If you're not going for a capture, then there's no kill like overkill. Click a button. KaBOOM! Or SPLAT! It's exactly what the alien flunkies are doing, but you do it with style and sophistication. Better, in other words.Well technically you're losing a fair bit of armor parts if you overkill everything ever.
Heavy flamers are the best thing ever.... (snip)
@Bloax: Supply ships, yes. Bases, no.Hover suits are worse in terms of TU until late upgrades, though parrots are something I haven't used yet, and would make great scouts. Though units can use smoke grenades which are always useful. The timelimit of 20 turns, 15 for full loot. Is more than enough time for non invisible, and non-mercs IMO. I usually don't recall if anyone but the traders use mini-nukes.
I don't find supply ships too hard, but I've had very easy runs on them (Academy only in my Death Realms run. I think I had spartans or something in another. Mid-range enemies, without it being too scary). On my Death Realms campaign, I only found out where they were going by following them from Australia, to Antarctica, to South America. It was a few versions ago, but they travelled nice and slow the whole way. And were perfectly farmable for plenty of loot when they landed. Any medium or large ship going slow is worthwhile following (and even anchoring for a bit after a mission), because it's nice to know where a base is. And where you should put radar due to it.
I actually haven't plucked up the courage to attack a base yet for farming. I'm assuming that it's like a defense, but with far more flunkies to fight, better weapons, and you start out grouped. So harder, and probably not farmable. Although a hit'n'run "kaboom everything" for tech gathering might be feasible. Or maybe it will kill your entire squad. Especially if there's reprisal raids just after. Back when I did attack a base, the only memory I have that was highly successful was 6xheavy/standard flamers (I forget the mix, was in the process of getting all flamer gals to heavy, and thought "that's enough, let's do this shit!), 3x Assault cannons w/ Expl (standard hand-me-down fire support), and a smattering of spiked maces. Everything got toasted or belted by these, gauss weapons were the only direct fire weapons that did anything, and everything else is a blur. I think I may have won it, but with about 50-60% casualties. So not farmable in any sense.
I've won defenses on base raids quite a few times. They're grueling, scary, often with lots of casualties. But they're doable with the advice above. With a bit of practice, they don't seem nearly as bad, but they do take a while to play out. Hell, I almost pulled out a win in a nudie run (could have actually), but at great loss. Yet it was vs Marsec, inside the first month, so I had virtually nothing. And it still almost got done. Add armour, ammo and bravery and you'll be fine :) .
I actually recommend a nudie run (or a bikini run for the faint hearted) for everyone. It really teaches you what does and doesn't work mechanics wise, rather quickly. Once you start learning that, things like actual ammo, armour, explosives and misc items makes everything so much easier. You don't have to cheese things out, you just learn a lot about "worst case scenarios", and how to use what you've got to your advantage. Even in hard situations.
@BetaSpectre. I thought parrots might be useful. Gals in hoversuits even more-so, but if you need to do it on the cheap, a parrot might fill that spot well enough.