Ideas for new technologies

[brainy19]

One thing I like about games like XCOM is the technologies you get to research.  I always liked to gain the technology advantage whenever playing any sort of strategy war game.

That's why I'm using this forum for people to suggest and present their thoughts for any new technologies that can be implemented in this game.  One idea I had was the usage of antimatter in weapons.  Some ideas the US military had with antimatter in real life was to put antimatter in bullets, making the target an exploding target.  Also with antimatter, a nuke could be the size of a pinhead.  I figured we could adopt these ideas for UFO:AI.

Another idea is the ability to upload new technologies for the game, like how some games can be updated with new goodies with XBOX Live.  Anyone can suggest the idea for the technologies and model it and only if it gets approved, will it be uploadable into the game.

Any thoughts?

[knightsubzero]

what about the microwave emitter...

http://www.lattimore.id.au/2005/07/25/microwaving-adversaries/

[Doctor J]

what about the microwave emitter...

Daddy likes!  I have read of pistol-sized versions in cyberpunk literature.  It wouldn't do gobs of damage to flesh [same penetration as the Particle Beam, however], but would absolutely ravage robots and electronic devices such as implants and powered armor.

I've got a few more ideas [developments of the Bolter]:

1) A gauss rifle firing needles with enough precision to replace the Sniper Rifle.

2) An electromag grenade launcher - progressive replacement for the 1970s tech grenade launcher; better range.

[brainy19]

Hmmm... the microwave emitter could be an advanced ranged flamethrower, in which enemies from a distance can experience the same type of damage (or more deadly) from the microwave emitter but from a larger rage than the flamethrower.

Also, for the gauss weapon and grenade launcher ideas, are you saying they are some sort of derivatives from the railgun weapon?  If so, then the bolster rifle technology could be a prerequisite for these techs.

I wonder what admin has to say about this...

[Vyper]

I would be happy for them to just update the human weapons you start with to modern "real life" standards.  IE more accurate Gls and RPGs, More accurate small arms and some new attachments/ammo for the weapons. Making them a bit more viable later in the game.

Examples.

None lethal rounds. Bean bag rounds for large bore weapons (shotguns, GLs)
AP rounds, Glaser etc http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armor-piercing_shot_and_shell / http://www.dakotaammo.net/products/glaser/glaser.htm
Tasers http://www.taser.com/products/military/Pages/default.aspx
M203/Masterkey(shotgun) attachments http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KAC_Masterkey
Laser sights for "Close" weapons Flash light attachments for almost everything
Accuracy of GL is slightly off IMO its about as good and 1st gen smooth bore grenade launchers IE Blurp guns
Accuracy of the rocket launcher is terrible ATM (2.2). In most open maps, I can't hit the side of a building consistently with a 30+ skill. I completely understand the idea that they aren't terribly accurate. I have used the AT4 and RPG7 in my military days and at 100 meters you can, with little skill, hit a 3 man bunker (roughly 10'/8'/4') most times. AT4 being the more accurate of the 2 IMO.

You could do a research heading for each weapon type. IE improved laser or Improved SMG These would allow attachments, lower tu costs or just add a little more damage or accuracy. IMO we should never not have something to research. Even if it's a minor improvement overall. I am not paying for those lab coat wearing geeks to stand around and wait for the next alien discovery to spark an idea.

Some new toys should come from the Civ side as well. This game plays out over years so why not have the Civs build a few new toys and let us improve/adapt them for Phalanx use. Seems the R&D output of earth comes to a stand still once the aliens attack.

For weapons the trees would look like this.

SMG ------\-------------------------------------------\
                 Flashlight                                                AP ammo(-3 dmg reduction due to armor)     
                  \                                                             \                                         
                    Laser sight (+3 user Acc, +2 TU )                 Glazer ammo (+5 dmg)               
                     \                                                             \
                       Recoil suppression (-1 TU )                         
                        \
                          Bullpup config (+10 range, -0.2 spread)
                           \                                                                                                     
                             Improved SMG (+3 user Acc, -1 TU, -0.3 spread,  +15 range)
                              \ 
                               

That is at least 6 new researches for a single weapon. These are only examples and the Values could be completly different

I could easily make a mock up of the tree for each weapon type if the devs or anyone else is interested.
                 





 

[Doctor J]

Also, for the gauss weapon and grenade launcher ideas, are you saying they are some sort of derivatives from the railgun weapon?  If so, then the bolster rifle technology could be a prerequisite for these techs.

That is exactly what i'm saying.  Right now the Bolter is unceremoniously dumped as soon as you get the Laser Rifle.  I think it would be good to take that technology and run with it.

[brainy19]

Vyper in response in to what you said, I believe admin doesn't want any real-world based weapons in this game.  So if your ideas are to be made into the game, they would have to be changed and adopted which is why I'm hoping admin would get some posts in this topic, so we can see their response to this.  I do agree with you though, customization would enhance this game and make it even more entertaining.  Now that I think of it, we don't have that many light amplification equipment in the game...

And yes, the railgun weapon's appearance is way too short in the game.  Plus, some aliens are weak against the railgun so some expansion in this technology would be a good idea.

[BTAxis]

I don't want to put a wet blanket over this whole discussion, but I think your time would be better spent trying to come up with more alien weapons. The human arsenal is quite large enough as it is.

[knightsubzero]

i do agree with btaxis, however the microwave is still and always will be, cool....and i like the taser idea.

