Pold

I haven't played the game yet, so can't make highly specific suggestions. Having various options to increase the difficulty would add replayability and give streamers a nice challenge to show off their skills. I like watching these kinds of streams. For the most fun, these optional settings should change the way the game is played. A setting where a large number of small weak enemies are added to maps in addition to the usual enemies. Call it "Swarming". A setting where alien bosses are more aggressive and dangerous. An option to increase the frequency of assaults on player bases, A setting to slow down research speed. A setting where recruits are added to the pool over time, up to a limit, so that you can't replace large numbers of losses as easily and have to recruit soldiers in advance. Also a fatigue system where you have to rotate soldiers.

Economics. A "spread-sheety" game appeals to fewer people than a game that's easy to pick up and uncomplicated. Developing a game with good graphics is expensive, so it needs to sell more copies than a game with poorer graphics. All the things that give it complexity have to be represented somehow in the game as well: if there are 40 weapon types, you need graphics for all 40, unless you re-use art but at that point the graphics are no longer considered good. Also, making games worth playing is hard. Depth and good graphics is even harder than focusing on either of the two.