Summary from my first Test with Milestone 6

[Alienkiller]

Hi I played the new Milestone 6.8-Version the first 170 to 180 Days after make an longer Break (Milestone 3, 4 and 5), about to see fresh what new comes in in Milestone 6. I looked in Milestone 4 and 5 shortly to investage what comes in already and what big comes in Milestone 6.

The first Content / Feature what I noticed is, that the Cleaner-Storyline get an big Refit-Upgrade and the enemy Main-Base is not so easy to find as it was in Milestone 1 to 5. As well as a lot of the Xenopedia-Storyentrys get adjusted to the advanced Cleaner-Storyline.

The second Content / Feature what I noticed is, that the Game is now separated in Story-Phases, which is very good. So the Newcomers don´t get overstrained and the Player can plan better now to upgrade the Base and build up new Bases. In the first Phase you can make an Buildup for an small 2nd Base and / or upgrade your Xenonaut-Main-Emergency-Base after the orignal Main-Base get lost.

The third Content / Feature what I noticed is, that the Helper-Part from your Founders work much better now. That comes in during the Milestone-Beginning in Milestone 2 if I remember me correctly. The cool new System with the Operation-Points to get the Bonusses from the Founders as well as extra Ressources, Money or similar from them and Reduce Panic etc. is a cool new important Content / Feature and make the Game much more attractive then Xenonauts 1 or some other Competitors of that Gerne. Xenonauts 2 plays with that much nicer and feels like an modern XCOM 2.

The fourth Content / Featue what I noticed is, that the Workshop can do much more Upgrades and Refits / Reworks from Equipments, Weapons, Armors etc. As well as you can later dismantle older not upgradeable Armors, Equipments etc. again and get the important Ressources back (like the old upgraded Cevlar-West and beginning Suit-Upgrade.

I like what I see, but there is going more in Improvements. My Thoughts are:

1. Bring in more Upgradeabilitys for the X-25 Angel-Interceptor, X-55 Phantom as well as the Transports you have (the Engine-Upgrade from the X-55 is an first good Step); so you can use them longer in Duty; maybe an Refit from the X-2 Skyhawk to the X-3 Dragonfly is possible in the Hangar it is already 

2. The normal Cevlar-Armor / Standard-Suit for your existing Soldiers should be uniqie upgradeable after you get the first Armor-Upgrade, instead to build a lot of Armours new (the 12 or 16 you Fighting-Soldiers you have at the beginning) until you get somewhere in the 2nd Gamepart the new Personal-Armor.

3. The Standard-Weapons should be to unique upgradeable to the first Magnetic Weapons (for your existing 12 to 16 Fighting-Soldiers).

4. Let the Alien-Autopsys normal like we could test in Verson 6.8.0; so the Player can decide when he / she wants to give the Soldiers more information (like it get done in the UFO ET-Row, old and new XCOM-Row etc.).

5. The MARS-Vehicle is good, but it should be more upgradeable with new Technologys; the 2 Slots are for the beginning OK, but it should be upgradeable to 3 Slots (1. Slot Main-Weapon; 2. Slot Secondary Weapon and 3. Slot Assit-Equpiment like Smoke-Launcher, Electronics etc.)

6. There were nice tested Content / Features in the Betas before the Milestones; eventually some of them can come back (like the Founder-States help your Fighters in heavy Dogfights and similar)

Like said, since Milestone 1 to Milestone 6 get a lot done for the Game, which is very nice and cool. Esp. the fresh and new Contents / Features, which get in as well as some overworked Contents / Features from the Basegame-Beta-Tests. That´s what I have seen and mention since we tested the Betas as well as the Milestones.

Edited September 18 by Alienkiller

[ih8california]

I do think accelerated weapons need a slight buff (not necessarily in terms of stats), but perhaps making class of accelerated (pistol, shotgun, rifle, etc) weapon a one-time project instead of having to produce each one. All others (laser, gauss, fusion) would still need to be produced on a per-weapon basis.

Though I disagree that there needs to be more upgrades for angel. And have suggested instead that their price be reduced, if anything.

I think early armor is fine and doesn't need any changes.

[Skitso]

22 minutes ago, ih8california said:

I do think accelerated weapons need a slight buff (not necessarily in terms of stats), but perhaps making class of accelerated (pistol, shotgun, rifle, etc) weapon a one-time project instead of having to produce each one. All others (laser, gauss, fusion) would still need to be produced on a per-weapon basis.

Though I disagree that there needs to be more upgrades for angel. And have suggested instead that their price be reduced, if anything.

I think early armor is fine and doesn't need any changes.

Agree. I wouldn't make accelerated weapons a one-off upgrade, but reducing the research/manufacturing time would suit me nicely.

[Alienkiller]

The Accelerated Weapons and Laserweapons get an later big 1 Time-Refit-Upgrade, which is great. And that is what I mean with the Standard-Suit and Standard-Weapons to the first light Armor- and Weapon-Upgrade for your own Starting Soldiers (the 12 or 16 you have at the beginning). That are the Frontline-Test-Subjects against the Cleaners and Aliens, before in Gamephase 2 the Founders fight the UFO-Crash-Sites that you get the Bounty-Money and use your OP-Points.

The Angel is your Workhorse for the full Game. I tested the other Fighters too in prevoius Betas and the first as well as Second Milestone. If you prodcue them in Numbers you have to sell some of your Bases or don´t build up 5 more Bases. Instead you can only build up maximum 2 more Bases which are have at Maximum: 1 Lift, 3 Generators, 2 or 3 Defenses, 3 Hangars, 1 Living-Room, 2 Workshops and if nessecary 1 Storage.

I tested it too in the 6.8.0-Milestone, with all extra Money you can get from the Supporters as well as the monthley Money-Upgrades. There I build 4 Angels and 2 Phantoms. The 2 Phantoms have monthly Costs like 3 to 4 Angels. You see what I mean.

And I build up 2 Extra Bases with the announced Minimum. With that the outcome (all Supporter-Money and the Monthly Money minus the normal monthly Costs [there the Sowjet-Bonus with 25% Reduction is integratet]) was about 2 Millions. If I would have 6 Phantoms Instead the outcome would be about 1,5 Millions. With that said you can now build up 3 more Bases before you get in the monthly Minus.

That´s why some more Workshop-Projects need to be be 1 Times and the Angel need more Upgrades from the Advanced Fighters / Transports. The Angel won´t be the overflyer then, but it´s your Workhorse like the Chef-Scientist says.

And I played in my live a lot of Games from that Gerne (old X-Com, new XCOM, UFO ET-Row etc.). All of them have a lot of Potential, which never get used. That´s why the older Gamers like me with a lot of Experiance in that Gerne give the Devlopers since the Beta-Phase important Tips to make Xenonatus 2 a lot better then the competitors and the not so good Xenonauts 1.

Edited September 18 by Alienkiller

[berk]

You don't have to put hangars and interceptors in every base right away. Phantoms and Gemini have more operational range than the base's radar range, so some bases can be solely on radar duty and rely on another base to shoot down any UFOs they detect.

Edited October 27 by berk