Another thing is about manufacture. Some randomness. Yeah i know that it could be used for save-scumming but i don't think everybody would cheat at every possible way. Every game could be cheated anyway..
So i think manufacture results should able to give some items with some percentages. This would bring some unique things into the game rather then just directly having it with a linear way.
Let me give you an example. I want to have something hard to obtain. Lets say i want to have my own sectopod, but i want it hard to get it (the percentage is up the modder decide). To manufacture a sectopod for me, i can make it "20 x sectopod corpse". Buuuuttt.. it's very linear and simple, not so excited... but if i make the manufacture as "1 x sectopod core, 1 x sectopod **** weapon, 3 x sectopod frame, 1 x sectopod energy core" and create another manufacture to get those by "Disassemble Broken Sectopod" with some chance to get those req items, every time you got an sectoid, you just get hyped to get more needed items to create your own..
Another example: I want to obtain a special powercore like for sectopod over there. I need standard powercores and maybe some alien computers to create it. I can make it simple "15 x powercore + 20x alien computer" to have it.. but than you ask yourself, why would i need 15 powercores to get just a special core? You will wait just numbers and as the ufos got tons of them, you will get that "unique core" so fast.. if you want to slow down the progress you will rise the needed powercore to 50 and then it will become much more absurd.. so rather then this just have a "Special Core Project" which needs a powercore and 2 alien computer to get the special core by %20 percent...
I just don't find it abusing to get things just with numbers and linear way.. you can use linear progress at huge mods with tons of things to do but if you just at something to the base game, your options are very low to make an excited project.. when i create my SAR mod with tons of vehicles/robots as experience getting units, i hate it to just want tons of startdart items to get those things.. because i want them more unique, more hard to get.. more special.. not just for everyone who got 100* of default items you can get from the game easily after some time..
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Another randomness idea is about drops from battlefield. Here for example alien weapons could return to base as weapon scraps and some special items with randomness.
Example:
- Alien_Plasma_Rifle
Afterbattle: Weapon Scraps (%80) - Weapon Scraps (%80) - Weapon Core (%10)
So when the battle ends, an alien rifle will come as possibility with %80 of 2 weapon scrap and %10 of weapon core.
This could be combined with the "get alien weapons if only alien is alive (stunned)" option. So if the alien dies, weapon becomes possible parts.. like Fraxis X-Com somehow..
Thx!