Troop deployment

[dSvenb]

I dunno about anyone else, but I lose 90% of my troops in the first two rounds of combat while I'm organizing them. Surely it would be possible to choose exactly where your troops start, within a small area. Failing that I would happily tick the option 'Start in transport' and just have them all packed in. Thoughts anyone? Is it feasable?

[Juni Ori]

I have dreamed of the feature I like to call "approach-sequence", where you could recon the area with interceptors and/or troop transport and deploy smoke, suppress the enemy with vehicle guns and choose where to deploy and if you'd choose to, you could drop your soldiers so that you surround your enemy. This of course would increase the map size dramatically, but I'll be dreaming of it!

[ghosta]

I dunno about anyone else, but I lose 90% of my troops in the first two rounds of combat while I'm organizing them. Surely it would be possible to choose exactly where your troops start, within a small area. Failing that I would happily tick the option 'Start in transport' and just have them all packed in. Thoughts anyone? Is it feasable?

Currently it isnt possible to choose where your troops start, but I am favouring the idea of having all the starting positions inside the dropship. And maybe with changing the order of the positions. Like the UGVs being the first ones to enter the battle scene or the medics being at the least positions. Something like that.

[Aiki-Knight]

This is a good point. If a change is to be made, although I'm happy with the current situation, starting inside the dropship is the only reasonable alternative.

[Sophisanmus]

Since drop points are set by the mapmaker in most cases, inside-Dropship starting points seems to me the best option right now for granting the player control over his deployment pattern.  Also, since UVGs may well be implemented as carried on external pods, and dropped just prior to the landing of the craft, they could become a very useful form of scouting before deploying troopers (and likely easier to code than trying to rig the dropship with surveillance capabilities).

[Darkpriest667]

no real soldier would start outside of the transport vehicle... Well at least not elite ones.. There is always a few cannon fodder minded (read really stupid) soldiers in a platoon... I dont imagine any of them are making the xcom teams though..


My preference is they all start in the drop ship where there is cover for 270 degrees.... except the two 45 degree open spots on the side of the drop ship...




This brings up another question... I dont know what type of ATV (air transport vehicles) you game designers have been in.... but pretty much every "dropship" the United States has fielded since the C-47 is a rear deployment ship (you come out the back) ..... its tactically a lot more sound than have 2 open cavities in the side... even for VTOL's its much better to come out the back where you are protected by the side armor of the ship (usually much heavier)..


Any reason the dropship was designed with two side doors like a helicopter?

[Juni Ori]

You have a point. Very small one, but you have a point. However: NO FRIGGING APC, HELO, Air-TP, none what-so-ever meant to carry you to battlefield will move into position on purpose where it is under fire! No APC, no AFV, no air-mobile, NO doctrine drives into battle men aboard. That being battle - recon is another issue. Units are always deployed before closing in to enemy.

Where's your point? There that yes, some helos have two-sided doors so they can turn the opened side to enemy, but you know what? Helo turns pretty damn quickly while landing... Overall, no point.

[bayo]

Elites ones go out like that http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lWeLmGRU5k

[Juni Ori]

Show drop. In real situation they'd come much quicker with lots of more smoke (quite pathetic smokes . However, there is good debate on this "ropes / no ropes" dropping: with ropes it takes a little longer, but without the helo gets more threatened. The increase of threat is relative: the higher the helo is, further away real AA/SAM can affect it (depending of course on landscape), but on lower level direct fire - especially heavy guns - can cause problems. In some cases at least russians have abandoned ropes and have slow strafe/advance-drop (depending where the entrance of helo is), where helo moves slowly on 2m (roughly 7') alt and men jump off. Landing is a bit harder, but maneuver is very quick and safer than stopping the helo. Men are also automatically spread and area effect fire has far less effect. Of course every reasonable maneuver has its defenders.

Still, most important thing is that troops are nearly never dropped under fire  (=never planned drop).

[Duke]

@dSvenB:
Which version ? 2.2.1 or 2.3.x
Which difficulty level ??
Which mission(s) ?

I myself played 2.2.1 until Aug 2nd (inGame time) and *never* encountered your problem. Actually, I managed to loose *none* of my soldiers
Maybe you should rethink your tactics ??

[Aiki-Knight]

@dSvenB:
Which version ? 2.2.1 or 2.3.x
Which difficulty level ??
Which mission(s) ?

I myself played 2.2.1 until Aug 2nd (inGame time) and *never* encountered your problem. Actually, I managed to loose *none* of my soldiers
Maybe you should rethink your tactics ??

Good point. I never lose agents in the first rounds, either. Get to cover first, then cover arcs of fire, and pull the aliens into lines of fire.

[shevegen]

I sometimes lose my guys... depends on luck a bit too and the amount of cover.

I wholeheartedly support the option to start within the dropship

This way I could for example send out a few scouts before I launch with all my guys