Jean-Luc

This is slightly off-topic but reading the newly released manual gave me an idea. Chris mentioned how having an unlimited supply of basic weapons/gear is convenient in case of a surprise base attack because you will always have some weapons in hand as opposed to X-Com where you could potentially be left unarmed if you fail to keep some weapons in store. The idea is to have an improved version of basic ballistic ammo made from "smelted" alien alloys. You'd produce a reserve of this ammo to keep as a "home defense stash" so that it could be used with your basic earth-tech weapons during an emergency. Bringing this ammo (along with basic weapons) to the field wouldn't be worth it in the vast majority of cases since you want your best firepower in those situations but it would be a more economical way of keeping bases secure without having to produce dozens of laser/plasma/sci-fi arms and related magazines. The idea is for this improved ammo to provide slightly better damage and noticeably improved armour mitigation but, overall, still be inferior to laser rifles, the first "sci-fi weapon". This tech shouldn't be available from the start, maybe after the first alien alloys are recovered or even later as it's not supposed to see much field use (if any). It would be usable with snipers, shotguns, pistols, assault rifles, machine guns and maybe the basic grenades (alien alloy shrapnel?). Of course, it would only work if ammo type can affect weapon stats. If the stats are tied purely to the weapon this would require a new weapon type as well which would defeat the purpose of convenience.

Nice, covers all the basics. I guess it would be improved by having pictures/screenshots to show what is being talked about but it works as it is.

No arcs at start wouldn't be too problematic if the initial UFOs were simply a reconnaissance wave consisting mostly of just scouts/fighters. The research would finish fairly quickly anyway. New players (non beta testers/x-com veterans) might still find it confusing though.

This bug's been reported, will be looked at.

It basically takes two missiles to take out a scout/fighter. One to expend the evasive roll and another one to hit it with. Sathra's 2-for-1 idea seems nice but balance-wise two light missiles should always do less damage to large targets than one heavy otherwise there'd be no point to heavies. Just something to keep in mind.

The rocket launcher is for those who don't like throwing rockets.

Anyone who's seen Top Gun knows that Migs aren't all they're cracked up to be.

Well, "improved tracking" (or whatever the name) could slightly improve the basic missiles' lock-on time and turn rate (for air combat). It's actually what I originally had in mind but felt that radar based tech tied-in better. However the "refined detection" could be a stand alone project while "improve missile tracking -> tactical warheads" could work as a separate line. Or they could all just be individual projects available from the start. The main point of having a research line was the ability to deliver the lore in a logical order but this doesn't necessarily require a specific order of research I suppose. As for ground combat, like you said, the stun baton could work because one could claim that what works on humans doesn't necessarily work on aliens. It could be a special high-voltage stun baton or one whose electric current is somehow fine tuned to "interact" with alien physiology (maybe based on some experience from the Iceland Incident, could there have been an alien body recovered after the blast? Badly mangled but sufficient for a basic examination.). Lore-wise it could work as an intro into alien anatomy and the stun baton, of course, is the first step on the way to finding out more about the invaders. Edit: Sorry, just noticed the missile lock-on get suggested in the mean time. Imo, better missile tracking doesn't beg the question about why others weapons don't get improved. Better lock-on time/turn rate is very different from having "better bullets" or more explodey grenades or whatever and it ties in fairly well with radar tech and even the hypothetical cruise missiles.

Sounds good. Just for discussion's sake let's call it "Refined Detection". So here's a short starting tech-line (each project is a prerequisite for the next one): 1. Improved Tracking - Since the UFO in the Iceland Incident was the only alien craft present and ended up blown up there was no chance to experiment and determine how best to track active UFOs. So the human-tech radar could start with lower-than-intended efficiency (or not) with this first research project bringing it up to speed. - It could also allow for some lore build up by speculating on the return of the aliens and the vagueness of their missions and movements. 2. Refined Detection - As mentioned, provides info on the size and number of UFOs - Lore continues with speculation and analyses of different UFOs (sizes, roles...) and their intentions. Things are a bit clearer now but still fairly vague until crashed craft and dead aliens are researched and dissected. 3. Tactical Warheads - Unlocks the ability to "click away" undesirable crash sites by developing cruise missiles that can pin point and reliably hit crashed/landed UFOs. - Lore mentions a "Global Defense Pact" that allows militaries across the world to deploy these missiles. - This could also unlock the presence of NPC army units during ground missions and even conventional air forces on the geoscape (if implemented). These project should finish fairly quickly since they're more of an introduction rather than "improvements".

