Komandos

In chess, you can also compose a plot. Write down in advance all the moves that you and your opponent have to make. In situations where the player will have the only choice with the only correct move (all others will lead to a loss) - give the player the opportunity to make this move independently. Where the player will have many different options - to show the player a video with moves made in accordance with the plot. A strategy game can't have a plot. A strategy game can only have stages of conflict development. The birth of conflict. Mobilization of forces. Selection of priority goals. The search for allies. ---- The development of the conflict. A show of strength. The use of force. ---- Crisis. Mobilization of all forces and means. Preparation for the general battle. ---- A general battle. The turning point of the battle in favor of one of the parties. Exhaustion of forces. The extinction of the conflict. ---- The final battle. Determination of winners. You can only divide the game into stages in which different "external and random factors" influence.

In fact: Every item that the player adds to the soldier's backpack is a new "feature" that the player adds to the soldier's capabilities. Therefore, for convenience, the backpack can be made in the form of a number of pockets, in each of which one item can be placed. One cell = one function = one type of equipment. Each type of equipment (grenade, rifle, first aid kit, etc....) it has its own graphic sign, which is placed on the control panel as a function (opportunity) available to the soldier. For example, as in these games. The rows of slots on the control screen are both the items in the soldier's backpack and the functions that the soldier can use on the battlefield.

If all the aliens will also shoot from around the corner, then how in the game, with such mechanics, where opponents shoot at each other from around the corner - the player's soldiers will attack UFOs? The aliens can easily destroy all the attackers by shooting at them from around the corner and at the same time staying out of the affected area themselves.

The detection of alien bases (activity points) can be performed similarly to the game "Miner". The planet (like the playing field in the game "Miner") is divided into sectors (squares). Sending a scout to each sector during the day gives intelligence information about this sector and about neighboring sectors. Namely: the presence of aliens in the sector; visits and rumors about the possible presence of aliens in neighboring sectors). As in the game "Miner", it is necessary to correctly calculate the sector of the aliens' location. If a scout enters the alien sector, he dies (like a miner stepping on a mine). The tactical group goes to places where there is a chance to detect aliens. If the intelligence made a mistake, then the tactical group, having lost a day (hours) of time, returns to the base. If the intelligence has correctly located the aliens, then the combat mission begins.

Is there this type of weapon in the game?

Just like in chess, a lot of moves create a different game situation on the playing field - in the same way we should strive (in UFO: X-COM) so that a different order of research leads to different game situations. To do this, the number of possible studies must be very large (it is impossible to open everything in one game). In addition, a different combination of studies already conducted should lead to different game situations (a trigger for a combination of studies). In principle, you and I can come up with a mechanic in which at the beginning of the game the player will have "starting pieces" (as in chess), and these pieces may be lost during the game. And these "starting pieces" can be placed differently on the playing field (on the map of the globe). To do this, the game will probably have to start not from one starting base, but from 8-12 starting bases, which will develop differently in the game (depending on the activity of aliens on the territory of the location of military

Chess. Football. All these games don't have a plot. It is impossible to say after playing chess or football once: I have completely passed such games as chess and football.

I agree. At the initial stage, the player should have more choice for research. I agree. Civilians should run towards the Xenonauts, towards evacuation, and not towards the aliens. I also want to see such missions (combat missions) in the game.

I agree. This is very lacking in the game.

On the loading screen (the opponent's move), you can show hints that will help the player get used to the game.

You can "sell by contract". For example: in a business center, you sign a contract for the sale of 10 pieces of exhibits at a certain price. All artifacts from this batch are sold at the specified price. Next, it is necessary to conclude a new contract. Bottom line: you can sell the first 10 units of the product at one fixed price. The next 10 units are already at a different price. (And, perhaps, this price will be influenced by the results of various tactical missions. When performing some tasks, the price will increase. When performing other tasks, the price will decrease)

It's a good idea. However, the movement speed can be adjusted using the tile properties. As for: the level of lighting, ambient temperature and air humidity (which affect the endurance of soldiers, visibility, accuracy of weapons, etc.), then yes. This will diversify the missions. I suggest adding the following environmental properties: illumination (already available now); temperature (no); humidity (no).

