HighFleet is a game of making the best decisions with incomplete or imperfect information. A major component of the game’s strategic layer is using every available system to gather intelligence on enemy movements and radio interception is one of the most prominent of such systems. To help players get a head start on this vital minigame, we compiled a handy guide to make intelligence gathering easier for prospective admirals
Here are the main components of radio interception in HighFleet:
– Detection
– Interception
– Message
– Decryption Key
And here’s everything you need to know about radio interception in HighFleet.
Detection
Detection is the simplest and one of the only automatic systems in the radio interception process. To detect a radio signal a player has to have a Strike Group of at least one ship physically selected and positioned in the general vicinity of suspected enemy activity and movement.
If the Strike Group picks up a signal the telephone UI element labelled “Radio Signal” at the top left of the screen will blink and give a rapid beeping audio cue.
The game will usually graciously pause if a signal is detected to give players time to respond. To proceed to the Interception minigame, players will need to click on the phone and a new menu will slide out from the left side of the screen.
Interception
The game will remain paused until the player either begins identifying the radio signal or manually unpausing the game. Intercepting a signal is a timed affair so it’s advised players are prepared to act quickly. However, if players don’t have enough time or simply don’t want to go through the process of signal identification there is an Auto-Intercept button, which will automatically bring up the intercepted message, though most of the message will be redacted and unreadable.
To begin interception the players will first need to select one of three radio wavelengths. Once selected, admirals use the mouse wheel to turn the in-game knob to find the right message frequency, all the while listening for audio cues and tracking the signal strength dial to find the right radio frequency.
A high-pitched rapid signal and flashing light-blue light will indicate to the player if they found the right frequency after which they can proceed to the next step, which is finding the direction of the signal. At the bottom of the radio interception menu players will need to rotate another dial using the mouse wheel to set an angle.
Another flashing blue light will confirm the signal’s direction. It might be a good idea to look at the strategic map while identifying its direction to get a rough estimate of the signal’s point of origin. After players find the correct angle, they will need to press the save button and then a message will pop-up with useful information.
If at any moment the timer runs out on the player and they aren’t able to complete the interception process the signal will simply shut down and no information will be given.
Message
Successfully completing the radio interception minigame will give the players a small pop-up message with vital information from enemy communication. These communiques will usually have information about fleet callsigns, direction of travel, possible cargo, and estimated time of arrival indicators. Admirals are also encouraged to use the in-game pencil, ruler, and compass tools to physically leave marks on the strategic map to help players understand the current map setup.
Decryption Key
At some point the rebels will begin to encrypt their messages, meaning that intercepted messages will come to the players as gibberish or a form of code. To crack the enemy radio encryption code, which changes for every playthrough, players will need to salvage parts of the code from destroyed ships in battle, specifically in an intact radio room. To complete a decryption key, players need to find four numbers and input them in the decryptor dial found in the radio interception menu.
Though radio interception isn’t the end-all be-all method of intelligence gathering, it’s certainly a vital component to understanding enemy fleet movements. The trick in HighFleet is to combine multiple modes of reconnaissance to get as complete a picture as possible to make the most well-informed decisions for their Strike Groups to reach the rebel capital.
HighFleet is available for PC.
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