Crypto's Vanilla MinMods - Slower Research, Battletanks, Cyberdiscs are Bull****

[Harald_Gray]

But.. Sectoids have guns. It's a huge advantage over the Chryssalid when it comes to engaging flying units. You don't need to fly if you can just shoot things down.

This debate reminds me of a strip from one of my favorite webcomics:

https://www.schlockmercenary.com/2011-10-02

[new_civilian]

Sorry for the OT, but I simply have to answer this one:  Flying units have several advantages over walking units, ever sat on a building (in X-com that is) where no Sectoid could reach you? All you have to do is to walk to the edge, fire, walk back, be safe. And when flying the chance of getting hit by a grenade becomes rather low, too, albeit I had a floater killing one of my units in flight with a grenade recently 

I don't say the sectoids are helpless, BUT having flying units against nonflying units really makes things easier. It isn't an autowin situation (except with Chryssalids, where it is) and you suffer penalties in accuracy if you hang in mid-air,  BUT the mobility/position advantage is easily worth it.


Oh and there is a mod that adds those cover aliens, see for the thread with the name COVER ALIEN. 

Back On-Topic: I really like the new Battle Tank, btw, especially that you balanced it and did not make it the only tank to have. Good work.

[Dioxine]

and you suffer penalties in accuracy if you hang in mid-air.

A common misconception. I don't know about vanilla, but there are no such penalties in OXCom.

Oh yeah and about the names:
Sectoid comes from Insectoid - because bug-eyes
Sectopod comes from Insectopod - as it's supposed to remind of an insect, dunno?
In general, the Laser Squad connection is relevant too, it is likely there were supposed to be insectoid aliens in XCom but got cut out as the game concept changed.

[pkrcel]

A common misconception. I don't know about vanilla, but there are no such penalties in OXCom.

The only problem in mid-air is that you cannot kneel, so there's sorta accuracy penalty there

[Warboy1982]

Sectoid comes from Insectoid - because bug-eyes
Sectopod comes from Insectopod - as it's supposed to remind of an insect, dunno?

citation needed, etymological root, if indeed it has one, could also be "sect".

[CryptoCactus]

Back On-Topic: I really like the new Battle Tank, btw, especially that you balanced it and did not make it the only tank to have. Good work.

Thanks! I thought I'd accidentally made it way too accurate by accident, until I realized a standard rocket tank really IS super-accurate.

Balance is what I was going for, alongside just doing neat things with the vanilla resources.

I've got a couple of other things baking/testing right now, might add them too if I like them.

[Dioxine]

citation needed, etymological root, if indeed it has one, could also be "sect".

Sure I have no definite proof, it's just a conclusion based on:
1.Ufopedia says that Sectoids have a hive-like society;
2.Gray Aliens, who are indistinguishable from Sectoids, are often refered to as bug-eyed aliens;
3.Laser Squad has insectoid aliens;
4.It'd be strange for Sectopods' name to be based on different root whereas they coexist with Sectoids in the same context

Also if I think about Sectoids being named after the word sect, an image of a (sectarian, as they always are) religious fanatic is hard to get out of my mind - and they seem to be everything but.

[robin]

I agree that sectoids and sectopods were likely meant to be together.
They were separated for the "cool" factor. I think.

1. Sectopods as sectoids' terror units means that at the beginning you always encounter two similar (large, bipedal) terror units (reapers being the other one).
2. Sectopods from the beginning means it needs to be weaker loosing part of its coolness; Cybers fly and they're just too cool to be affected by any nerfing.
3. At the beginning, when you're noob and don't know anything, encountering the "grey aliens" along with mini-saucers is just perfect; sectopods wouldn't have the same "impact".