Sorry to resurrect this many years old topic, but I guessed it was better that start a new one with the same Title.
I was wondering about some improvements on the geoscape, and if they wouldn't be too difficult to do.
I- Geoscape map quality: It's quite low, I don't expect Google Earth resolution, as mentioned before, but how about being able to see some not so small islands a little better?
II- Islands: The ability of building bases on islands and having aliens making their own there. That would create more hiding places for alien bases, and help humans patrol oceans a little better. It could even allow reducing the radar watch area, way too big to me. It doesn't seem too complex, but I may be wrong.
Which islands to be chosen? Some options:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_islands_by_areaIII- More political factions: I don't know if it would turn the game more complicated, but it would certainly offer some more game strategy options. Having more nations, you can choose who to please and who to ignore. Each nation would have something to offer (Rich and low populated parts of Europe offer some technicians [If they end up having skill levels like in X-Com Apocalypse, they wouldn't be many, but would be skilled], almost no soldiers or workers but a fair amount of money. Civil war-like regions of South America, Africa and Asia could offer many unskilled soldiers, and so on). Nations would be harder to please, and almost impossible to have them all happy, forcing you to choose your strategy carefully.
IV- Complex borders: There could be some simple lines in the map showing the political boundaries, to help you plan better on how to please an specific nation. Also, having a little bit more complex boundaries could difficult the pleasing mission in valuable nations (Ex: Some Scandinavia-like nation would posses Greenland, Svalbard [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Svalbard], Iceland and possibly a further away island or colony; some Andean Union nation would be thin and long, and so on, in order to make the defense more challenging.
V- Show the bigger cities around the globe, and each nations capital (simple squares, circles and dots would do the trick). They would functions as the human nations analog of a base. Basically, if an ufo attacks one of the cities, the map will be a random, medium or big, city map with more civilians and more nation happiness variation potential than a an attack on some random small rural not map-listed village, especially in case of being a national capital.
I tried to make low work hours cost suggestions, but my non-existent programming skill may have made that objective fail. Well, I hope you can provide me with good critics and/or suggestions.