BattleDrop/Catapult mode

[TopCat]

Basically tactical battle without skyranger (troop transport) and with limited number of soldiers.

Troop transport may make battle drop with small group of soldiers and wait on orders in air.
 - assign to drop team should be limited by equipment weight carried by soldier (removed by flying suit).
 - troop transport should be able mount special equipment called "catapult"which take 1 HWP slot (or 4 soldiers) and allow drop of 3-4 soldiers.
 - max 2 catapults per craft.
 - game should play part of intro where soldiers jumps from catapults into terror site

Scenarios:

1) Secure Land Area: aliens in landing area may attack troop transport with explosives or blasters and kill all soldiers inside craft before anybody could leave it (and destroy/damage craft itself)

      - before troop transport will land in mission area small pack of soldiers may make "battle drop" and secure landing area.
      - after securing land area player could call troop transport and  bring rest of troops to mission area or finish mission only with "drop team"
      - special drop may be optionally introduced for Terror sites where soldiers may be drop less frequently (instead of full group in small land area) in wider area to secure civilist there (but most soldier will fight alone and at least one have to secure land area)

2) Alien Base Attack: alien bases should be capable have air defense (like xcom bases) and direct attack with troop transport may be shoot down. Alien Bases which exist long time may "construct" base defense systems and direct attack may give same base defense dialog but with opposite scenario that alien base shot with Plasma Defense and xcom craft land. With success (base mission) or fail (destroyed craft with crew )

     - In such situation player could make "Battle Drop" on Alien Base surface (second AlienBase stage) to seek and destroy Base Defense systems (with high explosives and call troop transport with rest of attack team) or localize lover level base entry and attack it with "Drop Team" only. 

[NuclearStudent]

OpenXcom sticks strictly to the original XCom in core mechanics. However, you may be able to pitch this to a modder or learn how to implement it yourself.

In reality, though, forces from your funding nations probably do this for you.

[Warboy1982]

you could simulate an air drop by having a bunch of parachutes on the ground near your spawn points instead of a landing craft for the map block.

[Solarius Scorch]

you could simulate an air drop by having a bunch of parachutes on the ground near your spawn points instead of a landing craft for the map block.

Yeah, or just spread them around the entire (possibly enlarged) map to simulate paradrop inaccuracy. (There was a hardcore tactical II WW-themed game where this was a major point, but I can't remember the title.)

[mrxian]

Man, parachuting into an active zone would make it so easy to be shot down.

[Solarius Scorch]

Man, parachuting into an active zone would make it so easy to be shot down.

It's OK, the aliens act according to international conventions.
(Have you ever seen them using chemical or atomic weapons?)

[NuclearStudent]

It's OK, the aliens act according to international conventions.
(Have you ever seen them using chemical or atomic weapons?)

The 'lids have got to count as infectious biological weapons!

[pilot00]

It's OK, the aliens act according to international conventions.
(Have you ever seen them using chemical or atomic weapons?)

I thought it was due to ulterior motives, rather humanist treands

The 'lids have got to count as infectious biological weapons!

I bet several earth govs would pay a pretty buck to get their hands on such a thing, if it existed to the real world. Which makes me feel our differences with the aliens (if tech allowed) wouldnt be so spread appart....nasty thoughts....

[TKO]

This idea of parachuting-in, rather than landing, could be quite cool.  Implemented as @warboy says, with collapsed-parachute graphic tiles at the spawn-points, and with soldiers on the ground or -- with flying-suits -- hovering one or two tiles above the ground. 

Probably a dangerous thing to do with un-armoured soldiers, as they don't have the initial protection of the ship.  But once you have a bit of armour, and especially the flying capability, having the strategic option of parachuting into the zone, rather than landing the Skyranger/Avenger, would add some nice variety to the missions.  You then have greater spread over the battlefield, and the possibility of getting the mission over quicker.  But in enemy-dense scenarios, the chance that one or two of your soldiers may start off partially surrounded. 

Sounds fun, really.   ..Wouldn't even need different types of ships.  Just a parachute equipment-item on the ship for each soldier (wouldn't need to be in soldier inventory), and the option when reaching the battle zone to either parachute or land.  ..and, at the end of the mission, a random chance as to whether each parachute is undamaged enough to be recoverable.  Hmmmmmm .. now I'm seriously contemplating learning how to MOD.