Permanent death no !

[GoodGuyEddy]

Awwww pooky, do you want an "instantly beat the game button" while we're at it? Don't worry princess the game will go easy on you. Here have some barbie dolls, on the house!

[Agent Dark]

I think permadeath is a core part of this game type. It is a risk reward factor that goes beyond the individual mission. It has some negative issues for newer players (aka me) but it also helps add tension to every choice. Without it I would just zerg rush the alien ship every game. I think easy is a nice compromise as it gives the player more buffer from their errors.

[Gauddlike]

You can always hire more fodder... I mean brave protectors of the Earth.
Unless things go terribly wrong and you lose your last combat capable squad then permadeath isn't going to be that big a problem.
It adds an emotional twist to losing your troops that just isn't there if you know they will be fine.
Sending your best and brightest into a defended enemy ship is nail biting if they might die, it is just a few button clicks if they can't.

Having said that the chance of survival after a mission in which they are knocked down (which already exists) should be able to be changed, either in the xml files or as part of a custom difficulty level.
That will allow people to use a perma life mode if they choose to without it being added as an official gameplay element.

[raidsoft]

Once you accept that you will lose soldiers and take it as an inevitability you will start enjoying the game more, same with actually losing a play through. If you are constantly saving and reloading to get a "perfect" game you will quickly become bored because it will just become frustrating and annoying to keep doing that it will take any sense of danger out of the game as well, you can just charge ahead blindly and once your soldiers get shot and killed you reload the game and you then know where the enemy is.

I used to be that kind of player that were saving every single turn and redoing it in X-Com and other similar games and I was getting tired of it, then I saw someone else play completely differently and Never reloading a game unless something bugged out beyond the game's intended design. I started doing the same thing and I enjoyed the game SOOO much more and feel stupid for reloading saves as I did before that.

[Silichna]

Permadeath for the win!

[Gauddlike]

Once you accept that you will lose soldiers and take it as an inevitability you will start enjoying the game more, same with actually losing a play through. If you are constantly saving and reloading to get a "perfect" game you will quickly become bored because it will just become frustrating and annoying to keep doing that it will take any sense of danger out of the game as well, you can just charge ahead blindly and once your soldiers get shot and killed you reload the game and you then know where the enemy is.

I used to be that kind of player that were saving every single turn and redoing it in X-Com and other similar games and I was getting tired of it, then I saw someone else play completely differently and Never reloading a game unless something bugged out beyond the game's intended design. I started doing the same thing and I enjoyed the game SOOO much more and feel stupid for reloading saves as I did before that.

Well put, I only save regularly because I don't have time to play full missions atm.
As long as there are enough options available to be tweak and adjusted then hopefully everyone will be (relatively) happy.

[Swe_Racoon]

Gonna throw in with the lot speaking for permadeath. It's a nice change in all these holding-your-hand games of today, and it's X-COM!

There's no tension in having my veteran breacher go through a door if I know he'll just be stitched back up at the end of the mission. Neither will there be those "What have I done?!" moments when your best man bites the dust due to an alien missing his intended target and striking said Rambo in the face instead (poor Hawkeye, I still remember him one-shotting Snakemen from across the map).

No, I like permadeath, for me it is another way of getting involved with my troops (those who make it at least, nevermind the nameless redshirts). Plus it's always fun to see that one guy who's survived everyone else three times over drag himself from under a pile of alien corpses, knife in mouth, pistol in one hand and extraterrestrial intestines in the other, ready to fight one more time.

[thothkins]

are you saying that he's going to strangle an alien with the intestines of one of it's comrades? Jeez, no wonder they don't like us much

[Oathbreaker]

Permadeath is a defining element of the genre.

There's always the "Easy" setting. Maybe have it as an easily found option, I'm perfectly ok with that. Then make sure all achievements have a Permadeath (i.e., Normal) version and a no-permadeath (Mr. Restartsalot) version. That way people can't brag without being found out.

[winterwolves]

You've gotta have the tension and worry that losing soldiers brings to the game!