Komandos

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Give me an example so that I understand what you mean by using the word "inflexibility".

What features in Xenonauts 1 do you consider inflexible?

I do not know if this is possible or not, but as an accident I would suggest adding the following: When hitting an aircraft with some probability: the weapon may be damaged, causing one of the weapon slots to lose the ability to fire; the engine may be damaged, causing the aircraft (UFO) to lose speed; the wing may be damaged, causing the aircraft to lose maneuverability; the pilot may die, causing the aircraft device will collapse to the ground.

It turns out that all the diversity depends on the number of levels of technological development? If a player has three levels of aircraft development, then he will pass three types of air battles in the game? If you want real flexibility, then I can advise you to abandon the idea of airplanes altogether. There is a constructor (similar to the Lego constructor) The designer has a set of parts: wings, fuselages, engines, fuel tanks, cockpit, weapon mounts. You assemble from this constructor (as if from a Lego constructor) such an airplane as you want. However, many parts have to be invented in a scientific laboratory and manufactured in a factory.

If you have a universal plane (for all occasions), with a universal weapon (for all occasions), then how are you going to achieve diversity? In order for battles to be diverse (as Chris wants them to be), they (battles) must have many forms. And the shape depends on the components. The greater the diversity of the component parts, the greater the diversity in the final forms constructed from these parts. If you have one universal letter, how many words and sentences can you make up from one universal letter? If you have one universal note - how many different melodies can you come up with from one universal note? If you have one universal plane, how many unique combat situations can you extract from it if the enemy also has a universal UFO?

@ChrisHow to achieve diversity in the cheapest way I have already outlined in the message: https://www.goldhawkinteractive.com/forums/index.php?/topic/27672-general-air-combat-balance-improvements/&do=findComment&comment=191496 I just want to add to this: that all these characteristics (or part of the characteristics) can be associated with the skills and talents of the pilot.

As for the player's planes, they should have two strategies. Strategy 1: An inconspicuous heavy aircraft that is armed with heavy long-range weapons (missiles). Strategy 2: A very maneuverable, light and fast aircraft armed with melee weapons. Different planes of the player must be effective in different ways against different types of UFOs. Just like the aliens have a huge UFO and two small UFO escorts, the player must also have a "main heavy plane" and two small escorts. Small planes versus small UFOs do too little damage to each other. (Little ammunition hits the target). Big planes versus big UFOs cause too much damage to each other. (All ammunition hits the target). A small plane versus a large plane inflict average damage to each other (the middle part of the ammunition hits the target or the middle part of the ammunition penetrates the armor).

In the production of weapons and aircraft - not all the characteristics of one type of weapon and one type of aircraft should be the same. They should differ slightly in one direction or another (within some random limits). This will turn the production of aviation components into a small lottery game. The characteristics of weapons, armor and engines in UFOs also deviate within small random limits (parameter +- random deviation). This will make UFOs almost unlike each other, even without using a huge pool (set) of their designs.

First of all, the problem is not diversity. The problem is the lack of intrigue in the battles. In the absence of uncertainty. It's like gambling. Gambling can be simple in its essence, but very exciting. Diversity really creates intrigue by the novelty of the situation. Variety really does not allow the player to get tired of monotony. But if the battle does not contain intrigue (randomness, uncertainty, uncertainty, surprise) and if the player can predict the whole process in advance, then such a battle will not attract attention. Some games add a huge variety of random artifacts and bonuses that the player "knocks out" of enemies. In other games, a lot depends on the initial "alignment of the card in the game deck". I would recommend a huge number of random artifacts and weapons for UFOs, as well as more randomness and uncertainty factors in the battles themselves. Well, the variety of the battles themselves, depending on the composition of the UFO group and depending on the meteorological conditions of the battle.

I'll just leave a link to my last year's comment. https://www.goldhawkinteractive.com/forums/index.php?/topic/21099-xenonauts-2-aircraft-air-combat/&do=findComment&comment=183307

Which is what the conversation is about. In Xenonauts 2, the angle of view of soldiers is 90 degrees.

The shield in reality is a piece of armor worn in the hands. In the role of armor, the shield looks more logical.

A pistol cannot be more rapid-firing than a machine gun. The advantages of the pistol are only that it is easy to carry and hide on yourself, you can use it with one hand. As a weapon against aliens - a gun really doesn't fit. The gun only makes sense together with the shield.

I watched a new video. Impressions: buildings are very fragile. An explosion from a hand-held multi-shot grenade launcher destroys brick walls in a large radius. Getting a grenade out of your pocket, pulling out the pin, swinging and throwing it at the target - all this takes less time than pulling the trigger of a machine gun and firing three bullets from a machine gun. Scientists, having received the corpse of an alien, somehow determine the reaction of an alien, the accuracy of an alien, the courage of an alien and other properties that can only be determined on a living alien.