[Serrax]

@BTAxis:

The human arsenal is quite large enough as it is.

Sorry, but a few words on this:

I don't know if any other of the proposed human weapons will make it to the game. But:

The human arsenal might be large - but is it good?

Nearly all weapons are single old-fashioned weapons - despite all developments in reality. Some weapons are nearly the same ones the guys used in WW2 or Vietnam:

- rocket launcher: WW2, Bazooka
- grenade launcher: Vietnam
- machine gun: WW2
- SMG; WW2
- sniper rifle: WW2

The only two advanced weapons are the laser and the bolter - but each weapon is today in a bigger scale near reality (US Navy: railgun, US army: MTHEL/Skyguard).

And sorry, but the stun rod: We have tasers today - and sound weapons. Even the microwave weapons are near future.

Generally is the development going to highly integrated, more useful weapons than today. You can upgrade nearly every rifle-sized weapon with secondary weapons and optics - from the bayonet to flashlights, flamers and grenade launcher.

For example: The rocket launcher, grenade launcher, assault rifle, machine gun and SMG would be obsolete - by the OICW (weapons) (= HK XM29).

Even smart ammunition should work - despite alien ECM. There're several technologies that could provide that.

So, as I wrote:

IHMO is the human arsenal big - but it is not THAT hot.

cu

[BTAxis]

Sure, but the thing is that we HAVE them. We DON'T have all the fancy hardware you guys are suggesting. Having it all would be nice, but who's going to make it? Model it? Texture it? Not me. You?

[Pretend]

I agree that there could be a couple of later stage HUMAN weapons. Projectile guns instead of those typical lasers, plasmas and beams.

As for alien weapons I'd like to see some creative use of different species. As it is now the human figure aliens share the same weapons and I didn't see much difference which one I was fighting against. For starters make the muscle alien even harder to take down, snake alien faster and stealthier and so on. Aliens could be a weapon themself. Like couldn't the snakeguy (sorry can't remember their name now) have a poison spit and snake bite for close range. The big muscle alien could use it's strenght to throw something unique, like an Alien style "facehuggers" at Phalanx, which would take control of your soldier. Exploding alien suicide race would be nasty, as would bigger than one square size super-hard-to-kill alien beasts.

Weapons.. aliens should be scary as hell. Now they are not because the zap weapons aren't that intimidating. Aliens don't have any high-explosive weapons (plasma fluid launcher = grenadelauncher which leaves the ground burning for couple of rounds), they don't have machineguns (very inaccurate super heavy 10-shot autofire for the muscle boys) nor sniper rifles (Long distance low-velocity living projectile, which would bite deeper and deeper in to the skin causing damage each turn until removed). Try to think other weapons than just the basic rifle shape items.

[Sophisanmus]

If you want a fear-inducing heavy weapon, I would suggest a sort of super-heavy Particle Beam Cannon derivative (sort of halfway between a PBW and a Bolter/Railgun in terms of pseudo-science description) which fires a shotgun-like spread of electromagnetically-accelerated rod penetrators which also explode on impact (roughly a mini-grenade).  The explosion could even be plasma-based.  For balancing issues, it probably should be far to heavy to carry for just about every alien race available, so it seems to beg the inclusion of a large-size alien (2x2, or a biological counterpart to the human... [curses!] ..."Tanks").  Hell, for the alien's design, it could be a 4-6 legged creature with the weapon grafted right into its body.  Any of the team's artists have a penchant for bio-mechanical abominations? 

Pretender, with regards to the suicide alien, see X-COM: Apocalypse's Popper, it's a good example of that concept in practice. 

[Serrax]

@BTAxis:

Sure, but the thing is that we HAVE them. We DON'T have all the fancy hardware you guys are suggesting. Having it all would be nice, but who's going to make it? Model it? Texture it? Not me. You?

Sure, you're right. And if I could code more than 'hello world', I'd help.

BTW: If there was the OICW insteat of 4 other weapons, this would have saved coding, modeling... 

Than this issue is simply a question of priorities?


To be inspired for scary alien weapons, I'd simply watch a few hundreds sci-fi movies. For me, the most frightening alien (technical) weapons are the Predator's arsenal (mostly the guided plasma cannon) and the super-worrier 'developed' by 'Anubis' (stargate).

As for alien armor is some kind of 'movement assistance' is mentioned, smart weapons are imho not to exotic. Or as powerful defence against projectiles, rockets and grenades, some kind of smart armor with miniaturized anti-projectiles (or plasma/laser/particle beams) might rock.

Some kind of 'intelligent dust' like you can see in 'Aon flux' might also be a frightening threat.

cu

[knightsubzero]

ding....idea.....well idea refined, how about a rifle based poison weapon, a bit like in serenity near the end of the movie, kaylee gets hit by poison darts.

the darts would slowly reduce your health unless you get healed by a medpac....you would maybe have to reasearch that part of the med pack....so at first they would maybe be a death sentance, unless you finish the round before your guys die.

as an option to the same weapon how about paralysing darts....reducing your time units for a time, with a chance of unconsiousness, or making you immobile until healed.


also how about one that spits green goo that holds you in place as well.

any of these would  allow aliens to capture humans, or they would make your soldiers sitting ducks for other alien weapon atttacks.


how about the needler as mentioned elsewhere, similar to the halo needler.