Research Priorities

[Glaucus]

I was wondering what people thought was more important to research early in a campaign? I am playing a standard difficulty campaign and early on I prioritised researching weapons rather than armour or doing autopsies. But I have just come up against  aliens using particle weapons for the first time(I have the plasma pistol and plasma rifle is 96% complete, I didn't bother researching lasers) and finding that my troops are being killed very easily. Half my squad was killed in the first alien turn of the mission I played. The early weapons are still very effective, for example the assult rifle seems more effective than the plasma pistol against armoured aliens. Would it have been more prudent to research armour first then weapons? How much do people prioritise things like alien origins and alien autopsies?

[BTAxis]

Armoured aliens are no different from other aliens when it comes to taking damage. The same is true for PHALANX soldiers. However, that will change thusly.

[Glaucus]

So what you are saying is that there is currently no point to researching armour or even buying it?... Apart from making your troops look a hell of a lot cooler.

[BTAxis]

Yep.

[b_e]

My take in any game is to research everything I can research as quickly as possible. This said I do find myself doing the following. I usually have a staff of 30+ scientists; they are assigned one each to the projects available. I then check to see what project or projects I want done ASAP. In this game, it is typically alien weapons because they have all the cool toys (but the research tree is limited too). I then divvy up the reaming staff between the project or projects I want ASAP. This leaves me with that much more of a head start when they are done and I start with my next lower ladder rung.

[BlakeD]

I had been focusing on armor and the path that leads to alien captures.  Honestly, the weapons have never excited me that much as I seem to do fairly well with earth-based weapons until I am doing live-captures, and from there, I'm focused purely on that so I am almost entirely non-lethal.

In light of the above information - Screw the armor.  Gas Gernades - Here I come!

[XCOMTurcocalypse]

Might I advise a reflective armour for deflecting or dissipating (SOME of the power of) beam attacks? Would it be hard to code?

Wİll alien authopsies result in increased to hit bonuses on aliens? I always dreamed of it.

[Kaerius]

First thing I research is bolt rifles, because they're decent up-close weapons that can still take long range shots, I consider them to be assault/battle rifles. Typically I'll end up equiping 2-4 soldiers with them.

After that, it's getting stun rods, and then armour, while I'm waiting for a good mission to capture aliens in, so I can get gas grenades to do easier captures.

After that, I just research whatever I have, I don't use any of the alien tech weapons anyway, except plasma grenades and sometimes plasma blasters(used to use them more when they had the splash blast). The particle beam cannon is nice, but I can't make ammo for it, otherwise I'd use it.

I leave laser for when I absolutely do not have anything else to research. Pathetic stuff currently.

[Agrajag]

...and sometimes plasma blasters(used to use them more when they had the splash blast).

Plasma Blaster still have splash, and now, with more ammo, longer range and enormous damage(with spray), it is even more effective, I think.

I use the Particle Rifle and Cannon later in the game, when the aliens start to use them alot giving supplies after in mission.
Problem is you cant reload them till the magazines are researched.

So until then the Plasma Blaster is a good choice, and Bolter Rifle for soldiers with high accuracy

[beguegab]

research is taking too long to compleate.

[Cameron]

I would agree with you.

I feel that a research lab  that can fit 10 scientists is a bit small. Even if they are the best boffins on Earth. Although they may be researching completely alien concepts.

While I don't want a lab that can squeeze 50 in [X-Com standard building size] 20-30 would be better i believe.

Although The Research Tree between UFO:AI and X-COM:EU is slightly different.

The *Mission scaling also impacts (having a reasonable chance to take out a small/medium scout early on rather than the larger ufo)  I could under X-COM expect the Reach  Laser Rifle, *stun rod, performed a Sectoid Autopsy and maybe have started Heavy Plasma and still faced a couple of terror missions (cities and intercepted). I think this could have been done by the first Global payment or shortly after.


* I understand at the moment that not all these mission types nor object graphics are available but I don't bother sending the aircraft against the larger and only ufos at the moment


**Stunrod could be researched earlier in X-COM and Alien Containment could be researched after the death in transit of a live alien.

[ufogio]

The first is the bolter, since the assault rifle is too weak. You can finish the bolter research after the first month, even at Hard difficulty level.
After the bolter, it comes the armor, because I don't like my soldiers to die, and producing heavy armor for the 8 members of the team takes so long!
Next I usually research laser rifles, or one of the autopsy, to be able to capture one of the aliens sooner.
Another good research are plasma grenades and their counterpart for the grenade launcher.

[Surrealistik]

I prioritize weaponry, because I tend not to get hit in the first place, and the laser series compounds this by allowing me to meaningfully attack aliens from beyond the effective range in their weapons. My research order is typically laser rifles, then nanocomposite armour. Plasma grenades, blades and 25mm plasma rounds follow thereafter.

[Serrax]

I also prefer research in weapon technology.

Over all, i do most research in laser-tech - as i prefer all laser-weapons (v2.2) more than any other weapons.

I also used to do a lot of research in nano-armor, but that was useless... v2.2.

Further researches in the PE-grenades and the gas grenades.

I don't like the Bolter.


Due to the setting of UFO:AI I have the impression, that battlefield armor is less important than competitive human weapons. Especially by the appearance of more durable Aliens than the Tamak, we need stronger weapons.

cu

[kanickl]

I usually start with the development of laser weapons and then with either the Bolter oder the Nanoarmor (depends on whether I do find Alien Armor).

The Laser Rifle does pretty good damage and is very precise too. Also the number of rounds each magazine holds, makes it a good weapon.

The Bolter on the other hand has decent damage, especially with the burst mode. On the other side it has big magazines with just 12 rounds in it.

I tend to equip my team half half with Laser Rifle and Bolters. That gives them good accuracy and firepower for distance and close combat. After the development of Laser Rifles and Bolters I usually do not need the grenade launcher or other weapons like that.