Armor is not a tactical skill that can be used on the battlefield (for example, during the transfer of a move to the enemy), in order for the soldier to have a better chance of noticing an alien: either around himself at a short distance, or in front of him at a great distance.

The first mission does not seem too difficult because: the aliens mostly stand in one place and do not run to attack. There is always time and opportunity to choose a convenient position for shooting from a long distance (out of the alien's field of view), and there is always time and opportunity to choose a convenient position for throwing a grenade (a shot from a grenade launcher) near the place where the alien is standing (without showing up in the alien's field of view). There is also always time and opportunity to realize the numerical advantage of soldiers over any open doors. But this tactic is too long (it takes more time than 10-20-30 minutes) and the player gets tired after several such long battles. And I would also increase the number of soldiers the player has (for similar missions) at least up to 12. So that the soldiers can be divided into three groups and control the corridors on the left, right, front.

In order to play well, you need to study the mechanics of the game, the physics of the game space, the capabilities of aliens and your soldiers, the properties of weapons and shelters. All this is achieved through numerous trials and errors. Can a newcomer predict how far an alien grenade will fly? How quickly will the aliens react to your movement with a return shot? The way we see this fight on the video is how everyone who has recently started playing this game will fight. Also, the mechanics of Xenonauts 2 differs from the mechanics of Xenonauts 1, so everyone will have problems at first. And if you add a timer to the battles, then even those who wait for hours for a convenient moment for a well-aimed shot will also have to play at about this pace. I can capture an alien base with 1-2 soldiers, but spend a day of real time on it. And I can capture the alien base in 10-15 minutes, but spend 10-12 (or more) soldiers on it. It all depends on how long I agree to wait (prepare) a convenient moment for a shot.

I was able to see it at a slow speed. However, I can't say anything about this because I have no experience of throwing objects indoors. In this situation, I no longer like the fact that the viewing angle of the soldiers is 90 degrees, although the soldiers can turn their heads in all directions. I would suggest adding such a tactical technique (control button) to the game as an "observation". In one mode, the soldier turns his head and sees at an angle of 180-360 degrees, but not too far. In another mode, the angle of view is 45-60 degrees, but the soldier sees very far. In the middle mode, the soldier sees as it is now in the game. Switching the "surveillance" mode takes time. It seems to me that the problem of grenades in the game is due to the fact that for weapons, the scale of the firing range (in comparison with reality) is reduced by 10-30 times. And for grenades, the scale of the throw range is reduced by 2-3 times. In general, I do not yet know what to say about the range of grenades in the room. Perhaps a real ballistic formula is used, and not reduced proportionally in scale by the throw range. (The height of the arc should be as when throwing at 20-50 meters), and the flight range is 2-3 times less.)

If you play very carefully, the losses can be minimized, but the fight will drag on for a very long time. Someone likes slow battles, someone likes fast ones. It is good when in the difficulty settings the player can set the strength and number of aliens comfortable for himself, as well as the strength and number of his own soldiers.

Constantly (every turn) there is a fire contact of the player's soldiers with aliens. The fog of war. It is not visible from what distance the alien threw a grenade. It is necessary to check.

1. I don't see the impossibility of winning the first fight (Cleaner base). With so many enemies, your soldiers need to move more carefully. But even with such a fast pace of soldiers moving forward - you would have won this battle if you had a little more soldiers. 2. The second battle (the alien attack on the Xenonauts base) ended too quickly. There were too few aliens. The fight itself was dynamic and eventful. But I wanted such a battle to last longer. When so many aliens die every turn, it increases the morale of the player. 3. Alien Base assault. Two tactical groups of 5 soldiers are not enough to control all the branches of the corridors. As a result: aliens can easily find themselves in the rear of an attacking tactical group. It also makes it harder to find the last aliens that can wander through the corridors where the player has already been. You didn't have enough soldiers to win. For missions of this complexity, 10 soldiers are not enough. Especially if the player is a beginner.

It is interesting to see on the video (YouTube) the experience of your passing the game.

The player has scientific research, which means that the player himself (with the help of scientific research) is able to adapt his army to the new difficulties of battle. If, after an unsuccessful battle (or a successful alien base exploration mission), the player receives a scientific study "Alien Base Capture Tactics", then this may prevent the player from "attacking the enemy Level-100 with a Level-1 hero" until scientists give permission to conduct such a task.

I like this option the most: defeat in the mission should open the way to new research. However, it is worth adding to the briefing such a type of mission as "reconnaissance" is to engage the enemy, try to inflict losses on the enemy (destroy several aliens), and then retreat. Or he will engage in battle with aliens and retreat from the battlefield only if the losses among the player's soldiers amount to more than 25%. In this case, a new door for research opens. In general: I suggest adding a type of "exploration" missions whose goal is not to defeat the enemy, but to open a new study, or to show the player the complexity of such tasks.