rates. Then again, any statistics whiz will say 'of course, that's what happens with insufficient sampling'. Personally, I think they're lying.

[Case]

I'd guess that you're right and I'm wrong, for the simple reason that I didn't sacrafice 100 units in any game (I usually give up on airlifts after a couple get shot down)

[Caspian]

So I take it that units with helicopter style stats cannot intercept airlifts?

[Jimmywax]

Does the game actually follow it's own rules? I have had games where airlifts have been interdicted, but the enemy cities had no fighters even close to my territory. I have also had games where I lifted units well within my own territory and still had them interdicted. Unless I am at peace, I usually don't bother with the damn airlift feature.

[H Tower]

JimmyWax! where've you been?

[Jimmywax]

Actually I just quit my job in the Havre oilfields and moved 250 miles to Helena to be a manager at a Target store. Hopefully I will have some time now to pursue my other hobbies.

In case you are wondering, the only hobby I could pursue in Havre was drinking. It is a small town and I worked long hours so it worked out just splendidly.

[H Tower]

not to get too off topic, but is there still hope for your korean war scenario?

[Jimmywax]

Hopefully, I still have all my stuff and might start up again here soon.

[Jimmywax]

Also I see alot of other people have been working on the units needed instead of just me. Work should be easier.

[Heresson]

Well, I was bravely shooting down enemy airlifts even when I had no fighters (or only completely demolished ones) I think...