I suggest: Increase the number of aliens on the battlefield by 2-3-4 times. Increase the maximum size of a tactical group on the battlefield to 20-24 soldiers. This will allow you to diversify the number of tactical situations that arise on the battlefield. Do this at least for the final (plot, key, final) missions. Due to the narrow restrictions on the number of soldiers in missions, all battles are extremely monotonous in tactics and the distribution of tactical roles of fighters. In the future, this will help create mods with epic final and key battles. Create a wider range on the scale of the battle, as in OpenXcom. P.S. There are contradictions in the mechanics of the game: 1 - the game forces the player to create several tactical teams (stress mechanism, forced rest); 2 - the player cannot realize in the final of the game the advantage gained due to the high-quality training of two teams. (Take more trained soldiers on the final mission).

In daylight - maybe it really is. In the evening (home) light, the white background strains the eyes very much.

If in the game, the player is limited to a single base for a long time, on which he is forced to build only the most necessary buildings (lack of space and money), then it is natural that the need to disconnect the building from the electricity supply will rarely arise. Solution: either increase the size of military bases (7x7; 8x8; 9x9), or give the player the opportunity to have many a bases.

To supply electricity to several rooms for 12 people - do you need a nuclear reactor? What's wrong with a player being able to de-energize entire bases so as not to incur financial costs for their maintenance? The cost of maintenance of the base should include the cost of energy production. (Each building requires not money for its upkeep, but energy for its upkeep). No power supply to the base buildings = no maintenance costs for the base buildings. TOTAL: energy production costs a lot of money. The maintenance of buildings requires energy. (And not just money, as we now see in the game)

If you limit the number of working buildings to stocks (monthly supplies) of fuel for an energy generator, you will be able to control how many buildings the player will be able to put into operation, even if the player builds up the entire planet with their bases. Theoretically: for each building, you can come up with a resource (consumables) that regulates the number of working buildings of this type (for each individual month in the game).

I guess the problem is this: 1. The animation of a disabled (mothballed) building almost does not differ from the animation of a working building. Visually, it is difficult to determine (with a cursory glance) which building is working and which building is disabled. Bottom line: building management requires a lot of attention. 2. The reward for a building disconnected from power is very small. (For example: There is no saving money for maintenance.). 3. Maintenance of the power generator is very cheap. Energy is very cheap. There is no point in saving. The electric generator should be the most expensive design to maintain (on the Base). 4. The disconnection of the building from electrical energy occurs instantly. The resumption of power supply to the building occurs instantly. You need to set a time limit. For example, 6 hours. 5. Fuel for energy generators should be a consumable that should be saved and the amount of which (fuel) limits the size of the base and the number of working buildings. For example: In the first month of the game, the player may have enough funds to build 6 bases. But the amount of fuel (for an energy generator) can only be for one base. As a result, the player will have to activate the operation of the Base in those regions where there are a lot of UFOs, and disable the operation of bases (disable entire bases) in those regions where there are few UFOs. Think about it.

Of course: the strategy of the game can be based on the principle: the absence of many resources and the saving of these resources. And in order to win: the player needs to study and master all the ways to save resources and choose the path of the most efficient way to save resources. However, a novice player will need to replay the game several times before the player discovers, remembers and learns how to use resource savings as efficiently as possible. I believe that it is not necessary to create a deficit for absolutely all resources in the game. I think it will be enough if we create a shortage of only strategically important resources in the game. The remaining resources in the game may be in sufficient quantity (for example, now we do not see a shortage of firearms and ammunition for these weapons in the game). In addition to the saving strategy, the game can be built on a development strategy. This is when the player has to choose the fastest way to develop. But so far, the process of scientific research is not much like a separate mini-game. I would be very happy if the research process starts to resemble the stages of this game: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulls_and_Cows After the start of scientific research (or some time after the start of scientific research), the player is offered to play a mini-game (otherwise, research will be conducted in auto mode). Approximate rules of such a mini-game: in order to make a scientific discovery (any or only very important), it is necessary to conduct four out of ten possible experiments in the correct order (sequence). Each experiment is indicated by a number from 0 to 9. The player sets the order of experiments using a set of numbers. For example: 7209 Scientists, after conducting a study, show the player the result (for example): 1 the experiment was conducted in the correct order. 1 the experiment was conducted in the wrong order. Based on this information, the player will have to guess the correct order of experiments. The detailed rules are here. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulls_and_Cows You can try to use this mini-game for final research (research in the very end of the game). If the player refuses to play this mini-game, then the player's participation will be replaced by a random search of all possible options and the research process will be longer. This is not difficult to do for several very important studies. In addition to the resource saving strategy, you can use strategic tactics in the game. This is when the conditions on the global screen change very often (for example, the weather), and the player (depending on these conditions) will have to choose one of the available ways to respond. Each way of responding in different situations will have different effectiveness.

