Suggestion. Many new feature may provide Xenonauts some new unique mechanics

[spolokh]

Hi.

I "finished" Xeno2 three times. I am a big fan of the X-COM series and Xenonauts is a proud successor of this game. I am apologice in advance for a long read, but I have many ideas. The following text is order important, so the later paragraphs may apply to some ideas described in former ones

1. Starting base layout makes me crazy, is it possible to:
- make it flexible, so we can fit it to our strategy
- add medic and training module at start. Medic module is very important.

2. Deployment craft arsenal. It would be nice to have an arsenal at the deployment craft, so solder can change equipment (and his role) at the mission. It is also required when two or more deployment done during the flight. Size of the arsenal should be enough to carry 3 shields, 6 primary weapons, 4 secondary weapons,  20 clips and grenades. Soldier equipment can be selected before deployment craft departure in armory at base, but also can be updated before mission start using the equipment in craft arsenal. By the way this process can hide mission loading time.

3. Deployment team size - 9 solder team is good for cleaner missions since you can separate whole troop in two teams (2 fighters, sharpshooter and machine gun), but there is a problem with UFO capture mission when you need a third team to operate inside the alien craft. Only one soldier left for shields and it is not enough. especially when you need to collect 2 UFOs without returning to base. After the first mission the shield is gone or almost destroyed. Shields are vital inside, but almost useless outside. Problem can get a workaround using arsenal described above.

4. Soldier stats
4.1 Stamina/Energy may be an additional mechanic to be used
4.2 Health may affect accuracy and recoil (and throwing range ?) 
4.2 Morale may affect accuracy too. Moral should be more affected by combat situation as:
      4.2.1 other soldiers proximity
      4.2.2 enemies detected
      4.2.3 mission progress - enemies killed, ufo located, amount of mission objectives completed
      4.2.4 allies killed
      4.2.5 supression state
      4.2.6 stun state
4.3 May strength affect damage of stun rodes?

5. Tactical combat
5.1 it would be nice to keep soldier order to the next turn in case it was not completed during current one. It is especially good when retreating in the cleaners missions.

5.2 It would be nice so the main UFO entrance will be locked for humans. It should be breached only by dedicated explosives.  This approach also provides an opportunity to make UFO capture as time based - UFO must be captured withing a limited amount of turns once main entrance is breached.

5.3 Defense of the deployment craft. Deployment craft should play more important role in the ground combat. It may not be abandoned. It must require protection. Aliens should seek to capture and destroy it. Once craft destroyed - there may be some penalties - no items recovered from crush, delay in returning to base, new craft should be constructed.

5.4 Aliens AI - For my taste closing distance with enemies is too easy. Lightly weaponed aliens should retaliate only at distance when hit is almost guaranteed. Hand-grenade  throwing range should be cut to pistol-shot distance. Shock grenade - to guaranteed snap shot distance. (Shock grenade radius may be decreased?)

5.5 Capturing aliens. Capturing aliens should be a task himself. It must require planning and rewarded as a kill or even more. May be there should be a medal for it?! By my taste player should plan that in this specific mission a very special alien should be captured, for example - scientist or reaper. It may be required for research or as a bounty request from some country. 

6 Team work. There would be nice to dedicate soldiers in the deployment troop to teams. For my taste a single team should be of 4 soldiers. Deployment craft should be capable to carry 2/3/4 teams. As far as I think about it - this is a tough proposition with a great potential to bring a special identity for the Xenonauts series. To expose the potential the following can be done:
6.1 Create team roles, according to the role team can have a goal. Completing a goal provide team member with experience can be invested into stats during training at base:
      6.1.1 - common fight. Team goal is to kill aliens. In my vision it should contain two rifleman that keep frontline, gunner that suppress and soften targets and sharpshooter that finishes them.
      6.1.2 - reconnaissance team. Team goal is to detect aliens, mission objects (collect mission objects?), save civilians. This team will require some equipment not yet exist in the game in addition to shields and secondary weapons
      6.1.3 - UFO capture team. Team goal is to breach UFO and capture it. Team consists of shield carriers and shotgun fighters. Shock grenades and explosives are welcome.
      6.1.4 - abductor team. Team goal is to capture specific alien (that is usually require clearing hostiles around it). Lot of stun grenade usage.
6.2 This feature will require screen in already existing layout [geoscape][base][research][manufacture][soldiers][store][armory][aircraft][archives] to manipulate with team organization and training there.
6.3 Team should be created as at the newly proposed screen. "Creation" of a team will require some time, otherwise teammate will get morale debuff. Teammates can recieve morale bonus from team leader in addition to the troop leader
6.4 This feature will require refactoring of the base armory screen to choose teams and not soldiers
6.5 Team role can either be selected at base armory screen or before  mission at newly created craft arsenal screen
6.6 Team role (and equipment) can be changed from newly created craft arsenal screen (if all the teammates appear in the arsenal?)
6.7 This feature may require redesign of the deployment craft to use team structure in an optimal way. For example, Skyhawk. It is of 3x6  size and has wide door at back and narrow ones at sides. Can we change be of 2x4 size with narrow exits at sides? (Dead zone can be solved by last proposition)   So the Dragonfly will be 2x6 with  ide door at back and narrow ones at sides. And the ultimate will be  4x4 with exits to all sides?

