I think the Chinook should have more fuel and have longer range and speed?

[Kimberly]

Chinok is a transport chopper. It SHOULD be slow. However, it also should have quite a bit of range.

Maybe the fix would be for the nations to be a bit easier on you at the very start, given that they know your limited resources?

Well, money still needs to be balanced, anyway. I think it will already become easier once the "local forces survived" counter works, because reputation will go up a lot quicker.

Also, may I ask what inspired your forum name?

[cybrbeast]

How about the dropships get to use 100% of their fuel on the way to terror missions but must secure fuel after the mission is won, this could take 12-24 hours and then make their way back to base. Also some cost could be added for the fuel that is bought from the local airports.

I think this would also be a very reasonable option, as it seems realistic that you would be able to get some fuel driven in from somewhere near a city. Alternatively your troops could leave the Chinook and tank behind and simply board a commercial or transport airplane.

[Max_Caine]

The underlying reason why people want Chinooks to have a longer range is the complaint that players cannot reach downed/landed alien spacecraft. However, by limiting the range and speed of the Chinook, you make the dropship tiers more pronounced than they ever were in earlier X-Comish games, and encourage bases to be more than simple intercept/radar satellites of the main base. IF the aim of the developers is to encourage bases to be more than simple radar/intercept satellites, and people want to be able to reach downed/landed spacecraft, then instead of looking for the mountain to come to mohammed, let mohammed come to the mountain.

Make it clear from the very start the operational range of a chinook. Then, in the early game, have the most of ufos spawn and travel in a set of "range rings" from your inital base that increases in distance for every ufo that spawns. E.G. first ufo spawns almost on top of the base, doesn't travel very far from it. Next ufo spawns a little further away. Next ufo after that spawns a little further away. Next ufo spawns some place on another continent (so the player is aware this is happening globally). Ufo after that spawns close to the operating range of your chinook. Etc. This is a slow easing of the player into the concept of chinooks have a limited range. It should beome evident to the player (fairly quickly) that at some point another base is going to have to be built, but there isn't the immediate pressure to expand that there is in the current alpha. Another suggestion, again early game, would be to have ufos focus their efforts in particular clusters on continents. This would have players build new bases in areas where they can predict where they will get most ufos - at least to start with - which validates the positioning of their new base.

[TrashMan]

Well, money still needs to be balanced, anyway. I think it will already become easier once the "local forces survived" counter works, because reputation will go up a lot quicker.

Also, may I ask what inspired your forum name?

Yeah, probably.

My forum name? Can't recall..been using it forever on hunderds of forums.
I THINK it might have been a very old Wing Commadner review....

[reluxor]

devil's advocate here. Having the limited range is an encouragement to building those extra bases, and equiping them with Chinooks. If a single Chinook can reach practically everywhere, there's no real need to do this. At worst, you could have multiple Chinooks at a single base.

I've found in 10.1 having to support the logistics of a assault base to be pretty enjoyable. I wouldn't have bothered had my first Chinook been able to get across the map.

Extra fun having the dropships intercepted. Must look into escorts for dropships...

Totally agree with this. Effective range should be a problem. Speed... Why not? But Why ? Anyway you can change time speed if you are bored.

[Major Isoor]

We're not going to increase the chinook range by any appreciable amount. I like forcing multiple bases and teams. Also, increased range is a feature for the later drop ships. Speed we may increase so you can reach landed ufos and terror sites before they disappear.

Yeah, I'd say stick with that plan. It IS just a 1979 chinook after all, (albeit a modified one) and not a long-hauler like the Skyranger from the distant future/1999, after all! But yeah, from the sound of it, it might pay to have it fly somewhat quicker - althoguh on the other hand, it IS a heavy-weight transport helo, and not something smaller and more agile, like a Huey. (heh, I wonder if the Xenonaut ground crews/pilots can/will still paint on the traditional 'shark mouth', and have 'Fortunate Son' by CCR being played over everything else on the Geoscape view, when inflight? Hmm... )

[Citizen844]

I prefer difficulty and realims vs. Quake helos that circumnavigate the globe at mach 2 on a liter of petrol.

[Leonatus]

Given that the Chinook is a rather primitive transport by Xenonaut standard I was hoping that there would be another transport that could be researched quickly (say, after getting alien alloy). One that uses some advanced forms of tech but isn't yet Alenium fuled.

This tranport would have to be built and could be limited by additional factors like smallish size (6 guys, no tanks?) but have improved speed and range to get the crack Xeno team to terror sites, when neccessary. It would make single base play an option where now one is pretty much forced to build multiple bases.
With the limited loadout it would then be players discretion to either go through the trouble of having several bases with teams or saving some money but having a harder time on critical missions early- to mid-game due to smaller teams.

As we don't know the tech tree so far, something like this could already be planned, but I would like some aircraft that close the gap between basic earth tech and Alenium powered killing machines.
This was a problem with the old XCom, too.


Leo

[Arturius]

I agree it would be really interesting to have a choice between a big and slow Chinook vs small and fast newer transport ship.
It would really give a Xenonaut Commander something to think about.

[Gorlom]

Wouldn't that option make you end up sending the smaller thing to terror sites in the beginning? They would end up as suicide missions =S