[DONE] Salary and maintenance for items

[Dioxine]

Why would I use Mercs on early missions when they can be robocopped for the most part in Scale or Plate while simultaneously training up my gals?

That's your opinion. I'm not in a position to consider only a single side of a multi-faceted coin. Also, Scale is far from impenetrable by the lowliest weapons (one shot in 3 penetrates, at the very least, unless you use the TFTD damage cheat), while Plate will be harder to get in the future (and even now, it takes several months to get it - even if you beeline for it, you can usually have the Mercs faster by spamming civvie interrogations; also Plate will be a bit less resistant to grenades in the next ver.).

[Surrealistik]

That's your opinion. I'm not in a position to consider only a single side of a multi-faceted coin. Also, Scale is far from impenetrable by the lowliest weapons (one shot in 3 penetrates, at the very least, unless you use the TFTD damage cheat), while Plate will be harder to get in the future (and even now, it takes several months to get it - even if you beeline for it, you can usually have the Mercs faster by spamming civvie interrogations; also Plate will be a bit less resistant to grenades in the next ver.).

What multiple facets? Even if gals get injuries they'll be only slight, and surgery kits can often reduce the recovery time to negligible levels.

Nerfing Plate's acquisition time won't make this already ultraniche unit substantially more attractive despite a big monthly maintenance.

[Dioxine]

Mercs are only loosely related with plate mail, and it's not even about buffing Mercs. But everything is related with everything. I'm not making a game for you, personally. Your campaign is only one of many possibilities. That means 'multiple facets': my goal is to provide enough possibilities so each player can carve their own path. But to do that, everything has to have balance, some underlying order, because gamey balancing is lacking with so many objects. Mercs are hardly unbalancing if you're not using them/hating them due to personal reasons. However, if I don't give a skunk about training my gals, free maintenance unit with unlimited ammo, immune to any starting enemy, and easily killing any starting enemy - what's not to like? Gals can be always trained via Gyms, battle experience really isn't neccesary.

[legionof1]

Merc commandos are quite strong for when you first get them. Particularly with the present early game. Mercs can face tank and murder everything up to medium UFOs and some pogroms. However shortly after you get them is about the time the gals outdo everything so long as casualties have been minimal and decent gear is available.

The advisor is garbage however and needs some loving.

But balance aside won't cool feature.

[KateMicucci]

The only problem I have with the advisor is that he's too slow to keep up. Or do you mean he's garbage compared to a brainer outfit and medkit?

[Surrealistik]

Mercs have a niche while they're free maintenance; decent for base defenses, and if the stars align such that I really don't care about training gals, don't have plate, and don't want to bother breaking out the occasional surgery kit, and have the money to spend, sure, I guess great Cthulhu might rise whereupon they could see some use on trash/rote missions that need cleaning.

Slap on maintenance though and that already small niche is looking increasingly thin.

Legion describes one of the most fundamental problems besides: because Merc Commandos cannot use your gear, they have a vanishingly small window during which they are actually decent (and TBH, you pretty need to rush them as is to get maximum mileage... and at that point their cost probably matters). I think that if you do give them a sizable upkeep they most definitely should be able to use your shit.

Also advisor is definitely garbage vs taking another gal. The Merc Commando has tempted me on occasion; I cannot say the same is true for this guy.

[ivandogovich]

Chiming in on the advisor here.   I think the easiest buff that would make him useful, is to give back the ability for his Mind Read to work without a line of sight.  I'd buy him and use him on critical snatch and grabs to help id remaining armor on GuildMasters and Provosts if this were the case.  Once I discover the actual mind probe, his role would be done for the campaign.  Otherwise I agree with the others, that he's a sluggish china-doll with underwhelming utility.

[Solarius Scorch]

It's probably a silly idea, but... what if he gave points? You know, having spent the mission with the gals and survived, he speaks well of them to his superiors...
Not that it would matter much.

[Yankes]

Then better would have TV reporter, more kills he see, more score he generate.

[Dioxine]

Yeah, I'm upgrading the Advisor to have a Mind Probe. As for Mercs, I find the arguments for buffing them lacking. The player is not supposed to forego the gals in lieu of Mercs, unless when having a Plan - and that would be caused by buffing them too much. Player is mostly fighting Mercs, not working with them. Naturally monthly maintenance also means that the entry fee will be somewhat lower (likely from 450 to 225k, with 75k maintenance and 75k sell value).

[Surrealistik]

All I'm asking for is giving the Commandos the ability to use your weapons; ultimately the Gals will be better because of their high stat caps (also being able to use VooDoo, having a VooDoo STR greater than the 30s, etc), but it does make the Mercenaries a much more interesting buy and makes them more scalable. Bottom line, the complete lack of scalability means they have too small a niche that may never really come up if you don't get Merc Contacts until later.

Also would consider unlocking Psi Panic/Mind Control and other VooDoo abilities for the Advisors as appropriate techs are researched if that's at all possible to make them more scalable.

[Arthanor]

I agree that this could make the commando more interesting on the long term.

I think it is possible to give HWPs a built-in weapon that's not a fixed weapon. You can then make that weapon not-recoverable. This means the HWP will spawn with a weapon, but you can take it off and make it use your own instead, and you don't get a free rifle every time since the HWP weapon is not recovered at the end of a mission.

[Yankes]

Right now is possible "rebuild" mercenaries like other items to "give" them better equipment.

[Dioxine]

All I'm asking for is giving the Commandos the ability to use your weapons; ultimately the Gals will be better because of their high stat caps (also being able to use VooDoo, having a VooDoo STR greater than the 30s, etc), but it does make the Mercenaries a much more interesting buy and makes them more scalable. Bottom line, the complete lack of scalability means they have too small a niche that may never really come up if you don't get Merc Contacts until later.

Such mercenaries as you describe are planned, but they're not these ones (not Mercs) - so I don't want to invest into something that would be temporary.

Also would consider unlocking Psi Panic/Mind Control and other VooDoo abilities for the Advisors as appropriate techs are researched if that's at all possible to make them more scalable.

Yeah, I think adding some Workshop projects to upgrade/rebuild both Mercs and Advisors (and maybe dogs as well) is an option (although I can hardly think about any Merc upgrade that won't automatically make him an universal soldier - already his only weakness is short-range weaponry; also, Advisors would have to sacrifice either medic bag or mind probe to get psi). I will add this to the list. An ideal solution would be a possibility to manufacture soldiers (and possibly also engineers and scientists).

[Yankes]

Armor can have build in psi weapon. It will be used as alien psi attack.