7. Medals - good thing, but looks raw, here are my propositions:
7.1 following medals may have degrees - service medal, golden star, award for bravery
7.2 following medals may provide a greater bonuses - award for valor, award for courage, crux solaris, crimson heart

8 Training. It would be nice to have a separate training screen where training process may be visible and guided. For example, some soldier stats may be selected as primary and receive greater improvement then others. it would be also nice to select soldiers for training when there is no enough training room capacity instead of decreasing training efficiency. Anyway, in my eyes soldier progress should relate to its activity on the battlefield, but it be accrued at the base during training. It means that rookie never participated in the battle should progress slower then veteran that completed many mission goals. On the other hand it is difficult to explain why solder became stronger after exhausting combat. 

9. Weapons.
    9.1 Grenade launcher is funny, but I found it useless. Is it possible to replace it underbarrel grenade launcher? It also would be nice to have different types of shots for it - explosive, shrapnel (same effect as shotgun), phosphorous and shock. Laser rifles can lack of it, but it can be a good reason to use the accelerated rifle instead. (AFAIK there is a problem to convince player to run into this development branch)
    9.2 It would be nice to have a reconissance drone (we are in XXI century, right?), same as Teledyne FLIR Black Hornet 3, sorry for advertisment. It should consist of control pad (secondary weapon) and some grenade size drones. Soldier can either move by himself, launch the drone, or control the drone (when drone moves TUs consumed for the operator too).  Drone may have a limited amount for TUs (40-60). It cannot open dors, but can bypass windows (should the window be already brocken?) Can there be a larger drone with explosives/shock/smoke? Only a single drone can be controlled at once. There can also be a limit on turn the drone can be in air.
    9.3 What about toxic gaz and fire grenade?  
    9.4 Can we get a law rocket? I hate those big drones.

10. Soldier inventory.
    10.1 Idea of the belt is so attractive!!!! Belt should be able to carry a single secondary weapon (in addition to the secondary slot under the main weapon slot), pair of ammo clips (except machine gun ones). There should be an option to swap secondary weapons between belt and one being used. Manipulations with this slot should not take time, except of dropping item that should take a minimal.
    10.2 Hemet slot. It would be nice to equip helmet with different accesories as long range visor/night visor/ rebreather. Any such module should not weight a lot.
    10.3 Backpack slots. Maipulation with items in this slot should take a lot of time. Let say there can be 3 of them. Any one can be of following type:
            10.3.1 Regular backpack. Should be able to carry a main weapon. Two (or three) slots of this type should be united in a single backpack of relevant size. Two slots should be enough to carry a body.
            10.3.2 Armor plate - should be a heavy one
            10.3.3 Jetpack
            10.3.4 Special module for reconnaissance drones, it should carry 2 small ones and drone recharge device. Launching drone from this module should take less time. Soldier may be able to carry drones in a regular backpack and load them to this module.

11. Combat vehicle. For my taste X-Com and all its successor had poor mechanics related to combat droids. It is always better to bring a soldier instead, but can we get it in addition? If the craft was able to carry it outside and deploy it just before landing?

My best regards

[Alienkiller]

Hi Spolokh,

some of your Ideas get discussed in the Beta-Tests already several times (since the Betas come up several Years ago) and others come up after the Game get Early-Access ready.

