Alien Electronics: Bug or Change of Tech Pace In Updates?

[Leadpumper]

I've been playing a 3.5 game since last year, it's September 1999 and I have yet to capture any Alien Electronics to do the research. I've knocked over dozens of UFOs, a few Hybrid embassies, and captured nearly all (space) alien species & subtypes Leader and below. Successfully rescued David Vincent. I just updated to 3.7.2 in case there was an issue but I've captured half a dozen more UFOs since then, including an Abductor and a Lab, still nada.

I'm doing fine with captured alien weapons and manufactured gear but my tech progression is plateauing, am I researching ahead of the curve? Something wrong with my campaign, just bad RNG? I've also been starved for MiB missions, captured a few scientists & executors (and ships) but they've basically disappeared since hybrids started showing up; I haven't even unlocked the Smartrifle in this playthrough. My last game was on 3.3 in 2024, has the pacing changed significantly since then? I could be missing something silly too.

Cheers, thanks for reading.

[Stone Lake]

In a nutshell, keep doing what you're doing. Seems like a typical midgame to me.

You need to interrogate many leaders/engineers to proceed. They have 20-30 things to interrogate. After you get nearly everything they have to offer, you'll get advanced lab = next tier of research. Also improved lab, if you haven't yet.

You can get electronics as item and research it (e.g. from turrets), or from interrogations.

Smartrifle is from osiron/syndicate arc.

Mibs are mostly RNG, but you can get more of them via MiB enforcer interrogations -> MiB activities. If you didn't manage to capture one at Vincent's, go to crop circles and wait 8 turns or something, they'll come.

[psavola]

I've been playing a 3.5 game since last year, it's September 1999 and I have yet to capture any Alien Electronics to do the research. I've knocked over dozens of UFOs, a few Hybrid embassies, and captured nearly all (space) alien species & subtypes Leader and below. Successfully rescued David Vincent. I just updated to 3.7.2 in case there was an issue but I've captured half a dozen more UFOs since then, including an Abductor and a Lab, still nada.

In addition to what Stone Lake said:

Alien Electronics, the item, can be found on numerous places. I always obtain it well in advance (even early-mid 1998, or even earlier with RNG), for example from Cyberweb lairs, cyberweb manufacturing plant, osiron, etc.

It can take a while to be able to research it though (you need both alien leader and engineer), though if you watch out for engineer and leader, this is doable already before 1999  (from e.g. Ambush of Alien Abductors mission), unless you get it from David Vincent or the floppy.

You didn't mention cyberweb. So if you're lacking the item, you may want to check out if you're missing something on that front (for example). Nonetheless being able to research it (or get it free from research) could be a while coming unless you have specifically been on the look out for alien leaders.

[Leadpumper]

Yeah my doubt was coming from not looting or salvaging electronics yet. I've already assaulted the Cyberweb Fortress, dismantled numerous (large) alien drones and turrets, taken medium UFOs intact, and now I'm just interrogating alien leaders & engineers over and over without unlocking the research. I got Alien Electronics way before this point on my 3.3 game so I wasn't sure if this was a bug or a deliberate change. Thanks for the answers and advice.

[psavola]

Yeah my doubt was coming from not looting or salvaging electronics yet. I've already assaulted the Cyberweb Fortress, dismantled numerous (large) alien drones and turrets, taken medium UFOs intact, and now I'm just interrogating alien leaders & engineers over and over without unlocking the research. I got Alien Electronics way before this point on my 3.3 game so I wasn't sure if this was a bug or a deliberate change. Thanks for the answers and advice.

In that case check out https://xcf.trigramreactor.net/master/article/STR_ALIEN_ELECTRONICS - the table "Sources" as to the list of all possible sources where you could find the item. Maybe this will give you some ideas where to look for it in particular.