Finding Alien Bases With The Skyranger?

[aquila]

Okay, here's the question.

Just started up a game on veteran setting, and there is much activity in Brazil. Must be a base around there. I go with my Skyranger, click to go and patrol one zone, and he sits there for a while and doesn't detect sh@t. Do you have to keep clicking around a country with high activity and patrol each point for a while to find the base, or what? What am I doing wrong?

[[NKF]]

Well, there has to be a base there in order to find one. If there's no base, then perhaps you are seeing UFO activity instead. In a day, bases produce a very small amount of daily activity compared to your average UFO mission. 5 points a day, or so.

 

Or, perhaps you need to widen your search around the suspected area.

 

If you're still unsure, gather up some funds (sell heavy plasmas) and construct a feeler base in that area. Just create a lift and a small radar (it's quick to build). You can expand and improve the base at your leisure. Having a fixed radar in the area should be able to pick up any strange activity going on there - and be sure to watch for supply ships. They're a very good indication of alien bases that may just be beyond detection range.

 

 

- NKF

[Empyrean]

On a related note, what's the detection radius of your craft, anyway? Also, is there a picture that illustrates the radar range of different facilities? I'd like to know exactly what my radar coverage is, or at least get a general idea.

[[Blehm 98]]

I believe an HWD in the Appalacians has an edge somewhere near the European coast line, maybe a bit longer

[X-Op. Nicolai]

Okay, here's the question.

Just started up a game on veteran setting, and there is much activity in Brazil. Must be a base around there. I go with my Skyranger, click to go and patrol one zone, and he sits there for a while and doesn't detect sh@t. Do you have to keep clicking around a country with high activity and patrol each point for a while to find the base, or what? What am I doing wrong?

 

What kind of UFOs is the radar (Hyper Wave Decoder if you have one) detecting? If they are Supply Ships, 75% there is a base there. I was the same way. There was a base in the US I knew there was. Just that it wasnt locking onto my Skyrangers they I would of doing patrol in the sky. Try and catch one of those UFOs to land (I wouldnt chance this though without the HWD, if its an infilitration mission, I noticed that if you let the infilitration UFOs to even land and you win the ground mission. The infiltration still goes through, thats how I lost US for funding d&mnit.) and have your Skyranger or Interceptors patrol above it till the UFO leaves. When it leaves thats when you should pick up detection on where the base is (most likely where the UFO landed.)

[[NKF]]

I imagine the Skyranger's radar isn't terribly large. Perhaps something similar or smaller than the small radar - or thereabouts.

 

I like to describe the ranges of the radars by way of Novosibirsk. The small radar appears to be able to track UFOs up to Moscow, the Large radar extends to Berlin, and the Hyperwave decoder goes to London and a bit beyond. This is what I've observed for the tracking ranges of spotted UFOs. I really couldn't say if the same holds true for the detection ranges, as UFOs can pop in from orbit.

 

- NKF

[[Blehm 98]]

I believe the interceptor actually has a longer range and better radar than the skyranger, but i might be mistaken

[SprCobra]

I think someone said empty Skyrangers are better for finding bases because they are slower and the interceptors are too fast(well maybe that)

Someone said that soemwhere

Edited July 23, 2006 by SprCobra

[[NKF]]

Technically, a Skyranger is a much more superior scout plane than the interceptor. But that's because a Skyranger can stay up for something like 2 - 3 days straight on one tank of fuel. This allows you to scan a much larger area by moving the Skyranger around every few hours. The interceptor's good for pin-point scouting an area that you're sure there's a base.

 

The actual contents of the Skyranger has no influence over how long it can stay in the air, but then again, you don't want your soldiers and equipment to be out flying on some scout mission somewhere. That's why an empty skyranger is recommended. It doesn't matter too much if you have plenty of reserve troops and weapons back home.

 

- NKF

Edited July 23, 2006 by NKF

[[Blehm 98]]

i generally pop an interceptor up around a landed supply craft, and then do whatever to the supply ship. So nice of them to show you where their base is

[[NKF]]

Too right! Silly supply ships.

 

By the way, just an addendum on the Skyranger air time. While you can actually get up to 3 days air time, it actually differs depending on how much you're making the Skyranger fly.

 

The further away the Skyranger flies from its base of origin, the higher its bingo point (or 'turn-back-now' fuel level). So if you stay close to home, you'll get to stay in the air a lot longer.

 

Also, a stationary Skyranger consumes less fuel than a moving Skyranger. So if you move it a lot, you'll go home a lot sooner. I ran a test with a Skyranger continuously on the move and emptied its tank in a day. That's still quite a long time, but this shows that the Skyranger's air time does vary.

 

- NKF

Edited July 24, 2006 by NKF