HoverAttack
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| Flag: | HoverAttack |
| File(s): | rules(md).ini |
| Values: | Boolean values: yes or no, true or false, 1 or 0 |
| Default: | no |
| Applicable to: | TechnoTypes:
AircraftTypes, BuildingTypes, InfantryTypes and VehicleTypes |
Makes a unit in Guard or Area Guard mission try to move to a nearby spot when it has a target but no route to travel.
Notes
When this flag is set, the unit looks for a reachable cell near its own position and moves there while staying in the Guard mission - it does not switch to Attack and does not chase the target.
The movement is not aimed at the target: after each move the route is cleared, so the unit keeps wandering. If the unit's Locomotor can fly (e.g. helicopters), this looks like hovering around; if the Locomotor cannot actually fly, the flag does not lift it off the ground - it merely moves around on the ground.
By default, a Guarded unit will not move toward a target out of its weapon range — guard does not pursue, so it stays where it is. This flag enables the wandering above, which may occasionally bring the target within weapon range by luck.
This flag only takes effect in Guard and Area Guard missions; attack missions (Attack, Hunt, etc.) ignore it entirely - the approach-and-fire behavior in those missions is a separate mechanism.
For units that use the Jumpjet Locomotor, this flag forces flying: in the short-range-walk / long-range-fly switching, a unit with this flag never switches to walking and always flies.
Bugs/Side-Effects/Unexpected Limitations
If the unit cannot actually fly, it will not take off; it keeps moving around on the ground instead of hovering (one cell at a time, direction chosen by pathfinding).
When an attack is ordered directly, frequent state refreshes may cause the locomotion to switch back and forth, leading to circling within a cell or moving two cells in a row.
For infantry using this effect, the walk/fly switching may keep them moving after entering weapon range and delay firing, even with weapon settings like OmniFire=yes.