1. Yeah, there I agree. There are different Options which get listed in an other Post already for more Bases (like in Phoenix Point to find over the Globe, X-Com Apocalypse). There we have made already different Suggestions to make an Ballance between Cost-Gap, useable Ressources and Reseach / Development. For the Main-Base, which is your Replacement-Base I give you right, there you should have an Buildup-Option for the small Place you have there (an old Nuce-Silo-Base or similar what your Women-Assistant say). But evtl. we get such an Refit first with an DLC.

2. Yeah, that´s an nice Idea. There I agree to 100%. That was the best on old X-Com and is come up again in Phoenix-Point with the Support-Boxes on the Battle-Field. Not only Xenonauts have that Problem, the UFO ET-Series have it too. I will check, when UFO 1 ET: Platinum come out, what the Devs there have done to solve it. If we get lucky, we get an good solution in the Base-Game for Xenonauts 2. If not it will be an DLC-Feature for it.

3. There is no need for Change. The Transport-Craft you have make the Limit. With R & D you will get more advanced Crafts to carry more Soldiers / Support-Vehicles later on (12 / 16 / 20 Soldiers maximum and 1 / 2 evtl. 3 Support-Vehicles [MARS / ARES] if I have it correctly in Mind). Played as an Beta-Tester with other Beta-Testers from the first Day the Game from beginning to the End and if you manage your Soldiers / Support-Vehicles correctly you win all battles.

But evtl. we get an surpisse here too with R & D-Upgrades for existing Transports. Same with Fighter-Crafts.

4. There are some Soldier-Stats which get tested, but not integrated yet about more worktime on them. The Idea to upgrade some others to Wounds sounds good, like it´s integreated to Rivals too. There the Devs work on for the Base-Game to bring it in.

5. On tactical Combat the Devs work with every Version. Esp. on the AI and UFOs. The Alien- / Leader-Catching are since it comes up not easy and don´t need an Change. Planing-Phase is for an DLC an nice Idea.

6. That´s an Discussion-Part which I and others from the first Day on explode. You can make Friendships like in XCOM 2 / XCOM Chimera, which make the Soldiers more effective. You have to think on the Cost-Gap you have. If you make Teams, you don´t have enough money for new Bases, new effective Weapons / Armor etc.

Short said: The Team-Thing with to much Soldiers only waste Ressources and Time which are more needed on other importent Parts / Vehicles / Equipment.

7. On the Medals the Developers work too. There will come Changes / Reworks for them with more advanced Versions (evtl. with Milestone 2-Advancements or Milestone 3).

8. Yeah, there I agree. Nothing more to add, you said everything there already.

9. The Weapons / Armors get more Reworks for Milestone 2+. Some Suggestions from the Community-Feedbacks are implemented to make the Advanced-Weapons (Laser etc.) more attractive. The Accelerated-Weapons are an Stop-Gap to the more advanced Weapons now.

10. The Soldier-Inventory get Reworks with Milestone 2+ too. Some of your Suggestions and Communty-Feedback are implemented. But the Belt isn´t back, maybe we will get it again later.

11. The Combat Vehicle is great. Most of us use it, about the Fact that it´s easy to replace instead of dead Soldiers with Combat-Experiance. And they are Cheaper in upkeep then to bring in a Pack of new Soldiers incl. upkeeping. You get an Drone-Variant of it later [ARES] and you can change the Weapons / Equipment there in the Base. Later you can use 2 different Equiped Support-Vehicles in the Missions.

Edited September 11, 2023 by Alienkiller

[Komandos]

On 9/9/2023 at 3:07 AM, spolokh said:

6 Team work. There would be nice to dedicate soldiers in the deployment troop to teams. For my taste a single team should be of 4 soldiers. Deployment craft should be capable to carry 2/3/4 teams. As far as I think about it - this is a tough proposition with a great potential to bring a special identity for the Xenonauts series. To expose the potential the following can be done:
6.1 Create team roles, according to the role team can have a goal. Completing a goal provide team member with experience can be invested into stats during training at base:

The idea of having special tactical groups for different types of missions is just wonderful. But to implement it, you will need special skills for soldiers, and these skills should give a bonus on various types of missions. For example: UFO hacking skill (without this skill, it is almost impossible to get inside the UFO. And for success, 2-4 soldiers with a similar skill are needed.) Urban fighting skill. (Without this skill, soldiers shoot "on reaction" at civilians if civilians suddenly appear in sight.). Etc...