Komandos

Additional gameplay difficulty settings can be opened after the player completes the game. (When the player needs additional innovations and the novelty of the gameplay.) 2. If a player is a bad tactician and loses too many of his soldiers in combat missions, then only he himself can choose a comfortable balance of the game (the complexity of the game). It is possible to increase the dimensions of the vehicle (the number of soldiers transported) by reducing the speed of this vehicle. The player will have to make a choice: either get to the place of completion of the task earlier (start completing the task earlier) and get a tactical, strategic, financial bonus (reward) from this. Or arrive at the place of completion of the task later and with a large number of soldiers, but get less reward for it. (For example: the later the player arrives at the task, the less cash bonus and government approval the player will receive). The player's ability (if desired by the player himself) to take more soldiers on a mission also opens up the opportunity for the player to train (train) more soldiers. This makes the loss of experienced soldiers in battle less painful and less critical for the player.

The fact that you could live a good life without requiring the maximum number of kidneys (two) does not mean that one kidney is superfluous, and the arguments in favor of removing the "extra" second kidney are correct. If the player wants to take fewer soldiers with him on a combat mission, then let him take fewer soldiers with him on a combat mission. Currently, the game makes it easy for you to do this. You cannot force your tactics on the rest of the player, who need more soldiers to complete the task. More soldiers (More soldiers compared to fewer soldiers): can make more shots in one turn, can kill more aliens in 1 turn, can explore more space in one turn. Consequently, more soldiers can complete any task faster. I see no point in increasing the difficulty of the game and increasing the time to complete combat missions by reducing the number of soldiers in battle. The game is already quite difficult, and the number of combat missions in the game is large enough to further increase the complexity of the game and the time to complete combat missions. I believe that the desired number of soldiers in battle should be added to the difficulty settings of the game. Then each player will be able to choose the difficulty of the game (the number of soldiers in battle) at their discretion. Why force all the players to play the game the way you personally like to play?

One kidney is enough for a person to live. Should people have a second kidney removed?

There are many role-playing games (RPG) where the player controls exactly a small number of Units. But in such games, the system of role-playing interaction of characters and character development is very well developed. Because: The intensity of tactical battles alone is not enough for the player to be interested in participating in the huge number of battles that are present in role-playing games. By reducing the number of soldiers in combat: we reduce the tactical variety of situations in combat and do not give the player anything in return: Neither a huge number of things and objects (which are present in role-playing games), nor character development. Besides role-playing games, there are also strategy games. In these games, there are a huge number of units on the battlefield. The development of role-playing characteristics in strategic games may not be at all. There may also be no items, equipment, or trophies that can be given to units and put on Units. However, in such games, a huge number of tactical situations arise on the battlefield. That is why strategy games are interesting to many players. Games like UFO (X-Com) occupy an intermediate position between role-playing games and strategy games. If we want to reduce the number of units on the battlefield (thereby reducing tactical diversity), then we must increase the number of role-playing elements in this game. Otherwise, we will get a copy of the role-playing game with 5-12 characters. but without a role-playing system. I believe that in a game that should have a lot of battles: there should be a huge number of items (as in the OpenXcom: X-Piratez modification, where we meet new items in almost every battle, even at the very late stages of the game), there should be more scientific research (new research appears after each battle); There should be more opportunities for the development of role-playing characteristics, there should be more game locations. And vice versa: in games where only a few battles take place throughout the game (wargames, strategy games), a huge number of troops (units) and a huge number of types of troops are created. Total: It all depends on the number of battles (on average for the entire game), which we will focus on when creating the game. For example, I prefer 10-20 battles for the whole game, but large battles (number of Units 16-36), than 100 battles but small battles (number of Units 3-12)

