Technology Proposals

[RandomPinkPie]

Well first off, i saw the current tech tree and edited it to add the technologies in the 'Orphanage' section to where i think are approprite locations on the tree and attached a picture of my proposed now tech tree

I also read the Profiles for the Raptor-class Combat Transport, Hyperion-class Armed Dropship and the Herakles-class Heavy Lifter and have some proposals of adjustment for them.

Raptor-class Combat Transport,
Combat Transport vehicles in reality are heavily armed with light troop transport capability. So i think we should make the Raptor an Air-to-Air combat aircraft with capability of landing and deploying 4 or 5 troops on the crash site instantly, instead of having to send out a firebird everytime a UFO crashes and waiting even longer.

Hyperion-class Armed Dropship,
As liek before, reality armed dropships are some-what like the firebird in that they support regular troop transport but with light defencive capabilies. So this Armed dropship should be like a more upgraded version of the Firebird, in that it tranports more troops, (10-12 maybe?) and has the same if not one or two more weapon slots on it.

Herakles-class Heavy Lifter,
Now this i think can serve a very large and useful pourpose. As it currently stands this is suposedly to carry 12 troops and 2 UGV's, well for one, its a HEAVY lifter it falls under that catagory easily. But a HERAHLES heavy lifter!? Thus such a title means it should be able to carry more and be able to take a beating before falling to battle. I have just the idea to make it fitting for its title, Land Vehicles

Land Vehicles
The title is sef explanatory really. I think we should add things like light tanks, heavy tanks, anti air trucks and even Troop crawlers. But obviously not with those names, as i've seen multiple times that requests not to be named after real world objects. We can send these vehicles but only via land, so they themselves will have travel time. But being land, their travel time will be longer than air transports but thay can be made cheaper to counteract that fact. But this is where the Herakles-class Heavy Lifter can be famous for its name, it can be the only aircraft able to take one vehicles with it to a mission giving the deployed troops extra needed firepower! (But depending on the vehicles weight can depend on how much the aircrafts travel speed can get lowered, meaning more firepower, yes but a slightly longer wait until the mission. )

Light tanks can be just that, a light armored vehicle with a machiene gun on its top.
Heavy tanks can be slow heavy armored vehicles with a powerful weapon like the rocket launcher.
Anti air trucks can be sent out at like a mobile SAM site and return to base just like an aircraft interceptor.
Last but not least, the Troop crawler, can be a fast medium armored transport to take troops to a UFO crash site. (land equivlant of the firebird)

Of course all of these options will be slower than regular aircraft, but their cost can be greatly reduced compared to aircraft making them a cheap solution for people running low on cash.
Also in case your wonering, i did not include any of these vehicles in my edited version of the tech tree attached to this post

[Hertzila]

Well first off, i saw the current tech tree and edited it to add the technologies in the 'Orphanage' section to where i think are approprite locations on the tree and attached a picture of my proposed now tech tree

I also read the Profiles for the Raptor-class Combat Transport, Hyperion-class Armed Dropship and the Herakles-class Heavy Lifter and have some proposals of adjustment for them.

Raptor-class Combat Transport,
Combat Transport vehicles in reality are heavily armed with light troop transport capability. So i think we should make the Raptor an Air-to-Air combat aircraft with capability of landing and deploying 4 or 5 troops on the crash site instantly, instead of having to send out a firebird everytime a UFO crashes and waiting even longer.

Hyperion-class Armed Dropship,
As liek before, reality armed dropships are some-what like the firebird in that they support regular troop transport but with light defencive capabilies. So this Armed dropship should be like a more upgraded version of the Firebird, in that it tranports more troops, (10-12 maybe?) and has the same if not one or two more weapon slots on it.

Herakles-class Heavy Lifter,
Now this i think can serve a very large and useful pourpose. As it currently stands this is suposedly to carry 12 troops and 2 UGV's, well for one, its a HEAVY lifter it falls under that catagory easily. But a HERAHLES heavy lifter!? Thus such a title means it should be able to carry more and be able to take a beating before falling to battle. I have just the idea to make it fitting for its title, Land Vehicles

