Nations taking more active role based on happiness

[Sarin]

It would be interesting if nations would have a few (like 1-3 per nation) military bases of their own, and based on happiness, you could use some of their services. Like...your craft could refuel at their bases, giving them higher effective range (as long as you don't use antimatter engines and happiness is kept over certain level). They would also slowly upgrade their bases to match aliens a bit, like using better radars (probably even less range than offbase radar instalation), SAMs (and very later, if researched, laser batteries), and even an interceptor or two. Based on their happiness, they would relay radar data to you, or even take more active role. Like, nation with 100% happiness would detect an ufo, give you its position and attempt to shoot it down. When ufo is downed on their territory, they will even send their own military to support you in combat. If nation is NOT happy tho, they will not tell you about UFO, try to shoot it down and recover for themselves, thus effectively creating an opposition to you.

I dunno if something similar was proposed already, I tried some searching and found nothing.

[Hertzila]

If memory serves, most of those active roles have been declined (don't count on my memory though) but the refuel and radar are new, I think. And I kinda like both.

Instead of simple radars though, I think they could instead report sightings and faint radar signals to you, showing up as "ghosts" in geoscape with possible heading and speed. Like the New Africa backstory said "Most of the time, the best the New Africans can do is spot UFOs as they land with one of thousands of scouts and small patrols out in the country to combat poaching and smuggling." Why not make this a real gameplay feature (not limited to NA, of course)? While they would be fairly rare (even with the best happiness rating), every now and then you would receive a report for "possible UFO" and see its ghost in the geoscape.

[zapkitty]

If memory serves, most of those active roles have been declined (don't count on my memory though) but the refuel and radar are new, I think. And I kinda like both.

Your version of iffy "possible sightings" is neat, especially if there's a happiness penalty if the player disregards a nation's sighting report if that report turns out to be an actual precursor to an alien raid.

And current events give plenty of backdrop to the importance  of the concept refueling rights... even if a nation hosts a Phalanx base the local military could get sticky about usage of their own bases.

[GPS51]

I like the ideas. i wouldn't be to know how to code it but for adding realism. Sounds terrific

[Sarin]

Well, it would be great if nations would actually do something, right now it feels like being the only military force on the planet. The nations certainly have access to PHALANX tech, since you can actually buy stuff like lasers few months after you research them. So I wonder why are they not using them? It would be great to see sone more soldiers on your own side, tho considering you get the best soldiers, they probably wouldn't hit the broad side of UFO.

Also, for example when you decomission a Stilletto or Saracen (you'll have better, AM powered), some nation might start using it.

[zapkitty]

gameplay effects?...

Should a nation's chance of signaling a ghost be dependent on higher happiness? Might not a worried nation, more stressed out, be more likely to have reports... even if the reports are as likely (or more likely?) to be swamp gas?

A nation's chance of good reports should be based on... what? Or equal distribution?

So if a report is genuine that's a flag on the UFO tied to the reporting nation? (and each subsequent reporting nation?).

A report that results in an eventual shootdown is a +happiness modifier?

A shootdown with no civ casualties on cleanup is also a +...?

A shootdown with civ casualties... c'est la vie and judged normally?

No shootdown is neutral?

Aliens landed with no civ casualties is neutral?

Aliens landed with civ casualties... worse h modifier than usual?

[Sarin]

Well, gameplay wise, it would need some heppiness rebalancing, from what I played so far, it is too easy to keep the nations happy...you sell them one wrecked UFO and they love you instantly, and damn, in my game I have specialized workshop base with 4 workshops, and still I get more UFOs than I can disassemble. I keep just landed harversters anyway, cause all I need them for now is antimatter.

[Hertzila]

Should a nation's chance of signaling a ghost be dependent on higher happiness? Might not a worried nation, more stressed out, be more likely to have reports... even if the reports are as likely (or more likely?) to be swamp gas?

A nation's chance of good reports should be based on... what? Or equal distribution?

The ratio for good vs. swamp gas UFO reports could be based on the happiness. Since if they are happier, they would actually go check more and more of those reports and thus remove some of the false ones. As such the chance of good reports rises. Not sure how the amount of reports should be decided though.

So if a report is genuine that's a flag on the UFO tied to the reporting nation? (and each subsequent reporting nation?).

A report that results in an eventual shootdown is a +happiness modifier?

A shootdown with no civ casualties on cleanup is also a +...?

A shootdown with civ casualties... c'est la vie and judged normally?

No shootdown is neutral?

Aliens landed with no civ casualties is neutral?

Aliens landed with civ casualties... worse h modifier than usual?

I think it could go like that, though with the "aliens landed with no civ casualties" instead being slightly negative. If you had pursued it, they would not have landed in the first place (after all, they trust you to protect them, letting one slip can be understood as ignoring your objective).

Should you actually gain a bit of happiness if you go check false ones too? Since that shows that you are actually doing something for their protection even if that specific one turned out to be false.

[zapkitty]

I think it could go like that, though with the "aliens landed with no civ casualties" instead being slightly negative. If you had pursued it, they would not have landed in the first place (after all, they trust you to protect them, letting one slip can be understood as ignoring your objective).

I wondered about that too, but it would really depend on what game balance needs are when everything is said and done... perhaps this event would be given more weight at higher difficulty levels?

Should you actually gain a bit of happiness if you go check false ones too? Since that shows that you are actually doing something for their protection even if that specific one turned out to be false.

... and less weight for doing that at higher difficulty?

[Hertzila]

I wondered about that too, but it would really depend on what game balance needs are when everything is said and done...

Yes, it would depend on the overall balance. But if possible/needed, those are couple of ideas that could be considered.

perhaps this event would be given more weight at higher difficulty levels?

... and less weight for doing that at higher difficulty?

Seems like a small thing but it does add a bit of difficulty and if that's good enough, go for it.