Hi,
this is my first thread here and please don't mind if my English is terrible or even worse.
So my suggestion is Weapon improvement. I've played the game a bit and found just a few improvements for Weaponry om the Home side.
It is a bit strange, that Weapon Systems of aliens are repoduced like the Aliens would build it. Somehow I understand the Fact, that the Ammunition would be the same cause an Alien has sometimes good Ammunition to spare.
As I played the Game, only one Improvement that would actually use Alien Artifacts came up. Plasma Ammunition for the Grenade Launcher.
Now lets stop the ranting and start with some interesting Ideas.
Own Design for Alien Weaponry:It sounds at first a bit Illogically but Alien Weapons are for Hands out of this World. It would be better to change the design of Plasma and Particle Weapons to something to use with Five Fingers.
As Usable as Alien Weapons are there would be a big penalty in accuracy and Time Units to use a Weapon which isn't designed for a human. So give the Scientists a headache and let them design a better solution to amplify the Alien Technology. Of course it should only a few changes to the original Weapon and the ammunition should be the same as the Alien Weapons to amplify the use of dead Aliens and fallen ammunition.
Plasma Flamethrower:We have Plasmaweapons, so we can use Plasma. Way hotter then the C90 Canister. So lets invent a Canister for the Flamethrower.
The Plasma evaporates fast but in a steady Stream it could travel wide enough to actually hit.
An additional Idea would be to create a completely new Flamethrower so the Plasma would not destroy the weapon. Of course the new Flamethrower should be compatible with the old ammunition and could add a higher distance for the C90 because of the higher Pressure and the stabilize effect of the magnetic shaft and nozzle.
Plasma Rocket:An Plasma Rocket should pack the punch with more radius of explosion and improved Damage Output. The good old Rocket Launcher should carry these without a Problem.
Wave Weapons:I've read a Thread here about the actual Weapon Research of America. The Wave Weapons was dismissed because of her "non lethal" Attribute. But would actually be a good addition to Stun rods and Stun Grenades. Shockwaves can make the Aliens pass out. As for the alien it would be no different if the Brain is shaked around the Skull. Enough energy to shoot such a high wave should be no problem with the Alien Technology. At least a mid range Stun Weapon and maybe more if carbon nanotubes didn't suppress the shock.
Intelligent Bombs:You know a Siege can be a bit depressing because of the Nature of Aliens to hide right after the actual shot. This could be a ingenious time for an intelligent Bomb. Blood Spiders are high technology and can't be reproduced but maybe copied in an intelligent Bomb. Something like a "fire and forget" weapon. Setting a point where it should run and then attack anything what moves in his radius. This would be an Alien, a Hostage or a Soldier. If the Bomb reacts to a Target it runs to it and detonates itself. The twist is that it could kill a Human, so spamming this bombs would be impossible without some collateral damage to anything living on the Map. Tricky Weapon but can sometimes help out. Anyway it can be shot so it can explode before it reaches the target.
Biosignal Glasses:An Advanced way to see Enemies is to see their Biosignals. Up the Frame is a sensor which senses various signals and running Programs through alien technology embedded Hardware. Every Living being wavering Signals everywhere like Heat, Noise, etc. To help find such signals this Glasses show a shade in an Area where is a not directly seen Biosignal. The aliens have it too. C'mon somehow they knew exactly where to move to be not seen from Soldiers!
So this works only for Aliens with light and medium Armor. Mechanical and heavy armored Aliens are an expectation, cause missing of some of the more obvious Biosignals and so sorted out by the Visual as "noise".
An addition would be a nice green color around the spotted Persons and aliens at that pesky nightmissions.
Nanotube Particle SnipergunI find it a interesting idea to missuse the Alientechnology to an extend. Example the Particlegun is a handy gun but hard to use. But if the Particle Ammunition is embedded in a Snipergun and used to hammer Nanotube ammunition out of the gun with extreme Force it would be like a railgun with hardened Carbon Nanotube ammunition to smash the hardest Nanotube Armor with Nanotube Ammunition at x-time the Speed of Sound. Should make a dent somewhere.
Antimatter Anti-Air MissileAntimatter is a extremely useful Fuel for aircraft but in a Missle would be extremly fast and if they hit the antimatter would make a nice explosion. Well not enough to make a second Hiroshima but enough to destroy the Alien Ship in one Hit. Expensive thou. A fast way to eradicate a few UFOs but only for last Resort shots.
Laser Blade"Luke I am your Father!"
No Really. The answer to the Plasma Blade. The Design is stolen from the Plasmablade to make a Hilt-like Weapon. Rammed on the Foe it shoots two Lasers with the full Force of the Battery inside. The First is the "cutter" shooting a extremely powerful Laser straight out. The other... well, lets call him the "cooker"
More sprayed UV Light with enough power to boil some Aliens from the inside. A Point Blank laser amplified to shoot 1 Time with all extend of the Battery in seconds. The Soldiers would write on the cover of the Handbook "how to cook an Alien properly" the first time they read it.
RocketpackSTOP MOANING! >_< I mean it. An easy way for some heavy duty Snipers to jump on Buildings or Cliffs to take Position. Also a way to get faster to the First floor or from Rooftop to Rooftop. Maybe the name should be more "Jumppack" because of the nature of Short Jumps with the full equipment.
But if the Hoverarmor is to use this ability, ignore it.
Heavy Duty GearAdding Heavier Armorplates, more Servos and an improved balancing System these Fullbody Armors can wield special Weaponry which would way to heavy for a normal Soldier with ONE ARM. It is Big, it is heavy armored, it is heavy armed and it is a big Target.
Unable to crouch it can't get out of the way. it weight a ton and only moves to the Servos so it is slow as hell (about crouching movement), need 2 TUs to Turn and more turns for reaction Shots. But in addition it can wield the big guns like Miniguns, Particle Cannons and other Weaponry which would either unusable for any Soldier or would be a Weapon for Both Hands.
The next thing is the Weaponequipment. It needs 1 Hour to equip this Behemoth because the Target Computer need Adjustment as the Balancing Unit. Fast equipment change for the next Mission is not a good idea. Reloads thou are really fast but only one Reload from the Reload-chamber. Out of Ammo equals Sitting Duck.
Oh... Of course are Stairs not to be mentioned to hold about a Ton of Cyborg. Ramps, Hills, Elevators and sorts are the only exception.
So this are a few of my Suggestions.
It would be nice to hear a feedback for my Ideas. If interested i can make another Batch of Ideas.
Next time I would suggest some Alien Lifeforms and Artifacts.
Thanks for reading!
ShadoWalker