Land Vehicles
The title is sef explanatory really. I think we should add things like light tanks, heavy tanks, anti air trucks and even Troop crawlers. But obviously not with those names, as i've seen multiple times that requests not to be named after real world objects. We can send these vehicles but only via land, so they themselves will have travel time. But being land, their travel time will be longer than air transports but thay can be made cheaper to counteract that fact. But this is where the Herakles-class Heavy Lifter can be famous for its name, it can be the only aircraft able to take one vehicles with it to a mission giving the deployed troops extra needed firepower! (But depending on the vehicles weight can depend on how much the aircrafts travel speed can get lowered, meaning more firepower, yes but a slightly longer wait until the mission. )

Light tanks can be just that, a light armored vehicle with a machiene gun on its top.
Heavy tanks can be slow heavy armored vehicles with a powerful weapon like the rocket launcher.
Anti air trucks can be sent out at like a mobile SAM site and return to base just like an aircraft interceptor.
Last but not least, the Troop crawler, can be a fast medium armored transport to take troops to a UFO crash site. (land equivlant of the firebird)

Of course all of these options will be slower than regular aircraft, but their cost can be greatly reduced compared to aircraft making them a cheap solution for people running low on cash.
Also in case your wonering, i did not include any of these vehicles in my edited version of the tech tree attached to this post

I think your missing their point and just focusing on their fancy titles and names. I don't think this fix should be done by completely rehashing the crafts based on their names alone but instead shuffle the titles a bit, like switching Raptor's and Hyperion's.

Raptor's supposed to be the ultimate solution to dropships, IIUC: capable of taking fire, dealing fire and transporting a respectable force of agents, possibly to space. (SPAAAAAAAAAACEEE!)
Hyperion on the other hand, is what you suggested Raptor to be.
While Herakles could use a somewhat increased amount of agents and UGVs, it is still the best craft for carrying troops around if you can give it fighter cover.

Land vehicles, as tanks and such, have been ruled out before IIRC. That's why we have UGVs.
Similarly for any other method of transporting agents. The aircraft are the only way.

I don't really see the point of tying the new craft to different alien ships. To technologies and parts like alien propulsion I understand, but to the actual crafts themselves? What, did PHALANX's famous scientists forgot to order coffee for their brainstorm meeting and came up with nothing, so they simply steal the alien's design? [/joke]

PS. Welcome to the forums! Hopefully I didin't scare you away already.

PPS. I have to ask, is your name referencing Pinkie Pie?

[RandomPinkPie]

(SPAAAAAAAAAACEEE!)

So much space, gotta see it all!

I think your missing their point and just focusing on their fancy titles and names. I don't think this fix should be done by completely rehashing the crafts based on their names alone but instead shuffle the titles a bit, like switching Raptor's and Hyperion's.

Hmm ok well thats somewhat understandable. Lol for some reason the raptor just reminded me about the little alien ships from independince day 
But i see where youur comming from, conventional reality is way past out the window and want to make somthing new, like giving their names completly new meanings to the aircraft.

Land vehicles, as tanks and such, have been ruled out before IIRC. That's why we have UGVs.
Similarly for any other method of transporting agents. The aircraft are the only way.

huh, really? hmm lol must of missed that somewhere, if i had knowed that before i wouldnt have mentioned them.

I don't really see the point of tying the new craft to different alien ships. To technologies and parts like alien propulsion I understand, but to the actual crafts themselves? What, did PHALANX's famous scientists forgot to order coffee for their brainstorm meeting and came up with nothing, so they simply steal the alien's design? [/joke]

PS. Welcome to the forums! Hopefully I didin't scare you away already.

Well it wasnt so much stealing their technology it was more tying their somewhat alike purposes (Destroyer, defender or transport) with alien technology in human made aircraft. (much like upgrading to antimater enigenes) I mean like why would you sell somthing it when you can use it to make your stuff bigger and better?

And nah i have a very high tolerance level for a 16 year old

PPS. I have to ask, is your name referencing Pinkie Pie?

Ahh, no. This is just an online name i use for everything, and i mean everything online :3

[Coyote]

Full-size land vehicles, when deployed in a military role, are usually used for full-scale open engagements with other military forces.  PHALANX is, in essence, a counter-terrorist outfit; think of it as a SWAT team that fights aliens instead of criminals.  They generally engage in small-unit actions in relatively small operational areas, many of them urban or otherwise confined.  Land vehicles much larger than the already existing UGVs would simply be of little to no use in the types of actions PHALANX usually engages in, regardless of how 'cool' they may be.

