alternative base defense mini-game (the one with the base defense modules etc)

[moriarty]

don't you think that maybe the base defense could be improved? I don't mean the battlescape base defense mission, but that screen that tells you of your base defence modules firing at the UFO (hitting or missing), perhaps the grav-shield repelling the UFO etc.

don't you wish you could have a little more control over that?

I propose a mini-game for that. perhaps something like missile command: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missile_Command

the base defence modules you built would actually be used by the mini-game, but all under your control. if you are good, you might shoot down a ufo with a few missile defence modules, and if you really suck, even the fusion defence won't help you. of course, we could include an auto-play mode. anyway, it would be prettier and more immersive than "missile defence fires... hit! missile defence fires... miss! UFO lands"

[moriarty]

on a different note, the whole "aliens attack xcom base" mechanics need to be revised.

1) aliens shouldn't forget the position of your base after breaking through your defences and being defeated on the ground. why would they?
I know that it's a gameplay thing: if the aliens just keep coming at you forever, you would get frustrated, so there has to be some end to the attacks. perhaps after successfully defending your base, you are automatically able to determine the base-of-origin of the UFO that LANDED on top of your base, enabling a special counter-strike mission where you have to destroy that bases central computer, wiping out the information and preventing further attacks? that would make way more sense.
also, once you successfully defend your base, you should get ALL the loot from the UFO that landed. I mean, you wiped out the aliens, right? the UFO can't just disappear.


2) I think I mentioned this before somewhere: if your base defences almost destroy the attacking UFO, the attacking force should be somewhat decimated.
think about it: in the beginning, if you are unlucky enough that a UFO attacks your base, and you have just one missile defence, of course it barely scratches the paint on a battleship. but if a battleship is hit by three fusion balls before touching down, that's some pretty big holes. some aliens should be killed by that before the ground attack even starts.


3) in order to make the early base defences useful, maybe the aliens should attack with smaller UFOs at the beginning of the game? (or even later, for that matter?) I mean seriously, those who already played the game never build base defences before fusion ball defences become available, right?

[Danny]

1) aliens shouldn't forget the position of your base after breaking through your defences and being defeated on the ground. why would they?
I know that it's a gameplay thing: if the aliens just keep coming at you forever, you would get frustrated, so there has to be some end to the attacks. perhaps after successfully defending your base, you are automatically able to determine the base-of-origin of the UFO that LANDED on top of your base, enabling a special counter-strike mission where you have to destroy that bases central computer, wiping out the information and preventing further attacks? that would make way more sense.
also, once you successfully defend your base, you should get ALL the loot from the UFO that landed. I mean, you wiped out the aliens, right? the UFO can't just disappear.

I always thought the aliens would be like:
Oh our forces are so great we can delete this base location, when the Battleship is just commencing the attack... XD

[Align]

One of the Ufopedia pages suggests that the Battleship actually smashes into the base, which sounds pretty awesome.

2nd Theory: Based on how the Battleship comes from space, enters Earth's atmosphere at Very High altitude, very rapidly switches to Very Low altitude, does not decelerate from it's maximum speed at any point, and disappears from radar existance as soon as it makes contact with the Xcom Base... it seems highly possible that the aliens use a kamikaze ramming attack in order to create a direct insertion of troops into the Xcom Base, thus explaining why your forces perform an interior assault defence, instead of exterior. This also explains why your base defences only have time for 1 volley, unless you use the Grav Shield to repel the battleship. In any case, is thus impossible to assault the Battleship after the base has been defended.

But yeah, Base Defense could do with some improvement.

[Man in the Funny Hat]

1) aliens shouldn't forget the position of your base after breaking through your defences and being defeated on the ground. why would they?  I know that it's a gameplay thing: if the aliens just keep coming at you forever, you would get frustrated, so there has to be some end to the attacks. perhaps after successfully defending your base, you are automatically able to determine the base-of-origin of the UFO that LANDED on top of your base, enabling a special counter-strike mission where you have to destroy that bases central computer, wiping out the information and preventing further attacks? that would make way more sense.
also, once you successfully defend your base, you should get ALL the loot from the UFO that landed. I mean, you wiped out the aliens, right? the UFO can't just disappear.

A simpler solution I'd suggest would be that once your base is found then once each month it WILL be attacked from that point on.  It becomes a reliable monthly event like a terror mission.

2) I think I mentioned this before somewhere: if your base defences almost destroy the attacking UFO, the attacking force should be somewhat decimated.
think about it: in the beginning, if you are unlucky enough that a UFO attacks your base, and you have just one missile defence, of course it barely scratches the paint on a battleship. but if a battleship is hit by three fusion balls before touching down, that's some pretty big holes. some aliens should be killed by that before the ground attack even starts.

Quite agree.  It really needs to scale up as your game progresses.  You don't start out encountering ethereals and sectopods - you start out fighting sectoids.  You generally don't even see battleships for some time and then often have to just avoid them until you can build a better interceptor/weapons to handle them.  The defense system deployment needs to not be a pass/fail check where you either shoot down the enemy attacking ship and nothing else happens or they get through and it's a full-blown base assault facing a full complement of whatevers.  OXC introduced random elements into terror missions (few/no civilians) it can and should do likewise for base assaults.

3) in order to make the early base defences useful, maybe the aliens should attack with smaller UFOs at the beginning of the game? (or even later, for that matter?) I mean seriously, those who already played the game never build base defences before fusion ball defences become available, right?

I never build base defenses PERIOD.  It's a waste of precious base space and money because you just can't build enough defenses and keep them upgraded fast enough to make any reasonably reliable "shield" versus base attacks.

If it's not just going to remain the useless and flawed concept from the original game then it definitely needs to be altered and balanced to make it a more involved part of the game.

[moriarty]

If it's not just going to remain the useless and flawed concept from the original game then it definitely needs to be altered and balanced to make it a more involved part of the game.

amen.

of course it would need to remain an option, since the goal is to create a game that is as much vanilla as possible. but I would absolutely love to see this implemented. I could even imagine the base defence as a two-tier-mission: if you manage to defeat the invaders, you get the chance to counter-attack the landed UFO (which, of course, is only defended by a skeleton crew, plus it features all applicable holes in the hull from your base defences...

[mercy]

1. Aliens attack and are repelled = killed. Reason for delay in their next retaliation could be simply, because they must replenish their forces in that Earth sector. Grow new specimens in tanks or something.

3. Basic rocket or any level defenses SHOULD BE viable!! Remember Roswell? The explanation could be that an inexperienced alien commander decided he can raid the puny human base with a scout and as many crew as he can put into it. A scout doesn't have so strong armor so basic rockets could harm it as fusion balls can harm Battleships.

Aliens come down, hit by rocket, UFO hurt, crew decimated and the commander's surviving crew goes into berserk rage and foaming at the mouth  runs into battle.

Aliens even could be bleeding coming out of hurt UFO-s!!