Geoscape Balance - V22 Experimental 9

[KevinHann]

Although I can barely stand Condors turtling around the geoscape, they are awful at chases and often rely on lucky UFO turns to engage. So I guess Corsairs do offer a viable upgrade then.

[kabill]

Just spotted something while doing some modding about alien base.

According to the game files, the game can only spawn a base construction mission once every 60 days. This was born out in a test I just did where I left the game running while doing nothing: by the end of March - seven months into the game - the aliens had built only two bases.

This doesn't seem like very many. From a gameplay perspective, that's a relatively small number of base missions you get to play per game (it's looking like three would be maximum within regular game time, but in practice it will probably be less as you'll probably intercept and down at least one construction mission UFO during the game). It's also possibly a balance issue, since bases are fairly important in terms of game progression (they're not essential, but larger bases are a good place to nab a praetor and are necessary for at least two techs). On the basis of ~3 base building missions per game, it wouldn't be impossible to play through without ever seeing an alien base simply because you shot all the relevant UFOs down before they completed their mission.

Obviously, none of this is equivalent to what actually happens in play. Nevertheless, in the few times I've gotten into the late game there's not been very many bases, and I know some people have reported previously not having any bases spawning.

I'm wondering, then, whether it would be worth increasing the rate at which these missions spawn, with only a 20 or 30 day delay instead. At worst, you're around doubling the rate of alien base spawning, but in practice it will be less than that since some of the UFOs will still get shot down.

[KevinHann]

That is strange unless it was changed in the experimental builds as I've certainly had like 6 bases already in my veteran playthrough on 21 stable (and I've just seen my first dreaded Carriers).

By all means once every 60 days is nowhere near enough. Alien bases are my personal favourite type of mission. I'd actually wish to get say one in every three crash sites to keep the mix fresh and interesting.

Also curious about what you are modding with them

[kabill]

According to the game files that should be impossible, but yes it might be a version-related thing.

(Not modding anything with them, but they're close in the file to some other stuff I was looking at to do with UFO spawns.)

[legit1337]

Just spotted something while doing some modding about alien base.

According to the game files, the game can only spawn a base construction mission once every 60 days. This was born out in a test I just did where I left the game running while doing nothing: by the end of March - seven months into the game - the aliens had built only two bases.

This doesn't seem like very many. From a gameplay perspective, that's a relatively small number of base missions you get to play per game (it's looking like three would be maximum within regular game time, but in practice it will probably be less as you'll probably intercept and down at least one construction mission UFO during the game). It's also possibly a balance issue, since bases are fairly important in terms of game progression (they're not essential, but larger bases are a good place to nab a praetor and are necessary for at least two techs). On the basis of ~3 base building missions per game, it wouldn't be impossible to play through without ever seeing an alien base simply because you shot all the relevant UFOs down before they completed their mission.

Obviously, none of this is equivalent to what actually happens in play. Nevertheless, in the few times I've gotten into the late game there's not been very many bases, and I know some people have reported previously not having any bases spawning.

I'm wondering, then, whether it would be worth increasing the rate at which these missions spawn, with only a 20 or 30 day delay instead. At worst, you're around doubling the rate of alien base spawning, but in practice it will be less than that since some of the UFOs will still get shot down.

I agree, the limit should be 30 days, not 60 days. 1 per month is good enough.

Maybe it should be 60 days on easy and normal?

[kabill]

Not sure you can vary it by difficulty, sadly. Although, in some ways having less bases would be a penalty, since there'd be less opportunity for looting!

[Max_Caine]

As the Foxtrot has had an autoresolve airframe boost could the Marauder and the Corsair have an airframe boost as well? I've noticed while modding UFOs, the Condor, Corsair and Marauder from an autoresolve perspective are very closely related as 90% their autoresolve value is derived from their weapons, which is absolutely not true in AC.

Edited May 27, 2014 by Max_Caine

[kuroi_neko]

Literally none of the posts so far have been about the balance. Let's stay at least vaguely on topic, eh?

Kabill's funding scaled by difficulty seems a rather reasonable balance-related suggestion to me.

[Firepower]

Having played the game I have a couple opinions on it so far.

Money is far too tight. I have to build one or two bases right at the start of the game and probably hire some scientists which really cuts into my monthly upkeep and cash balance, then I always seem to lose funding every month because I can't possibly intercept every UFO. You can't sell things from the workshop like you could in the original X-COM, it seems like the amount of cash you get from UFO missions is less (I'm not certain about this though) and the amount of cash I have to spend on manufacturing and upkeep always seems to exceed the amount I take in regardless of what I do.

Refueling, rearming, and repairing seems to take too long as well. I can usually take one squadron of UFOs with my interceptors before they have to go back to base and refuel for the rest of the day but what do I do about the other 2 squads flying around abducting people?

I haven't yet beat the game but I haven't found any radar upgrades like there were in the original X-COM (beyond the crypto centre but those don't increase radar range). Which makes it even more difficult to intercept UFOs and keep your monthly funding up.

Aerial terror missions always seem to be in locations that are out of my interceptor's range. I can't begin to explain how frustrating it is seeing a terror mission I literally can't do anything to stop, that also cuts into the monthly funding problem as well.

Let me give some perspective from where I'm at right now as well. My original game was on hard difficulty but I quickly abandoned that game and went for normal difficulty instead because I had too much problems with money. I have just recently built my first F-17 but I'm still having problems shooting down the majority of UFOs and I don't have the cash available to build more F-17s to assist with that issue. I have a base in Australia, North America, Europe, and South America. I've lost funding from South Africa and about to lose Russia due to aerial terror missions I was unable to stop (spawned out of range of my bases), South America is about to jump ship also.

Now don't get me wrong, I've really enjoyed the game so far and I will definitely keep playing it but I feel like geoscape management is just too difficult in its current form.

[MrPyro]

While getting multiple bases is required long term, I wouldn't recommend rushing them. In my current game (also Normal difficulty) I built my second base when the funding came in at the end of month 1, and my third at the end of month 3, and haven't built any since then.

You can build multiple radar stations per base (up to 3) to expand radar range.

Focus on building Foxtrots (I assume that's what you meant when you said building F17's since F17's aren't built, they're just purchased). You probably want a minimum of two Foxtrots per base; early game this will let you shoot down 2 scouts, and later on most of the heavy ships can be taken down with both flying in together as long as your missile tech is up to date.

Basically, you probably shouldn't be thinking about a new base until your current base is adequately armed, and you should make sure you have enough cash to build the base, 3 radars, 2 hangars and 2 Foxtrots before you place it. There's no sense having radar coverage if you don't have the planes to do anything about it.

[Firepower]

+

While getting multiple bases is required long term, I wouldn't recommend rushing them. In my current game (also Normal difficulty) I built my second base when the funding came in at the end of month 1, and my third at the end of month 3, and haven't built any since then.

You can build multiple radar stations per base (up to 3) to expand radar range.

Focus on building Foxtrots (I assume that's what you meant when you said building F17's since F17's aren't built, they're just purchased). You probably want a minimum of two Foxtrots per base; early game this will let you shoot down 2 scouts, and later on most of the heavy ships can be taken down with both flying in together as long as your missile tech is up to date.

Basically, you probably shouldn't be thinking about a new base until your current base is adequately armed, and you should make sure you have enough cash to build the base, 3 radars, 2 hangars and 2 Foxtrots before you place it. There's no sense having radar coverage if you don't have the planes to do anything about it.

Sorry, by F-17 I meant Corsair! In my first game I started off with only one base and then built a second one after the first month like you said but my funding had taken such a big hit in that time I figured I would do better if I started with a base in North America and a base in Europe.