Xenonauts 2 already has 6 independent "factions" in the game. They are called: regions of the planet. ))) If, in the game, a separate screen appears for each region of the planet, and all statistics, current status, as well as quests (tasks) that the region gives, the result of these quests (tasks) will be displayed on this screen - then it will be more noticeable to the player.

400,000 is the maximum financial income that one region can give? The mechanics of price reduction were available in the game "X-COM: 3 Apocalypsys", but the pricing mechanism was not intuitive. (It was impossible to predict price changes). It can be assumed that 6 regions (or several other organizations) conduct their own scientific research and place an urgent order (request) (quest) on the exchange for the purchase of alien artifacts. When the order (request) (quest) is completed, then this order (request) (quest) is removed from the exchange. In other words: in addition to the market, each region (organization) can give quests for a decent monetary reward. (Similar to how we see it in RPG games). In general: I agree that with the saturation of the market, the prices of artifacts must decrease significantly. Perhaps prices should go down faster if part of the planet is under alien control. I have not seen how the price reduction is implemented in the game, so I can only fantasize about this topic.

There are 6 regions in the game that finance xenonauts (depending on the activity of xenonauts in these regions). The "seventh region" can be conditionally called: the airspace with UFOs appearing in it. (The amount of funding depends on how successfully the player discovers and shoots down UFOs and how successfully he collects artifacts at the crash site). If the player's monthly income (from the sale of alien artifacts) is set equal to the profit from one region (1/7 of the total income), then for simplicity: the economic balance of the game can be calculated as if the player was actually funded by 7 regions (not 6). So that the economic difference between: a player who visits absolutely all "UFO crash sites" and a player who prefers "bombing" is not significant, I suggest replacing the "bombing of the UFO crash site" function with the "sell the UFO crash site and all the artifacts that are there" function. (Sell to the government or looters) And the prices for artifacts (UFO crash sites) should be adjusted so that the maximum profit from downed UFOs does not exceed 1/6 of the total budget. My proposal will allow you to assign a reward to the player for the sale of the "UFO crash site" not in an arbitrary way, but based on the actual availability and real market value of various resources, artifacts at the "UFO crash site".

If the main condition for a player to win - is to achieve mastery (which is possible only with perfect knowledge of the rules of the game, physics and mechanics of the game, the properties of all game elements), then it will be difficult for beginners to win. At a low level of difficulty, the player (beginner) will have to win not because of skill, but because of the advantage in resources. I will think about this problem.

Then: how should the player achieve a strategic advantage over the aliens if the value of strategic resources is reduced? I can suggest: adding more unmanned UFOs to the game in order to radically reduce the number of UFO crash sites to which the player is forced to send his soldiers.

If a player sells alien artifacts, then it would be logical to assume that they (artifacts) are bought for scientific research. If this is true, then the sale of artifacts: 1 - should speed up scientific research. 2 - artifacts (which are not consumable resources for production) lose their value after the end of scientific research. If alien artifacts are an important strategic resource (for production), then the player is in any case forced to extract this resource in numerous ground battles at the UFO crash sites. I suggest adding a feature (selection): the player more effectively reduces the panic in the UFO crash area if he allows the local government to destroy the surviving aliens on their own. (Bombing of the UFO crash site).