The complexity of the "Soldier". Day 58. Completed the task without loss: "The UFO crash site." At the moment, this is the easiest task in the game. I have now flown out on a mission to "Free 10 captured civilians." I took the strongest, fastest and most experienced soldiers on a mission. And although I managed to free 4 civilians, and I have 2 more moves left to free the rest, I no longer know if I will bring this fight to an end or replay it in another way: (completely ignoring the goal of freeing civilians in 8 moves). Because the task of freeing 10 civilians in 8 moves is impossible (in full), and the process of freeing civilians is more like self-sabotage, a "meat attack" and getting rid of their best soldiers. In completing this task, I made two blunders that no rookie player is immune from. My first mistake was to try to honestly complete the task I received at the mission briefing (to free 10 civilians in 8 turns). My second mistake was to send the best soldiers on this mission. I believe that many novice players will also make a similar mistake - trying to complete the task "free 10 civilians in 8 turns" without having the slightest idea about the strength and number of aliens in this location, as well as the chances of successfully completing such a task. And if the players send their best soldiers on a similar mission, then they will simply arrange a massacre for their best soldiers. In the future: I'm going to ignore such tasks (release 10 civilians in 8 turns). In the first 6 turns of the game: One of my soldiers blew himself up with his own grenade (game error?) trying to throw a grenade at an alien. Two of my soldiers who fled to free civilians were killed by aliens. Three more are seriously injured, bleeding and it is not known if I will be able to evacuate them from the battlefield. I will probably lose 3 more of my soldiers in this battle, since the next move is for the enemy and the enemy is standing too close to my soldiers. Total: the elite of my troops, which I collected for 58 game days, were destroyed by 2/3 in an attempt to free 10 civilians in 8 turns, who, in principle, cannot be freed in 8 turns. I don't mind the presence of "meat attacks" in the game. I don't mind having potentially impossible tasks in the game. This adds spice to the gameplay. However, in the briefing on the implementation of novice missions, you should honestly warn that the given task is potentially impossible. That the specified task potentially represents a "meat attack". And if "meat attacks/assaults" occur in the game and the player loses his best soldiers in them, then the reward for completing such tasks should cover all possible losses. Personally, I despair when I lose my best soldiers and realize that the goal of "liberating 10 civilians in 8 moves" cannot be achieved in principle, and the reward (if successful) is not able to compensate for the loss of experienced soldiers.

Day 34. The task of rescuing the VIP has been completed. And although I completed the task the first time and without loss, nevertheless, no task has ever caused me such anger and a sense of injustice towards the player as this. I believe that such tasks are nothing more than the destruction of the player's elite soldiers. My soldiers advanced, stopping only to fire shots and reload their weapons. However, 3 turns were not enough for me to get to the evacuation point. Enemy reinforcements appeared next to my soldiers. I consider it a great success that the enemy was unlucky enough to kill a VIP. All 3 turns, the enemy fired at the VIP and my soldiers. He seriously injured many, but fortunately did not kill anyone. It was pure luck. All these 3 turns, my soldiers ran to the evacuation point, covering their backs with smoke. I was lucky that I had 30 soldiers on Base and I took the fastest ones on the mission. The most unpleasant moment in this mission was the places where enemy reinforcements appeared. The enemy should not appear in the center of the location, next to the player's soldiers. (In an unpredictable place for the player). The enemy must appear in an obvious and predictable place for the player - in the very place where the player's soldiers appeared in the location. The enemy must follow the footsteps of the player. If all tactical tasks are created in this way (an unobvious, unpredictable place to generate enemies), then I will have very little joy from such surprises.

The aliens already look like cannon fodder (Zerg) and not a strong space civilization (Protoss). In a 9x9 soldier battle, aliens pose absolutely no threat to the player.

"Soldier". Day 31. Monthly expenses 1,340,000. Income 2,642,000. Bases 2. Living quarters 3 (4) Hangar 5. Generator 1. Warehouse 1. Radar 2. Workshop 1. Laboratory 1. Soldiers 28. Scientists 5. Engineers 5. Completed a combat mission to capture UFOs. The task is significantly easier than a task with a limited amount of time. 1 soldiers were killed. 1 alien captured (octopus brain). The aliens are quite strong and shoot very accurately from a long distance. I lined up snipers in the second line, but several times I failed to hit the aliens, since the sniper rifle has a limited range, which is very bad in open spaces. Sniper soldiers had to be used in the first line. There are not enough long-range weapons in the game for second-line soldiers. Neither a grenade launcher nor a sniper rifle are fully suitable for the second line due to the short range. The medical center is too expensive, so I didn't build it. In order not to lack healthy soldiers, I hired 28 soldiers (not very good, but the best of those that were). Those soldiers who remained available for recruitment were very weak: the strength of these soldiers was less than 39 units. However, at the beginning of the month, the list was updated: new soldiers with good characteristics appeared. I really liked it in the game. There are also many other nice little things in the game (compared to Xenonauts 1). So far, the most unpleasant moment in the game, for me, is the balance of weapons, and the weight of the equipment.

