UFO doors

[Raffik]

Does anyone have an idea, why the UFO doors can be opened easily, like if the Xenonauts (and civilians) had keys to the UFOs? Is it a placeholder for the EA only perhaps?

Its like the thing travelled through space and after it landed or was shot down, the aliens on board just invited everyone to a party.

I think that the UFO doors should be breached using c4, not opened by soldiers or civilians casually walking through it or by a few shots from kinetic or laser weapons..

I recall some videos from X1, where the player needed to destroy the the doors using either an explosive or high energy weapons, to be able to attack the UFO interior. That would make sense imo...

[Ogilvy the Astronomer]

Oh nice, that could make breaching UFOs a lot more dramatic. Potential issue though: what if a player forgets to bring C4? Or uses it all up before reaching the UFO. Would the mission then be impossible to complete?

Additional idea: capturing a live Mentarch unlocks "Alien Security Systems" research. Completing this then allows you to manufacture keycards to access UFOs (i.e. the doors open normally so you don't need C4). This research could also allow your soldiers to bypass the security safeguards built into alien weapons, allowing you to use guns dropped by dead aliens, albeit with significant accuracy penalties to maintain game balance (in-game explanation: the weapons aren't optimised for humans so they're difficult to fire).

[Raffik]

3 minutes ago, Ogilvy the Astronomer said:

Oh nice, that could make breaching UFOs a lot more dramatic. Potential issue though: what if a player forgets to bring C4? Or uses it all up before reaching the UFO. Would the mission then be impossible to complete?

Additional idea: capturing a live Mentarch unlocks "Alien Security Systems" research. Completing this then allows you to manufacture keycards to access UFOs (i.e. the doors open normally so you don't need C4). This research could also allow your soldiers to bypass the security safeguards built into alien weapons, allowing you to use guns dropped by dead aliens, albeit with significant accuracy penalties to maintain game balance (in-game explanation: the weapons aren't optimised for humans so they're difficult to fire).

Thank you for the thoughts.

A fire can be started without matches, it´s just more elaborate. Not bringing c4 would mean you´d need multiple HEVY rounds, frags or demo charges (which are usually taken to a combat anyways and are used now as well) to breach through for example. If nothing is at hand (nothing left), you´ll have to abort the mission (and possibly return later, equipped better - not sure if the game mechanic allows that though) or load the previous save (just before the mission) to prepare better

Idea about capturing a Mentarch to access the UFO - interesting thought, although I don´t see how a "card" could be used (swiped) on the UFO to enter. A c4 will work effectively even without a research  Just joking, I see your point. After research the doors would just open regardless of the actual action to open the doors (that kind of works now already, my idea was to stop that and make the entry more dramatic). 

Idea about the Alien Security System to use of alien weapons - good point - i recall the discussions about this topic and Chris not being in favor of it - hope he changes his mind, would be nice addition to the game in some situations. For the research, Alien Electronics for the alien weapons usage could work as well.

I will quote myself here fom the previous discussions about the alien weapons, plasma in particular:

If there are human plasma weapons in scope, why use the alien ones (aside of the situations mentioned in the threads before, like no ammo left etc)?

If there is no scope for human plasma, then definitely that would be cool (not manufactured though, only what you can grab on the battlefield (pistols, rifles, grenades, clips - all weapons and items are collected automatically, I did not mean to "grab" each item), with high weight and high TU cost per shot - accuracy penalty not sure - could be as well, as the weapon in heavy, but then noone would be encouraged to use such a weapon anyway imo)

[Staffie]

I very rarely take grenades or c4 into battles. flash and smoke is my option.  so no not a good idea for me and also I only use rifles and snipers. but this keycard thing sound great. I really like the idea of doing more research and the game lasting long than two days of gameplay unlike X1 where I got a game playing for over 5 years now in (real time). this game has not got better than  X1 and I that a real shame. I think it's actually worsts. they taken nearly all the trail things out or shorted it.  like the human enemy missions and only putting in four mission nows.

[biomike]

Problem with using C4 is that you will end up destroying stuff on the other side and thats if you brought some

[Pietje666]

If you consider logic then you need to research how to open up a ufo door cause humans won't got a clue how to open it. So it could take a couple missions or capture a technician, pilot, navigator or any other we should got a clue how to enter it... 

[cwamartin]

The UFO doors in X2 open the same way as they do in X1, so that has not changed.

That being said, it does make sense that, initially at least, the soldiers don't know how to open UFO doors, or they can't because they are bio-sensitive or something. Thus it takes some research or technology to make it possible to open doors without destroying them.

The doors should still be destructible though, and not just with C4 - a few blasts from a heavy machine gun should take out the doors of a smaller UFO (as it currently does) thus giving you two options for breaching early game UFOs.

Of course, there is nothing quite as much fun as rolling your mag-rail (X1) equipped vehicle up to a UFO door and blowing it away along with the two aliens that were crouching just behind it; this is particularly satisfying with heavily armoured Sebellians...!