Chris, I'm not sure if you've already seen this, but I'll post it anyway. These articles are about XCOM, but maybe some of this ideas can be useful for Xenonauts, too.
http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012/01/06/the-new-xcom-my-needy-little-wishlist/
http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/xcom-enemy-unknown/1216039p1.html