It's a pretty good list of perks/improvements, sounds like it could be worth a try.

I seem to be the only one (or at least in a small minority) who doesn't seem to suffer from these visual clarity issues. I do agree with the OP in essence, it just doesn't bother me that much. I really liked the initial grim appearance of Xenonauts' UI elements and art in general, it was a big part of what drew me in and I'm kinda sad to see it chipped away bit by bit, but the wip UI is pretty good as well. Do what you think is best.

In any case "bundling" a game isn't something that's done right after release the same way you don't have -75% sale after the game's been out for just a week. Like Chris said, give it a year...or two. And I'm sure someone will do a full fledged LP on youtube eventually. There are quite a few X-Com LPs out there.

Noticed this too. I read a thread and later when I come back it's highlighted again as if there were new posts in it when in fact there aren't. It all kinda lights up at random. Also my avatar seems to change in size on its own from time to time.

Oh I know about DF, just haven't seen it mentioned in the forum so I didn't realize what Sathra was on about. I did try playing it for a bit but I'm just not hardcore enough. I need and interface and I need to be able to tell what's going on in a game. I know there are graphics mods that replace the ASCII visuals but even so wrestling with the interface and trying to navigate the menus reminded me of DOS days and things like Norton Commander and DOS Navigator. I just couldn't bring myself to jump through all the hoops. But I do support the project, crazy things go on in there and I like how stories are generated through the gameplay. I did read the Boatmurdered story, most of it at least, hard to remember.

What's DF?

Just two reasons, the global financial crisis (it's normal that the reaction is more or less simultaneous since it's "global") and being tired of living in a murderous dictatorship. Arguably the two are related and "revolutions" and civil unrest have a tendency to chain react.

Yeah, people are frustrated and tired of bs.

Haha, you thought game development would be easy, didn't you?

Oh RPS, u so silly.

Strangely enough this seems to be a good time for MoM-like fantasy TBS games as I came across some interesting titles. 1. Firstly, Paradox is doing a hexagonal civ-like game based on the world of Ardania (from the Majesty games). I don't quite like how they're milking the Majesty brand with mediocre sequels (though that's the dev's fault as well), that tower defense game and now reusing visual assets in this game but I can't deny the appeal of this game. In any case the game is called Warlock: Master of the Arcane. Links: http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2011/12/07/lo-warlock-master-of-the-arcane-closed-beta/ http://www.paradoxplaza.com/games/warlock-master-of-the-arcane 2. There is also the Russian made Eador: The Genesis. It's a AoW-like (AoW - Age of Wonders) game with individual units participating in tactical combat and gaining experience. It has the same stamina/limited retaliation system allowing weaker units to swarm and defeat stronger ones. It even sports wonderful 2D graphics that ooze with atmosphere (will post link to screenshots). But now the bad news. The game is in Russian only and hasn't been translated since 2009 when it was released. Makes me want to break my arm off. However this part isn't about Eador but its upcoming (spiritual?) sequel that is supposed to be pretty much the same game with fancier graphics "adapted" for the western market. It goes by the name Masters of the Broken World. It's also a hexagonal game where your actions determine your alignment and what units become available to you. There's heroes as well. Links: -Eador screenshot gallery at the official site: http://www.eador.com/eador1/gallery.html -MotBW preview: http://www.destructoid.com/preview-masters-of-the-broken-world-209470.phtml 3. There's also Fallen Enchantress, the standalone Elemental sequel, coming up but I guess you already know about that.

Yes, there will be stun rods. We already said so earlier in this thread. You can see it on the game site as well (upper left corner):

White army?

There will be thrown weapons like grenades and melee will be limited to stun batons and "rifle butts". There will almost certainly not be knives, swords, shuriken, power fists and such.

Yes, definitely, to both points.

I think the wiki will mostly take off after the release.