Xenonauts timetable - when you can expect stronger enemies?

[noname19]

I have made good progress in Xenonauts, up until very recently doing every ground mission possible and shot down all UFOs that arrived - I have four bases around the globe with great radar coverage plus I can send strike forces to reported UFO activities. I have researched everything up to marauder, shrike, all plasma weapons except battle rifle (as no enemies have it), etc. My researchers have nothing to do, I am shooting down fresh UFO waves every three days or so, but no progress. All I see is scout, corvette, landing craft, thrown in with few bombers and fighters / heavy fighters.

As for aliens, I met Ceasans, Sebillians, Androns, Reapers, Light Drones and Harridans. Again, this is going for months with no new enemy type appearing.

Also, no enemy bases, no terror missions (I don't even know if they are in game, UFOs never had time to start them). Reputation with all countries is very high.

So, am I doing something wrong? Maybe let some UFOs to perform their tasks, or whatever? I can't find Alien Leader to progress more in main research, nor can I find battle rifle to develop MAG weapons and no cruisers / carriers on radar.

BTW: normal difficulty, end of January 1980.

[kabill]

The late game ships should be starting up pretty soon.

Absence of 'special' missions is a bit of a problem when you're doing very well since, as you say, it's very easy to get total air coverage and block them. There's various modders thinking about the issue in various ways, though, so if you're happy to use mods there might be something for you at some point.

[StellarRat]

Bigger, badder ships are coming soon. The leaders are on them and in alien bases. Red helmets.

[noname19]

What I need to do to get some alien bases? As I read the research tree, there are some very interesting research available from them.

BTW, just few minutes after I finished this thread, cruisers came to punish me for asking. Just when I was considering firing my 60 scientists

On the other hand, maybe my scientists knew and persuaded aliens to step up their efforts. You never know...

[KevinHann]

You will need to let a Construction UFO execute its mission. I think Landingships and Carriers do this but it will be hard to get it without Quantum Cryptology Lab as you will inevitably suffer quite some funding damage.

[noname19]

I have more funds than I can reasonably use - over 1,5M at the end of the month *after* equipping all soldiers with plasma and buzzard armor, two shrikes and I just started on replacing condors and foxtrots with marauders. It would be better from my perspective if I could research crypto lab another way, landing craft for example.

Any way how can I recognize behavior of construction UFOs?

[quiescat]

so for what ever its worth, i got one by just shooting down every thing that caused events ( ufo spotted you may want to ignore) so if they blow up a plane, oil rig or any nonsense out side of landing i shoot them out of the sky, small side note if a ufo does land send a jet to do a fly over as radar coverage alone wont spot a base instantly but a plane will. you may run the risk of a base attack getting threw this way if you let one wonder around your bases.

[Max_Caine]

A contruction UFO will be a medium-class signal or higher, usually escorted that generates no events and will land several times in short succession. On one of these time it will create a base.