[RandomPinkPie]

Full-size land vehicles, when deployed in a military role, are usually used for full-scale open engagements with other military forces.  PHALANX is, in essence, a counter-terrorist outfit; think of it as a SWAT team that fights aliens instead of criminals.  They generally engage in small-unit actions in relatively small operational areas, many of them urban or otherwise confined.  Land vehicles much larger than the already existing UGVs would simply be of little to no use in the types of actions PHALANX usually engages in, regardless of how 'cool' they may be.

really, when it comes to warfare the 'wow' factor is the last thing worried about. Yes i can see PHALANX being an alien SWAT team, but they just dont have the support to deal with a major alien incounter such as them attacking your base, or vice versa, or them launching a large raid through a highly populated area. They need somthing, more. maybe an artilery strike in less populated, open maps or a type of EMP grenade rendering all weapons in the blast radius useless for a turn or two.
Im just thinking of things that may help to give the game a little more.....Opportunity as its still way too straight forward. Even back when i first played this game off a PC Power Play CD in 2008 ver (2.2) the game was too repedative and everything seemed to happen in the same way. Yes theres been alot of change since the 2.3 but its still the basic 'alien invasion' game where you fend them off for as long as possable untill the earth gets over run in multiple games, or untill the player quits playing from major cases of deja vu.

I mean thats why i stoped playing years ago, cus it got very boring after the same thing over and over again. Now i play cus i hoped for somitnhg shiny and fresh about the game but really nothing much has changed

[Hertzila]

Well it wasnt so much stealing their technology it was more tying their somewhat alike purposes (Destroyer, defender or transport) with alien technology in human made aircraft. (much like upgrading to antimater enigenes) I mean like why would you sell somthing it when you can use it to make your stuff bigger and better?

I understand the tangential reference, but in-story it doesn't make much sense. Hyperion, for example, is supposed to be completely human-tech based, so why would it need research from alien ships or their materials.
Raptor and Herakles, on the other hand, do use alien tech but in their case I'd say research based directly off UFOs doesn't cut it. Herakles is not directly based on any vessel, so simple engineering research after examining all the required alien components for it makes more sense. Raptor is similar but if it's required to take people to space too, it would actually have a justification for relying to the Harvester in addition to the component studies: navigation charts required for it.

And nah i have a very high tolerance level for a 16 year old

I'm 18 BTW. Nice to see you're still with us though.

Im just thinking of things that may help to give the game a little more.....Opportunity as its still way too straight forward. Even back when i first played this game off a PC Power Play CD in 2008 ver (2.2) the game was too repedative and everything seemed to happen in the same way. Yes theres been alot of change since the 2.3 but its still the basic 'alien invasion' game where you fend them off for as long as possable untill the earth gets over run in multiple games, or untill the player quits playing from major cases of deja vu.

The present version has ending though, so no longer is it simply playing as long as you can.
I think we're going to have to wait until AI reprogramming, medkit overhauls and such are finished. And balancing. And new models. And a new intro movie.

[RandomPinkPie]

The present version has ending though, so no longer is it simply playing as long as you can.
I think we're going to have to wait until AI reprogramming, medkit overhauls and such are finished. And balancing. And new models. And a new intro movie.

LoL we can always 'borrow' a scene from indapendence day or some other international alien movie XD

[parjlarsson]

LoL we can always 'borrow' a scene from indapendence day or some other international alien movie XD

If you put stuff through filters and edit it - think turning stuff black and white and only using a few seconds here and there and adding some interference like a busted tv - then it becomes a "derivative work" and is legal, at least in the US.

Cut one second of footage from Battle of Los Angeles, mess it all up in an editor (I know how) and then do the same from Independence Day and you've got stuff that at least I am prepared to stand up in court for.

[RandomPinkPie]

If you put stuff through filters and edit it - think turning stuff black and white and only using a few seconds here and there and adding some interference like a busted tv - then it becomes a "derivative work" and is legal, at least in the US.

Cut one second of footage from Battle of Los Angeles, mess it all up in an editor (I know how) and then do the same from Independence Day and you've got stuff that at least I am prepared to stand up in court for.

XD i wasnt being serious!
I mean the intro movie if people put their minds to it would be the easiest thing to make and add into the next update. Theres the DIY way, which can take a while with such a small amout of free timed pubic people to assist you. Or the lazy way, set up a donation account and page on the site and when enough is raided hire a good qualified person (or team) to make a 1 min 3D alien 'First Encounter' movie using textures and meshes of the aliens from in game. But this should only be done after alien meshes and textures are final.