This is my first time playing Xenonauts 2. Since this is my first game, I naturally focused on the tactics and mechanics of the game that worked in Xenonaut 1. Xenonauts 2 has a different balance of weapons, different tactical tasks, different weight of equipment and a different number of soldiers. All this leads to a wrong assessment of their strengths and their capabilities. Playing Xenonauts 2 for the second time, I will no longer make the mistakes I made the first time, not knowing the game mechanics and expecting it to repeat the mechanics of Xenonauts 1. For example: How could I know that my soldiers would lose consciousness in smoke? How could I know that opponents don't miss as often as they used to? How could I know that the grenade launcher was useless now? How can I find out how far hand grenades are being thrown in the room right now? How can I find out how many opponents are on the battlefield to know how boldly I can run forward? How can I know where and in what place enemy reinforcements may appear? How strong and numerous will they be? How could I know that in the first month of the game, it's enough to have one fighter jet to destroy UFOs?

The complexity of the "Soldier". The 23rd day of the game. I have built a second Base. 1 Hangar and 1 radar are being built at the second Base. There are 2 Hangars (4 Hangars in total) and 2 rooms for housing (4 rooms for housing in total) built on the Main Base. The Medical Center is the most expensive building in the game (along with the Training Center). Therefore, it is cheaper to keep more soldiers to replace those soldiers who are wounded in battle.

Day 23. The task of extracting 10 flash drives with data I lost 5 soldiers in battle. Two soldiers lost due to the lack of adequate first-aid kits in the game to stop bleeding. Those that are available in the game are equal in gravity to a heavy machine gun with a full set of cartridges. Not all soldiers can carry such heavy loads. In conditions of lack of time (on a combat mission with a limited time resource), doctors do not have time to provide assistance. I also didn't like the fact that the second or third (subsequent) waves of reinforcements from the enemy do not appear at the farthest edge of the map, but next to my soldiers, which makes it pointless to engage in defense after the first wave of reinforcements appears. Total: from the very beginning of the game, it is necessary to designate zones for the player in which enemy reinforcements may appear. And these zones should be located at the farthest edge of the location from the landing site of the player.

Day 11 of the game. Completed the task of freeing the hostages. (5/10) Xenonauts lost 4 soldiers (2 revived at the base). Impressions * first aid kits for wound dressing are too heavy. Total: Each soldier should have a lightweight individual medical package to stop the bleeding. * The goal of the task: "free the prisoners" looks strange, given the fact that at an early stage of the game we need as many alien artifacts as possible. (Scientists do not have materials for research, because we have not yet met with aliens). And the player has not yet had time to feel the negative effects of increased panic in order to understand how much the decrease in panic is 2 points more valuable than the lives of 1-2 soldiers. Total: Obtaining alien artifacts should be a higher priority goal of the task at an early stage of the game. * With so many injuries and losses among the player's soldiers, it becomes necessary to keep a much larger number of soldiers on the base. Therefore, I believe that the size of a barracks for 10 soldiers is not enough. On the 11th day of the game, I have 8 soldiers on treatment and 6 soldiers capable of serving. Total: From the very first day of the game, the capacity of two barracks is extremely small. * For a normal game, the player needs: from the very first day to build 1-2 additional hangars and 1 room for living. Total: I suggest providing this resource to the player from the very beginning of the game. * One knife weighs like two clips of 20 rounds each. Bottom line: this is a useless item.

V. 4.12 1 day in the game * A hospital and a gym are more expensive than a scientific laboratory and a factory capable of creating the most advanced weapons and equipment. The hospital and training center should be cheaper. * The warehouse and the hangar are at the same price, although the warehouse is just an empty room with racks, and the hangar is also machines for aircraft maintenance. The power plant is being built almost at the price of a warehouse. The warehouse should be cheaper. * Grenades are 1.5 times heavier than an assault rifle magazine. Although the clip with cartridges for an assault rifle is actually heavier. * The game does not have a rocket launcher, which was in Xenonauts 1. I did not like the grenade launcher available in the game as a replacement. * It takes a very long time for the enemy to make their move, because of this, battles last a very long time. * The maximum capacity of one residential unit is 10 people, and the maximum capacity of air transport is 16 people. The player will have to build two residential blocks on a new base. I completed one battle (Atlas base), but it had to be replayed several times due to the fact that the grenade launcher throws grenades right at my feet, and the soldier, after closing the doors, may find himself on the other side of the doors.

