Definite progress from the last time I played. However, there are still plenty of problems and areas of improvements.
For starters, balance:
- too many aliens. It becomes a chore and downright irritating - especially since you can't auto half of hte battels, and when you can it generally isn't advisable.
- no cash in the begining, swimming in $$ at the end.
- not nearly enough manpower (too little workers, scientists and soldeirs)
- close combat weapons become seruiously underpowered later in the game. Flamer is godly early-game.
How to fix it:
The number of alien raids should not increase dramaticly.
Increasing the price of alien items and UFO's would ease the financial problems in the begining, and keep a steady income near the end. Adn it makes sense - it's alien stuff, it's worth it's weight in gold.
Alternatively, an option to build milita bases that could handle any crashed UFO missions for you (in a certain radius)
The cost of producing items in your workshops should be LESS then the selling price. You should be able to earn a few bucks for a brand new, never-before-seen lazer rifle.
What the game needs or could use:
- Separating equipment of soldiers from the aircraft. A separate soldier/equipment managment screen
- more weapon options. Proper heavy wepons with proper penalties for the advantages of firepower. I would propose heavy weapon to be hip-carried and require a backpack ammo/power/fuel stachel.
That way the negatives would be: the backpack is unusable to store anything, the weapon is heavy and increases movement cost per tile, possible penalty to reaction fire? It would require new animations and modeled backpacks tough, but that shouldn't be a big problem.
- NOT spawning aliens with heavy weapons and reaction fire on, right behind your soldier. It's instant death for several of your soldeir the second you do ANYTHING.
- Maybe an explanation that Phalanx isn't the only initiative in the world. Rather one of several and most governments do not trust it will work. That helps explain the low funding and support. Helps with the immersion.
- Allies (sometimes) on the battlefield. Depending on map and mission type. Cops and soldiers. It's not hard to do. No nation standing bonuses or penalties for their deaths. Again, helps with the idea Phalanx is part of the world and that the rest of the world is doing something.
I dunno, maybe you devs want to go for a "all alone agaisnt the evil" feeling, but frankly it contradicts your own setting.