We can add Activity Points (AP) to the teleports that they will use while working. If the teleporter has run out of Activity Points (AP), then the teleporter will no longer be able to transport soldiers in this round.

If you look closely at the screenshot, you will see that: 6 seats are filled, 8 seats are available. The actual capacity of the transport is 14. When the Avenger ship appeared, the number reached 26 soldiers. During the modifications, the players brought this number to higher limits. (modification X-Piratez - 36.) modification 40,000 Warhammer - 36-40)

Limitations cannot open up limitless possibilities. Unlimited possibilities arise only in the absence of restrictions.

The game is made tedious by a huge number of monotonous combat missions. The combat missions themselves are also tedious due to the small viewing radius, as a result of which the player has to spend a lot of time just examining the map. All combat missions are very similar: 8-12 of your soldiers must destroy a certain number of aliens. The final battle is essentially no different from any other battle. In classic X-COM:1-2, the final battle was a large-scale battle requiring the participation of 26 soldiers, while a regular UFO assault required no more than 12 soldiers (from the middle of the game). And with some UFOs, 4-6 soldiers could easily cope. Also in X-COM:1-2 there were several combat missions that also required the maximum number of soldiers (26). There weren't many of these large-scale battles, but these battles gave the player the most intense emotions from the game. The problem with this game is also that, according to legend, aliens are more technologically advanced, and humanity can resist them in battle only in quantity, not quality. In fact: the player's soldiers are more powerful than the alien soldiers, and the aliens can defeat the player in battle - only by quantity. The Xenonauts game does not have the emotions that were in X-COM:1-2. When in the first battles (especially at night), the player lost more of his own soldiers than he destroyed the alien soldiers.

And there is also a series of "Civilization" games, where the number of units in need of player control can reach several hundred. And that's not to mention dozens of cities.

In the classic game, (X-COM:1; 2; 3) which became iconic: X-COM: 1; 2 allowed the presence of 26 soldiers on one combat mission. At the same time, in some key and final missions, even this amount was not enough for a confident victory. In X-COM:3, the player could already take 36 soldiers on one mission. For dynamism: You can have one soldier in the game, just like it is implemented in the Diablo game

In the game "Xenonauts", the function of controlling some game characters by others is not implemented in any way (control by the commander of a detachment of his subordinates), therefore, the official rank is a decorative element of the game. It is enough to add some additional number of Action points (AP) to the game, which the squad leader can distribute to his subordinates (Inspiration) and the role of the commander and his rank in the game will become more noticeable.

High morale can be evidenced by the willingness of soldiers to fight for much less reward or even for free. If soldiers are ready to defend the planet only for a lot of money (and even then: for 8,000,000,000 people, there are only a few dozen who want to protect the planet and these people will not be of the best quality), then the reputation of xenonauts can already be considered extremely low. With the increasing reputation of the Xenonauts organization, people will come to the organization who will fight only for an idea and not for a monetary reward. And also people who need much less money will come to the organization.

The problem of the shortage of experienced soldiers is easily solved by building educational institutions where your soldiers are trained. However, this will mean additional costs: for the maintenance of such soldiers and for the construction and maintenance of training centers. The player can choose any strategy for training soldiers: either train soldiers in battle, or train soldiers in training centers. It would also be wise for the list of available (for hire) soldiers to be fully updated once a month. Thus, the list of available soldiers for recruitment will not accumulate very weak soldiers who will have to be hired due to the lack of the best.

As an alternative to the "automatic battle", it does not look bad. It resembles the mechanics of the game "Heroes of Magic and Sword". There are immortal heroes in this game who participate in the battle, but cannot be killed in battle. And there are troops who are suffering losses. Only immortal heroes can raise the level of development and accumulate experience.